Brand new 10 gallon build

[heartthebeach]

Hi guys! I'm new to the fourms but have been following threads and looking around for a couple weeks now. This is my first SW tank and I'm excited to get into the hobby.I really would have like to start with a much larger tank (40 gallons + haha) but I just don't have the room at the moment. For now I have a Marineland Led Aquarium Kit but the filter is an Aqueon. I have painted the back of the tank a blue colour. I currently have a 50w heater in the corner. After a trip to my LFS on monday I now have a good layer of aragonite sand bed, just over 10lbs of live rock and a tank full of premixed saltwater. Owner at LFS (very helpful guy) told me to buy "Fluval Biological Enhancer" to help start cycle. I did and began using that yesterday. He gave me directions to use it for 4 days. Honestly I planned on using the raw shrimp method but he said I could avoid having to do that by using this stuff. Anyone have experience (good or bad) with this so called liquid bacteria? Kinda been reading some posts and I feel like maybe adding fish food as a source of ammonia would be a good idea...

I'm going to attempt to post a picture. Thanks!

 

[heartthebeach]

pics

Ok trying to add some pictures of the process so far. Ignore my no so great paint job, you can't notice it too much when everything is in it.

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

Those "cycle in a bottle" products are useless IMHO. Those type products are how the stores make there money. The best way to do it is add an ammonia source(shrimp or dose pure ammonia) and wait for the cycle to run its process. Also don't run any media in your filter during the cycle

 

[10gal_nano]

Good luck. I'm making one too

 

[bribo12]

Welcome to AA! Nice start but you will definitely want to upgrade those lights if you're looking to grow corals in there. Any thoughts on stock?

 

[heartthebeach]

Would like to do a reef tank but yeah lights will have to be upgraded first. I'm thinking maybe 1 or 2 percula clowns. The LFS has a ton of them right now 3 months old locally tank bred. I really enjoy the looks of fire or blood shrimp. And possibly a hermit crab.

 

[Macscale]

Would like to do a reef tank but yeah lights will have to be upgraded first. I'm thinking maybe 1 or 2 percula clowns. The LFS has a ton of them right now 3 months old locally tank bred. I really enjoy the looks of fire or blood shrimp. And possibly a hermit crab.

Only one clown will work in a ten gallon. Firefish will work really well in the tank though.

 

[heartthebeach]

filter

Thanks for the feedback Ya fire fish look cool too. The LFS guy says my Aqueon filter is no good (he thinks it will die in about 3 months) and I should replace it sooner than later with something stronger and that has some kind of skimmer mechanism in it. Any suggestions?

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

Skimmers aren't necessary on a 10. Aqua clear filters are the best hob filters IMO but a hob filter isn't necessary either, there nice to run media though, your main source of filtration is your LR and the water moving across it