New 10 Gallon, (Recurring Theme)

[OCCFan023]

I know that this has become a recurring theme in this thread about starting a new 10 gallon in the past few days, but I thought Id just make a list of the stuff that I was thinking of buying or already have and see what you guys think of how it will be/work.

I currently have a 10 gallon freshwater that I am contemplating tearing down and starting a small nano FOWLR tank or Live Rock and a few corals. I was thinking of using the following items:

Lighting: http://www.hellolights.com/201xcoaqpcho.html, I want to order this and just use it with the legs and go with a open top tank. Im pretty sure that it was a total of 96 watts and figured this would work well if I want to try my hands at some corals, right?

Filters: I was thining of ordering this package of Live Rock http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1949 as a bioliogical filter. Is just having the live rock with sand (not live sand, play sand) enough filtration, do I need mechanical filtration?

Water Movement: For water movement I plan to use the penguine 170 biowheel that is currently on the 10 now and just take it off take everything out (media, biowheel) everything and just clean it out and pretty much just start it over, and use it as strictly water movement which I think is good 17 gph on the tank is nice. I want to use a small powerhead for additional water movement directly on the tank http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12075&N=2004+22788 so I would probably use this one, since its nice and compact.

Salt: I would just pick up a hydrometer and a bag of salt and setup the sand inside of the tank and mix the sand to the right specifications of salinity then put my live rock in (after recurring it in another tank)

Heater: I have a 25 watt heater in the freshwater tnak now that keeps it at a steady 80 degrees, so I think that it will do for the salt tank.


Ill just keep it at this for now and ask some questions I have after I research some more. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[lordroad]

Hey OCC, it all looks good to me. I basically did what you're planning to do, and things seem to be going smoothly...

 

[1979camaro]

lights: that ought to be more than adequate

filtration: that rock ought to be fine with just some plain sand; something to think about, however, is the cost of shipping on that rock may make it cheaper to be locally (plus you can hand pick your pieces). i would add the rock, get it stable on the bottom glass and stabley arranged, and then add the sand...you dont want a rockslide...you can cure the live rock in your tank since there is nothing in it yet.

water flow: should be fine

heater: should be fine

 

[OCCFan023]

you can cure the live rock in your tank since there is nothing in it yet.

If I did that then wouldnt all the stuff that I wanted off the rock still be in the tank, but my lfs has cured live rock so I think i can set it up as i bring it home with just saltwater in the tank ( so basiclly just setup my tank right now with just heater powerhead and saltwater (to the specification) then come home with the live rock, set it up and then put in the sand.

 

[S.Reef]

With a ten gallon tank you might as well buy the cured stuff.

 

[OCCFan023]

quick question, If I were to get some good powerheads/internal pumps for the 16 (which Ill do either way) would I still need the penguine 170 without its media and biowheel or could I just use the pumps? and the pumps does anyone reccomend anything in particular from a spnge or just wate rpump or brands. Thanks in advance, i just wanna plan on stuff before throwing my hat in the ring of marine fish. thanks!

 

[1979camaro]

you are on the right track with the planning first

if you get a couple bad good powerheads you will not need the HOB. as far as what kind, its kind of up to you. seio makes some really nice ones but its kind of just a matter of you figuring out how you want to arrange your flow and in what strengths

 

[OCCFan023]

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=27205&category_id=3863&pcid1=2181

If i were to buy two of these and put them on opposite sides of the aquarium like facing each other on the width of the glass... this owuld proved enough circulation for a healthy reef tank correct? I am trying to compare prices and whether its smarter to order my light from hellolights.com and then get my powerheads at mf lfs whos prices on powerheads are more, or order my light and powerheads from big als along with hydrometer and salt mix and pretty much everything and I thought id ask about this powerhead. I think it will be cheaper at bigals.

 

[1979camaro]

yah that should be enough flow and those are generally considered to be good powerheads. shipping salt mix is going to be expensive because of weight so its usually cheaper through the LFS

 

[OCCFan023]

yea I was looking at that and saw that it was like 100 gallons or so mix, so i figured Id get the salt at my lfs. Im gonna go compare and crunch numbers and report back soon

 

[1979camaro]

thats the way to do it

 

[OCCFan023]

well either today or tommorow im gonna go to my lfs and start pricing to compare to online retailers, but am also gonna pick up my heater salt and hydrometer so i can get started. If I were to get my salt and 100 watt heater and got my water to the the right salinity could i add the LR? Also I can use my aquasafe that I use on my freshwater tank to dechlorinate my salt tank.

 

[1979camaro]

yes and yes...but you will want to get the powerheads ASAP also

 

[OCCFan023]

my lfs tends to be alot higher in price so i will probably order my powerheads from bigals along with my light, but wont put any lr in the tank until i get the powerheads. I really dont think the powerheads will be cheaper at my lfs, but if they are w00t , but I can just order them online as I said before lol. but I think I will get the heater at the store unless their is a big price difference just so I can get the water warm. Ill post back tommorow (hopefully) with my price findings lol

 

[1979camaro]

powerheads probably will be cheaper online especially if you are ordering something else anyway...the difference of $25 and $30 for the heater probably isn't worth the wait but obviously these are things you must decide for yourself

 

[OCCFan023]

well I went to my lfs store today and got started on things. Well I was looking around and found that the powerheads at the store were 30 bucks for a hagen aquaclear 20 (the smallest they make pretty much) and they were like 33 bucks, and I can get 2 online for like 22 bucks so that solved that problem. I got my hydrometer ( I looked for the deep six one, but I couldnt find it so I just got the Instant Ocean Hydromter, but its probably the same so its all good), got my thermometer, and I was looking at heaters and it was a price difference between the heaters basiclly 100 watt ebo jager online for like 17 bucks but I couldnt resist the visitherm 100 watt heater for like 30 (I feel very bad but just couldnt resist getting it (and dont ask why because I just cant answer it), and i was looking for salt and got a small bag, but as I was checking out I asked about getting a 5 gallon like case that holds water that I figured I can mix salt wate rin and hold in it for water chnages and evaporation and such, and they sell R/O water their either salt or fresh from their show tanks that are pretty much perfect. So I ended up getting 3 of these 5 gallon buckets so I can get water their (1 dollar a gallon, so 10 bucks for two things that will last me a while), I also rented one that was free to start my tank. So now all I have to do is pour the water in and its good to go and set up the heater. I will check it on my hydrometer regardless but Im feeling good. Im contemplating not doing a reef tank because when I went to trop today all the corals they had were like 69 bucks or more. I didnt look to hard but i didnt see any coral under 69 bucks, and I cant afford that so Im rethinking coral, is it just me or is it odd that there is no coral under the price of 69 bucks???

One quick question, the buckets i got have a little black cap in the back it seems for like air to get in without opening the main hole, do i need to open them to let air get into the water when it sits in the tub?

Ill leave it at this for now so I dont overcrowd your reading lol.

 

[1979camaro]

that is odd about the price...usually you can get a really nice piece for that kind of money and for $10-$15 you can get small frags of stuff

definitely check the salinity ont he water you buy just to be safe

i dont know about the bucket because im not understanding the description...got a pic?

 

[OCCFan023]

when i took the black cap in the back off it was like enclosed anyway so Im just gonna let it be (id post pics but i need film for my camera so Ill get that tommorow). Im gonna have to check on the coral situation because I really wanted some like modest ones but not for friggen 69 dollars a pop, but now i gotta go back out their before I order my light because I wont need the 130 watt if im not doing corals... but Ill check it out later, but i dont wanna have to go back out their. I may just call and ask if they have coral under 69 bucks...

Ill use the buckets for water changes, not just adding water form evaportation, ill just add dechlorinated water to the original water level.

Im gonna set up the tank tommorow with the water from the store and put the heater in, and check the salinity. O yea whats the difference between Salinity and Specific Gravity (ive been checking threads for the answer becaus eI know i Saw it but cant seem to find it). When I add the water im gonna do a random water test of ammonia and nitrate and nitrite, just for the heck of it. How do I go about cycling a tank like this with the store water and such. Is it different in salt than fresh? O yea does any reccomend and water tests besides the salinity, specific gravity, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and ph? Like calcium? i saw some calcium addatives that I was thinking about getting becaus eI heard calcium is good for coraline growth, ill post a link on the stuff I saw and get back.

 

[1979camaro]

ask them "how much do you charge per mushroom head" should be bettwen five and ten dollars. another good one would be "I am looking to start off with a few zoanthids, how much do you want for a piece between the size of a quarter and a half dollar" shouldn't be more than $15 or $20

salinity and SG are different ways to measure the same thing (salt in the water) like inches and centemeters both measure distance

as far as cycling i would reccomend just using your LR to start the cycle. if the stuff is fully cured you won't really have a cycle per se because the bacteria will be present so its a matter of waiting a couple weeks just to make sure everything is cool and there isn't going to be die off. if the rock isn't fully cured stuff will die which will create ammonia and get you going

calcium testing is kind of unreliable and not really necessary unless you plan to keep clams or stony corals (which will be a ways down the road) so probably not necessary now...and don't start dosing calcium either, frequent water changes will keep the levels high enough for good coraline growth

 

[OCCFan023]

I didnt get a chance to call my lfs today because of tennis practice, but I will give them a call tommorow and ask about the corals and try not to butcher those words to badly, and have them think im crazy. I will start setting up the tank tommorow when I get my surge protector with all the outlets.

Tommorow after I get the surge protector I will fill the tank with the water I bought, and put the heater in and check the salinity, and then after I talk to my lfs I can get crackin on ordering my powerheads, test kit, and light. I wish I had my outlets now so I could set the first part of things up tonight, but Ill just clean my big tank tonight and wait for tommorow to come so I can get the stuff and make that phone call lol. O yea and film so I can post some pictures along the way.