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Starting from nothing...


davefromia

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Hi there,

 

First im an xtreme noob in need of alot of help, Currently I keep a 10 gal freshwater tank with live plants, but once I saw the Saltwater tanks at my local petco(I know prob not the best place)

The colors were simply amazing....anyhow

 

I was planning on giving my 10 gal to my GF and starting with a 5 gal nano, something i can easily put on my desk at college. Im used to upkeep , even though its not as much on my freshwater, my question is, (Big question) What do i need to get started I know this much so far

 

5 gal tank, im looking at this one, and would I need to upgrade it? im assuming the lighting is a joke but

 

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...d=6&pCatId=7365

 

From there I need to prepare enough water and get my live sand and live rock. What all do I need to do this besides my tank, any suggestions on that tank would be nice as well

 

Thanks a ton!

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Personally I would go with the 7 gallon minibow because it's much easier to retrofit the 32 watt Custom Sea Life Supernova into the existing hood. The 5 gallon hood may not be long enogh to accomodate that retrofit and you might have a hard time finding upgrade lighting to fit. Dunno, just my opinion.

 

Have you had a chance to read through the articles on the site? Here's the link to get you started if you haven't.

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/articles/

 

You're also going to need test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, a hydrometer to test your salinity, a heater, PH for extra water movement, and I'm sure theres other things that I'm forgetting, but I'm still on the first cup of coffee. Hehe.

 

Good luck!

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I just put together a "BARE BONES' list for a guy to do a 10g.

 

Here it is:

 

10g tank $10

96W PC $100

AC 300 $24

150 Impeller $7

Heater $15

PH $13

Timer $6 (for lights)

DIY GFCI $15

Liverock $20

Deadrock $10

SD Sand $5

Salt $10

Hydrometer $5

Air Pump & Stone for WC Bucket $10

WC Bucket Free (from LFS)

 

Total = $250

 

I said plan for $300

 

The LFS will do tests for free, but a few test kits would be in the $50 of extra planned money.

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dude click on the learn link at the top (right hand bubble) and read all of the articles there.

 

i have to agree with cham $300 bones will get you a pretty good start. a really good one if you are patient and shopp around get stuff on sale. and dyi everything you can. i.e. tank hood and lights. you could even gat a fuge for you 5, 7 or 10, 20 ect ect gallon tank. (i started with a 5 but soon upgraded to a 10) get the biggest tank you can afford and/or fit in to the area you want to put it in. you want the bigger tank later. also spend the max you can afford and do it right the first time otherwise you'll just upgrade later.

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