First saltwater setup

[Bldgengineer]

 

Hello all! I have about 10 years worth of freshwater experience which I had to abandon for a bit. My girlfriend recently got my kids their own 10g freshwater tank which again raised my interest but I wanted something different so I decided to try out saltwater life. Currently, I set up my own 10g tank last night. It has about 10lbs of BRS reef saver rock and 10 lbs of oolite dead sand. It's been circulating for about 24 hours and I put about 1/4 cap full of pure ammonia in it this morning.

 

The water cleared up by this afternoon but got cloudy again of course when I drained 3/4ths of it and moved it to my bedroom. I plan on swapping the lighting out for coral life cfls and later for some decent LED lights and possibly upgrading the filtration but so far I have approximately $150 in the set up.

 

I moved some of my rock around as well when I relocated the tank, after I took the pictures of course. Currently, ammonia is at 8ppm and my salinity is 1.020. I plan on adding salinity during a water change.

 

I'm also on the lookout of a 5-10g rimless cube for my desk at my office

[Bldgengineer]

Current setup:

Aqueon 10g basic kit $20 on clearance

Aqueon hob quiet flow 10 filter- came with kit

Top fin power head 30-$30 on sale

10-12 lbs of BRS reef saver rock - I bought 15 lbs and have approximately 5 lbs left

Aqueon 100w heater - $35 at petsmart

10 lbs of top fin oolite white sand - $20 at petsmart

 

Unfortunately, petsmart and petco are what I have to deal with locally. I asked my lfs if they had any live rock and the response I got was "I'm sure we can order it for you"

[RIP Sebastian]

 

It looks like you're off to a great start. You said you were looking to upgrade lighting and filtration.

 

For filtration, I recommend the AIO (all-in-one) inserts from Oceanbox Designs. You silicon it right into the tank and it'll keep everything hidden and give the tank a clean look. If you don't like that idea, try an Aquaclear 70 or 110 with the InTank media baskets. You can add any media you wish. I the 110, you can even add a Tunze 9001!

 

As for lighting, I highly recommend a Nanobox light. They are by far the best LEDs on the market. The shimmer and controllability is impeccable. For your tank, I would go with a duo. If it costs too much for you, than go with an AI Prime. AI partnered with Ecotech to make it. It looks fantastic and has a great amount of controllability. It is also highly recommended.

 

Good luck,

Nick

[Astinus]

Hi there and to NR! To let ya know, we are Picture Addicts

If you want some really nice Live Rock Check out this.. http://www.gulfliverock.com/index.html

1 of our members here just got a nice shipment from them...FlowerMama has a Nice review and pics in her build thread

Here is her link

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/371858-bloomin-tank-of-genrosity-grandis-paly-are-in-better-pic-later/

 

Enjoy the ride...this is a slow and steady wins the race hobby.

Glad to see ya here

[Bldgengineer]

Oops! Sorry about that! Here is what it looks like today. Last night I moved it to its permanent location and moved some of the rocks around. It's only day 2 so it's not much to look at

 

 

Thanks for the suggestions Nick! I'll definitely be looking into those!

[Cencalfishguy56]

Current setup:

Aqueon 10g basic kit $20 on clearance

Aqueon hob quiet flow 10 filter- came with kit

Top fin power head 30-$30 on sale

10-12 lbs of BRS reef saver rock - I bought 15 lbs and have approximately 5 lbs left

Aqueon 100w heater - $35 at petsmart

10 lbs of top fin oolite white sand - $20 at petsmart

 

Unfortunately, petsmart and petco are what I have to deal with locally. I asked my lfs if they had any live rock and the response I got was "I'm sure we can order it for you"

if you want cheap LEDs for now that grow anything look at the Chinese black box units at $90, those units will grow anything in this hobby, also your LFS sucks haha mine has live rock bins all around their store

[LadyBryozoa]

Oops! Sorry about that! Here is what it looks like today. Last night I moved it to its permanent location and moved some of the rocks around. It's only day 2 so it's not much to look at

 

 

Thanks for the suggestions Nick! I'll definitely be looking into those!

 

I really love this rockscape! Did you glue the top center one to the side ones by chance? Only asking because I'd be a bit nervous about a mobile invert knocking it down on that right side in the future. You can use cyanoacrylate-based super glue (the gel stuff) to glue them together for a little extra security and it's reef-safe.

 

Since you started with all dry rock and sand, I might suggest either buying a piece of live rock (my Petco has a small SW section and sells live rock but it sounds like yours doesn't) to seed with beneficial bacteria or a nitrifying bacteria supplement like BIO-spira.

 

Look forward to seeing your progress! It can be difficult in the beginning playing the cycling game, but super addictive once you can start adding stuff!!

[Imaexpat2]

Welcome to the forum and welcome to the Dark Side.

 

I have set up several 10 gallon Nanos from Mixed Reefs to SPS coral reefs. Turning your tank into a all in one is definitely a neat set up for sure but with the limited space available in a 10 gallon tank I dont care for that idea too much but thats just my opinion. If your looking to upgrade on the filter unit I would seriously recommend the Aquaclear filters. They are very flexible and adaptable to your needs.

 

For example I currently have the A/C 200 on my 2.5 gallon tank how every I swapped the impeller out for one that came off a A/C 100. This slowed the water flow down considerable to more appropriate flow rate for my tank, added a good bit of water capacity to it as well. Instead of using filter media Ii filled it with Live Rock Rubble. This gave me more biological filtration capacity and allowed me to "seed" the tank with bacteria and coralline algae and gave me water flow in the tank without taking up much room. This worked out well since I started with "dead" sand and Rock. With in a month I started seeing critters and coralline algae popping up every where after the tank cycled. I have since added a little Macro Algae for nutrient removal too.

 

For lighting....I am more old school and have been slow to move to LED's which seem to be quiet the advancement in lighting these days. That being said I have always preferred using a 24 inch T-5HO set up or a 70 watt Halide with a 14K bulb. I have had excellent success with both forms of lighting although it may not be the most efficient use of electricity or heat build up prevention. Both options work really well if your not able to spring for the LED's at the moment. But hey what works best for me might not be the cats meow for you and your set up. Just throwing options out there for you.

 

At anyrate, good luck aand hope to see updates soon. Reefin is too cool!!!

[Clown79]

Welcome to Nano!

 

Sounds like you're off to a good start. I like the rockwork. I as well recommend glueing down the rock, its amazing how snails can take a rock down.

 

If you want you can go ahead and up the salinity while its cycling, adding a bit of salt now won't affect anything.

 

As for lights. Depending on your budget there are a few options.

 

-Par38 bulbs from Coral Compulsion are full spectrum with a spread of 18x18 or 24x24. 1 par38 bulb will be enough for a 10g-these bulbs are very strong.

 

 

-Ai prime

-ecotech

-micmol

-nanobox

[Bldgengineer]

Wow! Really wasn't expecting this kind of response over the weekend! Thanks everybody!

 

 

I really love this rockscape! Did you glue the top center one to the side ones by chance? Only asking because I'd be a bit nervous about a mobile invert knocking it down on that right side in the future. You can use cyanoacrylate-based super glue (the gel stuff) to glue them together for a little extra security and it's reef-safe.

 

Since you started with all dry rock and sand, I might suggest either buying a piece of live rock (my Petco has a small SW section and sells live rock but it sounds like yours doesn't) to seed with beneficial bacteria or a nitrifying bacteria supplement like BIO-spira.

 

Look forward to seeing your progress! It can be difficult in the beginning playing the cycling game, but super addictive once you can start adding stuff!!

Thanks! I haven't glued anything yet. I wanted to make sure I was going to be happy with what I had first. I know in the picture it looks like there's not much holding up the center rock on the on off the right but its actually about 2.5in wide there. I still want to stabilize it though because I can make it rock a bit without too much effort. I'll probably do this during the first water change. BRS really came through with the rock. I ordered 15 lbs and ended up with close to 20! I only have maybe 10-11lbs in there. I'm taking it slow with this tank so I'll probably be adding some bio-spira by the end of the week.

 

Welcome to the forum and welcome to the Dark Side.

 

I have set up several 10 gallon Nanos from Mixed Reefs to SPS coral reefs. Turning your tank into a all in one is definitely a neat set up for sure but with the limited space available in a 10 gallon tank I dont care for that idea too much but thats just my opinion. If your looking to upgrade on the filter unit I would seriously recommend the Aquaclear filters. They are very flexible and adaptable to your needs.

 

For example I currently have the A/C 200 on my 2.5 gallon tank how every I swapped the impeller out for one that came off a A/C 100. This slowed the water flow down considerable to more appropriate flow rate for my tank, added a good bit of water capacity to it as well. Instead of using filter media Ii filled it with Live Rock Rubble. This gave me more biological filtration capacity and allowed me to "seed" the tank with bacteria and coralline algae and gave me water flow in the tank without taking up much room. This worked out well since I started with "dead" sand and Rock. With in a month I started seeing critters and coralline algae popping up every where after the tank cycled. I have since added a little Macro Algae for nutrient removal too.

 

For lighting....I am more old school and have been slow to move to LED's which seem to be quiet the advancement in lighting these days. That being said I have always preferred using a 24 inch T-5HO set up or a 70 watt Halide with a 14K bulb. I have had excellent success with both forms of lighting although it may not be the most efficient use of electricity or heat build up prevention. Both options work really well if your not able to spring for the LED's at the moment. But hey what works best for me might not be the cats meow for you and your set up. Just throwing options out there for you.

 

At anyrate, good luck aand hope to see updates soon. Reefin is too cool!!!

I kinda like that idea of using rubble instead media. I may just do that once I see all of the fine sand settle down some. I'm also with you on the PAR38's but I may go LED just to try something new. It will depend on the budget at the time. My initial lighting will be replacing the incandescents with a couple of 20w coralife 50/50 compact florescents. Cheap and quick @ only $16/ea at amazon

 

Welcome to Nano!

Sounds like you're off to a good start. I like the rockwork. I as well recommend glueing down the rock, its amazing how snails can take a rock down.

If you want you can go ahead and up the salinity while its cycling, adding a bit of salt now won't affect anything.

As for lights. Depending on your budget there are a few options.

-Par38 bulbs from Coral Compulsion are full spectrum with a spread of 18x18 or 24x24. 1 par38 bulb will be enough for a 10g-these bulbs are very strong.


-Ai prime
-ecotech
-micmol
-nanobox

Thanks! Can anyone recommend a good glue? Something that might be carried by petsmart or petco?

[bryanthelp]

Thanks! Can anyone recommend a good glue? Something that might be carried by petsmart or petco?

Go to Walmart pick up Gorilla Gel Glue

[Clown79]

The par38 are leds.

 

I wish I could recommend a glue but as of yet, i haven't used one that I'm impressed with.

[RIP Sebastian]

Oops! Sorry about that! Here is what it looks like today. Last night I moved it to its permanent location and moved some of the rocks around. It's only day 2 so it's not much to look at

 

 

Thanks for the suggestions Nick! I'll definitely be looking into those!

 

My pleasure! It looks great!

[Bldgengineer]

LFS doesn't carry bio-spira (surprise,surprise) so I stopped at Petco on the way home. Test ammonia again and it was still at 8ppm. Moved the rock around some and knocked a pointy edge off I didn't like. Much more stable but I will probably still look for a good epoxy putty to keep the center piece from moving. Threw in the bio-spira and called it a day. I'll test it again in a couple of days.

 

I have a strange ticking noise that comes around every so often. Every time I look for where it comes from it disappears before I can isolate it. Grrrr

[Clown79]

All the rock is dry rock? You could get a piece of liverock to help with the cycle. I have always added at least 10% liverock.

 

You could also do ghost feeding. Just add some fish food everyday to the tank.

 

 

There is also adding a shrimp in a bag to help cycle the tank

 

https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/cycling-a-saltwater-aquarium/

 

This site has a lot of good info on cycling methods.

 

As for glue. The best I used was aquascape, then instant ocean.

 

I did not like Vertex(stuff falls apart and takes forever to harden)

Fluval- not good

 

In my second tank my hubby used aquarium sealer on the rock...that really holds well.

 

If you can't get things locally there are good online sources

[Bldgengineer]

I threw some bio spiral in it a couple of days ago. Ammonia tests at 8ppm still so I might start ghost feeding. Nothing new to report except I threw some polyfill in after the aqueon filter and a piece of sponge before it. Seems to have cleaned it up a bit the ticking noise went away after that but I'm having an issue with the power head constantly coming off the glass

 

[Ryan_E]

Welcome to N-R! You will find a lot of help and inspiration around here!

 

With your ammonia all the way up at 8ppm why would you ghost feed the tank? That will only add ammonia right? The tank needs to develop nitrifying bacteria to break down the ammonia. If your ammonia gets too high, the bacteria won't even be able to survive.

 

Civil engineer? Me too!

[Bldgengineer]

That's kinda what I was thinking as I was typing it. My nitrites are zero as well. My ammonia is that high because I had an extra drop fall in while I was dosing it. I think it could be starting to come down. It took the the full 5 mins to turn green last night rather than instantly lol I'll wait a few more days and test it again

[Ryan_E]

That's kinda what I was thinking as I was typing it. My nitrites are zero as well. My ammonia is that high because I had an extra drop fall in while I was dosing it. I think it could be starting to come down. It took the the full 5 mins to turn green last night rather than instantly lol I'll wait a few more days and test it again

 

Give it some time. I would wait for it to come down and then dose the ammonia up to 2 ppm. Wait for it to come down again. Repeat until the tank is able to break down 2 ppm in a 24 hour time period. Then slowly add livestock.

 

By the way, nice scape!

[Bldgengineer]

Yeah. It hasn't been a week yet lol. Thanks! I just ordered coralife 50/50 bulbs that should get here Saturday. Should make it look it much better

[Clown79]

Ammonia is required for the cycling process. It can be made in several methods, usually it comes from dead decomposing matter/ fish waste. During the process bacteria converts the ammonia into nitrite, the nitrates.

 

This explains all the various methods.

 

https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/cycling-a-saltwater-aquarium/

[msparklym13]

 

I really love this rockscape! Did you glue the top center one to the side ones by chance? Only asking because I'd be a bit nervous about a mobile invert knocking it down on that right side in the future. You can use cyanoacrylate-based super glue (the gel stuff) to glue them together for a little extra security and it's reef-safe.

 

Since you started with all dry rock and sand, I might suggest either buying a piece of live rock (my Petco has a small SW section and sells live rock but it sounds like yours doesn't) to seed with beneficial bacteria or a nitrifying bacteria supplement like BIO-spira.

 

Look forward to seeing your progress! It can be difficult in the beginning playing the cycling game, but super addictive once you can start adding stuff!!

Great post and I was going to say the same! I wish I had done Nano forum before starting my tank and your scape looks great- However it looks as though the middle could possibly be shifty when placing corals. My rock is not glued and it is a constant problem because placing corals just doesn't stick! I think LadyBryozoa thoughts are awesome! I wish I would have done the same!

[Bldgengineer]

I'll be doing something to the rock to make sure it stays in place once the tank is cycled...

 

Speaking of which, I've either been reading too much or I may have killed the cycle before it had a chance to begin since my ammonia is so high and hasn't moved off 8ppm at all. My new bulbs come in today so I'm going to test it again once I get home and if its still at 8ppm with no signs of nitrites I may do a water change and try to cut it in half. Any thoughts on this?

[Clown79]

There is a great debate on water changes through cycling.

Some believe it will disturb the cycle whereas others will advise its ok to do so.

 

I see it as what is the harm to try? Your stuck in the middle of a cycle.

[Cencalfishguy56]

I'll be doing something to the rock to make sure it stays in place once the tank is cycled...

 

Speaking of which, I've either been reading too much or I may have killed the cycle before it had a chance to begin since my ammonia is so high and hasn't moved off 8ppm at all. My new bulbs come in today so I'm going to test it again once I get home and if its still at 8ppm with no signs of nitrites I may do a water change and try to cut it in half. Any thoughts on this?

IMO 8ppm is way high, you're gonna be sitting in a cycle for a very long time, you should do a water change and shoot for 2ppm then wait till it zeros out, then add another 2ppm and if it zeros out in 24 hours then you are set