5g desktop

[dakotabird]

I started this tank a few months ago on kind of an impulse and I've slowly pieced it together since then. Most of the equipment was acquired for free and added to the set up in no particular order.

Current Equipment
- standard 5 gal
- aqua-tech 20-40 HOB ( trimmed impeller to reduce flow)
- big heater from my 29g
- 2 spiral cfl bulbs ( one white one blue)

Livestock
- 1 pitiful little zoa frag ( looks better than when I put it in though)
- 1 three line damsel
- 1 hermit (from the beach)
- 1 snail

There's about an inch and a half of sand that I took from an old dried out sump. After rinsing it. maybe 3lbs of live rock. I have an ebay par38 lamp that should be here any day now. when that comes, and I get some dough, I'll start filling this bad boy up. I want to start with a few ricordia mushrooms on the rocks and maybe a xenia somewhere in the sand near the front right.

[james30ct]

That should make a cool little tank.

[pugmommie]

Nice little tank. You are doing it right....like you said, "Slowly."

[dakotabird]

It has been a very slow build, and not by virtue of patience. I'm just poor. My water parameters do seem to be pretty stable now, since I've had the means to test them. I guess things work out.

[tylr9m482]

It is probably in your best interest that you had limited funds while starting up, to prevent you from moving too quickly. Patience is key, most people, including myself just lack it :headwally: haha. But it looks like it will be a fun little nano tank!!

[dakotabird]

I finally got my par38 bulb from china today. And I have to say I'm impressed for under $20 shipped. The leds look totally different from t5 ho and powercompacts that I'm used to. Much better in my opinion. Sharper. I'm not sure what type of optics it has but the beam is pretty focused. I kind of wish it were wider, and it did take 3 weeks to get here which was AGONIZING. but all in all I'm pretty satisfied.

I also put together a cheap ATO. I used an air pump and a plastic bottle, wired a float switch, and made a bracket out of acrylic. Its been working great for about a day now. it pumps a very small amount each time it comes on, which I think is good. Right? I'm not worried about the single switch because there isn't enough water in the ATO bottle to overflow the tank.

[dakotabird]

I traded the damsel and a few fish from the 29g for this echinophyllia aspera frag a couple weeks ago.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/09/pavyde3y.jpg
Then I added this montipora cap. with a few bonus palys and a pulsing xenia the other day. The xenia is closed right now so no picture. However, it doesn't pulse when it's open. Should I dose iodine? Lugol's solution maybe? That's what the LFS recommended when I bought it.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/09/uzahebu6.jpg
Little piece I accidentally broke off near my sickly zoas
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/09/rumepe3u.jpg
And a FTS.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/09/yvuzuju6.jpg
I also added a black background and moved the tank to my nightstand because water was ruining my nice desk. It fits absolutely perfect. Good storage for everything. I'm dosing pickling lime/kalk/kalkwasser/calcium hydroxide now too. Not long enough or in a high enough concentration to see a big difference yet.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/09/ebeje6as.jpg
I had planned on doing softies, polyps, and mushrooms in this tank but the chalice was really all my LFS would give me for my fish so I did it. I really like it though. Then the other day I saw the monti with the palys on it, surrounded by new growth, really not a frag anymore at this point. It was cheap so I had to have it. I think its a great center piece. They said it grows fast.

[dakotabird]

I can't figure out how to stop the sand from washing out of the front without reducing the flow of the pump even more. As you can see in my pics, I tried breaking up the flow coming in to the tank with thumb tacks (removed metal, glued on) but it only helps some. Any ideas?

[ReefingWerewolf]

Beautiful tank! The led's really make your tank pop! I am a teen hobbyist trying to figure out how i am going to afford a reef tank and i find your build very inspiring. :)

[ReefingWerewolf]

It makes me sad that you had to give up your little damsel :(

When u have some spare change try purchasing a clown fish or a little goby!

[dakotabird]

I replaced the old heater with a 50w Neo-therm, made by Cobalt Aquatics. It looks so much better against black background.http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/24/aguju8yg.jpg

[bcunningham]

Following

[dakotabird]

The LFS by my house had this combo rock on sale. I like it.http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/26/vazaraza.jpg

[dakotabird]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/26/zu2uga4e.jpg

[Metal Man 1221]

Quoted for images, tapatalk issues.



http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/26/vazaraza.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/26/zu2uga4e.jpg

[Pife]

Your tank make everything look huge. I think you did great on the aquascape. Great work.

[dakotabird]

Thanks everyone!

[SwampyBill]

It makes me sad that you had to give up your little damsel :(

When u have some spare change try purchasing a clown fish or a little goby!


A 5gal nano tank is much too small for a clownfish (they require at least 25gal); but a goby/shrimp pair would be perfect! Great rockwork, btw. Good luck!

[DJ_Kelley]

That is an awesome looking setup. Small, easy, simple, but always amazing looking.

[dakotabird]

I little over a month and my palys have grown a lot.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/18/gate3y7y.jpg

[Noah 123]

That's an awesome tank! I'm actually highly thinking about doing a 5 gallon for some blue leg and scarlet reef hermits! If you didn't already know, your hermit crab is a thin striped hermit crab, which can live out of water for over 4 days! When I go to Mexico they're everywhere... If you walk down the beach a ways, you'll be stepping all over them. :sad2: Poor little creatures...

[footballdude2k3]

Nice!

[bcunningham]

Here's a direct image of your link
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/06/18/gate3y7y.jpg

[710Reefer]

Cool tank.

[biggles]

Very impressive mate, well done and look forward to watching things progress. :)

[dakotabird]

That's an awesome tank! I'm actually highly thinking about doing a 5 gallon for some blue leg and scarlet reef hermits! If you didn't already know, your hermit crab is a thin striped hermit crab, which can live out of water for over 4 days! When I go to Mexico they're everywhere... If you walk down the beach a ways, you'll be stepping all over them. :sad2: Poor little creatures...
I actually got that one from the gulf

[dakotabird]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/26/6e5a8a2e.jpg

[Daniel62]

Nice little tank. Watch out for those palys on your monti rock, they will take over your tank, trust me I know. LOL

[Josh40996]

This is a really neat tank and I love its simplicity. Your LFS sounds great, much better than round here.

Nice little tank. Watch out for those palys on your monti rock, they will take over your tank, trust me I know. LOL

+10 Those are the most prolific Zoa/Paly I have had. I got one as a hitch hiker and they have spread throughout the tank, outcompeting other Zoas on the same rock. I would watch keeping it close by other Zoanthids.

[vette.tech]

That looks more like turbinaria sp. than monti based on the polyp size and distribution, just an observation

[Macimage]

Great looking setup.

[dakotabird]

I got a little Eheim powerLED actinic light and it is incredible. it was free from a friend who moved!
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/11/c351b146d95a2163fd549a46e72e28b7.jpg
I picked up a high fin goby and a pistol shrimp last week.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/11/a52715ed3b1c96e00c2ea2013ab31ca0.jpg
They both hide a lot and I was't quite satisfied so today I added three ricordea mushrooms and some more rock up front. Also a very active skunk cleaner shrimp.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/11/41cbd6ed94c2cbc2eea1e52ca200bcec.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/11/73a0ea3fbd4d566181d600013ba25cdb.jpg
Here is one with actinic lamp only. Pictures don't do the colors justice.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/11/d2eb44e7f788abd11883730c6f4d4198.jpg

[dakotabird]

http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad178/atwomey0351/Mobile%20Uploads/1429734889802_zpsmbka021e.jpg (http://s933.photobucket.com/user/atwomey0351/media/Mobile%20Uploads/1429734889802_zpsmbka021e.jpg.html)

[dakotabird]

-A while back I had some pretty serious algae issues. I reduced my inhabitants to 2 hermits, a few small snails, an emerald crab, and the pistol shrimp. The goby and skunk cleaner shrimp got sucked through the hose during a water change and I got rid of the peppermint shrimp because he started eating my mushrooms. After lightening the bio-load and removing some algae covered rock, the tank is beginning to thrive again.
-I replaced old walmart special filter with an Aquaclear 20. It seems pretty good. Its really small and the flow rate is adjustable up to 95 gph, which is good because I rely on it for all the flow in my tank. I can reduce the flow enough the save my sand bed from blowing away in the front and still keep the softies moving around nicely. With the old Aquaclear 20-40 I had to trim the impeller blades.
-I am learning a lot about planning and coral placement. I'm forced to in a tank this size. I'm working on making it look less cluttered. I re-arrange things a lot and am beginning to realize how much damage it causes. I really need advice on attaching coral to rocks. I've always used regular super glue gel and to be honest, its never worked very well. I do the most damage trying to glue coral to rocks or wedge stuff in rocks.

[dakotabird]

Also the picture isn't very good because the incredible forward facing camera on my galaxy s4 quit working. I can only take selfies now

[dakotabird]

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/22/32a38851076c4955bdbb9320a377b31d.jpg

[dakotabird]

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/23/1a36fc2c06b98c218a45b14a362c5b41.jpg

[rimless75g]

I have the same Eheim LED light, but in freshwater. Those are bright and nice. I tested mine and get about 60-64 par.

[balz3352]

Impressive for a 5g! Really just impressive overall but especially for a 5g

[dakotabird]

Thank you