Questions for a new 10 gallon tank

[hameen40]

I have a freshwater 10g tank which I have had for about 8 months. I wish to convert this to a saltwater fish only tank (3-4 smaller fish). How can I go about starting this setup.

 

Any suggestions and/or ideas would be of great help. I've been to a whole bunch of pet stores and they all keep telling me 10g is too small.

 

ANY INPUT ????

[jocole37]

do a search for "ten gallon tanks" should find all the info you need, alot of people here have 10s.

[caja]

Here is a great place to start. Read, absorb, read again, then plan out your nano.

 

Another thing, if you've ever used copper in any medications in your FW tank that you plan to convert you will have problems. Ditch the tank and start with a new one if that's the case.

[adinsxq]

"converting" a 10 is more pain than gain.

 

if you want a 10g nano-reef, it would be better to purchase a new tank instead of going through the trouble of trying to clean out the fw. if you plan on keeping coral, the lights over your FW tank may not be adequate as well. good luck.

[hameen40]

Thank for your replies,

 

I have never put any kind of medication in the FW. All I used was a carbon filter. I also don't plan on adding any coral or LR.

 

What kind of fish would you suggest for cycling the tank?

Also, I have a FW test kit for Nitrates, nitrites, PH and hardness. Would this tesk kit be adequate for salt water as well?

[tashana]

freshwater kits are not suitable for saltwater tanks. especially the PH kit. because the Ph in saltwater is higher than the freshwater kits can test.

you see, the kits only have a range that is adequate for fresh water. and the readings in saltwater are usually much higher.

[hameen40]

OK, How does this look so far. I purchased 15 lbs of crushed coral and 10 lbs of live rock for my 10 gallon. (Thought I could skip the live sand since I have a 150gph filter).

 

Is the 10 lbs of live rock good enough to cycle the tank (provided i throw in some dried shrimp from the grocery store) or would it be a good idea to throw in some hermits and/or snails.

 

I eventually plan on having 2 small clowns and maybe a damsel.

 

One last question, for a FOWLR tank is their a suggested schedule as to how long I should keep the lights on, does it really matter with a fish only tank.

 

I would appreciate any comments

 

Thank you

[Crakeur]

3 fish in a 10? I wouldn't do more than one (ok, I would do 5 but I'm an idiot). 2 small fish might be ok in the 10 but since this is your first foray into the realm of salt, might want to take it easy on the tank and do one fish.

[kennerd]

Good call, Steve. I successfully keep 3 snall fish in my 10 gallon, but it has been established for 3 years. I don't see a problem with adding a small pair of clowns. Stick with a pair of small percula clowns, but definitely not for a while.

 

In terms of cycling, you could throw just one shrimp in, if you like, to get things started.

 

Do a little more research on live sand. Omission of the live sand because you have a filter doesn't really equate. Reading about i will fill you in on it, so I won' go into detail here. In a nutshell, your substrate will eventually become "live" from the migration of critters and bacteria into it from the live rock. Buying or getting donated live sand helps build biodiversity from established systems.

[TiGs]

Originally posted by hameen40

 

Is the 10 lbs of live rock good enough to cycle the tank (provided i throw in some dried shrimp from the grocery store) or would it be a good idea to throw in some hermits and/or snails.

 

 

You don't want to throw in dried shrimp, what you want is raw shrimp. Even then you really don't need to add anything to start the cycle. Not a good idea to add snails or hermits before the cycle has completed or they can die.

[AMcNeice]

I eventually plan on having 2 small clowns and maybe a damsel.

 

Skip the damsel in you want put clowns in there. If your LFS tells you to use a damsel to cycle the tank Do NOT listen to them and just let it cycle with the rock and sand.

[kennerd]

technically that would make 3 damsels......

[hameen40]

I was at a LFS today he was absolutely firm about using Live Sand in the tank. I thought crushed coral with 10 lbs LR would be just fine. He also suggested using a damsel for cycling.

 

Secondly I was also curious as to what kind of corals I can keep with one ZooMed Reef Sun 50/50 Bulb. 15 watts and 18" in length. Also, would I need a cooling device for the light fixture.

 

I really appreciate the help you guys have provided so far.