10 gallon reef

[Ej_b1996]

I am new to reef aquariums but I wanted to start one
But all I've got is a 10 gallon tank
What else would I need to get?
Trying to pay as little as possible
So could you guys give me any links to where I can find all the things I need for a low price?

 

[Sterling_salt]

IMO you're setting yourself up for failure. 10 gallon is hard enough (unless you're doing plenty of WCs) for someone with experience let alone someone just jumping into it. Best thing I can tell you is research as much as your brain can handle. A short list of things to know about would be lighting, filtration (possibly skimming), types of corals you want to keep, and heating. A good book I've used is "The conscientious marine aquarist" by Robert Fenner, it covers much of the hobby.

 

[Phranque]

Not saying it's not doable, but Sterling is correct..... pico reefs are actully much harder to maintain for a true beginner.

While I know you may want to keep costs down, "cheap" is a relative term in the reef world (see my signature ) . What kind of budget are we seriously talking about?

 

[Ej_b1996]

Well right now I actually have no budget so I guess just trying to keep the price as low as possible to start off
And ya I know about the frequent water changes
And also
Are protein skimmers actually necessary?

 

[Beengirl]

Well right now I actually have no budget so I guess just trying to keep the price as low as possible to start off
And ya I know about the frequent water changes
And also
Are protein skimmers actually necessary?

You won't need a skimmer on a 10g as long as you do weekly PWCs.

 

[Ej_b1996]

So basically for my 10 gallon reef I need

-filter (btw what type?)
-power head
-live sand
-live rock
-lighting (what kind?)
-heater

Anything else I'm missing?

 

[Ej_b1996]

-treated water (is it the same as treating freshwater)
-salt

And weekly water changes of about 25%?

 

[Beengirl]

So basically for my 10 gallon reef I need

-filter (btw what type?)
-power head
-live sand
-live rock
-lighting (what kind?)
-heater
Anything else I'm missing?

You have the tank itself? Does it have a lid? You can do a hob filter, but it needs to rated for a 20g minimum. Aqua clear/Fluval ones are good. For corals, you'll need a really goo light. I've heard goo thing about the PAR38, so you could check those out. And Taotronics on eBay. I know nothing about T5 or T8, so ill let someone else chime in there.
Need a thermometer and liquid test kits for ammo, Trites and Trates.

 

[Beengirl]

-treated water (is it the same as treating freshwater)
-salt

And weekly water changes of about 25%?

Water for SW is not the same as for FW. Tap water is a very bad idea for SW, too many Unknowns that can pollute your tank. Need RO, RODI, or even just distilled water. Some LFS will sell RO water for less than 0.50/g, but you have to ask for it.

 

[Reefpete]

Water for SW is not the same as for FW. Tap water is a very bad idea for SW, too many Unknowns that can pollute your tank. Need RO, RODI, or even just distilled water. Some LFS will sell RO water for less than 0.50/g, but you have to ask for it.

I bought this same unit been using it for almost a year and it's amazing tank never been better i used tap water and had algae problems etc after a week of that I bought this

Hooked it up outside to my spout for the garden house and it's only 66 bucks shipped

"0PPM Portable 100GPD Reverse Osmosis RO+DI Filtration"

http://r.ebay.com/qK1oVw

 

[Ej_b1996]

Yes I have the tank itself

And a DIY lid
It's made of sort of like a mesh material

So all in all around how much do you think ill spend?

 

[Reefpete]

2 to 3 hundred all said and done to start probably depending on what brand of stuff you buy IMO

 

[Ej_b1996]

Also I read online that if I have live sand and live rock with good water movement from a power head or something I wouldn't really need a filter
Is that right?

 

[Beengirl]

Also I read online that if I have live sand and live rock with good water movement from a power head or something I wouldn't really need a filter
Is that right?

Well, there's a filtration method called the Berlin method that uses LR and a skimmer. However, being that this is your first SW tank and its only 10g, I wouldn't try to do that one quite yet. It'll be way too easy to overfeed and have your parameters go out of whack and have problems. I would do a hob filter rated for 20-30g tanks. It'll help you in the long run, just clean it out every week with PWCs.

 

[Reefpete]

Well, there's a filtration method called the Berlin method that uses LR and a skimmer. However, being that this is your first SW tank and its only 10g, I wouldn't try to do that one quite yet. It'll be way too easy to overfeed and have your parameters go out of whack and have problems. I would do a hob filter rated for 20-30g tanks. It'll help you in the long run, just clean it out every week with PWCs.

+1 exactly right and for me I don't use a filter expect the one on the hob eshopps and that's it ....once every couple months ill throw a filter sock on and let it polish the water for a coupe hours but that's it ...when I started I used a penguin 350 filter which was good but since then upgraded to sump and overflow so much better

 

[Ej_b1996]

I read that 2 ocellaris clownfish (Nemo) woul be fine for this nano reef?

 

[Pufferlove]

No sorry two clowns would be too much. You could do just one and have that be the only fish

 

[Beengirl]

2 clowns would need at least a 20g. But 1 will be okay in there.

 

[Ej_b1996]

Thank you!

 

[Phranque]

I'm going to go against the grain on this one. Just my personal opinion & observation, but I'm sitting here watching my Ocellaris swim all around my 28g nano, and I couldn't imagine putting him in a tank almost one third the size. Yeah, it'd probably be OK, but....... even the smaller clowns have the potential of reaching 2 1/2" to 3 1/2"

Just my $0.02