Waterbox 10 Desktop Reef

[paticus]

Hi everyone! I’m building a 10 gallon nano reef to sit right on my desk in my home office. This is my second nano reef (previously a Fluval Edge 6 gallon).

Why did I choose a 10 gallon? Besides liking to make things difficult on myself… it needs to sit on my desk. It’s a bit of a gateway tank before we get a larger tank in the living area. I also think it will be a cool office vibe.

I have a rough plan for automation, ATO, AWC, and other fun stuff, which will be arriving over the next week or so.

I am still a reefer in training, so if you see me making a rookie mistake, let me know! I’m here to learn and looking forward to working with the reef community.

First batch of essentials showed up:

 

[paticus]

Here’s what I have for an aqua scape. I used the “LiveRock Nano Reef Kit” from BRS. I still have two more large rocks left over. So the kit was plenty and gave me options for the 10 gallon.

 

[V A R I A N T]

Nice kit of supplies and scape. As you asked for suggestions, why Coral Pro salt? The Alk is so high with that blend. Blue bucket may be a wiser choice, however you may have chose this on purpose.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Awesome! I hope you enjoy it…I love Waterbox.

 

[paticus]

Nice kit of supplies and scape. As you asked for suggestions, why Coral Pro salt? The Alk is so high with that blend. Blue bucket may be a wiser choice, however you may have chose this on purpose.

To be honest I just picked a random salt with good reviews. After your comment, I educated myself on salts and I think the blue bucket or something with low Alk is the better choice. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Reefngeek]

To be honest I just picked a random salt with good reviews. After your comment, I educated myself on salts and I think the blue bucket or something with low Alk is the better choice. Thanks for the heads up!

Look into Aquaforest Reef Salt. It mixes clean. No residue or build-up like the blue bucket.

 

[paticus]

I received some more gear from my LFS and Bulk Reef Supply! My tank is cycling with a clown and Tims all in one. I’m really excited to get the ATO and AWC setup with the Hydros. In general, I’m an automation junkie so this stuff is pretty fun.

 

[paticus]

Here's how I'm planning to connect the Hydros automation.

The "Collective" is 3 units:
- XP8 (8 controllable outlets)
- X4 (Sensor, Drive, and Probe ports)
- X2 (Sensor and Drive ports)

The AWC and ATO Tanks are 5 gallons and filled manually. They sit under my desk behind a pedestal. They blend in nicely and kind of look like a PC tower . My office has outside facing walls, so I'm planning to plum a drain directly outside to avoid a grey water tank.

Otherwise, all of the electronics and pumps are fixed underneath my desk.

 

[jasina1]

To be honest I just picked a random salt with good reviews. After your comment, I educated myself on salts and I think the blue bucket or something with low Alk is the better choice. Thanks for the heads up!

I just went to my friends aquarium shop and got salt water that’s premixed. I took the easy route.

 

[NotReefsafe]

Looks great!! Keep us updated

 

[ElementReefer]

We should keep tabs on each other’s tanks. I started my Waterbox 10 around the same time and going completely low tech with softies. A total contrast to yours haha.

 

[NotReefsafe]

How is it going?