first salt water tank

[themartins]

I have a small aquarium (10 gallon) that I want to get set up as a fish only or FWLR. Any help to get started will be greatly appreciated.

 

[redsea]

Here is a great article for cycling!

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...ide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283-2.html

 

[themartins]

Thank you. With cycling saltwater, should I start with just the live sand first or add any live rock at the same time? Will the ammonia spike kill off the little critters in the cured live rock? Also, with such a small tank do I need a protein skimmer? If so can you recommend one? What do I need for mixing salt water for the water changes? Any other recommendations?

Thank you again.

 

[all4wheels2]

Thank you. With cycling saltwater, should I start with just the live sand first or add any live rock at the same time? Will the ammonia spike kill off the little critters in the cured live rock? Also, with such a small tank do I need a protein skimmer? If so can you recommend one? What do I need for mixing salt water for the water changes? Any other recommendations?

Thank you again.

1. You should add both the rock and sand in before you start cycling it. That way everything cycles together - it's just easier. Somethings might die, just depends how high your ammonia goes. Raw shrimp method works good.

2. No you don't need a protein skimmer for a 10g FOWLR.

3. For mixing, I use tap water, dechlorinator, and Instant Ocean salt mix. RO/DI units are better, but I can't afford that right now For topoffs, I use distilled water.

Recommendations:

You might want to go with some dry/base rock to avoid little pests hitch hiking in your tank; but that's a personal decision.

You will still need a powerhead, even in a 10 gallon, maybe 200-400 gph rated.

 

[themartins]

I'm sorry it took me a while to reply, I was away from the computer. Thank you for the help! I have some more questions:

!.) We have well water so there's no chlorine - should we still use a water conditioner?

2.) How much Instant Ocean do you use per gallon?

3.) What would be a good stocking list for a first timer with this size tank?

Thanks again for your help.

 

[all4wheels2]

I'm sorry it took me a while to reply, I was away from the computer. Thank you for the help! I have some more questions:

!.) We have well water so there's no chlorine - should we still use a water conditioner?

2.) How much Instant Ocean do you use per gallon?

3.) What would be a good stocking list for a first timer with this size tank?

Thanks again for your help.

I don't know much about well water; but if you aren't using RO/DI water, then I would use dechlorinator. It removes chlorine, chlorine dioxide and chloramine (all heavy metals).

I use 1/2 cup per gallon - this brings the specific gravity to about 1.022/23. The bag/box has the directions on it.

As far as stocking, you want to stick with nano fish. Here's a good site.
Nano Fish

Firefish, gobies, cardinalfish, some blennies, and a single clown are all good choices. And I think 3 fish would be the max. If you want a clown, try to stick with the ocellaris species as they are more peaceful than the percula species.

 

[joy13]

Here is a list of fish that you can use in a nano Nano Fish remember it is better to understock than overstock. If you look up clown fish you will see they need a 20 gallon tank, Keep in mind evaporation can be hard to keep up with. I had a 7 gallon and I had to top it off 2 or 3 times a day to keep the salinity right.

Consider getting a refractometer and an ATO,