10 gallon...how should i set it up?

[sir_dudeguy]

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

 

[EELectric]

Well . . . (1) I don't know much about whispers but they sound good for some flow. (2) With enough liverock I think you wouldn't need any other kind of filtration other than a possible bio-wheel or something like that. (3) If it were me a skimmer wouldn't be one of the things that I would purchase for a tank only ten gallons but that is IMHO. (4) For lighting I would use one of the coralife lightings like the ones on MarineDepot that are under lighting then coralife mini fixturesbut that is just my opinion though. HTH 8)

 

[jasno999]

Wow big post

You can do lots with a 10 gallon jsut like with larger tanks. It is all up to you. With 40Watts on a 10 gallon tank you can definitly keep bushrooms and some of the polyups. But stay away from light needy corals.

For filtration many people suggest gettign around 1 to 1.5 lbs of rock per gallon of tank water. So 15lbs of live rock in the tank would be used as the main source of filtration along with the sand bed. However I see no harm in usign a HOB filter to add to your filtration need. It is a good way to run carbon every now and then and to pull put larger waste particles. They jsut say that you don't need the biologial filtration from a HOB cause that should be provided by the live rock i nthe tank.

YOu could also put some small live rock pieces in the HOB and make it into a sort of sump - but I don't knwo how much benifit you would get out of that on such a small scale. TO mae it into a fuge might work but you would have to get lighting to it and to do that in a filter that was not meant to be used that way could be a pain in the butt.

But definitly go for it. Get your sand and live rock in there and way for a long time for water parameters to settel down and the system to stabalize. Try to get as much lighting as you can. 40 wats will definitly work for mushrooms and some polyups. 60-70 watts woudl be idea and I currently have the 95Watt coralife quad on my 10 gallon tank so I can get some higher light needy corals.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

lol ya that was kinda big...but half of it was that stupid link lol.

anyways, i would just run one of the whispers w/some live sand in there, and some chaeto on top of it? and then i've got clip on lights that i'd put over it too. And for chaeto, do they need 10k bulbs at least too? or can that be a bulb designed for freshwater? (already got some!!) And then the other filter would only be for flow, except when i run some carbon and the like...

I'm also thinkn of putting that t5 on too...just rigging it up somehow...that'd be about 55 watts

so ya, for fish, i only want a clown pair.
for corals, just some gsp's, other polyps, shrooms, and xenia if i can swing that.

this tank is actually gonna be a surprise tank for my aunt....she's seen my 55 and is DIEING (dont know if i spelled tht right...) to get a nano. I also showed her one on display at the lfs, which she always goes on about now lol.

also, instead of getting one or 2 larger pieces of rock, how would maybe one medium sized one (maybe softball size, but not that shape lol that would look weird) and then a bunch of small, almost rubble pieces piled together look? I think i'll just get some baseball sized ones tho, and pile those up a bit till i get about 10-15 lbs.

thanks

 

[EELectric]

Sounds good hope your aunt likes it!

 

[sir_dudeguy]

as do i lol. Any suggested corals would be great too. I know that i cant keep the high light ones.

also, i know that crushed coral can be bad cuz it gets stuff growing on it too easy (i just forget what the stuff is called!!), but i got a guy offering me free crushed coral, so if i were to crush it into sand myself, that would work wouldnt it? probably wouldnt be as fine, but still.

thanks

 

[swjunkie]

I run a 10g tank with the 20w mini compacts. I keep mushrooms and zoos in it just fine. I use the whisper filter for 5-15g and a maxi jet 600 for water movement. works great I started this tank back in Jan. and I have had no problems with it yet. I do 1-1 1/2g water changes weekly. when I do my water changes I take a turkey baster and blow all the loose debri off of the rocks and gently clean the coral and then use my vacuum to take care of the rest.
best wishes