10g nano- HELP ME PICK

[ktomminello]

Running a 10g with 7X filtration needed using media for ammonia and nites and carbon, 6X rating for required air, about 5-6 inches of mixed substrate and a total of about 75lbs live rock and will be adding more, 2 back up heaters preset to 78, actual heater set to 82, 300gph circulator and a good marineland LED light.

I want this nano to have beginner, hearty corals like button, leather and mushrooms- which I'm taking suggestions on, and a clean up crew only- which I also am in need of help with picking out.

With my experience with my green spotted puffer marine tank and the readings from the past 3 days staying stable at 0 ammo, 0 trite, 2 trate, ph 8.3, salinity 1.025, dhK 8, 0 phos, 420ppm calcium, <1400 mag and temperature stays between 80-82F, I think I should be all set to add a clean up crew. I have regular clams thriving from my husband picking on me (borrowed rock from tank to fix an issue with my other saltwater tank) for cycling it to perfection then leaving it totally empty for a little while, even though the filters, air pumps, circulator, etc was all still running. I didn't think that they would survive, I was wrong. Now I have new rock in there and have started aquascaping. I threw half a clam that my puffer didn't finish into the tank to start a mini cycle, but honestly it's barely done a darn thing to my parameters, other than the barely elevated trate, which would be expected in a cycled tank, I think. I don't have a clue, though, I have minimal experience in saltwater and NO reef experience, which is why I don't want anything hard to keep, just some nice color splashes of beginners frags and an amusing brightly colored, hearty and beginner level clean up crew.

I need some advice from a more knowledgeable reef keeper on what you think my best coral and CUC options are and if you think that I am going about this the right way. I plan on introducing CUC first then trying my hand at adding coral a couple weeks later once my tank is adjusted to the clean up crew mini cycle.



Thanks in advance for any information you have to give me, good, bad or ugly, and for any and all suggestions made for the make up of my beginners coral garden!!!!!

 

[blert]

I think you may end up with issues having that amount of sand in a 10g. Make sure to stock up on something to stir all that sand. The research I have done seems to point to that a nano is not a good place for a DSB, if you want one you should make it remote.

75 pounds of rock? Not sure 75 pounds of rock would fit in a 10 gallon. Must be some pretty dense stuff, I hope you didn't pay a premium for it.

I'm pretty new at salt so take my info with a grain of salt (haha) and your own research.

 

[ktomminello]

The rock is VERY dense, but it's also many different pieces chipped off and reshaped, along with many random pieces of live rock with hitchhikers from my puffer FOWLR. No, luckily I didn't pay by the pound, I paid by the pieces- small $1/ piece (about the size of a dollar bill), medium $5/ piece (size of a flashlight), large- $10 whole (size of a large bowling ball) or $20 broken up how you want it. He gets it dead and cultures it himself on a large scale.
I stir by section every week, started using pvc pipe this weekend with much success. I'm hoping that I'll be able to sustain sifting stars, sea mouse and other sand churning inverts, just asking about opinions and options.