Seriatopora Lover Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 Hello everyone of this forum, I'm a newbie to this forum and saltwater keeping in general, though I have been researching this hobby and looking at this forum for quite sometime. So I am aware of the nitrogen cycle, and of the basics of saltwater and reef tanks. I am going to be setting up a 10 gallon nano reef, which is less than ideal,but I do not have much to work with in terms of available space. Anyway enough rambling I was wondering would HO LED Super Blue/10k system be enough light for soft corals and the less demanding LPS? If you are wondering no the tank isn't even set up yet I just like to research a lot and plan ahead to make up for my inexperience. Also any suggestions on other livestock is welcome. Thanks to all the people that reply to this, as this forum is a wonderful community Quote Link to comment
Seriatopora Lover Posted November 25, 2017 Author Share Posted November 25, 2017 If you are wondering the cycle will be done with dry rock and live sand, as I really do not want to deal with unwanted hitch hikers. That would kill coral once I am completed with the cycle. Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 to Nano-Reef.com. I don't know a whole lot about that light: https://www.marinedepot.com/Wave_Point_Blade_HO_LED_Aquarium_Light_Super_Blue_10k_LED_Light_Fixtures_for_Aquariums-WavePoint_Technology-ZP01407-FILTFILD-vi.html But an 18W LED would probably be enough for soft and LPS corals without high lighting demands. I assume, based on the number of white LEDs, it will look pretty white. I'm also guessing that's why they mentioned freshwater. 1 Quote Link to comment
Seriatopora Lover Posted November 25, 2017 Author Share Posted November 25, 2017 Thanks for the welcome to the forum seabass and yes the only reason I considered that light is marine depot used it in their setting up a reef tank on a budget so I would assume it could grow the basic soft corals and the low demanding LPs like blastomussa. Quote Link to comment
Seriatopora Lover Posted November 25, 2017 Author Share Posted November 25, 2017 Do you have any live stock suggestions that won't bother coral? Quote Link to comment
Seriatopora Lover Posted November 25, 2017 Author Share Posted November 25, 2017 If anyone has any suggestions for low light corals that advice would also be welcome Quote Link to comment
Seriatopora Lover Posted November 25, 2017 Author Share Posted November 25, 2017 Would the fact that it may contain white light be a problem for corals? Quote Link to comment
RayWhisperer Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 Welcome to N-R. Im with seabass. I don't know much about that particular light, but I imagine it would work fine for the less light demanding corals. As for the light being white, or mostly white, I can't see that making much difference to the corals. They may shift color, over time, due to the spectrum and intensity. However, they'll still photosynthesize the same. Beyond that, anything you keep won't have that intense "pop" of color you'll see in many tanks, shops, and online pictures. It's the excessive blue that creates that effect. 1 Quote Link to comment
Seriatopora Lover Posted November 25, 2017 Author Share Posted November 25, 2017 Ok thanks I'm ok with a less intense color on the corals as long as they are capable of growing. I'm a little bit on a budget so I just may buy those and if they aren't good enough I'll just upgrade. Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 Do you have any live stock suggestions that won't bother coral? Snails such as cerith, trochus, and nassarius make a good cleanup crew. Turbo snails, while great hair algae cleaners, can sometimes bulldoze coral frags. Nano fish are the most obvious choice for livestock that will live without a negative impact to your coral. In fact, having fish adds food (as stray food, and poop) for coral. A fan worm can be an interesting addition, but will require some food for filter feeders every now and then. The coral will also like this food, but additional maintenance might be required to avoid problems due to increased phosphate and organics. Hermit crabs are reef safe, but might kill an occasional snail and might move coral frags to look for food. Shrimp will try to steal food from coral, but are normally considered reef safe (I would avoid peppermint shrimp as they often pick at coral, fan worms, and anemones). Rock Flower Anemones are appropriate for a small tank, but can sting surrounding coral (and can move). 1 Quote Link to comment
Seriatopora Lover Posted November 25, 2017 Author Share Posted November 25, 2017 Thank you for all the replies seabass I will take that into consideration. Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 1 hour ago, Seriatopora Lover said: If anyone has any suggestions for low light corals that advice would also be welcome People typically think of mushroom corals and zoanthids. But your choices are actually much more varied. Maybe it's better to think about which corals you can't keep, like SPS. 1 Quote Link to comment
RayWhisperer Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 3 minutes ago, Seriatopora Lover said: Ok thanks I'm ok with a less intense color on the corals as long as they are capable of growing. I'm a little bit on a budget so I just may buy those and if they aren't good enough I'll just upgrade. Not to crap on your hopes and dreams here. However, if that's your plan, I'd suggest changing it. I get that you're on a budget, and I can appreciate that. However, why waste money? If the light is what concerns you, why not just save up and get a better one outright? Like we've said, that light will work for low light corals. If you want more , it'll be easier, as well as cheaper, in the long run, to just buy a better light outright. 1 Quote Link to comment
Seriatopora Lover Posted November 25, 2017 Author Share Posted November 25, 2017 8 minutes ago, RayWhisperer said: Not to crap on your hopes and dreams here. However, if that's your plan, I'd suggest changing it. I get that you're on a budget, and I can appreciate that. However, why waste money? If the light is what concerns you, why not just save up and get a better one outright? Like we've said, that light will work for low light corals. If you want more , it'll be easier, as well as cheaper, in the long run, to just buy a better light outright. Don't worry I would not consider that crapping on my hopes and dreams as that is very thoughtful advice. I probably should go along with it as after all isn't patience the most important thing in this hobby? If anyone does have recommendations on a better light system I would be delighted to hear it. Quote Link to comment
RayWhisperer Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/nano-light-touch/ Here's a cheap, no frills, LED light that can get you by with almost any corals, even some easier SPS. 1 Quote Link to comment
Seriatopora Lover Posted November 25, 2017 Author Share Posted November 25, 2017 Just now, RayWhisperer said: https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/nano-light-touch/ Here's a cheap, no frills, LED light that can get you by with almost any corals, even some easier SPS. Thank you for that link and all your thoughtful advice, Ray Whisperer, as a beginner I love taking advice from those that are more knowledgeable than me, like you and seabass. Researching topics like this through articles and forums like this is a key in success in this hobby I believe. Quote Link to comment
RayWhisperer Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 You're welcome. However, that's pretty much what the forums are for. Sharing information and helping others. As as far as that light goes, it's $27 more. I would guess that's a week, or so of waiting to save up additional funds. It's spectrum and intensity adjustable, and uses 3 watt LED's, as opposed to 1 watt LED's, that the wavepoint uses. It doesn't have any timers, or dawn dusk features, or any other fancy gadgets. However, we've been keeping reefs for a long long time before any of that was available. Gadgets are fun, but they don't help to grow corals. 1 Quote Link to comment
Seriatopora Lover Posted November 25, 2017 Author Share Posted November 25, 2017 While I have looked on the forums, I am still confused on if I really need a protein skimmer, if I can do frequent water changes, wouldn't that remove the remove the organic waste just as well as a protein skimmer? A lot of people say it is a requirement and others say it isn't. So if anyone can shed some light on that subject I would love so. Quote Link to comment
Clown79 Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 Welcome to Nano I've done tanks on budgets and my biggest regret was buying what I could afford at the moment to waste money upgrading shortly after. It ended up costing me more. 10,000k is very white looking, it will keep low light corals alive but you will be limited and the colours of the corals under heavy white isn't as nice. There are other budget friendly lights you can look into. You don't have to pay $300+ to get decent lights. Par 38 bulbs are affordable, work well, and screw into standard light sockets. ABI has some nice par38 bulbs There is the aquamaxx nemolight which is really well priced and programmable. 1 Quote Link to comment
Seriatopora Lover Posted November 25, 2017 Author Share Posted November 25, 2017 Thank you for replying Clown79, your advice is very helpful, and I will take that into consideration as I'm thinking of buying a much more powerful light, so that any corals I have will thrive. Quote Link to comment
RayWhisperer Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 No, you don't need a protein skimmer. I'm not really sure who would suggest you NEED one. Look around the forums. I'd bet the majority of the tanks here are run without one. I would suggest a surface skimmer, if you are just using a plain 10 gallon tank with a HOB filter. It's also not needed, but certainly helps a great deal with light penetration and gas exchange. Quote Link to comment
Clown79 Posted November 25, 2017 Share Posted November 25, 2017 Yw There are a lot more options now than there were before. What are the dimensions of the tank? Standard rimmed 10g? Quote Link to comment
Seriatopora Lover Posted November 25, 2017 Author Share Posted November 25, 2017 The dimensions of the tank I am looking at is 20.25"L x 10.5"W x 12.63"H and is a standard rimmed 10g Quote Link to comment
Seriatopora Lover Posted November 26, 2017 Author Share Posted November 26, 2017 8 hours ago, seabass said: Snails such as cerith, trochus, and nassarius make a good cleanup crew. Turbo snails, while great hair algae cleaners, can sometimes bulldoze coral frags. Nano fish are the most obvious choice for livestock that will live without a negative impact to your coral. In fact, having fish adds food (as stray food, and poop) for coral. A fan worm can be an interesting addition, but will require some food for filter feeders every now and then. The coral will also like this food, but additional maintenance might be required to avoid problems due to increased phosphate and organics. Hermit crabs are reef safe, but might kill an occasional snail and might move coral frags to look for food. Shrimp will try to steal food from coral, but are normally considered reef safe (I would avoid peppermint shrimp as they often pick at coral, fan worms, and anemones). Rock Flower Anemones are appropriate for a small tank, but can sting surrounding coral (and can move). Would a purple fire fish be on the list or is that not recommended? Also I would think a anemone wouldn't be recommended at all due to their difficulty. Quote Link to comment
RayWhisperer Posted November 26, 2017 Share Posted November 26, 2017 Purple firefish would be fine when the tank is fully cycled. I'd suggest a lid, though. They are known jumpers. Rock flower anemones are pretty hardy, as nems go. I wouldn't foresee a problem in keeping one. Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.