Nick’s 10g

[nickkohrn]

I have been out of the hobby for a couple of years due to my wife and I being apartment dwellers. Because I have been missing being in the hobby, I decided to call the leasing office and ask if I could have an aquarium. They were kind enough to agree to allow me to have one as long as it is on the bottom floor. Luckily, we do live on the bottom floor.

Here is the start of my ten-gallon reef. I plan on using the same equipment on a future build when my wife and I purchase our first home within the next two years.

My current equipment list follows:

- Innovative Marine NUVO Fusion Nano 10
- EcoTech Marine Radion XR15w G3 Pro with RMS
- EcoTech Marine VorTech MP10wQD (2)
- EcoTech Marine ReefLink
- EcoTech Marine Battery Backup
- Cobalt Aquatics 50w Neo-Therm heater

Mac is patiently waiting for corals already.

It’s overkill, but I added two EcoTech Marine VorTech MP10wQD units for flow. I plan on not having sand, which will allow me to keep detritus off of the bottom of the tank with the lower placement of the pumps.

My plan for flow patterns is to have one ramped down to the lowest setting while the other is at a higher, appropriate speed. This will be an alternating pattern covering the entire day. Throughout the day, I want to have both pumps set to higher speeds simultaneously for short bursts of time to provide moments of strong currents and to suspend any settled detritus.

Nobody wants to lose tank inhabitants due to power failures, so I picked up an EcoTech Marine Battery Backup for my VorTechs. Since the tank is small, I will connect one VorTech to the backup so that runtime is doubled when compared to both VorTechs being connected to it.

I should be receiving my RO/DI fittings for connecting to my bathroom faucet tomorrow, as well as five pounds of Two Little Fishies Stax for aquascaping with. I have MarinePure media in a rear chamber to provide maximum surface area for bacteria so that I can keep the display clean and use minimal rock since space is so precious in this size of a tank.

As for future livestock choices, I would like the following:

- Firefish (1)
- Lobophyllia
- Fungia
- Acanthastrea
- Scolymia
- Euphyllia

I want to be intentional with this build and not impulse-buy, but that will take some discipline. I think I can do it. [emoji854]

Thank you for taking the time to check out the start of my build. I can’t wait to share its progress with you!

 

[hwntunda]

Looking great, yes the 2 mp10s will be a lot of flow

 

[NY_Caveman]

Nice, Nick! Sounds like a great plan. Welcome to the forum!

 

[Katrina71]

That is a sleek looking little tank. I'm excited to see what you do with it! Just curious if you are considering a screen top for your firefish? I highly recommend @cromag27 if you do.

 

[nickkohrn]

Looking great, yes the 2 mp10s will be a lot of flow

Thank you! I will definitely be keeping the flow in check. I’ll have the VorTechs on a very low setting, with them alternating.

 

[nickkohrn]

Nice, Nick! Sounds like a great plan. Welcome to the forum!

Thank you! I appreciate your welcome and vote of confidence.

 

[nickkohrn]

That is a sleek looking little tank. I'm excited to see what you do with it! Just curious if you are considering a screen top for your firefish? I highly recommend @cromag27 if you do.

I do have the lid that came with the tank. I plan on getting the diffuser for the Radion that EcoTech released, so I wanted to see how much light reflection the lid’s screen gives, which is quite a lot. However, that is to be expected since the screen is white. I may end up purchasing or making a dark-screened lid to use instead.

 

[nickkohrn]

My RO/DI fittings came in today! We have two bathrooms, so I will likely keep the adapter attached to the secondary bathroom’s sink indefinitely.

How I missed the subtle trickle of filtration!

Also, notice the “Get NAKED” sign that my wife decided would be a great addition to the bathroom.

 

[NY_Caveman]

My RO/DI fittings came in today! We have two bathrooms, so I will likely keep the adapter attached to the secondary bathroom’s sink indefinitely.

How I missed the subtle trickle of filtration!

Also, notice the “Get NAKED” sign that my wife decided would be a great addition to the bathroom.

LOL. Think that is funny? My mother-in-law has a sign by her back porch that says “Back Door Friends Are Best.” I do not have the heart to tell her it could be interpreted another way.

 

[nickkohrn]

My Two Little Fishies Stax came, and the pieces are nice. They are roughly palm-sized, and about one inch in height. It’s going to be difficult coming up with a good solution for the dimensions of this tank, but I will work on that this evening.

I have an affinity for channels between rocks, islands, short columns, and overhangs, but that will unlikely work in this tank. I don’t want the tank to look as though it contains a pile of rocks, and I’m not fond of tall aquascapes, so I’m up for the challenge.

In the meantime, here are some early pictures of how they were shipped and what the pieces look like when laid out on the floor.

 

[nickkohrn]

I am conflicted now...

I spoke with the leasing office today, and they said that the apartment is meant to be our home, and that there isn’t a size restriction for an aquarium. That’s normally great news, but I also don’t want to get a huge one because we plan on buying our first home within the next two years. If I get a smaller tank now, I can afford the upgraded equipment that can be transferred to a larger tank later.

I prefer to have a sump so that my VorTechs can be mounted on the rear glass panel of the display because I don’t want them obstructing my view when sitting beside the tank. I want to get a skimmer, so the sump needs to be large enough; possibly large enough to let some chaeto tumble around in a small refugium.

Thoughts on what I should get? Am I just being spoiled?

Here is the aquascape that I came up with using the Stax that I received today.

What I like best is that there aren’t any rocks touching any sides. I am very keen on keeping the sides clean, and this gives me plenty of room to work. Also, there are many crevices and tunnels for inhabitants to travel into and through. This will help keep the bottom of the tank clean since the flow patterns will easily sweep through the structure.

One concern I have is that I love Lobophyllias, Fungias, Scolymias, and Euphyllias. This tank doesn’t have ample room for the aforementioned types of corals.

 

[915MANG]

Nicest 10g out there!

 

[WV Reefer]

I have been out of the hobby for a couple of years due to my wife and I being apartment dwellers. Because I have been missing being in the hobby, I decided to call the leasing office and ask if I could have an aquarium. They were kind enough to agree to allow me to have one as long as it is on the bottom floor. Luckily, we do live on the bottom floor.

Here is the start of my ten-gallon reef. I plan on using the same equipment on a future build when my wife and I purchase our first home within the next two years.

My current equipment list follows:

- Innovative Marine NUVO Fusion Nano 10
- EcoTech Marine Radion XR15w G3 Pro with RMS
- EcoTech Marine VorTech MP10wQD (2)
- EcoTech Marine ReefLink
- EcoTech Marine Battery Backup
- Cobalt Aquatics 50w Neo-Therm heater

Mac is patiently waiting for corals already.

It’s overkill, but I added two EcoTech Marine VorTech MP10wQD units for flow. I plan on not having sand, which will allow me to keep detritus off of the bottom of the tank with the lower placement of the pumps.

My plan for flow patterns is to have one ramped down to the lowest setting while the other is at a higher, appropriate speed. This will be an alternating pattern covering the entire day. Throughout the day, I want to have both pumps set to higher speeds simultaneously for short bursts of time to provide moments of strong currents and to suspend any settled detritus.

Nobody wants to lose tank inhabitants due to power failures, so I picked up an EcoTech Marine Battery Backup for my VorTechs. Since the tank is small, I will connect one VorTech to the backup so that runtime is doubled when compared to both VorTechs being connected to it.

I should be receiving my RO/DI fittings for connecting to my bathroom faucet tomorrow, as well as five pounds of Two Little Fishies Stax for aquascaping with. I have MarinePure media in a rear chamber to provide maximum surface area for bacteria so that I can keep the display clean and use minimal rock since space is so precious in this size of a tank.

As for future livestock choices, I would like the following:

- Firefish (1)
- Lobophyllia
- Fungia
- Acanthastrea
- Scolymia
- Euphyllia

I want to be intentional with this build and not impulse-buy, but that will take some discipline. I think I can do it. [emoji854]

Thank you for taking the time to check out the start of my build. I can’t wait to share its progress with you!

Looks like you are off to a great start! Interested to see where it goes.

 

[Reefcowboy]

Lol this is for sure a pimp 10 gal!
Now lets discuss something, before you fill this box with water... you could fit a 45 gal on that stand....same light, same flow....

 

[WV Reefer]

Lol this is for sure a pimp 10 gal!
Now lets discuss something, before you fill this box with water... you could fit a 45 gal on that stand....same light, same flow....

You are the little “devil” on his shoulder. lol

 

[nickkohrn]

Nicest 10g out there!

Looks like you are off to a great start! Interested to see where it goes.

Lol this is for sure a pimp 10 gal!
Now lets discuss something, before you fill this box with water... you could fit a 45 gal on that stand....same light, same flow....

Thanks for the compliments!

I’m highly considering the WaterBox Platinum Frag 45.2 because I’m a sucker for shallow tanks. I enjoy turning the pumps off and getting overhead views of corals. I like the footprint of the 45.2 (24” x 24” x 12”) because it would allow me to continue using my single Radion XR15w G3 Pro with a diffuser and have a variety of corals with differing lighting requirements. I would enjoy having SPS toward the middle, LPS between the middle and edges, and soft corals along the outer edges.

 

[NY_Caveman]

I am conflicted now...

I spoke with the leasing office today, and they said that the apartment is meant to be our home, and that there isn’t a size restriction for an aquarium. That’s normally great news, but I also don’t want to get a huge one because we plan on buying our first home within the next two years. If I get a smaller tank now, I can afford the upgraded equipment that can be transferred to a larger tank later.

I prefer to have a sump so that my VorTechs can be mounted on the rear glass panel of the display because I don’t want them obstructing my view when sitting beside the tank. I want to get a skimmer, so the sump needs to be large enough; possibly large enough to let some chaeto tumble around in a small refugium.

Thoughts on what I should get? Am I just being spoiled?

Here is the aquascape that I came up with using the Stax that I received today.

What I like best is that there aren’t any rocks touching any sides. I am very keen on keeping the sides clean, and this gives me plenty of room to work. Also, there are many crevices and tunnels for inhabitants to travel into and through. This will help keep the bottom of the tank clean since the flow patterns will easily sweep through the structure.

One concern I have is that I love Lobophyllias, Fungias, Scolymias, and Euphyllias. This tank doesn’t have ample room for the aforementioned types of corals.

I really like it and I like the Stax in general. The trick is to use them in a way where the top of the aquascape is not too flat or perfectly horizontal. In a small aquarium that is exceptionally difficult. That said, with proper thought on coral placement in the future it should work fine.

 

[TNT32D]

Nice!

 

[nickkohrn]

I have decided to stick with my current ten-gallon for a while. We are going to Myrtle Beach in September and Jamaica in February; we need to save as much as we can for those trips. Also, I’m fortunate enough to have what I have, so I don’t want to take it for granted.

I took some rock out so that I could have more empty space in the tank because I want a Scolymia, a Fungia, and an Acanthastrea for the bottom. I love shallow tanks, columns, channels, and more front-to-back open area. This allows me to replicate that feel in such a small space.

 

[nickkohrn]

Nice!

Thank you!