10g saltwater

[Gboy66]

Only thing is, i wanted to just make a sw as cheap as possible, bec i have the tank and filters and stuff

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

aparantly, summing it up:
- clean out filter and cycle with new pads, poss adding a refugium
- add a powerhead
- change sand
- if corals wanted, get new light
- add LR and a shrimp to cycle
- add fish
- do pwc with ro/do water

am i missing anything? x

 

[Gboy66]

aparantly, summing it up:
- clean out filter and cycle with new pads, poss adding a refugium
- add a powerhead
- change sand
- if corals wanted, get new light
- add LR and a shrimp to cycle
- add fish
- do pwc with ro/do water

am i missing anything? x

What abt the stuff you need to buy? Refrotcactor (sp?)
Salt mix
Test kit
Also, add alot more base rock then live rock.

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

yes i agree about the base rock.
no idea about the other 3, im asking dad tomorrow xx

 

[Gboy66]

Dad? Its going to be tough to find a light for yoir 10g. And can you tell me how to mix the water? Like do you have to let it sit?

 

[carey]

I let my salt mix sit overnight to make sure its dissolved.

This is the cheapest t5 you can find in a 20" size.

It's not the best fixture in the world but it's ok. I had a 30" model over my 29g for awhile and I kept alot of corals.

20" T5 HO Aquarium Light Hood Saltwater Reef Cichlid 72W LED 18W Lamps Odyssea | eBay

 

[Gboy66]

Woah thats a great deal!! Can you only grow softies?

 

[carey]

I actually had candycanes, a hammer and 2 SPS corals under mine. I did however have the birdsnest and other SPS high up in the tank. I had pretty good growth in the few months that I used the fixture.

It's not the highest quality light, you can tell it's cheap by how it feels but it gets the job done in my opinion. I also knew I was going to upgrade tanks so I didn't ewant to go all out when i was just gonna sell the setup anyway.

But yeah, if budget is a big concern then I would recommend them.

 

[Gboy66]

Wow ya. Im definatly goinf to start out as a fowlr (if i decide to do this) and then eventually go corals. The only way i could ever upgrade is if i took down and converted my 40, which i just got going haha, so my 10g salt would be permanent. Thanks alot for that site, i had just given up on a reef but hey, maybe someday. Anyways, do you think two aqueon 10g filters on my 10 would be enough filtration?

 

[carey]

Yep, two filters should be good. One larger one would be better and easier though. lol Amazon has aquaclear 30's for like $20.

 

[Gboy66]

Yep, two filters should be good. One larger one would be better and easier though. lol Amazon has aquaclear 30's for like $20.

That would be nice.. Ill look into that. Carey your the queen of good deals haha! For water changes, since id do them every sunday, should i buy the ro/di water saturday, mix it, and let it sit overnight?

 

[carey]

Yup, sounds about right. I also put a powerhead into the garbage can I use to help it mix. I don't need a heater since I live in florida but you want the temperature to match the main tank. You also should keep 5g or so as a backup for top offs due to evaporation and in case of emergency.

I am the queen of good deals, I've set up so many tanks I've seen all the prices and specs. LOL

 

[Gboy66]

Yup, sounds about right. I also put a powerhead into the garbage can I use to help it mix. I don't need a heater since I live in florida but you want the temperature to match the main tank. You also should keep 5g or so as a backup for top offs due to evaporation and in case of emergency.

I am the queen of good deals, I've set up so many tanks I've seen all the prices and specs. LOL

Ok so i should buy another powerhead? Shoul i use my strong one for the mixing and buy a weaker one for the tank? And good deals on a powerhead? Hahah

 

[carey]

I would use the better one for the tank and get a cheap one like this for the mixing

topdogsellers | eBay

 

[Gboy66]

I would use the better one for the tank and get a cheap one like this for the mixing

topdogsellers | eBay

Ya maybe just the 10$ 250gph one. I have two heaters so thats good. Im not sure if ill be able to afford the refrotractor (sp?) if i get the powerhead and other things...are there any cheaper, but pretty accurate salinity testers?

 

[carey]

actually, no, $30 is the best I've found the refractometer for. It's either the swing arm for like $10-$15 or the refractometer. If you have to wait another week or two then I would cause salinity is very important especially in a small tank. You can have some severe swings which isnt good at all for the livestock.

 

[Gboy66]

Ya thats true. Ill have to go over budget but if its that important, then no problem

 

[carey]

In sw theres just some things you cant skimp on. water parameters are one of those things. lol Cool thing is you dfont have to dunk your hand in the water like you have to do with the swing arm, refractometer uses a dropper to put water on the lens and then you just look at a light to see the salinity. Theres really no guess work involved.

 

[Gboy66]

In sw theres just some things you cant skimp on. water parameters are one of those things. lol Cool thing is you dfont have to dunk your hand in the water like you have to do with the swing arm, refractometer uses a dropper to put water on the lens and then you just look at a light to see the salinity. Theres really no guess work involved.

That does sound nice! And, when transporting live rock, does it have to be in water?

 

[davePM]

That does sound nice! And, when transporting live rock, does it have to be in water?

The less time it is out of the water, the better. But you won't kill it by transporting it without water , as long as your not 6 hours drove from your nearest LFS