Difficulty

[shortymet55]

I understand its extremely difficult to run a nano tank, when you have no experience with marine tanks. However, I dont have anywhere in my room for another tank (Im 17, so its my parents house, so I cant put tanks outside my room). I already have a 10 gallon and a 29 gallon. The 29 is new, planted, and awesome. However, the 10 is in need of a revamping. Is there any chance of me running a successful nano tank?

Some questions:
1.) I have a fully matured filter. Are the bacteria is saltwater the same as fresh? Basically, can I just carry the filter over?
2.) Can I just use tap water, then mix in salt?
3.) Are powerheads needed, like in reefs?
4.) Are those $8 hydrometers fine?

Im thinking of keeping just like two small fish. Would this work?

 

[Colin_T]

Yes you can run a 10g marine tank without too many problems.
You will need to cycle the tank the same as you do with freshwater, (ie: add ammonia each day until the filters develop). Marine tanks have beneficial filter bacteria but they are a different species to the freshwater varieties. So you can't just swap the filter from fresh to salt.
Having some live rock (rock that has been in the ocean or a marine tank for more than 6 months) in the tank will help with the filtration process and add to the decorative appeal of the tank. You can buy it or grab a few bits from the beach (in the water).

Yes you can use tap water and add marine salt from the petshop. Or you can go to the beach and collect natural seawater. If you collect natural seawater make sure the area isn't polluted or from a major shipping channel.
Artificial marine salts need to be made up and aerated for 24 hours before they are used. When you first set the tank up you don't have to worry about this part, but when it is running you will need to make up the water a day before you use it.

Powerheads provide water movement without air bubbles and this reduces the salt creep. Salt creep is salt that gets left behind after water has evaporated. The more aeration you have in a marine tank, the more salt that is left behind on covers. The salt should be washed off regularly. A small powerhead or power filter in a 10g tank will provide ample water movement for most fish. Alternatively a couple of airstones can be used to do the same thing.

Floating glass hydrometers are fine to use but often break. If handled carefully they should last a while. Check and compare a few of them before you buy one. Sometimes the paper inside them is not at the same height (dodgy manufacturers) and this can lead to an incorrect reading.
The plastic chamber hydrometers (with an arm/ pointer that moves up and down in the water) is a slightly better option but costs a bit more.
The best item for measuring salinity levels is a refractometer but they cost heaps and unless you are keeping delicate corals in a reef, I wouldn't get one. The first two options are a better choice for a basic marine tank with the plastic chamber hydrometer being my preferred choice.

You can have a couple of fish in the tank but it depends on what species they are. If you can tell us what fish you like and we can advise for or against.

 

[shortymet55]

Thanks alot for that info.

Next time I go to the fish store ill see what they have in stock. I dont want t just pick out fish off the internet, because the fish store is not too big, so Im sure they only a small amount of the fish listed on like liveaquaria.

http/www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl36...oceanhydrometer
http/www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl36...50gallonsaltmix

These two things good? How much salt would I need for a 10 gallon?

Also, what kind of powerheads are good? What size am I looking for, and how many? Do I need an extra to mix salt?

Thanks

 

[Colin_T]

Most shops will order fish in for you if you ask them nicely

Instant Ocean Sea Salt is fine
The Instant Ocean Hydrometer is a plastic chamber hydrometer and should be fine but I haven't used that particular brand so can't really comment on it. However, Instant Ocean is usually pretty good stuff so it should be fine.
You need as much salt as it takes to make 10g You buy the salt in bags that make up 10, 20, 50, 100gallons of water. You will need a bag that makes at least 10gallons so you can start the tank. Then having some salt left over will allow you to do water changes after the tank has cycled. If you buy a big bag of salt then keep it sealed up in an airtight container because when the bag is open the salt will absorb moisture from the air and you get a super saline liquid in the bag with the salt.
I would recommend buying a 20gallon so you can set the tank up and do a couple of water changes after. This should allow you to use up the salt before it absorbs too much moisture. If you can keep the salt in an airtight container, then get a bigger bag, otherwise buy smaller bags and keep them sealed up until you are going to use them.

Aquaclear, Eheim, Rena & Tunze powerheads are all pretty good. It depends on how much money you have. I like the Aquaclear powerheads and fit a “Aquaclear Quickfilter” attachment to them. I then put a course sponge (from an Aquarius internal filter) inside the Quickfilter. I do this because the Quickfilter cartridge comes with a fine white filter that clogs up really quickly and then needs to be chucked out.
An Eheim or Rena internal powerfilter can be used too and both brands, especially the Eheim, are generally very reliable.
Tunze do "Nano Stream pumps". These are small powerheads that were designed specifically for use in nano reef tanks. You can buy Nano Streams that are adjustable and those that aren't. The adjustable ones get connected to a control box (you have to buy it separately) and you can program it so the pump runs for a few seconds and then slows down or speeds up. This gives you variable water movement that simulates wave action on a reef. Corals do best when they get variable water movement, that is to say they do best when they have water washing around them from different directions. If the water is hitting them from the same spot all the time they often die in that area and move around/ grow in a more secluded spot.

I prefer to use an airpump and airstone to mix marine salts up with water, however a water pump/ powerhead can be used.

 

[shortymet55]

Awesome. Thanks a ton for that information. I am going to come up with a list of everything, and everything I have and Im just curious If I forgot anything, or am going about this all wrong. Thanks again for this information.

I have:
10 gallon tank
Filter for 10 gallon
Air pump/ air stone
heater

What I need:
http/www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl36...oceanhydrometer
http/www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl36...25gallonsaltmix
Powerhead (Specific suggestions? Im on a budget, so cheap as possible, but still quality)
Rock (Live?)
Sand
Fish
Clean Up Crew
Corals?
Anything else?
Food?

Questions:
Is a standard 20W bulb good for any corals? If not fish only
Are powerheads needed for fish only? How many do I need if going with easy corals?
Should I go for some live rock? If so, how many powerheads do I need to get flow to use the rock as a filter?
Should I just use standard coral sand?
Whats a decent fish stocking. Im looking for suggestions, because I have no idea what Im looking for. (Not really into the Nemo thing)
What am I looking for as far as clean-up crew?
What corals could I keep with a 20W bulb is any?

Thanks

P.S. Am i being rediculous looking at live rock and corals while on a budget? I mean Im really hoping to not spend over like $100 when all said and done. Im Probably better off doing FO, then adding powerheads, live rock, and corals slowly. I dont know.

 

[Colin_T]

“Aquaclear” powerheads are good and cheap. You can also buy a “Hydor Rotating Water Deflector” that goes on the outlet of the powerhead and creates variable water movement, which is ideal for corals.

Live rock is preferable especially if you want live corals. Otherwise using dead rock (dry limestone and sandstone) will be fine and over time will become live rock.

Sand can be any sort of calcium based sand from the petshop or beach. You can use shell grit, coral rubble, or just sand.

20watts of light is probably not enough for corals, even in a small tank. If you could have 2 x 20w lights then it would probably be sufficient for a variety of corals. If possible get high output (HO) T5 lights. They provide more light than a standard fluoro. You could try a couple of small soft corals, (leather corals are pretty tough) and see if they survive under the light. Have the light on for 12-16hours per day. If the leather coral does well then try a few other corals.
Avoid Acropora corals because they need lots of light and are one of the harder to keep corals.

Powerheads are not necessary for fish only tanks unless you use the live rock as a filter. Then you will need lots of water movement around the rock. One big powerhead is fine or use 2 smaller powerheads for water movement around the rocks.

The tank is only small and if you have a bit of rock in it you won’t have much water. Therefore you should look at small blennies and gobies to go in the tank. The fire gobies (Nemateleotris decora, N. magnifica & N. helfrichi) are nice fish. Yellow and green coral gobies (Gobiodon okinawae & G. citrinus) also do well.

If you are on a budget then get a fish only tank and add to it over time. Corals and live rock can cost a fortune. If you have access to a clean beach then you can collect your own sand, rock and water. Find a clean beach and grab a couple of rocks from out of the water. Put them in a bucket of seawater. Do the same thing with some beach sand. Then grab a couple of containers of seawater and take the whole lot home and put it in the tank. Then add the filter and heater and get the tank running.

 

[shortymet55]

HOw many fish could I keep of the ones you suggested? I like (In order of Best to least)
<a href="http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_displa...amp;pcatid=2229" target="_blank">http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_displa...amp;pcatid=2229</a>
<a href="http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_displa...tid=173&N=0" target="_blank">http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_displa...tid=173&N=0</a>
<a href="http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_displa...tid=171&N=0" target="_blank">http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_displa...tid=171&N=0</a>
<a href="http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_displa...&pcatid=168" target="_blank">http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_displa...&pcatid=168</a>
<a href="http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_displa...&pcatid=161" target="_blank">http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_displa...&pcatid=161</a>
<a href="http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_displa...amp;pcatid=1441" target="_blank">http/liveaquaria.com/product/prod_displa...amp;pcatid=1441</a>

Just wondering how many i am limited too. Also, what about a CUC? Do I need one?

Anyways, this is what Im thinking:
Get Sand
Get Dead Rock
Get Salt
Get Hydrometer

Those are the basics (Anything left off?)

Over time Ill get:
2 small powerheads (eventually making dead rock live)
Upgraded light
Corals

Thanks

 

[ben1987]

fire fish dont do well together.
maybe two fish in a 10 gallon? it isn really the size of peacful fish that stops you keeping a few its the bio-load. You need to keep the water nice so what you do keep is happy.

if i were setting up a 10 gallon tank i would go fish only and use reef bones for decoration. If you can get cured reef bones that is. Then after a while add a kilo of LR here and there. The rref bones is a lot more pourus that ocean rock usually found in LFS and will be better for bacteria to live in and seed of the LR you put in.

that first blenny in your links is goregeous, i have a bi-coloured one and he is such fun to watch. They have great charictor. If you can get one of the blenny you linked, that would be very cool.

 

[shortymet55]

Im thinking of getting one Blenny and one Nemateleotris magnifica. Would that work?

 

[ben1987]

dont see why not, not both at the same time though. Let the filter ajust itself.
Make sure you have a lid too as fire fish are jumpers

 

[shortymet55]

Can I add a clean-up crew? Like a few small shrimp and a snail?

 

[ben1987]

so long as they have something to eat yes. they would probably be best of with a kilo or two of LR though aswel.
maybe a couple of micro blue legged hermits aswel.
not sure on the shrimp.

 

[CageUK]

You would be ok with a skunk cleaner shrimp or a fire shrimp. I wouldn't put anymore than one in though. As Ben says, once the tank has cycled you could put some hermits in if you have some live rock as these guys are grazers and feed on the crud and detritus that accumulates on the rock.
A few snails would be a good idea to have a munch at any algae etc. Some sand sifting snails (nassurius) would help keep the sand turning over.

 

[CageUK]

Can I add a clean-up crew? Like a few small shrimp and a snail?

Here are a few links to read regarding clean up crew.

Snails

Shrimps

Crabs

Hope this helps!

 

[AJ Tudor]

Some inverts can be quite susceptable to changes in water conditions, remember in a 10gal changes will be more dramatic than in a larger tank so you might want to keep a close eye on any shrimp etc. that you get