If you’ve ever kept multiple systems at once, you know that sometimes we all have those one tanks – the ones you don’t have time for. You tell yourself you’ll find time, but then you don’t – this repeats for weeks or maybe even months until it reaches the point where algae cover the glass entirely, and you have no idea what’s occurring in your glass box anymore. That’s precisely what happened to my 10-gallon cube for around nine months. Life got in the way; my other systems got in the way, etc.
Well, that’s now changed – I FINALLY found the time to give the system a deep clean and decided while I did so, I would re-scape, restock it, and share it with all of you along the way. Hopefully, you can gain valuable information or motivation from this as I review my general process for reworking a tank from the ground up. Hopefully, I can gain some guidance from all of you on what to do with this system going forward.
Step one – elbow grease
I didn’t take pictures at this step, but the tank was completely covered in algae – I removed most of the live rock. I placed it in an external bucket (keeping my precious Aussie live rock branches submerged to preserve any microfauna they may harbor). I then scraped all sides of the tank with a razor blade, stirred the sand bed vigorously, performed nearly a 50% water change, and added new poly-fil in the back chamber and a large glug of homemade flocculant.
Step two – re-scape
I waited about a day for the tank to clear, then I removed the large pieces of rock but left in the Aussie branches to begin re-scaping the tank. Due to its small size, I didn’t have to mock this up outside the tank; instead, I just placed individual rocks in the system and arranged them to my liking. I wanted a central raised middle rock with two “arms” coming down on either side. I also decided to stick to lower-light corals that grew easier and faster. I wanted this nano to fill out in the next few months and represent an easy goal many hobbyists could aim for.
After some tinkering, I finally got a halfway decent scape. However, now that I’m looking at it, my critical lens is coming into play, and there are numerous things I’d like to change. The middle does not look aesthetically balanced, and the central rock is too bulky. I will likely change the scape this week yet again. Reefing on the go without decent planning is often like this – a constant process of trial and error. In my case, there are many mistakes as I lack the artistic vision some in the hobby have.
Step three – stocking
When I cleaned up the tank, I discovered
– 1 green rock flower anemone
– 1 scarlet hermit crab
– 1 unidentified mantis shrimp
I then added a conch to help sift the sand. I was shocked to find the mantis shrimp. Several months ago, when I worked for a shop, we received a shipment and dipped the corals before putting them into our systems. To my surprise, a small brown mantis shrimp came rushing out of a Montipora colony. I decided to take it home and save it. I had not seen it since adding it to this nano, but it was alive and well. I found it called a small hole in the rock home – I wanted to incorporate this hole into the scape so I could view my new friend often.
Another thing I wanted to incorporate into this tank is a lovely pink sponge that’s been growing in my quarantine tank for months. I am still determining what species it is (if any of you know, feel free to share). It has now reached an attractive size without any supplemental feeding. I felt putting it where I could monitor its progress, directly feed it, and admire it was in order.
In terms of coral, I wanted a mix of colors and movement. In the end, I decided to stock the tank with the following
- Green star polyps (Pachyclavlaria violacea)
- Pink Goniopora
- Blue with yellow eye Goniopora
- Hairy mushroom (Rhodactis sp.)
- Green Kenya tree (Capnella sp.)
- Green base toadstool leather (Sacrophyton sp.)
- Mint candy cane colony (Caulastrea sp.)
- Bicolor branching hammer (Fimbraphyllia paraanchora)
- Firework clove polyps (Clavularia sp.)
- Rainbow infusion zoanthid (Zoanthus sp.)
- And lastly, because I love oddball species, a Truncatoflabellum veronica to satisfy my NPS bone.
I will likely add a small army of Trochus snails as well as take stomatellas from one of my other systems to seed this one. Regarding fish, I am leaving that up to all of you! Vote in the Facebook comments what fish you think I should add to this system – keep in mind there’s a small 2-3 inch smasher mantis shrimp, so anything sand-dwelling may be in trouble.
In the next week, I may re-scape this tank again to make it more attractive. I would also like to highlight a small rock with copious yellow sponges growing on it better. I may switch out the toadstool for an octospawn colony. In the future, I may transition this system to being filled with ornamental sponges, tunicates, and gorgonians, along with a few leathers and encrusting softies.
I have always wanted to set up a sponge-dominant system and a red ball sponge, and the very attractive blue Haliclona would fit in with my pink hitchhiker. I am open to feedback and suggestions! I want to make this neglected system something of a community-influenced one. Should I stay simple and grow out beginner corals for a stunning display, pursue my sponge dream, or do something else entirely? Here are a few shots with my DSLR – enjoy.
