blubster Posted July 12, 2003 Share Posted July 12, 2003 I am thinking of starting a 10 gallon nano-reef aqarium. I already have the tank and a melinium 1000 filter. I also have the salt and two hydrometers. One is one that stays in the aquarium all the time and the other one I use to measure water I am mixing. the second is a deep six hydrometer. The first one is a glass one with a themomter. I know I need a protien skimmer and a heater. I also need to get sand/crushed coral. ALso what fish would be good with it? I already have a male molly and a couple of his babies to cycle the aquarim. I would like to keep them in the tank, since I would not be able to anything else with him. I was thinking of having some chromis and a clown. I consider myself pretty exprensed with fresh water fish and would like to get into marine fish. I have had about 6 to 8 years with freshwaterfish. Thank you for any help. I did a search, but could not find anything about the equipment for 10 gallon nano reef aquarium. Sorry if I accidently missed it. Link to comment
fishbabies Posted July 14, 2003 Share Posted July 14, 2003 many nano-reefers do not use protein skimmers. judging by the nano-polls, the majority does not. ....and with 10 gallons i think you will be fine without one. i have 10 gallons and i do a 1 gallon a week water change. ebo-jager heaters are good....and you definitely need a heater you might want to consider getting another water mover like a rio or similar mini pump....maybe even a third pump (w aerator) for your salt mixing bucket maintaining proper salinity is very crucial, and even with a cover my 10 gallon loses about a quarter gallon a day. you might want to research "water top-off" systems to see what would be best for you. i use a plain old drip bottle....kind of like a hospital IV. what are you gonna do for lighting? www.minibow.com is a good website for determining different fish and invertebrate capacities based on tank equipment. all the tanks featured are the 7.5 gallon minibow....so you can find a tank that you really like and refer to the owner's setup have fun!!! Link to comment
blubster Posted July 15, 2003 Author Share Posted July 15, 2003 Thank you for the help. I am going to book mark www.minibow.com You mentioned having a plain drip bottle. Where can I get one of those? Thx for telling me I would be fine with out a protien skimmer. Is live rock and sand good for a nano reef tank? I was thinking of getting live rock and sand for my tank. Link to comment
fishbabies Posted July 15, 2003 Share Posted July 15, 2003 hello blubster....yes.....def get lr and ls.....without it, you don't have a nano-reef. the rock and sand are going to be your source of filtration and essential biological activity. it is expensive too, so be prepared. the 17 lbs of cured LR in my 10 gal cost $91 and the 10 lbs of LS cost $23. you must have LR and LS!! the articles in the Information section of this website will tell you everything you need to know without making you feel like you need all the latest gadgets and expensive equipment. the bare-bones aspect of nanos is what makes 'em fun IMO. i look forward to seeing your tank on here soon! :-) Link to comment
dickwayne Posted July 15, 2003 Share Posted July 15, 2003 required for every tank: a good book Link to comment
fishbabies Posted July 15, 2003 Share Posted July 15, 2003 I second that.....and here is my personal favorite: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=books&n=507846 Link to comment
offsprg01 Posted July 15, 2003 Share Posted July 15, 2003 you don't necesairly need ls. if you are patient you can let you lr seed some dead sand. or you can buy dead sand and get say a cup of ls from your lfs or a buddies tank. this method is much cheaper. (adding the cup of ls is mch faster than lett the lr seed the ls.) on the heater. i went heaterless shotly after my heater boiled my nano. i have never looked back since. my tank stays between 77 and 82 degrees. (temp does not swing from 77 to 82 a in a single 24 hour period that's just the max and min temps i've recorded.) depending on your lights and you room temp you can bet that you'll have more of a problem keeping the d@mn thing cool as opposed to hot. Link to comment
blubster Posted July 16, 2003 Author Share Posted July 16, 2003 thx for the help. I am working as much as I can this summer so I can get some live rock. I will get a bit of live sand and use the rest would be regular sand. I went to the petstore yesterday and they had brightly coloured sand, but only one bag of regular sand. I am waiting for more sand to come in. I have a florences light but change the light bulb. It is one that goes for a 10 gallon hood. What would be recomeded for the light bulb. Also where is a list of good hardy corals? I have never cared for any corals and am afraid of killing them. Do they require anything special to care for? Link to comment
fishbabies Posted July 16, 2003 Share Posted July 16, 2003 since you are just starting out, the Custom Sea Life 32w compact-flouroscent 50/50 retrofit kit is one of the least expensive lighting upgrades available. it's roughly $50 online. shrooms, candycanes, and zoos are some of the hardiest corals. if you simply switch out the bulb you have, you will be spending at least $20 for the most powerful bulb that fits in your hood. i would recommend saving that $20 and going all the way with a better upgrade wink-wink Link to comment
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