College Tank On A College Budget

[GAB99]

hey guys, as some of you might know im now in college, and the only thing allowed in dorms pet wise are fish and only in ten gallons

so guess what im doing

this tank is going to be a frag tank of weird, and very nice corals, mostly Acans and Acros though.

the LR im going to cycle myself as i dont want anything in this tank, and i will add pods and stuff and things progress, what ill probably do is take some LR i have, dip it and make sure nothing is on it, and use that and deal with whatever gets past.

lighting wise im going with T5HOs and LEDs since metal halides are not allowed, any specific designs im not sure yet.

stock wise, definitely an acropora crab or two, porcelian crabs, shrimps (what im not sure i want to say sexy shrimp but eh) and a wrasse.

im not sure on the wrasse (will proably be a fairy or possum wrasse) since i need a fish that can handle people coming over and essentially bothering it everyday since there is no quiet space, and my room is a hot spot since we have a wii and an xbox, im also not sure if i get a possum wrasse if i could get a pair (i like pairs)

but this is mostly brainstorming for now, i already have corals im planning to frag/fragged in the 90 but i have no light...

and for flow im going to go with maybe an mp10 ill have to see


i almost forgot how much fun this was

and dont forget COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS WELCOMETH

 

[babystarz]

Petsmart has some nice LED's on sale right now, I just picked up two

 

[GAB99]

are they those marineland LEDs? how do they look in your tank?

also, i think im going to pass on the possums, as much as i love them they are too shy (unless anyone can say otherwise, in that case ill take two!), and with the commotion we get on the floor/ room at least till one am, i doubt they will appreciate it.

i think i may just go with a fairy wrasse and a pair of tiny gobies and then go nuts on inverts

as for rock unless i can find a way to drill my own holes i think ill be buying pre drilled pieces, since most of what im getting will be frags and thus they will be on frag plugs i want to try and hide it was much as possible.

and if you guys havent already guessed this is going to be slower than the growth of a chalice coral unless money magically falls out of the sky, i have to focus on school for my first semester and if things go good then im allowed to get a job and start working (yay)

right now i have about 400$ of my own money (dad gives me extra funds for college/emergencies and unless i get a go ahead im keeping it that way) so thats going into this project completely, but first i have to move the carpet and find out how much space i have for the stand.

 

[kyle sicard]

Think about your selection of fish wisely. 10g isn't a whole lot to work with when it comes to fish. But sounds great on the corals! maybe a trachy or two?

 

[GAB99]

Think about your selection of fish wisely. 10g isn't a whole lot to work with when it comes to fish. But sounds great on the corals! maybe a trachy or two?

im just sticking with the basic X gallons / 2 = inches of fish

so ive got 5 inches worth of fish

and possum wrasses are too shy

and i would prefer to have something personable

ugh

 

[kyle sicard]

Think about your selection of fish wisely. 10g isn't a whole lot to work with when it comes to fish. But sounds great on the corals! maybe a trachy or two?

im just sticking with the basic X gallons / 2 = inches of fish

so ive got 5 inches worth of fish

and possum wrasses are too shy

and i would prefer to have something personable

ugh

Flasher wrasses might be something to look into. Specifically the blue flasher wrasse. They might be something that fits your profile.

 

[GAB99]

yeah i was looking into maybe a mckosckers but i think i figured out my stock, well, fish stock

pair of yasha gobies with a shrimp but my only issue is that what counts as food for the shrimp? i know it forages but that pistol is there for a reason...

and a neon dotty back

 

[kyle sicard]

yeah i was looking into maybe a mckosckers but i think i figured out my stock, well, fish stock

pair of yasha gobies with a shrimp but my only issue is that what counts as food for the shrimp? i know it forages but that pistol is there for a reason...

and a neon dotty back

Pistol shrimps
They can create a relationship with certain gobies so make sure those gobies are one of them. Also the name comes from the sound they make when they snap their claws. You need to beware of this because their snap can heat up to EXTREME temperatures making it extremely painful if your victim to one of these. I think pistol refers to the sound their claws make when they snap, its suppose to be very loud.
If your going to be getting a pistol and goby pair make sure to set rock on the glass before you fill the sand in so a collapse doesnt happen with your rockwork.

 

[GAB99]

yeah i was looking into maybe a mckosckers but i think i figured out my stock, well, fish stock

pair of yasha gobies with a shrimp but my only issue is that what counts as food for the shrimp? i know it forages but that pistol is there for a reason...

and a neon dotty back

yes i know what pistol shrimps do hence my worry of what will happen to other, smaller inverts that i get.

yashas are the go to example for shrimp goby pairings, along with yellow watchmans

and yeah i know they dig, a lot.

 

[gregswimm]

Why not get a big rubbermaid tub and use it as a fuge for added water stability. This way you can say you only have a 10g aquarium

 

[GAB99]

Why not get a big rubbermaid tub and use it as a fuge for added water stability. This way you can say you only have a 10g aquarium

haha loopholes. i think i will stick with a HOB one. if the piping goes bad and im not here, i dont even want to think about it haha.

 

[gregswimm]

How long will it last without care for a wk or so? Salinity spikes etc? Things. An change very quickly in such a small tank.

 

[GAB99]

im looking into LEDs and the unit in particular has cooling fans, that and the fact my room stays incredibly cold, i dont think i will have heat issues, the tank is situated where it doesnt have air blowing over it, but i guess during the first month or so i will see if doing what i want to do is even feasible.

 

[gregswimm]

Why not cover the tank and leave your HOB without a top. Should be enough water movement through it to aid in cooling. I fear that with fan's you are going to run into too much evaporation by passing more dry air over the tank. A humidifier for the room may also slow evap.

 

[GAB99]

Oh, I'm definitely getting a top, the the ruckus going on almost all the time (people seem to thinks they are cool if they blast horrible music at max volume with enough base to shake the walls) it would save me potential heart ache in the long run. It will also help keep the tank warm .

As for the HOB ill just have to wait and see, ill probably get one with a cover and experiment to see what works best.

I'm also re thinking the stock, ill probably come up with a few options and then whatever presents itself first ill go with because I can't decide