Starting a 10 Gallon ?`s

[sdbeazley]

Hello I am setting up my first saltwater tank and decided to use a ten (from an old fresh water set-up) for my new nanoreef.

 

I have now:

 

10 Gallon AGA

Reef Crystals Salt now at: 1.0235 is this good enough?

Aqua Clear mini HOB With surface skimer attachment

Deep Six Hydrometer

2, 13 watt right lights

 

What I want to have

1 Firefish

1 False Percula

2 more rightlights with actinic bulbs (and where can i get those?)

Maybe some zoos

or other colorful corals

maybe a powerhead

 

My question to you helpful people is what do you think I need to get. I plan on doing the waiting game for cycling and test kits. Another question is will this work Reef Success Reef Base

I also can buy 10 pounds of Fiji live rock is this good also thank you! Too bad I forgot this pic doesn`t have the skimmer but oh well!

[jmt]

Here's some advice (although I;m sure someone else will tell you otherwise:D ):

 

-Fire up the powerhead to mix things up in there

 

-Bump up your salinity to 1.025ish

 

-The lights, eh o.k. You can keep mushrooms and other lowlights but I would upgrade to at least 50watts

 

-Put in about 12lbs of live rock

 

-10lbs of live sand and a cup of live sand from your fish store

 

-Let it cycle with the skimmer on for about 2 weeks

 

-Test the water

 

-Add the fish (1 at a time with a little more than a week between)

 

-Enjoy!

[donteatthenano]

i started my 10-gallon tank with bio-active sand and 14lbs of live rock. i would say that you want between 12 and 20lbs of live rock and 2-3" sand substrate. make sure you know what you want first, though so that you can start it all at once. my tank cycled in less than a week. i think every time you add live rock (if you don't get enough the first time and decide to add more later) the die-off creates an ammonia spike which could be harmful to any of your tank inhabitants.

 

you'll definitely want a powerhead, a thermometer, and a test kit to test your pH, NO2, NO3, and NH3.

 

another thing that might be helpful is knowing that everyone has their own experience in this hobby. it's more enjoyable if you take the time to do it right the first time. the more you read and ask, the more you'll know.

 

good luck!

[sdbeazley]

Hello Thanks for the replies, I have upgraded the lights now to 4 13`s from the local walmart and will soon do this rite lite mod to all of them. Then after this I plan on if they fit add two more and do the same thing. That will make 78 watts and the new ones will be actinic.

 

I really want to know if the sand I asked about will work for the goby because i dont want to buy more sand then I need and the wrong size?

 

I might get around 15 pounds of the live rock also thank you! Oh, and construct a hood because it looks mighty ugly, maybe a background will help also!