This will be my second reef tank ever and surprisingly...it's a downsize. My first was an IM Nuvo Fusion 40 and as much as I'd like to setup a bigger tank, I simply don't have the space right now. So instead, I wanted to try a couple of things; one is testing out reefing on a "budget", and the second is starting a tank with completely dry rock. My first tank used pretty well-established "live" rock from the LFS, complete with hitchhikers (good and bad), and it was a relatively painless setup. It was a quick and easy cycle, there was no real ugly stage to speak of, and it's been a relatively stable tank now approaching it's 3rd year. I've read and heard about the pitfalls of using dry "dead" rock to start a tank, but as with many things in life, I feel you need to experience to truly understand. How this tank goes will likely influence the direction I go with my next larger tank, so I'm excited to see how this little "experiment" goes.
Anyways, I got the tank officially setup and cycling last night. The equipment is inspired by the 10 gallon budget build series by Inappropriate Reefer on YouTube, but I'm going to modify some of it as I go.
Tank: Aqueon 10 gallon tank from Petco
Filter: Aquaclear 70 HOB filter
Heater: Aqueon 50W set at 78
~10lbs of cured Marco Rock
10lbs Carib-Sea Aragalive sand
I'll be adding either Marine Pure bioballs or maybe some Seachem Matrix to the HOB to increase the biological filtration, and eventually plan on using Chemi-Pure Blue for general water clarity. I'll have ROWAphos GFO on hand if phosphates become an issue as well. Overall, I want to keep it simple with basic filtration and weekly water changes.
Equipment
Aquascape
Filling
Up and Running
The next day. I had to move the filter to the left wall because it was blowing the sand off the front glass even at the lowest flow setting. I think this orientation is better as it pushes flow across the full length of the tank.
I plan on running/cycling this tank for quite a while before adding any livestock. Given that this is my first time using dry rock, I really want to pay attention to how the tank establishes itself in the early stages. Any advice or things to watch out for would be greatly appreciated!
Anyways, I got the tank officially setup and cycling last night. The equipment is inspired by the 10 gallon budget build series by Inappropriate Reefer on YouTube, but I'm going to modify some of it as I go.
Tank: Aqueon 10 gallon tank from Petco
Filter: Aquaclear 70 HOB filter
Heater: Aqueon 50W set at 78
~10lbs of cured Marco Rock
10lbs Carib-Sea Aragalive sand
I'll be adding either Marine Pure bioballs or maybe some Seachem Matrix to the HOB to increase the biological filtration, and eventually plan on using Chemi-Pure Blue for general water clarity. I'll have ROWAphos GFO on hand if phosphates become an issue as well. Overall, I want to keep it simple with basic filtration and weekly water changes.
Equipment
Aquascape
Filling
Up and Running
The next day. I had to move the filter to the left wall because it was blowing the sand off the front glass even at the lowest flow setting. I think this orientation is better as it pushes flow across the full length of the tank.
I plan on running/cycling this tank for quite a while before adding any livestock. Given that this is my first time using dry rock, I really want to pay attention to how the tank establishes itself in the early stages. Any advice or things to watch out for would be greatly appreciated!
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