anizato Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 (edited) Hey everybody! absolute N00B here! So I HAD to go for a 10 gallon (yes I know, not an ideal beginner's choice) due to space restriction. I want to have this be a self-sufficient ecosystem. Adding chemicals is something I want to stay away from as much as possible. That being said, I have plans to add a nano-refugium with some pods into my HOB. Equipment & Stuff (so far): 10 Gallon Display Koralia Nano 425GPH Instant Ocean Reef Crystal Sea Salt Marine Mix (just to begin) CaribSea Arag-Alive 20lb (livesand) Used 12lb Aqueon 15-Gallon QuietFlow Internal Filter TOOK IT OUT once I got the Marina Hang On Refugium with a Koralia 70gph Centrifugal Pump ViaAqua Titanium 200-watt Heater ( I keep distilled water in the freezer for summer days ) AquaClear 30 HOB-Filter running PolyFilter Ecoxotic PAR38 20k LED Red Sea Coral Pro Salt Mix 55gal bucket I will be assembling it all next week, since some of the items have not yet arrived. But I wanted to pick your guys' brain in hopes to get an even better start! I have asked my LFS to save about 15" of LIVE ROCK for me. Since it will be fully cured by the time I get it, do I still have to cycle it in my aquarium? Ideally, the LIVE STOCK, we (my wife and I) want: FISH 2 Clown (gotten) 1 Wheeler (gotten) SHRIMP 1 Randal/Candy Pistol Shrimp, paired in 5 min with Wheeler SNAIL 2 Nassarius 10 Ceriths 2 Vibex FAN WORMS no idea but we want at least ONE (MUST HAVE) SPONGE Orange Fan (Axinella Bookhouti) NOT YET Red Ridge (Porifera) NOT YET ANEMONE (Bubble Tip) NOT YET CORAL: Zoanthid Polyp GOTTEN Birdsnest Seriatopora (MUST HAVE) NOT YET Ricordeas Mushroom GOT ONE Joket Palythoa NOT YET Alveopora (MUST HAVE) NOT YET Hammer (Euphylia) GOT 1 Open Brain (suggestions please?) NOT YET Palythoa (suggestions please?) NOT YET Torch Coral GOT 1 CLAM: Derasa or Maxima (MUST HAVE) NOT YET We appreciate any help you can provide.PS . We are not lazy and we love to learn, we don't expect hand-me-downs of info or any type of give-aways. We don't want the easy way out. We are here to stay and make a beautiful ecosystem. It is difficult to be new to this since there is so much mixed information out there. I have found that Forums are the best way to go, and since I am building a NANO, this community seemed ideal. Thank you in advance! Happy reefing! AniZaTo Edited April 15, 2014 by anizato 3 Quote Link to comment
Chew_Magna Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 First thing first, do tons of reading on everything you want to keep. You can never learn enough in this hobby, and there is always something new to find out. Another thing is don't take short cuts, at least not while you're new. Do everything by the book so you know how it should be done. Once you've established yourself you'll start to see that some things can be done differently and some corners can be cut. Also, don't take anything at face value. There is a lot of misinformation out there, myths that are pawned off as fact, so always check your resources, look up your question in different places and you can usually figure out what's real and what isn't (the ich debacle is sometimes a big one around here). There's nothing wrong starting in a 10 gallon, I personally started off in a 2 gallon and moved on from there. Then it was a 10, then 15, 30, 40, and now in a 10 hex with a sump/refugium. A lot of us started small, some started big and ended up going small. It's all about finding what fits for you. The one glaring thing in your setup is the light. The Orbit Marine is a very very low par light and will only keep very low light coral (unless your tank is super shallow, like the Mr. Aqua 12 gallon long). A clam will die under it, we've already had that happen to one person here. Sure it looks nice with it's controller and ability for different lighting effects, but a reef light it is not. It's a supplemental or FOWLER light and nothing more. You'll get more mileage out of a single par38 with 90 degree optics over a 10 gallon. I know, I ran that for a while. Another option, if you want to try, is a Fish Need It metal halide. I just "upgraded" to this from my par38 and I probably won't go back to led. You can get their lights for 50% off right now. I got a 250w for $109 shipped. Do some more reading on those nudi's too. Most of them have extremely specific dietary needs and will only eat one thing and nothing else. A lot of them eat things you don't want them to eat (coral). There are some incredibly attractive ones, and you'll find these in stores, only to find out that it's impossible to feed them and they will die in your tank. That sort of thing happens a lot in stores so you really need to look and read before you buy. Impulse buying in this hobby leads to a lot of dead animals. Your salt choice is perfectly fine. Most of us here use IO Reef Crystals. It's the most common salt mix out there and it just works. Looks like I went on a ramble, happens when I'm dead tired... So anywho, welcome to NR We don't bite too hard. 4 Quote Link to comment
lambogriffin Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/127889-small-anemone/ 1 Quote Link to comment
anizato Posted March 12, 2014 Author Share Posted March 12, 2014 Thank you lambogriffin Say Chew_Magna, Thank you for the info! I actually cancelled my order on the Orbit Marine LED fixture and have a PAR38 20000k coming in. Do you think I should still invest in actinic moonlighting?If so, I was looking into the Truelumen 453nm http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003XXEBRO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER What do you think? Quote Link to comment
Chew_Magna Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Moonlights are for your own pleasure and nothing else. Get something too strong and it can actually effect livestock. 1 Quote Link to comment
gulfsurfer101 Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 The only clam you'll possibly be able to pull off in a ten gallon, maybe, way on down the line would be a crocea. A derasa will actually grow larger than your ten gallon tank so that should quickly eliminate that from your list of must haves. Two clowns in a ten gallon is also pushing it. A single clown is viable but I wouldn't do anything less than a 20L for a pair of clowns. I would consider a shrimp goby pair and maybe a firefish or something more suited for a smaller tank. Take a look at a few members tanks here to get an idea as to what limitations your setting when you decide to run a ten gallon. Quote Link to comment
anizato Posted March 12, 2014 Author Share Posted March 12, 2014 Hey gulfsurfer101 I used to go swimming in Corpus Christi as a kid. Yeah, I knew it would be pushing it with having lots of fish. I am not interested in overstocking at all. The Goby/Shrimp pair is definitely something I have been eyeing to keep. ---0--- Chew_Magna you think the 20000k light is too strong? I can always just adapt a dimmer right ....or place the light higher above if it is? Damn! Quote Link to comment
Chew_Magna Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 20000k has nothing to do with the strength of the light, that's the color temperature. That'll be very blue. When I had mine over a 10 (and later a 15) I ran mine with no optics and kept it about 3-4 inches off the water. With the optics you're looking at 12-18 inches above the tank. 1 Quote Link to comment
gulfsurfer101 Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Dude, you haven't heard, the water here is to polluted with germs. No but seriously, they have flesh eating bacteria in the bay, not so much the island but we get red tide every so often. I can't help but feel disgusting whenever I see people swimming downtown. If I was going to set up a sweet ten gallon, I'd build my own lighting very cheaply out of good leds, cheap dimming driver, and cheap heatsink. I'd run that aqua clear with floss and cheato, add a koralia nano, and the most important thing for a ten gallon would be the auto top off. That would be fully sps capable with only 2 gallons a week water change. I have two small derasa clams, a sqamosa and maxima in two separate 20L tanks. I'm ditching one of them for a 75g that will house all my giant clams. A 20L is just not enough room for these guys. 1 Quote Link to comment
el_ote Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Welcome to the best addiction. Looks like your well on your way to getting nice and hooked. START SLOW I agree with Chew on all his points - Clams and Anemones come WAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY later on down the line. Just try and get in the habbit of making your water, doing weekly water changes. keeping your nitrates as low as possible and start with some beginner corals. you can still get AWESOME beginner corals with every color of the rainbow. Read, reRead, ask questions, then read some more. BEFORE buying. the best part of this forum is seeing all the beautiful tanks AND the equipment/ practices that will help you achieve similar results. PS i had (3) of those tru lumen chained together and didnt like them as a moonlight on my 10. right now, once my lights go out, it stays dark. 1 Quote Link to comment
gulfsurfer101 Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Also, check this out. I use this over one of my 20L tanks. Still going strong after 2yrs. http://shop.stevesleds.com/Advanced-Moonlight-System-Complete-RGB-Moonlight.htm 1 Quote Link to comment
anizato Posted March 12, 2014 Author Share Posted March 12, 2014 perfect! just what I had in mind - about 12" above the tank, I am adapting a DIY ceiling situation for it. so Kelvin is to color temp as PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) is to intensity. DUUUH! ---0--- sucks to hear about the water, it is like that in Acapulco, Mexico (where I would swim in my teens) but that is just delving into politics and what-not... the world !! what a ####ed up beautiful place anyway, do you have any suggestions on a cheap dimming driver? i have seen many but cannot decide, and most of them are for LED fixtures, which are DC male-female, and my LED is regular electric outlet. really? you think I need a top off? It does sound intriguing but I don´t mind doing weekly water changes (at least not at first), since I am learning, I really want to nail the chemistry before I start cutting corners (like Chew_Magna suggested, and I think it is very reasonable). 1 Quote Link to comment
el_ote Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 top off is something that will have to be done daily to maintain stability in the reef tank. you dont want salinty swings which can happen very easily in such a small body of water. Quote Link to comment
anizato Posted March 12, 2014 Author Share Posted March 12, 2014 so 1.5pints (or whatever the evaporation level of the day is) a day of distilled water should do the trick, eh? when you change your weekly water (20-30%), how long is a good period of time to wait before testing it? Quote Link to comment
el_ote Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 i make my water to 1.024 and keep my tank with an auto top off to a little line i marked on the side. the ATO doesnt have as fine an adjustment as i would like so when i walk by, ill lift the float a bit to kick on the water whenever i want it spot on. Testing for nitrates. i would test before the water change and i have no real set time for afterwards, 10mins - an hour... also, look into the Randalls goby and the Randalls pistol shrimp for your goby pair. Im overstocked on fish otherwise id grab one of them for my lil shrimp. I love the way they look. 1 Quote Link to comment
Giants206 Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 200watt heater seems a little high for a 10g, and id go a little bigger if you can. You said you're going smaller because of space, id research tanks with the same footprint as a 10g, maybe like a 15g High or something like that, just a thought Quote Link to comment
Acielot Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 I won't go into a huge narrative but a really hard lesson most of us learn is that you should nip pests in the butt asap. If there is a nice little sprig of an unknown algae pull it out and look/ask for an ID. As for topoff I think you should be fine manually adding water. My 10 gallon takes maybe a quart of water over the course of 3 weeks. Quote Link to comment
Chew_Magna Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 You don't HAVE to have an auto top off, but they are a big quality of life item if it's a good one. It could also be a nightmare if it fails. I don't use one, I just top off once a day by hand. I've used a DIY gravity ATO before and it worked great. No chance of failing. 1 Quote Link to comment
gulfsurfer101 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Water top off is a really good idea on a smaller tank. You could manually top off, but if I'm going to be stocking my tanks with expensive fish and coral, I'm going to shoot for rock stable conditions. Hate to come home from a really long day or night out and come home to your favorite coral rtn'd or not looking do hot. Just one more thing to cover your *ss. 1 Quote Link to comment
harleychic Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Welcome! You have found the best place to start your nano! Just my 2 cents here, but do you know what the optics are on that par38? I started with one on my 10 gallon, and just got a second one for more coverage. One is fine to start, but you may want another down the road. Also, beware the addiction, friend. I used to have a larger reef and decided to down size. Now I have five tanks. 1 Quote Link to comment
Chew_Magna Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Two par38's is a ton of light over a 10 gallon (I did it and my corals hated me). One with 90 degree optics will get you by just fine. 1 Quote Link to comment
anizato Posted March 13, 2014 Author Share Posted March 13, 2014 Welcome! You have found the best place to start your nano! Just my 2 cents here, but do you know what the optics are on that par38? I started with one on my 10 gallon, and just got a second one for more coverage. One is fine to start, but you may want another down the road. Also, beware the addiction, friend. I used to have a larger reef and decided to down size. Now I have five tanks. Thank you! I am excited to be a part of the community! The Optics on my Ecoxotic Par38 are: Color Spectrum 12,000K White, 20,000K Purple or 455nm Royal Blue 40 Degree Lens Angle 6850 - Number of Cree LEDs 3, Day White / 2, 455nm Royal Blue 6851 - Number of Cree LEDs 5, 455nm Royal Blue 6852 - Number of Cree LEDs 3, 455nm Royal Blue / 2, 6500K White Watts consumed 21W I will be adapting a hook on my roof and have it hanging from there. HAHAHA I actually blurted a laugh when I read you now have 5 tanks! HAHA Quote Link to comment
Chew_Magna Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 HAHAHA I actually blurted a laugh when I read you now have 5 tanks! HAHA Oh that's nothing. Some people here have FAR more than that. 1 Quote Link to comment
gulfsurfer101 Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Doooood, 40* optics might be a little tight for that tank. I'd try and swap them for 80* or 90* to get better spread or else par will drop drastically towards the edges of the tank. 1 Quote Link to comment
anizato Posted March 14, 2014 Author Share Posted March 14, 2014 Two par38's is a ton of light over a 10 gallon (I did it and my corals hated me). One with 90 degree optics will get you by just fine. Dude! I f-ed up and didn't notice the degrees on my bulb... do you think i can add a LED strip or something of the sort? I was eyeing these: http://www.ecoxotic.com/aquarium-led-lights/stunner-led-strips/stunner-led-strips.html what'd you think? which one would you add to my setup, albeit I already screwed it up? LOL! Quote Link to comment
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