Nicroper
Community Member
So, I started a new job last year, and with it came a 10 gallon regular glass tank with the "normal hood" and an in-tank turtle filter. At first glance I was assuming it to be freshwater but with further inspection I realized it was in fact saltwater. What was in it you ask....5 sea urchins, 3 brittle starfish, 2 rock flower anemones and 0 live rock. I have a bit of saltwater experience from many years ago and knew right from the start this setup would never work. Since then I have been reading anything and everything to get myself back in the loop with saltwater aquarium setup and care. This site has been such a great help! Let me also say that my job is at a community college and there are strict budgets and spending rules. This setup is also located in the classroom and intended for student use. Mostly observation, with a bit of hands on when I get some of the smaller inverts out while cleaning and such. I went out and found a good price on an already setup 29 gallon nano-cube and got some live rock. The cube had sand substrate, snails, a couple hermit crabs and some GSP. I took all the water and substrate from the original setup as well as the filter media. This was so I would have little to no cycle time. I got it all setup and ran it for a couple days before moving all the inhabitants over. All the original inhabitants came from places like Ward's and Carolina, which are companies for school/college supplies. I kept the original 10 gallon setup and have made it the "saltwater swamp". It currently had loads of aptasia and bristle worms. I have been slowly upgrading it with better lights and filtration. I have only added the platys/zoas since the setup. I hope to keep improving the setups little by little as I go. I don't have any pictures of the original tank, so all pics are of current setup. Thanks for having me and thanks for reading!
