Think I'm going to set up a 10 gallon SW

[Toam]

Well, I'm going to be setting up a 10 gallon saltwater, think I finally have enough fishy experiences to do such.

I am going to be taking my time setting this up, so I need some help, I'd like to do some coral's, a clown fish, and of course turbo snails. What kind of lighting and filtration should I use? I'm looking for something reasonably easy to maintain(though I don't mind frequent water changes) because with 3 little girls running around I want to be careful.

Any tips be much appreciated...

 

[GlaringToast]

As far as lighting, I would something like a small t5 setup, 40+ watts. Or if you could get your hands on a clip on viper, I have a 70watt viper that I used on my 12 gallon aquapod and that light was amazing on that tank. Plus 7 watts per gallon is enough to grow anything really. Filtration on the other hand can be a pain on the smaller tanks. 20 Lbs of live rock would be good or more, a nice sand bed, maybe a canister filter (cleaned often). Will it just be a standard 10 gallon tank?

 

[Toam]

I was thinking so, yea. standard 10 gallon.

for filtration, I was thinking of 2 HOB's, or even two of those whisper one's that wal-mart carries?

 

[quaddity]

I was thinking so, yea. standard 10 gallon.

for filtration, I was thinking of 2 HOB's, or even two of those whisper one's that wal-mart carries?

Forget the HOBs put live rock in there with a couple powerheads.

 

[GlaringToast]

I've done so before, and actually am currently running a tank that has HOBs as the only form of filtration other than biological. The main thing about this is you need to stay on top of changing out the media. I run only filter fiber in the them and it needs to be changed every couple days, but I ALWAYS find myself putting it off. Even though it's the easiest thing in the world.

 

[DarthPadre]

Definitely Powerheads and LR - No question. For lighting I'm under the school of thought that you should spend your most money here, especially if you're getting coral. Speaking of coral, turbo snails will knock them over, which sucks because they are such great cleaners. Astera Snails, Nerite Snails and Margarita Snails are much better with coral.

And check the nano forum, as your tank is just that. More specific information for you.

 

[TRe]

alright where to start... ok for one skip the HOB filters, canisters and all that crap, forget about them not nessacery in SW.... just get 1-2 lbs per gallon of live rock, a good powerhead or 2, and some sand (not crushed coral) and thats it as far as filtration... when you get into larger tanks youll want a protien skimmer aswell but u dont need one on a smaller tank.... my advice is to go with a 20g instead of the 10g reason being for one double the water volume which is a good thing! means itll be a little more forgiving asfar as top offs n all that good stuff and way easier to keep stable params for the corals and the foot print isnt that much bigger so that shouldnt really be an issue + ther pretty cheap! the lighting part all depends on what type of corals you plan to keep

 

[zoalover34]

Just thought I would add that the tank is to small for a clown

 

[BalaShark]

Well, I'm going to be setting up a 10 gallon saltwater, think I finally have enough fishy experiences to do such.

I am going to be taking my time setting this up, so I need some help, I'd like to do some coral's, a clown fish, and of course turbo snails.

Follow this link Clownfish for Sale: Clownfish Species for the Home Aquarium and you'll see that most clowns require at least 20g tanks, other need 30g's

 

[TRe]

you can defintly put one clown in a 10g, a true/false perc that is

 

[Toam]

Hmmm, I just might go with the 20 gallon than, I was originally planning on trying to do 2lbs of live rock per gallon, and 20 pounds was a lil more affordable, but like I said, I'll be taking my time on getting this tank set up. for filtration, all I need is a powerhead? that's pretty cool, cuz I have a few of those laying around somewhere...

 

[Toam]

Definitely Powerheads and LR - No question. For lighting I'm under the school of thought that you should spend your most money here, especially if you're getting coral. Speaking of coral, turbo snails will knock them over, which sucks because they are such great cleaners. Astera Snails, Nerite Snails and Margarita Snails are much better with coral.

And check the nano forum, as your tank is just that. More specific information for you.

I've read the nano forum darth, was looking more for friends advice on here though.

 

[Lotus]

A 10g or 20g saltwater tank doesn't need to be very complicated. As others said, live rock and a powerhead is really all you need. A weekly water change of 5 to 10 percent will be fine.

The size is mostly going to depend on the fish you want. Saltwater stocking is much, much lower than freshwater. More like 1" per 10 gallons than an inch per gallon (and yes, it's still a bad rule). If you want a clown, go for a 20g tank. If you want a tiny fish or two (1 inch or less adult size), then a 10g will work.

Clownfish are a lot of fun. Your kids will probably enjoy them. Be aware that there are several species, and only the percula and ocellaris are really suitable for smaller tanks. The others get much bigger.

Corals and lighting start getting complicated. Do some research on types of corals, then figure out what you want. That will dictate your lighting.

 

[quaddity]

Hmmm, I just might go with the 20 gallon than, I was originally planning on trying to do 2lbs of live rock per gallon, and 20 pounds was a lil more affordable, but like I said, I'll be taking my time on getting this tank set up. for filtration, all I need is a powerhead? that's pretty cool, cuz I have a few of those laying around somewhere...

Flow is your friend in a reef tank. The live rock will do all the filtration needed for the tank. I would definitely go for a 20 over a 10. You'll wish you did for space after you get the 10 running.

I don't know what Craigslist is like for tanks in your area but there's also frequently people in my area selling all in one cubes, Aquapods, etc. that are running for not too much money. For instance there's a 12 gallon nano cube on there running with live rock, corals, and a fish for $150 right now.

 

[Toam]

The main coral I was thinking was more an anenome(did i spell that right?) to go with the clown, I'd like the possibility of 2 clowns, would that work in a 20?
2 percula clowns, some snails for clean up, and maybe a shrimp of some sort? or would that be overstocking? I'll probably go with 30 lbs of live rock, and 40 if I can afford it...

how many wpg do I need with a anenome?

 

[Lorna]

Well anemones are pretty much out at least not for a long while as they depend on really stable water conditions which is pretty hard to maintain in a 10g as any changes are magnified due to the small water volume. Even a 20g is hard and most anemones such as bubble tips and lta's get to be about 12" in diameter and are too big for a small tank such as a 10 or even a 20. The smaller condylactis are not suitable hosts for fish as they eat most fish and the percula and ocellaris natural host anemone is a carpet which is definitely a fish eater and gets huge....so.....either rethink the tank size or better yet, wait for a while on the anemone until you are more experienced and have a larger tank.......

 

[quaddity]

The main coral I was thinking was more an anenome(did i spell that right?) to go with the clown, I'd like the possibility of 2 clowns, would that work in a 20?
2 percula clowns, some snails for clean up, and maybe a shrimp of some sort? or would that be overstocking? I'll probably go with 30 lbs of live rock, and 40 if I can afford it...

how many wpg do I need with a anenome?

You need a lot of light and a mature tank for most of them. Atlantic anemone's like condylactus are easier but clown fish don't host in them naturally though I did have one that hosted in one before. There's no guarantee that the clowns will host in any anemone either. They may not host on anything or pick a powerhead or something too.

If you want something that looks like an anemone but isn't a torch coral is good and hardy.

A pair of true or false percs in a 20 gallon should be fine. I had a pair with a coral banded shrimp in a 12 gallon aquapod for about 6 months before I moved everything into my 90 gallon reef. Clowns are still doing well.

 

[tom91970]

Bigger is better. I have 10g nano that has been set up for about 9 months and I'm already wanting to upgrade to a 29g.

I'd let your tank get well established before you start with the corals.

 

[Toam]

I was planning on running the tank at least a month with just the substrate and live rock before i even would be introducing snails... So for this setup I will have patience.

Back to lighting though, With cat's in the house, I want the top enclosed, is there strong lighting I can get that could be enclosed over the top?

Any suggestions on lighting?

 

[Toam]

hmmmm, still no reply....

*bump*

(whistles innocently)

and on the lighting, I'm not asking intensity, just what would fit in a hood