IM 10 Nightstand Build

Tuffyyyyy · Feb 11, 2017

I decided to set this up to primarily serve as a QT. I plan on adding coral to this over time and perhaps a black or designer clown once everyone has made it through QT and into my IM 40 DT.

I ordered a few lbs of rock from BRS and took some live rubble and a spare piece of live rock I had in the IM40. This is going to be as low tech as possible. I have a desk lamp attached for the cycle but plan on adding a Kessil 80. Going to try and go without an ATO for a while and just keep a gallon of water next to it to top off every night.

I love this little tank and am so excited!

Zero Nitrates · Feb 11, 2017

Very nice.
I'm a believer in Keep It Simple

Tuffyyyyy · Mar 2, 2017

Okay some updates. I changed around the rock work a bit and got a 12W led bulb with some blues in it to try my luck with some really easy coral. I'd like to get an a80 at some point to really work on growth. Also need an ATO. Manually doing it is no fun.

I tested for a week and everything seemed good so I'm beginning to quarantine a flame Hawkfish in here before moving to my 40 gallon DT. I don't plan on treating for anything. Just observing for a month or so to make sure he doesn't have diseases. Also have 3 snails in here and fragged a small GSP from the DT to try out in here.

Some really bad pictures but gives an idea. I'm somewhat concerned about continuing to keep this tank with fish in it because I have 2 cats that sit right next to it all day.

Zero Nitrates · Mar 3, 2017

I'm your cats would love to play with the water in the tank.

Tuffyyyyy · Mar 29, 2017

Flame Hawk ended up staying in there just shy of 3 weeks. Moved him to the 40 gallon and he's doing fine. I tried to get a firefish next but it died after a few days. Not sure what happened with it and now I'm too scared to purchase another one. 2nd one I've had die on me. Shame since they're such a pretty fish. Anyway, here is what the tank looks like right now. I fragged that candy cane and am trying to figure out what to do with it and what I want to do with this tank in general. It seems so bare!

Tuffyyyyy · May 25, 2017

Uploaded a video update of the tank to YouTube:

Swapped out the AI Prime from the IM40 to the IM10 and the colors on this thing are so much better.

Katrina71 · May 25, 2017

A Blenny would be fun to watch in there.

Tuffyyyyy · May 25, 2017

Oh don't tell me that! I'm trying to convince myself that all I need is a single black snowflake clown.

Tuffyyyyy · Jul 4, 2017

Posted a quick update on YouTube of my 2 tanks. Also have some pictures I need to upload.

Tuffyyyyy · Jul 10, 2017

Update: here's a FTS from today. I also got in an anemone and darth maul zoa that I won from SCcorals.com. The zoa has opened up pretty quickly but I added the anemone to a nice cave area with lots of light and it immediately took off and is now hiding und r the rock. It's only been a couple days but I'm not sure if I should do anything to get it to come out. Any tips?

Katrina71 · Jul 11, 2017

A Tailspot Blenny would make it perfect.

Tuffyyyyy · Aug 15, 2017

The tank will be 6 months old this week! I had some clownfish bullying going on in my IM40 so I have put the female in here. I'm not sure what to do going forward. I have had the larger (assuming female) clown for just shy of a year (8/27/16) and they have been living together since 10/2/16. I thought they had been paired for some time now as the smaller clown used to bite me and they would always swim together. I have also seen the larger clown do the submissive twitching thing, which I get is peculiar for the larger clown but I let go since there wasn't any aggression. Fast forward to Sunday and I saw the bigger clown biting the smaller clown and it's swimming in a corner scared to death. The only thing that's changed is that I got an anemone about a month ago that the bigger clown has been doing her best to nestle to death. Oh and I've been treating the IM40 for internal parasites since I lost a Chromis a while ago. I'm absolutely content leaving her in the IM10, but I feel like I need a pair in the IM40. Do I keep the smaller one in the IM40 and try to find an even smaller one? I think I'd like to get either a plain black ocellaris or a black snowflake to pair with a plain orange ocellaris.

Here's a picture of the tank with her in it. Also uploaded a quick video of the tank to YouTube.

Tuffyyyyy · Sep 24, 2017

Moved female clown back to IM40. I got 3 anemones in that tank so I thought I'd give it a try. Definitely still some bullying going on in there but seems like they'll manage. I got a gift card from my sister as a present and immediately went to the LFS to buy stuff I didn't need. Came home with an exquisite firefish and a bicolor blenny. 2 fish I've wanted forever but hadn't actually seen in person until I walked in. They're currently in QT in the IM10 until November. I actually thought the blenny had disappeared since I didn't see her from the time I dropped acclimated her until 3 days later when I saw her head poke out. She still doesn't come out if I'm close by. Firefish is surprisingly always out so I'm pretty happy that both of them seem to be doing well. Still need to get some algae pellets for the blenny.

After watching BRS' AI Prime HD video on Friday, I was able to scale their Radeon Coral SPS+ configuration to the 10 gallon and have been using that. Man the blue takes getting used to. But it also really brings out the orange in a couple of frags I picked up at MACNA.

Included a picture but tank isn't too happy about a photo shoot this close to bedtime so it's mostly closed up. But you can see the great orange at the bottom.