Tank cycling

[Shanetweedz]

Getting 10 gallon tank for Christmas and got just about every thing figured out besides how to cycle the tank so this is the stuff tell me if I need anything.
T5's
Bio wheel filter
10 pounds of live rock
20 pounds of argonite sand
1 test kit
Heater
Power head
Hydrometer
Salt
Clean up crew
2 clown
1 fire fish
1 hammer coral, red cap, and some zoas and other corals.

Need to know how to add the stuff and cycle the tank.

 

[Brilliant_Barbs_21]

Getting 10 gallon tank for Christmas and got just about every thing figured out besides how to cycle the tank so this is the stuff tell me if I need anything. T5's Bio wheel filter 10 pounds of live rock 20 pounds of argonite sand 1 test kit Heater Power head Hydrometer Salt Clean up crew 2 clown 1 fire fish 1 hammer coral, red cap, and some zoas and other corals. Need to know how to add the stuff and cycle the tank.

2 clowns and a firefish is overstocked for a 10 gallon. Go with the firefish and a goby of some sort. Also, nano tanks are hard. If you haven't done freshwater, start out with freshwater and work your way up the ladder. But I'll give you the information. First look up "how to cycle an aquarium" on google. Then carry out the cycle with the live rock in. Then add the fish (one fish a week for beginners in a tank that small). Once everything is stable, add the zoas. Keep adding soft corals like zoas until your happy, and then move on to the LPS corals. Take it VERY slow though. Btw, red caps aren't very good for beginners in a tank that small. They need very high lighting since they're sps corals, and you need to really keep up on parameters. But as I said before, I would start out with freshwater if I were you.

 

[bribo12]

I would just pick 2 fish for that tank. I disagree that a 10 gallon is impossible. I started with a ten gallon nano and it flourished until I upgraded. You just have to make sure you are patient, use ro water and keep up on water top off and pwc weekly. Definitely start with mushrooms and Zoas but montipora caps are not a insanely high light coral like acros are and they are actually pretty tolerant. A 4 bulb t5 would be fine for all those corals you listed I would just work up from easy corals like mushrooms and zoas to the hammer than add the cap.

 

[Needles15]

I disagree also, my first tank and only tank so far is a 6gallon fluval edge, had it about 8 months now and it's perfect.. But I def agree with taking it slow.. The slower the better

 

[Shanetweedz]

Lights and clean up crew. 3-4 years with fw and moving on to sw did a cover all the stuff and bout a firefish and single clown so no redcap ???

 

[Shanetweedz]

O ya and can I use spring water?? Or water that I declorified and took out the other crap

 

[Brilliant_Barbs_21]

O ya and can I use spring water?? Or water that I declorified and took out the other crap

If you have experience, then you could get a red cap. Just get it last. And I recommend RO/DI. IMO, you'll get less headaches later.

 

[Shanetweedz]

Not being cheap or anything ,can u use declorified water ,cause a rodi unit is like 150 bucks

 

[Brilliant_Barbs_21]

Not being cheap or anything ,can u use declorified water ,cause a rodi unit is like 150 bucks

Yes of course you can, but it just causes unnecessary nutrients to be in the water and a lot of algae growth.

 

[carey]

You can usually buy premixed salt and regular ro/di at the fish store. Since you are working with such a small tank it's definitely do-able. I would get 2 5 gallon jugs and get one with salted water and the other for top offs from evaporation. That will get you through a month i would bet including weekly water changes. They make collapsible jugs now for like $10 each and they really arent that much of a hassle if youre only doing it one a month.
If you cant find a shop that sells it then you can get unsalted drinking water from those big machines they have at like walmart for about 30 cents a gallon.

 

[Shanetweedz]

K so I've heard that u can use a freshwater master test kit and if u find the key online and print it out u can use this. Is this true??

 

[bribo12]

K so I've heard that u can use a freshwater master test kit and if u find the key online and print it out u can use this. Is this true??

Yes you can just get the API cards for saltwater.

 

[Shanetweedz]

That's wat I thought got API fw and printing API sw off internet

 

[Shanetweedz]

Did I cover all the stuff?