Mattyfelts's Nano

[Mattyfelts]

Hey everyone, on friday i plan to begin cycling a ten gallon nano. My mother says if i can successfuly cycle, keep, and maintain this small nano tank then she will buy a 55 gallon for my to stock,etc. for our basement.

So i have the tank already. What i am wondering is how to cycle a saltwater, What filter should i get, do i need a powerhead, lighting?, and any other info i will need.

For live stock i was looking at: [*Note: Just one of these]

• Green Clown Goby
• Tanaka's Pygmy Wrasse
• Orange Stripe Prawn Goby

I plan on using Instant Ocean for the water [both the salt and dechlorinator], since i am university student and have only a part time job i cannot afford a RODI system. Thanks for any help!

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

Ok for a 10g there are lots of ways to go. Filtration you can look at hob protein skimmers to save space in the tank but one is not required on a tank this small if you will be good about doing weekly wc's. You can also use a simple job filter to run some media if you don't want to go w/ a protein skimmer. For the power head it really depends on wether or not you plan on keeping corals to know the amount of flow to shoot for. My 10g lps / softie tank I have 2 korilia 240's on opposite sides and an aqua clear 50 hob filter to run CPE and rowaphos and for a little more surface agitation. Lights again depend on wether / what corals you want to keep. As for the cycle what I do is put a thawed table shrimp in a filter media bag and put it in the tank for about a week to give me ammonia spike then take it out and let the cycle run it's course. Ro water is one of the more important things in the hobby though so if you don't have a source to make / buy it that could be a problem. Some walmarts and meijers sell ro water where you can fill up your own gal/2.5 gal jugs , also most lfs will also sell ro/di water so you might want to see what you can find before starting. IME tap water always leads to bad algae problems down the road

 

[Mattyfelts]

Ok for a 10g there are lots of ways to go. Filtration you can look at hob protein skimmers to save space in the tank but one is not required on a tank this small if you will be good about doing weekly wc's. You can also use a simple job filter to run some media if you don't want to go w/ a protein skimmer. For the power head it really depends on wether or not you plan on keeping corals to know the amount of flow to shoot for. My 10g lps / softie tank I have 2 korilia 240's on opposite sides and an aqua clear 50 hob filter to run CPE and rowaphos and for a little more surface agitation. Lights again depend on wether / what corals you want to keep. As for the cycle what I do is put a thawed table shrimp in a filter media bag and put it in the tank for about a week to give me ammonia spike then take it out and let the cycle run it's course

So I decided to do a fowlr tank, so I'm going to order some live rock, I have started the cycle and have sand in the tank, I will also get a powerhead. Probably a 425. Thanks for the help. What livestock do u recommend

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

I would say you can get away with 2 of the 3 from your list added one at a time with a couple weeks in between. Also look into some cool inverts that are much easier to observe in smaller tanks

 

[Mattyfelts]

Yeah. If I add dry rock will it eventually turn into live rock??

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

Ya it will, you can add a piece or 2 of LR to speed it along but not necessary. You want to get your rock in as soon as possible because that's where most of your bb will develop.

 

[Mattyfelts]

Alright I'll have to go to petsmart and get some lr and a power head

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

I would go to a strictly marine fish store if you can petsmart / petco LR is insanely over priced IMO

 

[Mattyfelts]

I would go to a strictly marine fish store if you can petsmart / petco LR is insanely over priced IMO

I meant dr and it's the cheapest place around me

 

[Mattyfelts]

So i was just wondering when performing water changes, or generally how do i maintain salinity, also should i buy the SW test kit or is my FW test kit okay for using to measure amm, trite, and trate and ph?

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

When you make up a new batch of salt water you make it to the same salinity as your tank. And if your not going the ato route I use the top of my thermometer to mark where my water level should be so I know how much ro/di to add to keep my salinity stable. The api fw kits are fine for the cycle but you will need tests for alkalinity calcium and depending on what corals you keep magnesium

 

[Mattyfelts]

When you make up a new batch of salt water you make it to the same salinity as your tank. And if your not going the ato route I use the top of my thermometer to mark where my water level should be so I know how much ro/di to add to keep my salinity stable

So you basically add th salt to te water you will add and then check it until it reads the same as your tank. Also how can I get my salinity down or is it normal to have it at 1.026 right after dosing

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

1.026 is ok but I wouldn't go higher. To lower just make your wc water a lower salinity or add a little extra ro/di to the tank. You should also let your wc water mix for 24 hrs with a small heater and power head ( I use a 5 gal bucket for my small tanks )

 

[Mattyfelts]

Ok maybe I'll be able to get a small powerhead cheap.

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

Ya check some if the sales forums on reef2reef and nano-reef.com. They usually have some for pretty cheap. Or let me know I'm sure I can dig one up it could sell

 

[Mattyfelts]

Ya check some if the sales forums on reef2reef and nano-reef.com. They usually have some for pretty cheap. Or let me know I'm sure I can dig one up it could sell

Is tere any way to stir the salt in eater than powerhead ? But I can definitely do that it's nbd to me!

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

Any water moving device will work. Power heads are just easiest because you can suction cup it into a bucket a let it run. Salt doesn't mix with the water instantly so you need something.

 

[Mattyfelts]

Well I got my pump thing haha and some dry and live rock. Here's my pic

 

[Mattyfelts]

Oh by the way, I thought i would mention. The one suction cup will not stay stuck, is this an issue? and the sand seems to be getting blown around a bit will this also be an issue? Will this harm the fish once put in?

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

You prob want that higher up, it will give you better flow and not blow around the sand. It usually takes a couple days of playing around with it so you don't get any dead spots