starting a ten gallon nano n e suggestions

[wilson]

my mom finally said yes. well she said its my money so im gonna start a 10 gallon nano. i will hopefully be starting within the next month just picking up little things on the way. i plan on gettin a

-10g aga
-Hagen Ph 201 (or 101 and get 2)*
-heater (100w or 50w) we dont have n e of the ebo jager or n e thing at my lfs or they only one i saw was like 60$ and it was like 75w this one is made by thermal or sumthin*
-deep six hydrometer
- Test kit- Marine sea (no calcium i think) or Hagen master test kit for fresh and salt water(calcium included i think)*
-instant ocean salt(thinking of going big so i dont have to buy it for a while)
-caribsed aragonite sand(15lb)
-mag float(med or large)*

-still need lighting*(trying to go with easy DIY for cost.or was thinking pc)

i was thinking of keeping one or two false percs. or one false perc with bicolor blenny or some type of goby or royal gramma or other small fish*. also some snails (cerith, nassairus, margaraita stuff from lfs lol)and a shrimp(cleaner or sumthin else)*. i also plan on not having a skimmer, but do want about 15lbs or a bit more of LR> my lfs has Fiji at 9.99/lb and then the other lfs i went to had no prices and i forgot to ask lol, i might get a bit of base rock too, my lfs has this white stuff called reef rock,(its pure white in a box(dont know if its reall stuff or wat lol)

* means need suggestions lol
and i am also open to n e other suggestions u can give me

the corals i was thinking of keeping are mayb shrooms xenia polyps and mayb some ricordia, also sumthin with like tentacles or sumthin(n e ideas) no anenomes though to much of a hassle and i dont like the idea of basically having them die when they are only in there for a few months(just my opinion) lolalso zoos.

 

[wilson]

i forgot to put but my bedroom(where the tank will b) is in a basement so should i get a higher watt heater.

 

[wilson]

is this good lighting or not

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2384884345&category=46314

 

[Doan]

Sounds to me like you have done a great job thinking this all out. The only thing not on your list is a book... The concesious Marine Aquarist by Rob Fenner. You really ought to pick that up it is the most valuable resource I have come across so far other than this site. As for that light I think you will love it. I have the 48" model on my 55 and think it is a great light.

Doan

 

[wilson]

yeah im hoping to get the book soon. the last time i was at my book store it wasnt there lol. tthanks for answering to my post, lol.

 

[wilson]

would two false percula clowns b ok in a 10 g

 

[24 hours? NE!]

Look for the book on Amazon.com or Half.com. Half had really good prices when I looked for the book. There is another topic that has suggestions for books and Half has most of them and at really good prices (I got three of the ones I wanted at the price of 2 of them on the net which was better than at a bookstore).

Is a powerhead necessary for a 10 gallon nano? I've got a 12 gallon nano (which has less water than 9 gallons! ( different topic)) and my lfs said it wasn't necessary. Is there room in the tank?

 

[jackdp]

2 false percs would probably be ok in a 10 gallon, just do regular water changes and keep up on the water quality. A 10 gallon tank is not as easy to keep as it sounds. I would recommend frequent testing and weekly 1 gallon water changes to help insure water quality. I would also get a small skimmer, you can get some really cheap ones that would be better than nothing, even a Lee's skimmer like this http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4407&Ne=40000&R=7672&N=2004+22782 would help. The hagen powerheads are good but you may want to look for some Mini-jets or Micro jets..they are little brothers to the maxi-jets, they are smaller than most powerheads, a little cheaper and hold up well in salt tanks. HTH

 

[wilson]

if iwere to go with a 15 gallon would all the equipment still apply like 2 ac ph 201, i think id mayb go with a 100 watt heater, or 75, adn then get the 1x96 power quad, with 15lbs lr or so and sand.

 

[wilson]

well i got my first two peices of equipment a hydrometer, and an ac 201 powerhead(i need one more). i wish i could ahve bought more but i ran out of money.lol

 

[f-dean]

Since your young and maybe should save your money have you tried ebay, and if you look at post about sand you'll learn you can test play sand with vinager, and get good kind, Ive seen whole used sets of test, skimmers ect go for what I got my stuff, also using base rock with just a little LR would skim cost, all this would help go for convincing mom to go for another tank later, once she sees you save money, Dont go cheep on the water no tap by the time you pay for the clorine remover, then the fight against algee and you could have got the pure stuff.

 

[srgetz]

I suggest if you cant afford a reverse osmosis kit, call all lfs in your area and find out if they sell R/O water and find best price. I buy it for $.50 gallon, at that rate it would cost you $5 to fill and around $2 a month...not bad. I have tested my tap water to have nitrates, and I'm sure there's othere bad things....not good for a nano tank.

 

[hisc1ay]

I'm thinking about doing a nano as well, so I'm interested in how it's going for you. Did you end up getting the whole tank up yet?

-j

 

[fishman]

Wilson
For the diff in the price of the tank, I would go with a 20 gallon...doesnt sound like a big difference but its easier to keep and less water instability. Just my opinion...everything else looks good.

 

[first-timer89]

go w/ 15 gallon. it will be much easyer to keep

 

[wilson]

I forgot to inform everyone, but I was unable to start my nano. It was just getting to be more money then what i had wanted to spend. Plus I figured with going away to school soon(which is going to cost me a lot), and getting a car it wasn't the best time to jump into it. I did have quite a bit of equipment, and i changed toa 15 gallon tank, but i returned all. So thanks for all the help. I still read the boards both fresh and salt for that one day when i will be able to setup my saltwater aquarium.

 

[hisc1ay]

Doh! That's what held me back for a year and a half. The job I had when I was given a tank that woudl be great for a nano didn't afford me the extra funds to start the nano. But now that I can do one, that tank is a freshwater tank that I can't really take down, and I only had space for the empty 10 I had laying around. But it's cool. The good thing is that because you're still reading, you're going to be way ahead of yourself when you can finally get it going.

-j