10 gal....flow/fuge/filter options, and lighting

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sir_dudeguy

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Aug 28, 2004
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Location
arizona
I've got an extra 10 layin around, and someones offering me some free sand, so i'm gonna take some of that...

Anyways, this would be just for some easy begginers corals, and maybe a clown or something. My questions are...

1. I've got 2 whisper 20's layin around here. Would they be any use in this? maybe for flow? Or could i possibly turn them into a hob fuge?

2. Besides live rock (and live sand of course), what would i do as far as filtration, if anything? I'd rather not set up a sump, as i dont have any overflow boxes/drilled glass/ etc...so would it be fine w/just live rock and some flow?

3. Should i add one of those fission nano skimmers? Or would no skimmer be fine on it?

4. For lighting, the hood to it holds 50 watts total...2 incandecent/screw in bulbs. Right now i've just got some of those mini pc's used for freshwater (was going to do live plants) but i would switch them out for these.

http://www.petsmart.com/global/prod...9&itemNo=6&In=Fish&N=2030120+4294966136&Ne=34

That would be a total of 40 watts on there. Would that be good enough to grow some green star polyps/other polyps and stuff like that?
I've also got another light strip that came w/a dif. tank...the bulb on there is a reptile bulb, but it says t5. I'm thinkin it was 15 watts or something. Would that be better than the 2 mini compacts, or should i try to combine them? (i'd have to make a canopy.) I'd rather not if i dont have to, as i'm kinda going on a zero dollar budget lol. The only thing I want to buy is the 2 light bulbs (or one if the t5 is ok) maybe a skimmer if i need one.

also, would i need to add any other flow if i have the 2 whispers on there? they're sposed to be for 20 gallon tanks, but the most i'd trust them on is maybe a 10, and w/2 of them i'd think they'd be better.

thanks in advance
 
im not sure about the lighting so ill let some one else chime in on that.

i think as long as you have 20lbs lr you should be good. the whisper to run media in can also add flow and oxygen. i had a 20 gal with just 30lbs lr and a hob filter, ran polyfilters in it, and it did well. im actually gonna get it up and running again soon with that set up.
 
ya, i was thinkin for the lighting that i'm just gonna try to make a "canopy" type thing, just so i can mount the t5 and the 2 mini pc's in there...i'll probably have to break the hood on the tank rightn now to get at all the stuff for the lighting...its just the hood that comes on that walmart starter kit (which is what it is)

and for the filters, i was thinkin of doing one of them a fuge...maybe put a few inches of live sand in it, and maybe some chaeto? would one be big enough for that? there's not much space in there at all, but i think it would be alright..and the other whisper, i'd just have for like, carbon and stuff.

and then i'm thinkin about 15 lbs of live rock (mostly cuase of cost) and probably an aquaclear powerhead. I just wanna put a clown pair in here really...as far as fish anyways. I'd like to get some easy corals, and a few inverts.
 
ive heard of ppl making refugiums out of hob's. give a try, see what happens. 15lbs is good. sounds like you have a plan....:)
 
I use a hob filter on mine and run those mini bulbs 20 watts and evrything is fine on mine. dont waste your money on the 10 watts get the 20 if you decide to use these. I have a pic of mine on this forum.
 
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