Newbie here

[TealCobra]

Hey guys. I registered recently and have mostly been lurking around. I am new to salt water and was wanting to get a 75 gal tank in the next year or so. However, i'm thinking about doing a mini-reef setup first as i was thinking it might be a good way to get a start in the hobby.

How much should i expect to spend to get a 10-12 gal. setup running? How difficult are these to maintain? Any books in particular i should check out? Any recommended links to check out some tanks and equipment?

 

[liquid]

Hi TealCobra and

In regards to good books, please see: http://reefs.org/library/reading/ There's a LOT to choose from. Any books you're specifically looking for?

Also, take a peek at our Newbie FAQ as this might help you with some of your questions: http://www.reefs.org/library/newbieguide.htm In addition we also have a library to look thru: http://reefs.org/library/

I don't have a nano tank but I'm sure Brandon429 and Matt_Wandell (two of our Taskforce members) or others will be able to give you more specific details on what you need to do to setup a 10 gal tank. They're definitely sweet tanks to keep on the desk.

We look forward to your involvement in our community!

Shane

 

[brandon4291]

Hello TealCobra and glad you chose to log on here for info on starting your new marine systems. Id agree that starting a 10-12 is a nice way to jump into the hobby, and you can base much of the predictions about your upcoming 75g on the workings of your 10-12g nano.

Now let me start by saying that I know you know there are many different ways of setting up these systems. My ideas are just mine, and Im sure as this post grows there will be much insight added to the recommendations.

Cost-about 300-500$ depending. Bare bones, Id say $200 for the lights and $40 worth of live rock and two/three fish at 25$ apiece and corals at 100$ (light coral load) salt mix and C_Balance additive totaling 40$. If you choose to add a skimmer to reduce water changes then add another $100-$200

For your size tank, I will recommend adding 1-3 capfulls of each C-Balance additive (parts A and B) per week, not all in one day. This of course depends on your stony coral load, and the way you bioload the tank with fish and also whether or not you are skimming. Me personally, Id still go skimmerless on a 10-12g but not if you value fish more than corals. A 10g tank with much LR and maybe a clown fish and a blenny of some type, or any other combo of two-three small fish can be kept well unskimmed as long as you change water %50 weekly IMO. A good skimmer will let you be a little lazier on upkeep and will deal with the fish waste correctly so you won't have algae battles. On a tank that size tho, Id say its just as easy and cheaper not to install a skimmer and just go with moderate water changes depending on your fish stocking. Post back when you figure out what you want to have in terms of fish.

I use www.aquaticeco.com to order all my supplies, including C-Balance. a $10 purchase of C-Balance (calcium and alkalinity additive) will last you three months in a 10g. You can use your check card or your credit card to order from them and they are a very honest company. Maintenance will not be much of an issue in your nano, a 10-12g will evaporate a cup or two of water per day depending on your lighting system, regional humidity etc. Very easy to replace by keeping a bottle of Evian handy and squirt some in each day. The best way to do this is to take a sharpie marker and mark on the back of the glass your water line when you have just made a water change set at 1.024 salinity. As the line drops below the mark due to evaporation, fill it back up with distilled water. If you go a few days before refills (2-3max on a 10g with bright lights) don't fill it all back up to the line at once. Take two days to bring it back up slowly.

Last but not least, use distilled water for your mix. To make a long story short this is what I do and its your best bet for keeping algae at bay.

Good luck and give us the details as you get started.

Brandon M.

 

[brandon4291]

There is much varied opinion on this matter, but in my opinion all you need for additives in your nano is:

C-Balance or some way to control alk and calcium

Dt's phytoplankton will add to the quality of your LR in time, it will maintain small filter-feeders and other live organisms that tend to waste away over time in our small setups. There are other alternatives besides Dt's, its just what I like.<<<<this is still an optional additive tho!

Some people liek to use iodide/iodine in their tanks. I have always been a proponent of using Ia in small nanos, especially those with many soft corals, but Ive been out of Ia dosers for three months and everything looks just as good... as the great debate goes apparently the food I add for my crabs does enough Ia addition. So dont buy a ton of additives, when it all comes down to it C-Balance is all you will need for sure.

 

[Anonymous]

Teal,
For a first tank, I suggest getting easy stuff to care for like mushroom corals and button polyps. You could get away without using super intense lighting, maybe just a couple of 13 watt power compact bulbs (I like the look of one 10000K and one actinic bulb). Put a layer of very fine sand on the bottom, some live rock on top of that, and you have a tank. Filters with sponges, bioballs and such are completely unnecessary in marine tanks (unless you're reading a book that's 20 years old), so all you need to add are something to move and heat the water--powerheads and a heater. You could probably go with two small powerheads like maxijet 400s and any small heater.

A protein skimmer is, in my opinion, optional on such a small tank, but adding one will definitely help. The BakPak from CPR is an excellent skimmer for a tank that size.

Keeping soft corals only would negate the need for calcium addition. Although soft corals use a bit of it, regular weekly water changes (around 5-10%) will be enough to replenish the calcium and other elements they use. One of the things that kept me from keeping stony corals for so long was the daunting talk of calcium reactors, kalkwasser, carbonate hardness, alkalinity, etc. I suggest learning how to keep easy corals first, then worry about the hard stuff. Stony corals really shouldn't be kept in a first tank, in my opinion. If you do decide to use calcium, however, B-Ionic from ESV is another quality product.

For fish, you have tons of options. I don't really think some clowns belong in a tank that small (maroons and tomatoes to name a couple), but ocellaris clowns (Nemos) would probably do OK. Pairs are easy to find or make, and clowns are incredibly hardy fish. I don't think you should have more than two full grown clown sized fish in that size tank. A royal gramma, firefish, smaller dottyback, goby, sixline wrasse, or caribbean pygmy angel would all do OK. If I had a 10g I'd add a pair of orchid dottybacks, but that's just me.

 

[brandon4291]

This post is going to wind up being a manual for new nano setups I can tell and this is good timing. marked for archiving, shall we shay? I thought it was a good one and I haven't marked in a while.

Another thing is the option to build some kind of walled refugium in-house. Matt don't you think an uptake refugium is a great way to keep nanos in general> you can still go natural and have a way to deal with the bulk unskimmed nitrogen--turn it into plant material!

 

[Anonymous]

Absolutely, Brandon. If you're not going to skim, creating a well lit refugium with lots of macroalgae is another form of nutrient export. There are several options--skim, do lots of water changes, use activated carbon, grow giant clams, xenia, or anthelia, etc.--for nutrient export. I believe that growing macroalgae is the most effective method that doesn't have the drawback of removing planktonic life like skimming does.

The amount of planktonic life is probably more of a concern in SPS tanks than in any other, however. If you've got LPS corals, you can feed them directly in most cases. SPS can only be fed by your sand bed infauna and live rock animals--the eggs, sperm, and larvae of worms, pods, snails, etc.

 

[Anonymous]

Teal, some really good books: Aquarium Corals, by Eric Borneman. Natural Reef Aquariums, by Tullock. These are the two most informative and up to date books I've read on reef aquariums. Delbeek and Sprung also wrote a two part series on reef aquariums, and apparently it's great as well. I've never read it, but I really, really need to.

 

[brandon4291]

Teal if you are still looking around here from time to time, Im bumping your thread up so we can get some update pics on how the design is coming. Stop in and let us know when you get a chance!



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