Hi guys,
I used to have a large saltwater tank, and was on these forums a lot, but time/money meant I had to sadly give up the hobby.
But, I now fancy a new project, and I'd love to try and tackle a nice 10g nano tank.
I've been looking at the Arcadia Arc tank, complete with internal power filter, 11w luminaire, 100w heater, powerhead (if really needed) etc.:-
I'll be putting some live (bagged) sand into here, along with a good portion of live rock. There'll be some invertebrates in it (1 shrimp and a few snails/crabs), and 2 small/suitable fish. I'd also love some simple corals that I don't have to do much work with, if anyone can suggest some.
Basically, I'm ashamed to say I've forgotten almost everything I knew before about cycling/water chemistry (salinity, temp, pH etc.) etc. I'm sure it'll all come flooding back though!
Could you guys give me some help? I'd like to know what the best way of cycling this tank would be (not with fish!!), what I should be aiming for in the water chemistry, when it's ok to add my first fish/liverock/invertebrates, and what maintanence I should be doing on the tank when it's up. How often should I do waterchanges (I'm thinking 20% every week or every other week), change/clean the filter media, and what do I do with the new saltwater I make before it's good for the tank - I used to have a RO unit, but I sold it, and to be honest it took ages to filter the water. As this tank will be a lot smaller than my old one, a 20% waterchange is no big deal, and should be quick/easy. Do I just need some dechlorinator put into the water before I add the salt, how long does the salt need to be mixed for with a powerhead before it's put into the tank, etc.
Any help on starting up my 10g Nano would be appreciated!
Thanks
I used to have a large saltwater tank, and was on these forums a lot, but time/money meant I had to sadly give up the hobby.
But, I now fancy a new project, and I'd love to try and tackle a nice 10g nano tank.
I've been looking at the Arcadia Arc tank, complete with internal power filter, 11w luminaire, 100w heater, powerhead (if really needed) etc.:-
I'll be putting some live (bagged) sand into here, along with a good portion of live rock. There'll be some invertebrates in it (1 shrimp and a few snails/crabs), and 2 small/suitable fish. I'd also love some simple corals that I don't have to do much work with, if anyone can suggest some.
Basically, I'm ashamed to say I've forgotten almost everything I knew before about cycling/water chemistry (salinity, temp, pH etc.) etc. I'm sure it'll all come flooding back though!
Could you guys give me some help? I'd like to know what the best way of cycling this tank would be (not with fish!!), what I should be aiming for in the water chemistry, when it's ok to add my first fish/liverock/invertebrates, and what maintanence I should be doing on the tank when it's up. How often should I do waterchanges (I'm thinking 20% every week or every other week), change/clean the filter media, and what do I do with the new saltwater I make before it's good for the tank - I used to have a RO unit, but I sold it, and to be honest it took ages to filter the water. As this tank will be a lot smaller than my old one, a 20% waterchange is no big deal, and should be quick/easy. Do I just need some dechlorinator put into the water before I add the salt, how long does the salt need to be mixed for with a powerhead before it's put into the tank, etc.
Any help on starting up my 10g Nano would be appreciated!
Thanks