Tempted. of Joining the Darkside hehe

[James From Cali]

Well I am getting even more tempted to start a nano. I already know the basics of what I need:

Tank(of course)
Eggcrate
Lighting
Heater
Thermometer
2 Powerheads
Hydrometer
Sea Salt
Aragonite or some white sand
Live Rock
(anytrhing else)

But the thing is, is that I would need to buy things seperately and the only kind of lighting close buy is 15 watt flourescent but I would like to keep some sort of corals(possibly Mushrooms).

So would I be able to pull this off with having a few types of mushrooms and maybe a hermit crab and some small fish?

EDIT:
Also I read that you have to feed some mushrooms/corals. Is this true and how do I go about doing this?

 

[SALTY WATERS]

What size of a Nano tank are you planing on?

 

[James From Cali]

Oh Sorry forgot to mention. 10g nano. Im thinking FOWLR

 

[SALTY WATERS]

Here is what you should go price out at your LFS or online to get started:
-Tank & Stand
-Light (I would also invest the extra $10-20 for an auto On/Off timer)
-Powerhead(s)
-Heater(s) (I personally preffer using 2 smaller wattage heaters over 1 higher wattage, the reason is there is less chance of boiling or chilling your tank if one heater goes on the fritz)
-Thermometer
-RO water
-Saltmix (Get the big bucket as it is quite a lot cheaper in the long run... and you will end up using it all anyway)
-SW test Kits (pH, Alkalinity, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite)
-Hydrometer
-Substrate
-LR
-Syphon and bucket (don't forget about your water changes)


For lighting you would be very limited even on mushrooms with that, why not get a 36w, 2x36w, or 65w 24" Coralife compact florecent fixture any of these would work great and allow you to grow a variety of corals.

 

[James From Cali]

Okay. So I would pretty much have an overlapping light? I cant really afford to get the saltwater starter kit so I need to do all this 1 by 1. Would I be able to use the same syphon as the one I use for my FW tanks? I can get most of this at petsmart excpet the LR, RO water, and eggcrate. I have another question lol. Can I use a Hood or is Eggcrate better. I can get a good hood and light for cheap across the street for 30 all together but if I go eggcrate then I will need need $5 for the eggcrate and 30 for the light itself.

 

[kevin4052002]

That hood you can get for $30 is probably just a basic fluorescent strip, 13w or so. On the 10g that I have planned for Christmas for my sister, I am going to use a 20" 96w PC. I'm sure you could find one on eBay for cheap if you looked hard enough. My main point is, that $30 strip isn't going to support the mushrooms even. I would say you need atleast 40w of PC to support them, and that hood will allow for less gas exchange for your water. If you skimp out on some items now, you may end up buying them later anyways, and regret it.


Good Luck.

 

[James From Cali]

Okay. So pretty much get everything including an eggcrate. Kool. Thanks guys

 

[James From Cali]

Okay I plan on doing an open top and I was wondering...what fish dont tend to jump out? I want to know because if I can get some neat little fish that arte interesting but dont jump then Im safe.

 

[kevin4052002]

Then what good would the egg-crate be? I would recommend using it anyways, even if you are going to get fish that "don't" jump.

 

[James From Cali]

Yeah true. I just want to cut down right now cause my finances are low but they will always be and if I dont start now then I dont think I will be able to start. If it were you to spend about $20 a month what would you start buying first.

 

[saltwater4life]

i'd get sand and salt first if i had to then let it cycle and then get some LR

 

[James From Cali]

Okay thanks. How much salt should I get to begin with? And would 20lbs of snad(aragonite) be enough? Also when I get LR do I have to somewhat secure it in the sand bed?

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

uhhh... sand and salt wont cycle anything no matter how long it sits SW4life... and yeah, 20 pounds is good. if you get the LR second you should push it down in the sand so it doesnt tip or anything if something digs under it. i say save and get the huge bucket of salt for sure.

 

[James From Cali]

Okay. So the first thing I will need to pick up is another 10g. Then I'll save for a 20g stand. Then Sand, salt, Lighting, SW test kit, hydrometer, heater, powerheads, thermometer, and then LR.

 

[James From Cali]

Okay so I decided to just go ahead with LR. I did a price check and the lady said its like $5 a lb. Is that a good deal for LR? Also would a regular flourescent light(like 15 watt) be alright for LR?

 

[Mushroomman]

$5 per pound is ok, its a tad more expensive out here. The flourescent would be totally fine for the photosynthetic organisms on the live rock.

 

[aresgod]

what kind of LR is it? is it cured? whether it is a good deal depends on a few things...

 

[James From Cali]

I dont know they just said they sold LR. And it was $5 a lb.

 

[aresgod]

find out if it is fiji, tonga, marshall Island, most likely it is fiji, it is probably your best bet since you get to cherry pick the rock and you dont have a big enough tank to order it from online.

 

[James From Cali]

Will do. Im doing search now and Im going there tomoro after skl. Thanks.