10gal half moon

[Joostrom]

Hey guys,
So I have been in the hobby now for a few years and I was hoping you guys can give me some feed back. I want to convert my planted 10gal half moon low light planted into a nano marine.
Current equipment is 25led stock light fluval nano filter 50w heater and a hydra nano power head. I have loads of crushed coral from my cichlid tanks and I can get live rock for cost. What else would I need for a basic nano? For stock would be small inverts and maybe a clown. And maybe some basic coral.

Thanks !
Current look!

 

[Joostrom]

Oh also just a question can I add regular white sand to my crushed coral to make a deeper sand bed? Or should I stick with what I have

 

[deckaman225]

I'm doin a 12 gal nano reef and I am gonna mix my sand with crushed coral so I can have mor flow and it won't blow around as much! My first SW so I'm not no master but that's how it is at my lfs and as for lighting freshwater lights won't work for coral if u plan on having it!! And most people have said that a ten gal is too small for clowns.. But there are a lot of nano fish to choose grime here is a link!!
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=15+2124

 

[Macscale]

Here's my generic newbie post.
Have you decided if you want a Fish Only, Fish only with live rock, or a reef?



IMO a Saltwater tank without Live Rock will be a disaster since you are a beginner.






Every Saltwater tank need the following:



Good Filter/Sump



Sand



Live Rock



Heater



Lighting



Refractometer



Test Kits



Aquarium Salt/ Pre made water



Ro/Di Unit



Powerheads:



Skimmer







Now to explaining each item







Filter- You can either make a sump or just use your HOB filter. Sumps are separate tanks used to hide equipment and filter the tank.







Sand- Buy dry sand, it becomes live anyway, and it's cheaper.







Live Rock- Normally you get 1-2 pounds per gallon. This will provide places to set coral and hiding places for fish and your CUC. It is also the housing for your Beneficial Bacter, which is what your biological filtration comes from.







Heater- This will provide the appropriate temperature for livestock.







Lighting- This is where you must decide if you want to keep corals or not. The three main options are T5, Metal Halide, and LED.



More info to come when you give me more info.











Refractometer: This will tell the salinity of your tank. NEVER get a swing arm hydrometer! THEY DON"T WORK! TRUST ME!!!!!!! Here is the refractometer I got and it works great:



http://www.ebay.com/itm/Salinity-Ref...item4ab33c430d







It got to my house fast and early.











Test Kits: Get test kits for: Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, PH, Alkalinity Phosphates. For a reef tank add: Calcium, Magnesium, and maybe iodide.







Don't ever buy test strips, they are unreliable. Invest in quality kits such as: Salifert, Red Sea, Sea Chem, Elos, Hannah Checkers, etc.







API will not do much good for a reef.







Aquarium Salt: You have two options. Buy a bagged reef salt, this is the better option and will require an RO/DI unit. You can also buy if from an LFS, but it can contain bad elements, because most LFS only want a sale.







RO/DI Unit- This will filter the water needed for making saltwater and top offs.







Powerheads- These will provide flow for you tank. Aim for 20-50 times your tank size.







Skimmer: If you run a Nano tank they aren't needed. They are to take out harmful proteins in the water.







Just in case you don't know anything about cycling:



http://www.saltwateraquarium.com/cyc...water-aquarium







If you have any other questions just ask! The only stupid question is the one you don't ask! Happy Reefing and Welcome to the Salty Side!

 

[Bdonaldson]

Hi there and welcome to the salty side of aquaria.

Make sure you do your research on all the salts out there. Not all salts are the same. I use instant oceans reef crystals. It has all the elements you need plus it keeps your ph stable. I have never had any problems with it and it comes in many different sized quantities.

Lighting is also another area you need to fully research. Especially if you want corals. They depend on high light output to survive and thrive in your tank.

Water flow is extremely important in a reef tank. Corals can get detritus on them and they have no mechanism for removing it. That's where the high flow comes in to remove this stuff off your corals. In nature the oceans current takes care of this problem so you want to simulate the oceans current in your tank.

I have learned a great deal from people on this forum so if your not sure about something just ask. There are a lot of knowledgable people here that are willing to help you out.

I have also learned a lot from watching American reef YouTube videos. Created by BRS TV (Bulk Reef Supply). The people in these videos are experts in saltwater aquaria.

Saltwater tanks are an investment over time. Meaning that you should start slow and take your time with your setup. It will definitely pay off in the end.

Good luck to you.

 

[severum mama]

If that's the same 10 gallon half moon as the one I used, the stock lighting will be inadequate for even low light corals. I would strongly suggest a lighting upgrade before you try to keep corals, although you can certainly use what you have to get started.