My first saltwater tank. 10g Nano

[D.Hicks]

I got the T5 lights in yesterday. They make my tank look so good. I absolutely love them. I rearranged the aquascape because I am fascinated with arch ways (maybe it is a St. Louis thing lololol). I need to push that sand at the front back over to the side but one o my crabs hangs out over there and seems to like it (not the empty shell that's in the pic.

 

[carey]

That arch looks awesome! Well done.
Is it securely in there, last thing you want is a rockfall. lol

 

[D.Hicks]

Actually it is crazy how perfectly they stuck together. After I changed it I smacked the side of my tank pretty hard to see if it would fall and it held up pretty well. I am thinking about getting 5 more pounds of live rock but I may just buy base instead. My fish does not swim through the archway as often as I would like though. Lol

 

[D.Hicks]

Thinking I need to do a water change. I changed out 10% the other day but I need to do more and add some non salty water. I top it off once a day. It is at 1.030 or so, but that may be not be right because I am using a swing arm hydrometer.
Nitrates- 30 ppm
Nitrites-0 ppm
pH- 8.0
KH- 240 ppm (could be higher, test strip only goes to 240)

 

[RJT]

Tanks this size need larger and more often water changes because the water parameters change fast. Your tank is really new. I know you used live rock and sand but your tank is still cycling. What is your ammonia level?

 

[RJT]

Since you are using a hydrometer do three readings and if they all match they is your salinity. Sometmes the needle gets stuck or there is a small air bubble on it that may cause the reading to be incorrect

 

[carey]

I think you can do a larger water change and try to get those trates down a bit. How often do you feed? And how often do you do your water changes?

 

[D.Hicks]

I have only done 1 water change. I know that I can keep the fish in there with the nitrates up but I want a reef tank so I have to get it down a lot farther. I am feeding every other day as of right now. I need to do a water change but do not know the best place to get water. Maybe walmart or the local grocery store. Im going to do 30% and see what happens.

 

[carey]

Sounds good. That will cut the nitrates down by 30% which will put you at about 20ppm. A start for sure.

 

[D.Hicks]

Levels after the water change,
Nitrates- 20 ppm (good call Carey lol)
Nitrites-0 ppm
pH-7.5- 8.0
KH- 80 ppm
Salinity- 1.027
I added some RO water as well as some saltwater I mixed (first time I have done it)
I don't think the way I did it is recommended. I did it one gallon at a time in a jug, I shook it for a few minutes then let it sit over night and shook it some more then checked the salinity which was 1.027. It seemed to work but idk.

 

[D.Hicks]

Also my dads friend who had a large tank system is wanting me to start a refugium tank for my tank. He said that it will benefit my tank in the long run and teach me about another part of the hobby. Should I do it?

 

[carey]

Alot of people run refugiums and swear by them, I had one going for about 2 years but didnt see anything positive about it so took it down. It's entirely up to you.

 

[D.Hicks]

Today there is a healthy amount of orangeish/brown colored stuff on my live rock and a little on the glass. Some kind of Algae or is it the necessary diatoms that are going to help cycle the tank? I can post a pic if I need to

 

[carey]

Sounds like the normal diatoms. they will fade away in a couple weeks.

 

[D.Hicks]

I went to petco today because I was bored and why not. I am pretty sure I was destined to have a refugium on my tank. I go look at the clearance and there was a 12lb bucket of Fiji Refugium Starter for a whopping $5 (usually $80+ Tax there) so I bought that. An employee came over and said that they just got in new Red Sea Stars and that he would sell me one for $10 if I wanted to buy it. We couldn't figure out how well it would do in a newer tank but he said as long as the pH level stays good he should be ok. Its about the size of a quarter or so and was only $13 so if it dies its not to bad of a loss. I mean I don't want to kill it but if it does die I am not out too much

 

[D.Hicks]

Here is my tank as of today. Diatoms on the LR. My starfish and the clown also can see a snail or 2 I think.

 

[D.Hicks]

My levels are staying pretty consistent probably going to do a water change tomorrow. Have to be careful though because of the starfish. Apparently big salinity changes and pH changes will kill it quickly. Hoping to get my Nitrates down further (may not happen). When I get paid again most of that money will go into my other hobby which is baseball cards so this tank may stay fairly boring for now.

 

[D.Hicks]

Lots of fun things have happened since my last post.
First-My tank leaked. I had to switch tanks, luckily I did it quick and safely. It stopped the cycle for like a day but its ok now.
Second- I finally bought a Saltwater test kit. My Nitrates are at 5.0ppm, which im hoping to get down with a water change.
Third- Added a Condylactis Anemone. Its only been in my tank for 6 hours but it seems to be doing well. 15 minutes after I placed it in my tank it moved to where it has been for most of the time. Maybe my clown will host it (doubtful).
I think I am pretty overloaded, but it seems ok.
Tank specs
10 Gallon
T5HO Quad 20"
170gph powerhead
Biowheel 150
15 lbs live sand
12lbs of liverock
1 Red Starfish
4 hermit crabs
1 slug thing that must have came on the live rock
6 Snails
Condylactis Anemone
1 Clown Fish
Let me know what you think!

 

[D.Hicks]

My clownfish tried to host the Condylactis Anemone but the condy pulled its tentacle things inside of itself like it was scared. Seems a little bit odd to me from what I have read online.

 

[carey]

Clowns don't host condys unfortunately. They are more likely to be eaten by one than host it. lol