Will’s 10gal Waterbox - First tank in 15 years!

[willwoo]

Hey everybody, new member here. Been out of the hobby for 15 years and finally back. Walked into Petco in Edgewood a few weeks ago and was shocked to see saltwater fish, and now here I am with a tank again!

Tank: 10gal Waterbox
Light: AquaKnight AO29
Sand: CaribSea Fiji Pink
Rock: Live rock from Petco (I know....)
Filtration: Bioballs & foam

Haven’t decided what I’m doing as far as dosing or if I’m doing it at all. That’ll depend on if I decide to stick to soft corals or go for some lps and sps. That’s still tbd.

Attaching a few pics of progress along the way.

 

[jordanbevis]

Love this! Makes me want to go get a water box right now


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[willwoo]

Thanks! I love it so far. It’s super sleek. Just can’t wait to get something living in it!

 

[willwoo]

Quick update. Went out of town for a long weekend. Came back and had more than half a gallon of evap. Sooo in 7-10 business days I’ll be the proud owner of a Smart ATO Micro. Definitely going to have the ATO installed and working properly before I add any significant livestock.

 

[Seraphimas]

I love the rockscape, it's well laid out without crowding the tank. It's almost as much fun watching others stock a new tank as it is stocking one of your own.

I recently bought a new ATO Micro for my IM AIO 20g. It was the best purchase I've made for my tank thus far. It was very easy to install and so far worth every penny. I was having so much evap in a day that I was having to fill each morning and every night before bed. The -only- complaint I have about it is I wish the magnet for the sensor was a tiiiiny bit stronger since mine wants to slide a bit if I don't support the cord. A very small complaint considering how easy it was to hide in a nano. Congrats on the new tank journey, I'll be following along

 

[willwoo]

Thanks! My plan is to keep the scape as simple as possible and stick only with livestock that truly stands out. Can’t wait to start stocking!

What are you using for your topoff water reservoir? I’m thinking I’ll get something I can put immediately to the right of the tank that I can obscure with a shelf of some kind.

 

[Seraphimas]

I'm using a small rubbermaid bin with a lid that snaps on. I drilled holes in the top for the water tubing/pump power cord. It slides right under my shelving to the left of my tank. The pump for the Micro ATO is so small you can also fit it in one of those nutri-water jugs that you can get from any LFS and just drill a hole in the cap if you wanted. Any food grade plastic container that seals reasonably well will work

The waiting part is definitely the hardest! You should go have a look @Mom2Many 's nano tanks. She presents a wonderful example of just how many beautiful things you can pack into a small space. She makes it look easy.

 

[willwoo]

Test kit readings from today, about a week after adding rock. I decided to go ahead and dump in a bottle of Dr. Tim’s One & Only and dose ammonia up to 1ppm to jumpstart things.

 

[willwoo]

Here’s ammonia an hour after dosing. I’m skeptical of Dr. Tim’s but figure it’s at least worth playing with.

 

[willwoo]

Levels one day after Dr. Tim’s and dosing ammonia. I’m actually shocked that it seems to have worked, with a significant reduction in ammonia, zero nitrite, and a rise in nitrate!

 

[willwoo]

Today’s test results. Ammonia continuing to decrease.

 

[Mom2Many]

I love nanos! Can't wait to see what you do with this tank. Rock scape is perfect!

 

[willwoo]

Thanks!! I’m out of town this weekend but expecting the cycle to be complete when I get home tonight. Bought these acans that’ll hopefully go in the tank this week! Can’t wait!

 

[willwoo]

Back from out of town and ammonia is back on the rise. Hmmmm. Maybe Dr. Tim’s is just snake oil after all.

 

[willwoo]

I was a little concerned after last night’s sudden increase in ammonia, so I decided to do three additional ammonia tests plus one with distilled water as a control. Close to 0 ppm with these tests. I’m going to consider last night’s test a false positive because I had just cleaned the front and side glass of algae after letting it build up for a few days. Gonna go grab something to throw in the tank tonight — maybe a shrimp? — and then shoot to add a few corals by the end of the week!

 

[willwoo]

First inhabitant!

 

[willwoo]

Updated full tank shot post-cycle, and my recently added Smart ATO Micro. Gonna figure out a way to put the reservoir under the cabinet in the next few days here.

 

[willwoo]

Picked up the acans today. They’re in the tank and doing great already!

 

[vols22]

View attachment 6792

Picked up the acans today. They’re in the tank and doing great already!

They love reef roids spot fed to them. Mine absolutely took off with this method.

 

[camellia]

Very very nice!
Is there anything you don’t like about this tank or regret in setting up this particular tank?
I’m looking at nano’s when capable.
I had to shut down my tanks do to health issues and can’t wait to start again!