10 gallon nano help...

Sea_Dawg

Sea_Dawg

New Member
Hello everyone, I am new to keeping saltwater but not to freshwater. I have been keeping freshwater for about 5 years. I currently have a 29-gallon getting planted (its a slow process), a 10 gallon multi tank, a 10 gallon betta spawning tank, and a 10 gallon divded tank for my bettas (soon to be re-done). I have not yet succesfully raised betta fry yet, mostly due to my lack of preparation when I first started. Also I have made few mistakes here and there, and things happened that I couldn't control...male eating eggs. However I have decided not to attempt to breed bettas till around the summer. I have also had some other setups but they were taken down and were replaced by the ones mentioned above.

Anyways, that is a little bit about the fish I currently keep, and now for the reason I am here. I want to start a 10 gallon reef tank, and I want to do it all right from the start. I got intrested mostly because of finding nemo, I really liked the clown and anemone relationship. So, while researching anemones I found awsome nano tanks and that is what got me REALLY intrested. . I would like to keep an anemone, but now am leaning towards a setup without anomones, at least for now. I am planning on setting up a 10 gallon reef. Like I said earlier I am new to saltwater and am going to need all the help I can get. These are some of things I had in mind for my future setup...

Normal 10 gallon tank
1 small powerhead
Live rock (not sure how much)
Sand: What kind?
Heater: not sure what kind
Some sort of hang on the back filter
20" Coralife Aqualight Quad Strip Light (96W Total): What type of corals could I keep with that light?

So far that is all I am thinking of for a setup, the good thing about all this is that christmas is coming so I might not have to pay for a lot of these thing. What do you guys thinK? Any suggestions or changes that you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance,
Ben
 
S

sadielynn

New Member
welcome
For the tank a 10 gallon is a good starting point
The power head you may want to try a power head like a mini jet 606 you may need one or 2
Live rock you could go with about 7-8 lbs to start because as you add frags they will come attached to live rock making up the 1-3 lbs per gallon rule
you can basically use any sand that you like but we use the agralive live sand (this is around 20 bucks in our area that comes in a 10-lb bag I think ) it is a courser sand and doesent take much to sink it to the bottom all you do is place in the tank no rinsing or waiting for it to weigh with water to sink .........
the filter I would recomend is a penguin 200 or 300 that should give ample filtration as for the bio wheel that is a nitrate factory and not needed
heater I have a finnex 50 watt titanium heater I really like it because of its small size of 5 inches long (about the size of a sharpie marker) but you could try a visi therm others here use them and like them but I dont know a whole lot about them , I dont like the glass ones because they can break.
lighting sounds good for some corals but I am not real well versed in lighting myself as I am still learning ........
As for the Anemone the clown doesnt really need one and tho the symbiotic relationship is neat if an Anemone is not happy it will walk around and sting other corals if it dies it can nuke the tank and everything in it you also want the tank to be up running and stable for atleast 6 months longer is better before introducing an Anemone to your tank .This is just my opinions and there are others here that will be glad to guide and help you out you are on the right track by asking questions . :welcome
 
Dickie52

Dickie52

New Member
Sounds like you have it pegged for a starter 10 gallon reef. With that lighting you will have no problem with zoos, shrooms and the other soft corals.

Just take it slow and easy and do your weekly water changes.

Welcome aboard.
 
skipm

skipm

Moderator
Staff member
:welcome to the board!
You are off to a good start by planning and then getting opinions before buying. You will be able to keep most LPS along with softies, polyps, mushrooms, and ricordias under the powerquad light. You may even be able to keep some of the lower light SPS though I haven't tried any in mine. The main thing I look for in a heater is the length, there are several different ones that are suitable like the Marineland Stealth, the Visitherm and the Thermal Compacts. I personally like the Aqua Clear hang on filter because they have alot of room in their chambers and the 2 larger ones are quite popular to be modded into refugiums. For the powerhead there are a few different options that have worked well for me. One of the Zoomed 104s puts out around 60 gph and is tiny so it takes up little space (important in a nano), I have also had very good service from MaxiJets (you need to pick the size based on how much flow you want). I have also used Hydor Rotating Deflectors so a single powerhead can add current to a greater area, these have worked well for me and are fairly inexpensive ( around $12 online). I also use the same live sand that Sadie mentioned and have been very satisfied with it. I tried Southdown and like the LS better. The amount of LR will depend on the type of LR you get, some rock is very porous while other rock is very dense. I do recommend getting alot of smaller pieces for a nano and that you hand pick it if thats an option for you. I usually go for peices with some shape to them as opposed to either straight sticklike pieces of branch and round boulders. Also if possible look for one or two flat pieces for shelf making. Keep the questions coming and I think we'll be able to get all of them answered for you. Skip
 
Sea_Dawg

Sea_Dawg

New Member
Thanks for the awsome responses, they will help me a lot. I have one more question for now...(more soon to come)

What is a good test kit that has all the things I need?
 
M

mikeguerrero

Active Member
I would go with aquarium systems brand, they are very accurate and great for beginner to intermediate reefer.

Once you get the testing done, you really don't use them again unless you re-do your tank or get some ammonia spike and need to check water parameters.

There should be a thread on this forum regarding what test kits everyone uses.

In the meantime here is a quick link to aquarium systems kits:

http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_tes ... sp?CartId=

Good luck, and welcome....

Mike G
 
Sea_Dawg

Sea_Dawg

New Member
I am thinking of getting the Zoomed 104 or the mini jet 606 powerheads based on the info that you all gave. How many of those powerheads (or any small powerheads) do I need in the tank?
 
skipm

skipm

Moderator
Staff member
As far as test kits go Salifert makes the best kits for hobbiests, they may not be as easy to find and may cost a little more but they are accurate. The main tests you will need are pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Calcium and alkalinity are also going to be neede when you start adding coral. If you have a LFS that tests water you may be able to get by without the ammonia and nitrite kits since you mainly need them during cycling but I prefer to have them in case something starts to look like its not quite right. One thing that is not a test kit that you may want to get is either a refractometer or one of the DigiLabs made by JBJ. A refractometer is cheaper if you keep your eyes open for them to go on sale at one of the online vendors. You could also make it known to family members that you are wanting to set this tank up and would like gift certificates for fish stores if they can't decide what to get for you. HTH, Skip
 
skipm

skipm

Moderator
Staff member
I bought the one they call adjustable, this means that I can flip my lights up out of the way when working on the tank. IMO if you don't have the legs then you have to use a glass top which can cause the heat to rise and cause overheating issues. I would at least get the regular legs but I really do like the ones I have because I can tip the light out of the way when I need to without completely removing the light from my tank. Skip
 
I

incysor

New Member
I'd definitely go with the legs. Even with them you'll probably end up having to wipe salt off of it fairly often. I know I have to clean mine about once a week or so, and I've got the legs on it.

B
 
R

reefman23

New Member
Im sure that is a decent heater, however it is glass. I am a little wary of glass heaters in a salt duedo to the fact that the rock and other stuff can fall and break it. I prefer this heater ----> http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/P ... 004+113767 and I know others on this site do, too. It is plastic, so no need to worry about it breaking. And it also has an automatic safety shutoff.
 
M

mikeguerrero

Active Member
Sea Dawg,

You might want to check out the flea market on this forum, I believe one of our members, Sadie is selling two heaters.

Why don't you check out her post and save some money?

Mike G
 
Sea_Dawg

Sea_Dawg

New Member
O.K. I mostly just checking around for stuff to add to my christmas list, haha.

Sea Dawg,

You might want to check out the flea market on this forum, I believe one of our members, Sadie is selling two heaters.

Why don't you check out her post and save some money?
Click to expand...
O.K. I will do that, if I don't go with that I will go with the Visi Therm.

Also I think I will just one of the Zoo Med 104's, and If that doesn't generate enough current by itself then when the filter is added it should be enough, right?

Another thing I am going to add to my chirstmas list is an Aqua Clear hang on filter. What size should I get?

I just thought I should say All the information everyone gave me so far is EXTREMLY helpfull, THANKS!

This forum is awsome!
 
skipm

skipm

Moderator
Staff member
I have used both of the heaters that have been linked to with no problems from either. A single powerhead and the hang on filter should be enough current but if you find you want/need more current it wouldn't be a big deal to add a second powerhead later. I lwould go with either the AquaClear 70 or the 110. The 110 would probably be better if you think you may want to mod it into a refugium a little later. If you get the 110 you could also put your heater and any chemical media (carbon, phosgard, chemipure, etc.) that you choose in it and you can keep the tank free of equipment as much as possible. You will find in a small nano that space becomes very valuable pretty quick. Skip
 
skipm

skipm

Moderator
Staff member
I don't know if you know about it or not but we are scheduled to have a chat on friday the 16th at 7 pm pst. The topic is Nanocubes. You may want to tune in if you get a chance, you could get some questions answered before you have a chance to ask. Just thought I would give you a heads up. Hope to hear from you then, Skip
 
Sea_Dawg

Sea_Dawg

New Member
About the aquaclear, I didn't realize that those are that expensive (well they are expensive for me). I would want to make a refugium or at least hide the heater...but already just the light and the test kit are expensive, and I don't want to ask to much from my parents for christmas if you know what I mean. Hmm...

I am not too sure what to do, maybe ebay could be of some help lol. Do you guys know of any cheaper filters that would be efficient enough for what I want?

About that chat I will try to be there, thanks.
 
skipm

skipm

Moderator
Staff member
Almost any filter will work, the AquaClears are popular because of the size of the filter box having so much room to add things into. I have used Whisper filters before and liked them, heres a link: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/P ... 2004+22769 . I would probably go with the Whisper 40.
If you haven't ordered your light yet this also may help shave a few $$ off of the price: http://www.hellolights.com/201xcoaqpcho.html . You may also notice that if you buy a spare bulb with the fixture the bulb is only $19. I know that this can be an expensive hobby to get into, do you have any equipment left over from one of your freshwater tanks? If you do list it and we'll trfy to tell you what may be suitable for your nano. HTH, Skip
 
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