Switching from Ecplise to 10gal

[MWehr76364]

I am fed up w/ trying to work w/ my eclipse can't seem to find a light kit to put in w/out heavily modifying the hood. So i've decided to go w/ a regular everday 10gal. I would like to know from you all that have 10gal's what you all recomend in the ways of lighting, powerheads, heaters, filtration, and anything else that I am missing. I want this when it is done to be a nice tank so I want to go ahead and get everything I need before I even make up water so I dont have it setup and have to upgrade stuff.

 

Thanks

Mike W

Wehr's Reptiles

[freakaccident]

My ten gallon is drilled with a 10g sump/ref below, Lowes $40 metal rack for a stand, Snailman homemade skimmer but only 20"s to fit in sump and no clear PVC, Optima air pump, rio 1700 water pump, two PHs in tank, 96 watt quad PC on main tank in custom canopy with RS fan, 4 13w PCs over sump/ref, 22lbs LR and 18 lbs LS in main tank, 4.5lbs LR and 7lbs LS in sump/ref, one 50w heater in main tank, 150w heater in sump/ref, very few corals, hawkfish, yellow tang (adopted until I take to LFS), tons of water for evaporation, and an auto top off in the making.

[freakaccident]

Oh and the return has a tee. The skimmer runs off the tee as weel as the return.

[sjfishguy]

I have had a 10 gal for a year now. I have everything you can think of in it including very difficult SPS (Murilina) and a clam (T.derasa). I have 4'' Southdown DSB, no fuge, Corallife air driven skimmer in an Aquaclear mini off the back so no tank space is taken up. These were things I just had and utilized. If I bought something new though, I think those Prism combo skimmer/filter things look nice. I have no experience with them.

 

Right now I have a 50w heater in the tank, but if you could get a smaller 25W heater and put it in the Aquaclear or the Prism off the back, that would be even better. Remember, space is priceless in a nano.

 

I have 2X32 PC 10000K/actinic. This hood is 15'' long on top of the 20'' standard 10g tank. Because it is a bit small than my tank, there are a few areas that get little light. If I had to do it over, I think I would go with the 2X65W PC that is 24'' long. Who cares if it hangs over two inches on each side, just use black electrical tape to cover the side of the hood. There is a $100 difference between the two though. If you have the space above the tank, you could even go with a 175W MH and then the sky is the limit. Your lighting will be so good you will have coral growing out the tank!