Returning to the hobby - 10g Nano

[victor.m]

Hey all,

So I'm not your typical newbie as I was in this hobbie for quite a bit until a couple of years ago. I have recently decided to come back but with a 10g nano reef to keep the costs down.

My goal is to stock it with 1 small, very colorful fish (not sure yet..), and have a very nice combination of coral colonies. I want the centerpiece of the tank to be the corals and for my fishy companion to have a beautiful aquascape to live in and a nice crew of invert buddies.

With that being said, I'd like to be able to successfully grow ANY kind of coral.

Right now my setup consists of:

- A basic glass 10g aquarium
- Some generic small HOB filter I had lying around
- A Koralia 3 PH
- A small JBJ pump I used to use to mix saltwater for my bigger tanks, maybe for a bit more flow?
- A 30" Coralife 130w PC (2x65w 50/50 bulbs)
- A pretty nice big heater.

So what obviously stands out is the fact that I am using a fairly weak, way too big lighting fixture.

My first question.... what kind of lighting fixture would I be looking at so I can grow ANY kind of coral? What if I only wanted to grow mostly soft/LPS? I'd rather stay way from Metal Halides if possible, what are good options with LEDs? I'd prefer to keep my budget ~$250 for lighting on a tank of this size.

Secondly, what is the best sea salt and hydrometer you guys use to keep your salinity perfect? I had pretty crappy experiences with the instant ocean hydrometer.

Anything else I'm missing? I've been out of the game for a while.. I already have a few lbs of live rock in there starting my cycle, and my test kit ready to rock, so I probably have a few weeks now.

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[joy13]

Get a refractometer I know it is more than a hydrometer but you can get one cheap off ebay.

I don't know any good cheap LED's but you might consider a fishneedit MH fish need it;lights; food;Sponge

 

[victor.m]

Thanks for the advice. I'm looking at the lighting options on fishneedit, any reccomendationsn in particular?

 

[joy13]

My friend has a 70w MH over his 12 gallon cube and all his coral is doing wonderfully. He has a fan that runs when it is on since they don't have a built in fan. You could also use t5 lights. One thing about their bulbs they aren't the best color.

LEDs are so expensive but this is one site you might want to check out CRE Loaded 6 - CRE Loaded Ecommerce the par 38. You can contact them and explain what you are wanting so they can make recommendations.

 

[victor.m]

Thanks for the link, I am definitely looking into LEDs. I also found this fixture on Craigslist as a great deal:

24" Current USA Outer Orbit 1x250W 10,000K HQI-MH w/ 4x24W T5 HO & 12 Lunar Lights* - AquaCave

Any input?

Also..I currently have a Koralia 3 in my tank, but the flow seems to be disrupting the sand bed and creating very "milky" water. Is this PH just too powerful or does anyone have any tips on how to point it to make sure the sandbed isn't getting blown up?

- Vic

 

[joy13]

It sounds like you have to much flow you might want to try to use 2 or even 1 depending on what size they are.

I have never used that light if you go with MH you might want use a fan when the light is on to cool down your tank they do put out a lot of heat.

 

[carey]

I would knock that powerhead down a notch, I think it may be too much for the 10g.

I like the outer orbit light, but isn't the tank length only 20inches? are you planning on having overhang?

There's so few options as far lighting for such a small tank. :-( ran into this issue with my pico tank and now with my 20g build.

I ended up running par 38 bulbs at first with the 20g but now I use a JBJ clip on 150 watt Halide. seems to be doing ok, it's been about a month or so and my corals seem to be doing well.