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[smontanus]

I'm gonna follow Guy's lead and list the rights and wrongs of this project:

Right
I think the best thing I did was plan. I had almost every single item in this system planned out and visualized prior to building a single item. I researched all over the internet for months. I think this planning paid off. The other thing I did right was patience. I stocked slowly and only with hardy items and then only when I was confident. The only deaths I have experienced were a result of shipping stress and I did the best I could to try and recover the animals. This may not be the best way to win a contest, but when your first reef tank is a nano I don't think any other way would be successful. Lastly, as a newbie, when things go wrong relax, think, and ask, don't panic.

Wrong
The design of the sump was a mistake. It was too small, poorly constructed, and didn't allow for easy cleaning of the plumbing. It was only a matter of time before it would need to be replaced. I'm pretty sure that my stocking will only lead to chemical warfare. I don't think mixing sps and softies is a good idea I'll be moving the softies to a new tank soon, already underway. SPS in a nano as a first reef tank? A big leap I know. If the SPS don't work out I'll leave the tank softies and save the hard corals for a larger tank when I have room.

I'm sure others could point out a lot more I've done wrong, maybe even right but I still have a lot to learn. This tank has been a joy to start and I'll keep it going as long as possible. I'm going to start a website with updates and in-depth construction details (www.flypacificairways.com/10g) it will be a little bit before its up. Thanks to everybody who's offered their expertise and knowledge I used every bit of it.

Tank Parameters - as of 12/30/05
Temperature: 80.4F
Salinity: 35ppt
pH: 8.2
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: <5ppm
Phosphate: 0ppm
Alkalinity: 2.6meq/l
Calcium: 390ppm

and the final tank pics: