Log 010 - Downsizing

Slow and low is how I decided to uptake this hobby. Hearing that salt water aquairums had many challenges for upkeep I remind myself patience is needed here. Often people get into this hobby and start with a massive tank filled with different types of life requiring many parameters. By all means, if you can handle such information and manage your time for the required upkeep then you have what it takes to maintain some of lifes' beauty. 

10 gallons, reasonable size aquairum I thought to myself. And true it is, but really, here everything is about perspective. Mostly it is about the species you choose to keep in your tank. So, in theory you could have a really large 200 gallon tank and only keep a few species of corals, fish, crabs or whatever other chosen life... and hitchikers may come. 

So, 10 gallons, I choose to stick with mushroom corals, specifically ricordeas. Two types of riccordea: ricordea florida and ricordea yuma. I also decided to go with a theme and promptly called the 10 gallon tank, Kye's Reef. 

The firt setup

10 gallon Aqueon aquarium with bottom and top rim. 1 inch of fine black sand, 1 brand named live rock at 5 pounds, and salt water from our local fish store - LFS. Added to this were 1 mushroom art figure, and 3 kodama (forest spirits). Kye is one of the Kodama and lives in this soon to be ricordea forest to watch over. Eventually 3 ricordea floridas have been added. One is quite larger than the other two, expected to be close to a year in age, and I named this one Sherbert - unaware of the industry name at this time. I bought a second one that looks similar to Sherbert but seems to be in the process of splitting and only half the size. The 3rd ricordea is different color and is very small or seems to always be constricted. 2 blue legged crabs were also added not long ago. Hitchikers from the live rock and plugs from the ricordeas are feather dusters of different variety, possible bristle worm, and small shrimp. Copapods, diatoms and other micros are starting to thrive on the walls. 

BUT THEN, we sprung a leak. When setting up this 10 gallon, I had placed a small town down as the base. I believe topping off more than necessary caused either a seam to split or pressure crack somewhere unfound yet. What I do know is that some of the rims are bowed and not touching the glass. I emptied about 7 gallons out, the remaining water still enough to cover half of the rock and more than enough for the corals as they are sitting on the sand level. I figured that would of been enough to releive any pressure and buy me enough time to get a replacement tank.

A year from now I had planned on getting two 5 gallons in addition to the 10 gallon. So, I bought one 5 gallon tank, Aquatop bullet style 5 gallon. The top arrive broke, and the rest of the tank is holding water as a test for the next few hours. 

My next steps are to take out the water from the test, and fill only half inch of sand currently being used. I want to keep as much of the current habitat intact. Once the sand settles, I pray the rock fits and will set that in a bucket. Ill have to be sure the crabs stay in the water. More water will be emptied and I will scoot the current tank over, assuming it will stay intact and that the bottom is not going to fall out. I'll clean the area, place another towel down and then the new aquarium. I'll get the rock in first, then the crabs, corals and Kye. 

What shall I do with the tank once I fully empty it?