Justin_Luke
New Member
Hello all! My name is Justin, and I am stepping back into the saltwater hobby. I kept saltwater tanks for a few years before I went to college, but due to moving so much (4 states in the last year alone) I haven't had a tank in four years! Now that I am settled however, I am excited to have the opportunity to have a tank again.
Before I get into the tank setup, I'll tell you a little about myself. I am 23, and currently living in south Florida. I am currently in a graduate program where I am working on my masters degree in Marine Biology. I work in a lab at the university that specializes in coral toxicology, and I also work at the LFS in town. Needless to say, I am quite immersed in a marine lifestyle
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The reason behind the title of this thread is that I wanted to do a build that used reasonable, low cost materials and good methodology to produce a thriving micro reef community. I wanted to show that having a successful reef is not dependent on having the most expensive equipment or tending to your tank 10 hours a day. I hope to prove that with limited equipment and a reasonable amount of care you can have a successful and thriving reef.
Lastly, I am far from an expert. I have been out of the hobby for a while, and am definitely rusty. I greatly appreciate all advice and tips that may come my way. I am still learning, and will continue to learn. Enough tanking, lets do this.
The Build:
Equipment:
Tank - 10 Gallon Aqueon tank
Lighting - Hipargero Led AquaKnight
Filtration - Aquaclear 30 HOB filter with filter floss and carbon
Circulation - Hydor Korallia 240
Heat - DaToo 50W Aquarium Heater
Temp - Zacro digital thermometer
Floating Glass cleaner
Testing: Red sea fish Pharm
Current Livestock:
15 lbs dry and live rock (from the ocean)
~10 lbs live sand (from the ocean)
3 blue leg hermits
2 astrea snails
NO aptasia!
Tank Params:
Ammonia - 0.01
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 1
pH - 8.6
dkh - 8.0
The tank has been up for about 10 days now and the levels are great. The nitrates are a little low, but I'll get them up in no time I'm sure. I'm running the blues/UV on my lights at 90% and the whites at 30%, although i added more white for the picture. I am having the normal algae that comes with a new tank, but the clean up crew is taking care of it fairly well. I plan to get a trochus or two here pretty soon as well. Future stocking plans include making it a mixed reef with an emphasis on sps. I also plan to have some sort of dragonette or scooter blenny, maybe a tailspot blenny, and perhaps a small nem/clown pair.
Now for some pictures, let me know what you think!
Before I get into the tank setup, I'll tell you a little about myself. I am 23, and currently living in south Florida. I am currently in a graduate program where I am working on my masters degree in Marine Biology. I work in a lab at the university that specializes in coral toxicology, and I also work at the LFS in town. Needless to say, I am quite immersed in a marine lifestyle
.The reason behind the title of this thread is that I wanted to do a build that used reasonable, low cost materials and good methodology to produce a thriving micro reef community. I wanted to show that having a successful reef is not dependent on having the most expensive equipment or tending to your tank 10 hours a day. I hope to prove that with limited equipment and a reasonable amount of care you can have a successful and thriving reef.
Lastly, I am far from an expert. I have been out of the hobby for a while, and am definitely rusty. I greatly appreciate all advice and tips that may come my way. I am still learning, and will continue to learn. Enough tanking, lets do this.
The Build:
Equipment:
Tank - 10 Gallon Aqueon tank
Lighting - Hipargero Led AquaKnight
Filtration - Aquaclear 30 HOB filter with filter floss and carbon
Circulation - Hydor Korallia 240
Heat - DaToo 50W Aquarium Heater
Temp - Zacro digital thermometer
Floating Glass cleaner
Testing: Red sea fish Pharm
Current Livestock:
15 lbs dry and live rock (from the ocean)
~10 lbs live sand (from the ocean)
3 blue leg hermits
2 astrea snails
NO aptasia!
Tank Params:
Ammonia - 0.01
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 1
pH - 8.6
dkh - 8.0
The tank has been up for about 10 days now and the levels are great. The nitrates are a little low, but I'll get them up in no time I'm sure
. I'm running the blues/UV on my lights at 90% and the whites at 30%, although i added more white for the picture. I am having the normal algae that comes with a new tank, but the clean up crew is taking care of it fairly well. I plan to get a trochus or two here pretty soon as well. Future stocking plans include making it a mixed reef with an emphasis on sps. I also plan to have some sort of dragonette or scooter blenny, maybe a tailspot blenny, and perhaps a small nem/clown pair. Now for some pictures, let me know what you think!
