Planning 10 Gallon Nano

[atmmachine816]

Please bear with me

Well if some of you guys still remember I thought about the idea of a nano before with pricing but didn't go past there. Now I'm serious about it and want to plan it and have everything I need to know by christmas so when I do my rounds of some lfs's with my aunt I can see if I can find everything I need and the price of it so when I start reffing again I can start saving up. So I want to keep it fairly low budget not the super expensive type considering it's my first tank and I don't have the money for all the sweet stuff, live corals etc. since I don't have a job all year round yet. In less than a year I hope to be working at a petstore but I'm still too young.

This is what I know so far

Tank: 10 gallons
Lighting:
Filteration:
Powerheads:
Protein Skimmers:
Live rock: yes no anenomes or coral since I don't think I'll have good enough light
what else

So I know I need a 10 gallon tank. I'd like to get larger but I'd have a harder time convincing my parents to let me have it so if you don't mind can you help me with just a 10 gallon setup.

What type of lighting would I need for starters for just live rock?

O and yes I'm reading pinned topics and other stuff I'd just like real help with the basic stuff and I can figure out the rest I guess or whatever.

 

[SkiFletch]

I wouldnt skim on a 10g. You can start with a basic $25 single T8 strip light for fish only. Filtration is your liverock. As for flowrate, I'd consider a pair of say MJ 600s or MJ 900s. When you're ready for more powerful lights if you do decide to keep corals, go for a dual power compact fixture, but thats down the road.

Other than that, sand, salt, RO or distilled water and testing equipment

 

[atmmachine816]

Ok do you have a link to what a t8 looks like I can't find a aquarium one unless you don't use an aquarium one. I figured the live rock one out 30lb's or so I think. And the powerheads you want 100-200 gph flow rate right, what are the MJ 600 and 900. I'll have to see if they sell them around me. If I can't find a T8 can I use a regular strip light or a dual fluescent striplight and you need a glass cover over the light right, no open bulbs because of the corosion?

 

[atmmachine816]

I saw a firefish I think it is and some of you guys have really seemed to like it I think right? It was priced at 11$ is that good too.

 

[JaminRat]

Ok do you have a link to what a t8 looks like I can't find a aquarium one unless you don't use an aquarium one. I figured the live rock one out 30lb's or so I think. And the powerheads you want 100-200 gph flow rate right, what are the MJ 600 and 900. I'll have to see if they sell them around me. If I can't find a T8 can I use a regular strip light or a dual fluescent striplight and you need a glass cover over the light right, no open bulbs because of the corosion?

A T8 is the standard for tank lighting as Ski said that should be find for a FOWLR the general rule of thumb for live rock is 1lb per usg so 10lbs would be a minimum.

Flowrate is about right although as I have learnt a little more doesn't hurt.

MJ - Maxijet

HTH

Ben

 

[atmmachine816]

Ok thanks so a T8 is just a standard strip light your saying or a standard SW tank light. Sorry I'm new to this. Somebody told me 100gph might be too much if I choose to have mushrooms and soft coral is this a issue with low light.

 

[SkiFletch]

Yeah, most cheapo aquarium strip lights are T8 nowadays . Even if you only want softies, I'd try and get towards the 200gph flow range. Flowrate is very important in saltwater tanks, even in softie tanks. Mushrooms would probably do OK in a shallow tank lit with T8s but some other softies would have trouble.

 

[atmmachine816]

O ok so the better the light I can get the better. So are there any other plants of the SW world that I could get besides mushrooms with low lighting?

 

[SkiFletch]

Well, mushrooms aren't plants, they're corals . You could try some Xenia or maybe a sacrophyton (toadstool leather) with low lighting. You could also have sun polyps in there since they require no light, but they do require direct feeding with a turkey baster at least twice a week

 

[atmmachine816]

O well I think I worry about all the equipment I need first then get to that.

So I need a
tank
Standard light, brighter the better though
heater
200gph powerhead or so
extra powerhead for preparing water
large bucket

Is there anything else I need, I know I need test kits but what do I need and that salt measuring thing right? Would it be better to have two 100gph powerheads or one 200 gph one.

 

[SkiFletch]

Better to have 2 100gph ones for both countercurrent, and more importantly if one fails the tank is not in a world of trouble . Flowrate is PARAMOUNT in a saltwater environment. Without at least SOME flow, animals suffocate and die.

The salt testing thing you need is a hydrometer or a refractometer. Hydrometers are OK but should be regularly calibrated against known working refractometers (which most local reef shops have) to make sure it doesnt drift over time.

 

[atmmachine816]

What type of test do I need to make?

 

[Mr Miagi]

Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, pH, inititally, and later with corals Calcium and Alkalinity. You might find it cheaper to buy a master test kit for marines.

 

[atmmachine816]

O ok I would need to test every week too right?

qestion about water flow. My friend is starting to help me with finding a cheap tank and supplies etc. and he said he uses an aquaclear 300 on his 10 gallon nano and says I should use it. If i use that would i still need two powerheads or just one?

 

[atmmachine816]

nevermind this one this post still wonder about one above