Do I Have Everything?

[james41683]

i think ive got most of the stuff needed to get my 10 gallon nano set up. here's the list, let me know if i missed anything. also ive included prices if anyone would like to know what the basics to get started would cost.

10 gallon aquarium and stand (FREE!)

aquaclear 30 (do it yourself refuge)($28)

50watt heater($15)

maxijet 1200 ($17)

current dual satellite 40 watt light. (2)daylight 6700k and 10000k and (2) actinic bulbs w/ cooling fans ($110)

glass thermometer ($2)

i know i still need a saltwater test kit, substrate, and livestock. water will be purchased already mixed. is there anything else that i may need?

 

[connorsbala]

Youve probs got it already but ill say it anyway...a refractometer/hydrometer, to measure the salinity. You'll need this anyway even though your waters already mixed, to check evaporation levels etc.
You'll also need apart from SW, plain RO water. You shall use this to top up your tank from evap. If you dont top your tank up, the salt content will raise, thus increasing the salinity. Within 2 days, a reading from 1.024 can go to 1.026 etc, which puts strain on your livestock.
Just mark a line on your tank and when the water drops past that, top up with pure RO
Obviously some kinda scraper to wipe of the algae, which i ahve to do everyday

I cant think of anything else, if i do ill post it

 

[Colin_T]

not sure about the lights. I would go for 3 x 10,000K globes and an actinic. The 10,000K have plenty of blue light in them. The actinic I would use at night to see the corals glow and the shrimp after lights out.

re: The Aquaclear 30. Is that to pump water from the sump/ refugium back to the tank? It might struggle a bit depending on how high the tank is above the sump. You can get a Quickfilter for the Aquaclear. It is a prefilter that will stop things getting into the motor and causing premature wear. Just remove the white filter in it and replace with a green filter from an Aquarius internal power filter, or something similar.

get a Hydor rotating water deflector to go on the outlet of the pump. It will give you variable water movement in the tank which is better for the corals.

 

[james41683]

i will be getting the hydrometer today if i go to the store to pick up my sand. i think i can also get R/O water at the petstart, i live in an apartment so i really dont want to mess with the piping adding my own R/O unit.

re: The Aquaclear 30. Is that to pump water from the sump/ refugium back to the tank? It might struggle a bit depending on how high the tank is above the sump. You can get a Quickfilter for the Aquaclear. It is a prefilter that will stop things getting into the motor and causing premature wear. Just remove the white filter in it and replace with a green filter from an Aquarius internal power filter, or something similar.

i made a mistake above, i have the aquaclear 110. theres a how to on nano-reef-com that shows you how to make an aquaclear filter into a refuge by gluing in a piece of plexi glass or plastic into the chamber as a divider and using the media basket as a grid to stop stuff from flowing from to aquaclear into the tank. then you clip on a small light and add LR pieces or what ever you want into the larger chamber. the filter itself will be the refuge.

 

[Colin_T]

cool

 

[steelhealr]

Ditch the hydrometer and get a refractometer. Hydrometers, IMO, are not worth it. The refractometer is more fun to use....you'll get less water on your floor...a more accurate reading...etc. If cost is a factor, then, you could do the hydrometer. I bought one..tried it twice...it's been sitting in the cabinet ever since.

I like AquaClears on 10's...they can do a multitude of things. You can put your filter media in there (phosphate binder, Purigen, whatever). You can even make it into a small refugium.

SH