Water changes on New 10 gallon FOWLR

[pos_user]

Whats up guys, just found this site and I'm amazed at its growth and amount of information.

 

Let me tell you guys what I just set up, and hopefully you guys can give me advice as to what to occupy it with, and help with water changes.

 

Set up a 10 gallon tank, salinity is at 1.025 as of right now.

Sand as substrate. Nothing is in the tank of as of now. Picking up at 4 to 5 lbs of live rock tomorrow.

 

Problem is that i have a 15w flor bulb that came with the original tank and hood. With this amount of light, if it were to go unchanged...what would I be able to put in the tank? I was wondering what you guys think I can put in the tank that size with that little light.

 

Second of all, water changes - if I were to do a 25 percent water change every two weeks...which is 2.5 gallons of water, i would have to add 1.5 cups of salt to the bucket and let that settle in before i add the water to the tank right?

 

What about evaporation, since the salt doesnt evaporate, i would just have to put more freshwater into the tank, or the desired "marked" level and that wont drop the salinity at all?

 

Sorry for the dumb questions, but i intend to do this as slow as possible so I can learn as I go along without killing anything during the process.

 

My main question is what I can put in a tank that size with 15w of light..and second important question was about the water changes above, and how to go about that.

 

Thanks in advance guys.

[bones_bones]

Don't worry about asking dumb questions. We all had to start somewhere. It's better to ask lots of questions than make expensive mistakes!

 

With 15w of light, you really won't be able to keep any photosythetic corals. But, I've seen some wonderful looking FOWLR tanks. You can keep some fish that can't be had in a reef tank. There are also some non-photosynthetic corals. Do a search and you will find the info.

 

As for water changes, 25% is good, but I would push it up to once per week. Some people may get away with every other week, but I just prefer the margin of safety since we don't usually use skimmers. It's really up to you. Watch your tank carefully and decide.

 

As for evaporation, you've got it right. Salt doesn't evaporate, so just replace it with fresh water. The only time you add salt is to replace what you pull out during water changes.

 

Hope this helps!

[pos_user]

Thanks for the response. Yeah I figured I wouldnt be able to put much in with only a 15w (NO) light. Thanks for the help with the water changes and such.

 

What fish, or other, do you (or anyone else) suggest I put into the tank..that emits such low light.

 

I am purchasing LR today at my LFS - I want to make sure it can stay in a bag for about 5 to 6 hours though.

 

I am at work, if it wont be able to make it that long...I will just wait until I am off to purchase them.

[drewmd.]

do you plan on upgrading your light? just wondering.

[pos_user]

yes i do, i am looking and reviewing my options. I'm lookign for a bulb that can already fit in a 10 gallon hood without many revisions.

 

I have heard I can purchase sufficient lighting at home depot that will fit in the hood without adding a more powerful ballast and modifications.

 

But as of now, and for the next few months...I'm going to keep it where it is right now. This is purely a trial experiment. I dont want to kill anything due to my lack of knowledge...that is why I am taking this very very slow.

 

Adding live rock today, and wont do much with the tank for another 3 to 4 weeks besides topping off the water.

 

Thats why im looking for ideas of animals and such that i can put in the tank.

[drewmd.]

well from such low light your really not benefitting from anything. you may want to get some of the nocturnal species. that would be your best bet. until you upgrade your lighting. and with a ten gallon tank there are many light upgrades that you can get that is rather cheap but will give you the proper lighting you need.

[pos_user]

Cool, thanks. Would you be able to point me in the right direction as far as lighting goes, and custom hoods for a 10 gallon that are not too expensive?

 

Also, i have been looking around and it seems that certain mushrooms can live under such low light conditions.

 

Red mushroom coral likes low light, with moderate water flow, that seems to fit my establishment.

 

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Di...d=22&pCatId=699

[drewmd.]

you can go to webaquatics.com they have numerous styles to choose from.

[bones_bones]

Well, your subject line said a FOWLR, but if you are really wanting corals.....it's a whole different subject...

 

Personally, starting out, I would say stick with PCs until you've learned a bit. You could either do a 36wx2 kit or a 96w powerquad. With those, you could keep just about any softies you want.

 

As for what fish to keep...that's up to you. Just make sure they stay small (under 3-4 in.) and stock SLOWLY!!!

[Turbo]

I have a ten gallon and I put a retrofit kit in it from Foster and Smith. It is 32 watts with 50/50 bulb. Works great. Doesnt heat up to much or anything. It cost around $50.

 

I was going to post the URL for it put the site is down for maintenance so I will have to do it later. You can get the homepage from here:

 

www.drsfostersmith.com

[pos_user]

Thanks for your help guys.

 

Tank is up and running.

 

Salinity - 1.025 and steady for 2 days.

 

Just added 3.5 lbs of LR -

 

Didnt test for anything yet. Going to wait atleast 2 or 3 weeks before doing the usual tests. This will be a gradual process and I have nothing but time. I have to figure out how much water will evaporate also and Im working on a DIY dripper to replace evaporated water.

 

As for the low light nocturnal species noted before...can u guys point me in the right direction and give me specifics. Thanks guys.

 

I'm very happy I found this site...tons of info.