starting a 10 g nano

[wilson the volleyball]

my mom finally said yes. well she said its my money so im gonna start a 10 gallon nano. i will hopefully be starting within the next month just picking up little things on the way. i plan on gettin a

-10g aga
-Hagen Ph 201 (or 101 and get 2)*
-heater (100w or 50w) we dont have n e of the ebo jager or n e thing at my lfs or they only one i saw was like 60$ and it was like 75w this one is made by thermal or sumthin*
-deep six hydrometer
- Test kit- Marine sea (no calcium i think) or Hagen master test kit for fresh and salt water(calcium included i think)*
-instant ocean salt(thinking of going big so i dont have to buy it for a while)
-caribsed aragonite sand(15lb)
-mag float(med or large)*

-still need lighting*(trying to go with easy DIY for cost.or was thinking pc)

i was thinking of keeping one or two false percs. or one false perc with bicolor blenny or some type of goby or royal gramma or other small fish*. also some snails (cerith, nassairus, margaraita stuff from lfs lol)and a shrimp(cleaner or sumthin else)*. i also plan on not having a skimmer, but do want about 15lbs or a bit more of LR> my lfs has Fiji at 9.99/lb and then the other lfs i went to had no prices and i forgot to ask lol, i might get a bit of base rock too, my lfs has this white stuff called reef rock,(its pure white in a box(dont know if its reall stuff or wat lol)

* means need suggestions lol
and i am also open to n e other suggestions u can give me

the corals i was thinking of keeping are mayb shrooms xenia polyps and mayb some ricordia, also sumthin with like tentacles or sumthin(n e ideas) no anenomes though to much of a hassle and i dont like the idea of basically having them die when they are only in there for a few months(just my opinion) lolalso zoos.

 

[Len]

Sounds like a good plan you have there. I would recommend two powerheads over one so you can better control flow patterns. Someday you can also buy a wavemaker.

Go with PCs. They're fairly affordable and easy to DIY or buy completed retrofit kits from. For a 10 gallon, I think you've got a lot of options in terms of what PCs to use. I personally would use at least two 28W 12" bulbs or two 36W 16" bulbs. The more the merrier, of course

All you need is a medium mag float, but getting a large won't hurt in case you get a larger tank down the line.

Most heaters from major manufacturers work well. If you can't find it at your LFS, I recommend getting your parents to buy it online (www.reefs.org/sponsor.htm). Good prices and selection.

 

[reefann]

Congradulations on getting your moms approval for the tank! I know how you feel, I'm never getting that Ball python or corn snake while I still live at home....
Question, Do you have a RO/DI unit of a source for it?
Here a few things I would do with a 10g
SHOP AROUND for a heater 60$ is crazy, at least to me.
Some will tell you that the deep six hydrometer is terrible and will eventually kill off your tank because of incorrect readings. If you are on a budget it will be fine, I have used on for a while. Just be sure that there is no air bubbles on the swing arm when doing the readings.
For lighting I would either do Metal halide or Power compact.
Metal halide will be more costly to buy, maintain, and run. Plus heat may become an issue if you are not careful.
Power compacts are much less expensive and make a much easier DIY project. I just put a 55watt bulb over a ten gallon I had laying in my room and you do not have enough length to fit it over. I think two 32watt or 28watt bulbs would probably be great as a soft coral tank.
Here is a great deal on a ballast I just got for a planted tank I'm doing. Plus it leaves room for a lighting upgrade.
http://www.hellolights.com/cfnanbalkit2.html
Get to know what good live rock looks like and see if the rock your local shops are selling the "good rock". The rock and lighting is one thing I would not recomend skimping on the first time around. BTW at the price 9.99 per lb the rock should be VERY nice.
That "base rock" being sold is just bleached totally dead rock that makes a cheap start for tanks. With only 15lbs of rock in your tank I would not recomend getting much base rock due to it adding NO biodiversity to the tank. It will though eventually become live and look fine. This may take a little while though.
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[reefann]

You beat me to the post Len.
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[Anonymous]

I must sound like a broken record, but hey, I think they've worked well for me...

PowerCompact retrofit kit - SmartLite 32w 50/50 (10k/actinic blue). Perfect size and it fits great into the standard AGA light housing that's probably going to come w/ your tank. Also for a bonus, you can go pick up one of the other tops - most 10g's have that formed plastic top, and I think it's pretty tacky. Most LFS's have a simple but elegant alternative - two flat slats of glass connected in the middle by a bendable joint. It's cheap too - $10 or less.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Juck]

Yeh,, wot Len said.

$9.99 is horribly high for a pound of Fiji. Most LFS & Online retailers sell it for $4.50 - $6.50 per lb.

The white base-rock is probably fossilised reef limestone and will work fine if you want to cut the price down a bit,,,, if you have some Fiji in there as well (and keep your calcium up) then the coralline will eventually spread to the base rock over a year or so (I have some base rock in my fuge for about 9 months it's almost completely purple).

Good luck,, be sure to post pics.

 

[wilson the volleyball]

does everyone think two clownfish will b ok in there. and i was also thinking of getting two phs just forgot to put it. these price r in canadian so if it is an american website where that 4.99 rock is it would b the same price probyl. some1 said i should go with 15g, wat do u guys think, the only reason i want t3en is because of it being cheaper and it will b easier to move.

 

[wilson the volleyball]

my gorcery store sells ro water. also for lighting i was thinking of getting a 1x96 watt quad light.

 

[Anonymous]

Im still pressing the MH thing..but PC for a 10 would work great...i think the Quad thing is NO but T-5 bulb size??...I think PC would be your best bet though...i posted in your other thread on my thoughts so i wont go off again :wink: .... if you do decide RO you can check i think LOWES and HomeDepot too for RO units..not quite sure if they're cheaper vs the "aquaria" versions...???you are off on the right start for sure...and i would go with a refractometer... Keep us posted though...

 

[wilson the volleyball]

the 96 quad is pc it is made by coralife i think.

 

[shalegac]

RO units are much cheaper at home depot.

 

[wilson the volleyball]

im just going to buy jugs of ro water from the grocery store.

 

[Anonymous]

I think the 96W powerquad is made by custom sea life.

 

[wilson the volleyball]

k i was thinking aboiut getting a 15 gallon instead. i was just wondering would most of the equipment from the 10 still work, like the 2 ac ph 201, and a 100 wat heater(cuz it can get cold in my bedroom), and the 96 watt quad light. the 15 lbs or lr and sand, also would those corals i listed still do alright, also with some type of leather.

 

[Anonymous]

yes a 100W heater is fine for a 15..you figure 5W per gallon...the powerhead 201 are good. i have one in my 20..with PC the leather will do fine ..the xenia will do ok if acclimated properly..xenia IMO is hit or miss...the ricordia and shrooms will do fine even in low lighting so they will be ok under PCs..Zoos are good to have..id go with about 20lbs of rock and about 20-25lbs of sand for a decent sand bed...i have a 3in sandbed...i think i have roughly 30lbs of sand in my 20.....HTH
keep us posted..preferably with pix...and tell mom thanx..

 

[Anonymous]

only thing you might wanna check is that the width of the 15 is the same as the ten - so that you know the light fixture is still the right length.

i only use PC lighting (but i do have more wattage) and my stuff is all good - I've kept SPS (ok admittedly this one could use MH light), LPS, shroom corals, anemone's, and yes xenia ... xenia has an attitude but after about a week (if properly acclimated) it will be raging and soon to overtake your tank!

Good luck and post us some pix if you can!

 

[wilson the volleyball]

wat would the min. wattage of light b fora 15 55watts 65 watts. io just want to know if 55w would support those corals osthen if i see n e at mylffs i can get one or 65, or if i see ne 2 65 id get that if its a good rpice. wat would u suggest, i know one of my lfs seels sumthin called all glass i think it is power compact, somethin like this im guessing
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/catalog/prod ... 843;pcid2=

 

[Anonymous]

well the quad is 96W..that outta be ok for a 15..i had 130W PC over my 20 until i recently upgraded to MH...Personally i like the MH better...but the PC was fine, i just wanna keep SPS corals and clams so i upped it to MH..hence me suggesting MH from the beginning..You might decide to want to keep such things in your tank...but for the most part, Id go with the coral life aqualight. 24" fixture 130W roughly $140..the problem is, the lenght of your 15..i suggest a 20, its not that much more expensive, might even be cheaper than a 15, its more common....

 

[Spielbergo]

Whereabouts in Canada do you live and if in Ontario where are you shopping? Your prices still sound a little high.

 

[wilson the volleyball]

umm a 15 gallon is 24 inches wide, and i think it is 12dx12h. im going with it because it is smaller and will fit better into the space i ahave picked out for it, and i dont want a 20 too much becuz i think they are kinda big to move around(have one for my fw). i live between london and windsor closer to windsor(sry my parents dont want me to say where exactly) most of the prices r from a petsmart, or off the net.