Desktop macro tank

Had the itch to do something fishy last weekend, and the bf isn't ready for a major upgrade (maybe when we get our tax return). So, I set up a 5 gallon nano tank on my desk.

I'm using a Marineland Contour 5, with the included LED lighting, and a Cobalt 25W heater. I've got 3 or 4lbs of dry rock, with a couple chunks of live rock from my DT for seeding.
I started the cycle by feeding some frozen food, and now the wait begins!

My plan for the tank is to have a variety of attractive macro algaes that I can trim and feed to my tangs. I'd like to keep it simple with a ton of different colored zoas and shrooms. For livestock, I haven't decided yet, but I'm thinking either a goby/shrimp combo, dwarf seahorses (if I feel like I can provide proper husbandry for them), or possibly just a pair of neat shrimp.

Well, enough jibber-jabber. Here's some pics!

 

Sounds like a very fun tank. Something I would like to do if I did not have cats. Love the red macro algae, and so easy to get these days.

 

great looking little tank! yellow clown gobies and sexy shrimp

 

Little update for you guys. Over the past couple months, and after the tank cycled, I've added a few different macro algae species, a feather duster, a ywg/pistol shrimp combo, and today I picked up a mated pair of pom-pom crabs from my lfs. The female currently has a big cluster of eggs on her underside! Anyone have success raising baby crabs?

For a cleanup crew, I have a single nerite snail, and pod seeded chaeto. I'm loving having this little tank that I can keep critters that would go unnoticed in my 75. Plus the little cheerleader crabs keep me motivated when I'm working hard at my desk

Still considering dwarf seahorses, but not ready for them yet. Sorry for the dirty glass, didn't notice how bad it was until after I took the pic. Also the goby /shrimp are being jerks right now and won't come out for a pic.

 

That is a pretty cool little tank.

 

Thanks md! I'm definitely enjoying the little things with this tank

 

Really nice!

I'm hoping to do that for our office at home BUT wifey wants the office for a bedroom for my 4 year old so he can have his own room instead of sharing one with my daughter.

Keep us posted with pictures!

 

How are the lights on the Marineland? Are they the stock lights that came with tank or did you get others?

 

love the pom pom crab! that is very cool that they are a mated pair and one with eggs! My LFS finally got a couple of pom poms in but there were pom pom less

 

I'm using the stock lights and they are working well for my purposes. I'm getting great growth from my macro algae! I haven't tried any corals yet, but I'm going to frag some zoas from my DT soon and see how they do in here.

OFK - I love them too, they have an adorable personality (for a crab anyway). I was doing some research on them and apparently as long as you get one with a nem, eventually they will all have nems. The first crab will divide his in half once it's big enough, and then the second crab will steal one of them... wash, rinse, repeat.