10g Mixed Reef

This fun little mixed reef is a converted shrimp kit tank sold for freshwater. My friend was getting rid of it and gave it to me. I took off the filter and light that came with it and added a Hipargero led reef light, cobolt neotherm heater, a palm filter and cascaid filter for water movement and recently added a hydor pico to disturb the flow even more. I have Live Aquaria Real Reef Eco Friendly rock (first time I ever used it. It was given to me by a friend, she ordered to much for her tank) And I liked working with it a lot. I set this up in my bedroom and wanted to keep it easy to care for and try have it not needing doseing. Some of the coral in it was fragged out of my 20Long reef. So far it has been a fun little tank and VERY easy to care for. The lights are on for 8 hours a day on a timmer. The blues are at 80 percent and whites at 40 percent. Tank is set at 76 degrees. I use cut to size filter pads, seachem carbon and phosguard in the filter. Also, a very small piece poly filter absorbtion pad. I change all filter media weekly because I have a bad habbit of cramming my tanks to full of corals. :)

Blessings and Happy Reefing!
 
If anyone is interested in the equipment and such on this tank, here is a video from last April. At the time it had been up and running about a year. I have since done a lot to this tank like change out all the rock, with some that was given to me, that I liked so much better. I added a hydor pico power head for more flow. I might even try an Aqua Clear 70 on this at some point with a smaller impeller in it, to reduce flow, so I can put the heater in the HOB. It has been a fun little tank for me and I am enjoying it so much.

 
My little 10 gallon is growing nicely and I feel safe to say has recovered from the heater getting stuck on. I lost several SPS and a few other things were effected badly but feel the things struggling to recover will most likely make it now. I have discovered that my tiger pistol is a fish killer and will no longer send gobies to their death trying to find him a buddy. I have not found any information on the internet about this happening to anyone else. The only fish in my system now are my clown goby and my sixline wrasse, which is plenty for this tank anyways. Here is some new photos.
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My little fighting conch. His name is Mr. NooNoo (teletubbies) He looks just like him!
 
Beautiful. How do the zoas do encroaching on the hammer ? Your tanks are constantly full and I love that , how do you deal with the intermingling
 
I have had issues in the past with zoas trying to kill everything and no way to really control them. That was one of my issues in my 20Long I am breaking down. After four years of unchecked growth, they were climbing up the stalks and bases of everything and slowly winning the killing war. I have only put one kind of zoa in this 10 gallon tank and I was hoping the hammers would keep them at bay themselves. So far that has not been the case. If I have to, I will use a razor blade to keep them scrapped back. From now on, in all my tanks, I am only putting Palys, Zoas, mushrooms and other invasive things on their own rocks pulled away from the main rock work. :)

One of the beautiful things about nanos is that they fill in fast if you keep your parameters in check and pick things that do well in your set up. I do have a very bad habit of over crowding my tanks. I always tell my husband I wont and do....frag addict. I do regular trimming of sps, gorgonians and such when they reach into each others areas. To combat the chemical warfare, I do large weekly water changes, run carbon and poly filter. I also learned that I can not keep leathers and some softies in my small over crowded systems. It always causes havoc. If I did not have a mixed reef, I am sure that would not be the case. Although, I am starting to be tempted to try a neon singularia or neon toad in my new 20l set up. :)
 
Yeah I'm not putting any leathers in my system either for that reason. I am trying to keep everything on rocks and plan to immediately remove any strays. Everything is removable.
 
Yeah I'm not putting any leathers in my system either for that reason. I am trying to keep everything on rocks and plan to immediately remove any strays. Everything is removable.
That is a great plan. I am already regretting those zoas in my 10 and the few mushies in the front lower left corner. they are on a seperate rock but with one of my favorite corals on it. sigh... Was looking to day at what to do about them.

I decided to do just ricordia in my new 20l and did buy one for in my 10 too. It came on a little rock and what do you think is growing on that tiny rock, from nothing that I even noticed or saw...it was just bare rock..... a stupid mushroom.. grrrrr.
 
I have not posted in a while because the last few weeks I have been doing this kind of gardening instead of coral gardening!
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Now that the temperatures are climbing and my gardens are planted I can devote more time to my tanks...

Here is the most recent full tank shot on this tank. Taken this morning after tank maintainance.
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I really enjoy this peaceful, easy little tank. I regret putting the palys on the rockwork on the right under the hammers. I thought the hammers would keep them back but so far that is not the case. I do love thier color and how they really glow but dont want them taking over the tank! The few mushrooms that I did allow in this tank on the lower left, under the short tenticle goni, are slowly being stung back by the goni. So they might soon be over taken. Which is fine, as I have them on a seperate rock so they could not take over anyways. And that short tenticle red goni is my favorite coral I own in this tank. Pictures do not do it justice. So strikingly bright and with a little bit of sway to it. I did catch that horrible six line that was in here. He is such a mean little guy. He was harrasing my clown goby to death, so he is in a tank on his own, until I find him a home. I tried to catch my killer pistol shrimp all week but he is to smart... so I guess he stays until he dies. :) I am not breaking down the tank to remove him.

Here is the left side shot, seen from my bedside as I lay and fall asleep at night. Very peaceful with my little clown goby, that pays such attention to where I am in the room, when I am in there. The pulsing xenia is very beautiful. I only have it on the back wall and when babies free float, I pull them out right away.
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Here is the right side view. I love the green goni, way in the back, that you almost cant see from the front of the tank. You can only see it from this side. I also enjoy the green star polyps. They are on their own rock with my little mollusk. The water movement with them is just amazing...glittering almost...so peaceful. When they try to reach off thier rock I trim them. The hammer on the right is really growing a lot lately too and filling in his area nicely.
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I have absolutely no more room in this tank to put any more coral. So I am just maintaining and enjoying. I am going to find a very pretty firefish to put in here I think to go with my goby. :)

I pray all of your tanks are chugging along with great parameters, fuzzy and fluffy corals and no pests in sight!

Blessings and Happy Reefing!
 

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