New NanoReef

[Scubagirl12]

Here's my long awaited saltwater aquarium. I've had it for several months but have been slow to add things due to practicality issues, like moving, and money. I am a college student, so the cheaper the better! (I know I know, not a good rule).

I got the 10g tank, filter, and hood cheap on ebay but the light blew when I turned it on and gave up hassling around trying to get it replaced. It is an Oddyssea, which I guess is some foreign brand. Anyways I added my own two lamps at the top with special natural light bulbs (forgot the exact name). I have a bit of crushed coral substrate and plan on adding a thick layer of sand. I have a few seashells, a cowrie shell, and the skeleton of brain coral and a large sea urchin and I have found while scuba diving.

The only livestock I have bought is a small zoanthid frag and 3 snails. Next I would like to get some pulsating xenias. I have notices tons of pods and at least 6 tiny feather dusters!! I have a large piece of algae that I am going to put into an in-tank refugium.

In the future I want lots of coral, a couple of hermits, a cleaner shrimp, and a firefish and/or percula clown and/or pearly jawfish.

I just tested everything and here's the parameters
pH 8.1
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate <10
Alkalinity 3.25
Salinity 1.022
Temperature 75

Lastly, I realized the two lights are just 14W each! What kinda of bulbs would be better and still fit in those lamps?

I see all the cool tanks have wet dry filters. What's the dry part? I see they costs hundreds of dollars! Can I just build one in the back/side of my tank for much cheaper?

 

[Ziggy953]

WELCOME TO AA!!!!!

As for the lights, If you have to continue using the lamps you have now they do make a CP 20w bulb that will screw into that socket they are 50/50 actinic and daylight which will help your tank out a lot.

Wet Dry filters are not the cats meow IMHO! The dry part is just the water falling through a mass of bioballs that aren't completely submurged. A 10gallon tank isn't going to need all that anyway. You will get your filtration and balance from LR and regular (weekly as your tank gets residents) PWCs. I would recomend removing the CC all together and putting in a sand substrate before you add a lot more to the tank.

When doing a nano reef or any reef for that matter you will want to increase your SG to between 1.023 and 1.025. I keep my reef at 1.024. Also the water temp is a bit low it should be between 78 and 80. I have found that my corals are happiest when I keep the temp at 79.5. Keeping your temp regulated is going to be a challenge as you don't have a lot of water volume. I have a 72g Bow front with my complete system totaling somewhere around 125g (with my sumps and fuge).


HTH!

 

[Innovator]

Just for comparisons, my old 10g had the following: AquaClear 110 turned into refugium ('search' for this):
http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp19169/si1378661/cl0/aquaclear110powerfilter,

a Visitherm 25w heater (in filter): http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsU...9883/cl0/aquariumsystemsvisitherm25wattheater,

and a Coralife Aqualight: http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1323

The filter can be found cheaper through reef clubs, ads, etc.

 

[Scubagirl12]

Ok so here is my plan for the future revamp:

Get 2 Coralife 50/50 lights

Get a PhosPure Pad

Remove crushed coral. What kind of live sand should I buy?

Raise the temp closer to 80 and the SG to around 1.024.

Add an intank fuge out of tupperware with holes cut in the side and a pump from an old filter to circulate water in/out of the fuge and add circulation to the whole tank. Does this sound ok? Can I put the green algae I removed from the tank in it? How should I clean the pump? I was used with turtles in the past and stored away for a while. It needs cleaning.

In two weeks I am moving to my college dorm. That makes a good time to somewhat start over. Do ya'll think I should recycle everything? This will be my first move since it went live. I was planning on taking two buckets, one of mixed saltwater, one with the live rock, and put the zoanthid and snails in a bag and maybe in a cooler to keep them the same temp?

Comments?

 

[Scubagirl12]

Any comments on my future plans stated above?????

 

[Lance M.]

I'm somewhat of a college student (LOL) well not this semester but in the spring I will be again. But anyways I have a ten gallon nano-reef. Here's my set-up:

1. 10 gallon tank (of course)
2. two Whisper 20 powerfilters ~100 gph each (I just had them lying around, removed all media and filled them with lr rubble)
3. one mini-jet 606, rated between 84-160 gph, I have it on high
4. For lighting I have a 32 watt Coralife fixture (I keep low light corals)
5. 25 watt heater.

I have like 20lbs of lr in there with lots of mushrooms, star polyps, kenya tree coral, leather tree coral, one rock anemone, and one torch coral (near the surface of the water doing great). I also have a huge bunch of caulerpa growing in a corner that I have to trim every couple of days. As for livestock I have two tomato clowns (both are under one inch), one yellow watchman goby, one cleaner shrimp, and snails. O yeah and there's a candycane pistol in there, he's literally --- long . The tomatoes host a type of blue mushroom from the carribean that I've been cutting so there are like 9 of the mushrooms now. O there's a rock with some anthelia on it I just put in there from my 20 gallon nano reef.


As to what you asked-

You don't need a Phos-pure pad or anything like that unless you have phosphates in the water.

I would get rid of the crushed coral and get some regular sand at the lfs. You don't have to get live sand. Just get some regular sand and then see if you can get a couple cups of live sand from your lfs to seed it. If you do it this way, make sure when you get the live sand that you find out if the tank it's coming from has ever been medicated with any type of copper medication. If so then don't get the sand from that tank because it could still contain some copper.

I keep both my nano-reefs at ~80 degrees and sg 1.024-1.025

I dont have a fuge on either tank, but I do have caulerpa growing in both of them (and it hasn't gone sexual). If you want a cheap way of having a fuge then just get a hob powerfilter and modify it into a fuge. You will then have to put a light over that too.

The tank looks alright, if I were you I would buy a light fixture just so it looks better and so that those lights dont happe to fall into the tank. Depending on how far you have to travel to ur dorm, you may want to think about getting a battery powered air pump to put in the bucket with the lr.

Wow I typed a lot. O and any reason the water level is low in the tank (looking at the picture)?

 

[Scubagirl12]

Thanks for the help Lance. The water was just low. I have to top it off at least every other day.

The canopy that came with the tank only has a section long enough for a 9" bulb and the only replacements I can find are under 20watts. I have another canopy from a larger aquarium and I could take the fixture from that and set it over the tank, but I'm not sure what kind of lights I would use it in. It has room for two bulbs with the regular screw in ballasts.

But if I stayed with the two lamps I have now, could I use light bulbs such as these? I would use two of each.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=153972-3-29636&lpage=none

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=76958-3-12280&lpage=none

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=44433-3-29392&lpage=none

 

[Lance M.]

Yeah I top off a little over a gallon a day between my 10 and 20 since they are both open top.

My internet is being stupid so I can't look at the links you have, but you want to get 50/50 bulbs or one around 10,000k and one actinic. Like said before they do make 50/50 srew in bulbs that you could use. I think I've seen them before for like $10 each.

Also, you may want to cough up some $ and buy a good fixture for the tank. I got my 24'' 32 watt Coralife fixture at my lfs for like $40 so that isn't that much. Besides, if it were me I wouldn't want those lamps hanging over my tank in case they fall in and shock all my fish and they dont look that good. I would be surprised if your roommate doesn't make fun of it lol! You could also look on ebay and see if they had any cheap fixtures, but don't get jebo or odyessa as there are more negative comments about them then positive.

 

[Scubagirl12]

ya.. the tank/canopy is an oddyssea i got on ebay. i was looking at cheap and figured it would be enough since it said saltwater aquarium. it only holds an 18watt light.. so boy i was wrong.

just a little bit ago I put a light fixture on it that I stole off an old aquarium. it holds two 25watt bulbs and i've read i need a minimum of 40watts so i guess 50 is even better. ive seen the coralife compact 50/50 bulbs. I'm not sure about the wattage usage vs output so should I get two 10watt or 2 20watt bulbs?

 

[Lance M.]

just a little bit ago I put a light fixture on it that I stole off an old aquarium. it holds two 25watt bulbs ...

That should work. You should try and find two 25 watt PC bulbs to screw in there. Another thing I've realized if you do this is that the replacement bulbs (and the first ones you get) are going to be hard to find. But I guess you can get them since you said you saw them. Two 25 watt 50/50's should work.

In fact I can't even find the fixture I have on my tank lol. It's a 20'' 32 watt compact flourescent. I remember now that when I replaced the bulb, I could only find the replacement at one website.

If you don't do the two 25watts you could try and find what I have at a lfs (it should only be like $40) or buy a better one than what you have on the internet.

I'm looking through a catalog right now and the only 20'' compact flourescent fixtures I can find are a 40 watt fixture that would be $65 including shipping, a 80 watt fixture $125 with shipping, and a 96 watt fixture $104 with shipping.

I'm looking at the bulb in my fixture right now and it doesn't cover about 2 and a half inches on ends of the tank so I guess you could get a 24'' 65 watt fixture for $60 with shipping to cover the full length of the tank.

Those are some options that I can think of.