TheSaltwaterGuy's 10 Gallon build (pics added)

Ok i guess i just have trouble taking criticism; i dont know but i just hate it when someone just says "hey your doing this wrong, its gonna take longer for this to happen, you did this incorrectly so now fix it, this was your choice now you have to stick with it, blah blah blah." it's not that i wont take advice but i guess my weakness here is stubbornness. Well I'm gonna try NOT to be an @$$ about it and im just gonna put the rocks in if you guys really think so. would've done it earlier but was busy studying for my Greek midterm.

 

About your ugly rocks, I would take the previous advice and just take the rock, wrap it in a beach towel, and smash it with a hammer. I just did it for my tank because the LR I bought was to big and I was having trouble incorporating it into my scape. It worked very well and I think you might as well give it a go.

 

+1 to the above.

In my 55 I used turbo start. I put it in last Sunday, took my carbon out until today, and got my water tested this morn. My nitrates had gone down to zero and so had my ammonia. It's a great starter bacteria IMO, and it starts to colonize in your substrate and decor as well. I've never used it with a fish though... I'm not sure what would happen.

 

so like u guys said i added the rock and i guess the aquascape isnt too bad. I'd like a better scape but i guess this'll suffice for now. btw i accidentally added my last remaining hermit; he was on the rock and i didnt notice him. will he be fine? he seems to be acting fine as if nothing happened... anyway here's the pic. as for smaller pieces of LR, i have this big-ass piece that im gonna hit with a hammer XD its huge! hardly even fit into the DT. also, would the livestock that i plan to keep really be too much...?



not sure why my camera always has this light that makes the pic bright in the center; not even using flash...

 

so i am getting mah towel and mah hammer lol; never again am i buying live rock. Well only like 1 piece, but thats it.

 

I brake up LR all the time to make it fit better in my nano.
I agree best to have some in the tank to aid in biological filtration.
Consider trying some Microbacter7 by Brightwell until your biological filter is stable.

I like the fish choices, but yes you need a lid for the firefish. I was impressed with the list overall though.

Resisting the urge to change scape and such is difficult but in the long run you will have better results. Get some xenia, mushrooms, zoanthids growing on that rock and will not care what the rock looks like.

Saltwater nirvana is seldom obtainable, you just have to do the best with what you have and be patient.

 

thanks Corailline. i has to thank Brennan for helping me come up with the list; IMO its perfect for my tank. As for the lid, i've got that covered... literally lol. Before i get corals though im probably gonna keep the tank a fowlr for about a month or so.hopefully corallins spreads over the rocks too.

 

Here is a tip I ran across from melevsreef.com that's helped me:

"No matter what you do, you find part of the picture is too bright and part of it is simply too dark. What happens is the camera is gauging the light intensity and the light meter is making internal adjustments accordingly. To avoid this problem, try to pick a spot in the shot that is neutral. Usually you can find a spot of LR that is not too bright nor too dark. Point your camera at that spot, depressing the shutter button halfway. Now move the camera to frame the shot you wanted to take, and press the shutter down fully. This process is called “spot metering” and is very useful considering all the different objects we take pictures of. Practice using spot metering often, because it is one of those things that should be second nature to a photographer. Using this technique in outdoor photography yields great results as well."

Here is another site I ran across with more photography tips.

 

ok so im smashing this big round piece of Lr and when i take the towel off it feels like... playdoh? either that or i dont remember even though that was a few seconds ago XD no progress, just hitting the rock in the center

 

This is what I do.

Wrap in large towel.

Take very large rock and drop it on LR, and repeat.

That way you do not end up with just rubble but bigger pieces.