New nano setup...

[Chucky]

Well, after seeing a 5.5 gallon "Waterhome" work for months on end at the aquarium where I work, I have decided, after 20 yrs of freshwater, to give salt a go.

I will try out a nano setup, 10gal, with 10lbs live rock, 10 lbs crushed coral (I could put in all 14.5 lbs.), and an aquaclear mini. Lighting is one 15" (& 14Watts) 'PowerGlo'.

How many experienced members out there are groaning now?

I would like to know:

#1 - Do I really need a protein skimmer?

#2 - Should I put in the carbon cartridge in the aquaclear? It seems to me that the carbon will suck up all the beneficial chemicals that are in the "Instant Ocean" mix?? (I was planning on Amrid insert between 2 foams.)

#3 - Will a bag of water from the store be enough to jump-start my bacterial colonies?

#4 - How long after seeding the tank with store water before I add my live rock, and then how long after for my 1st red hermit?

Any other advice aside from "DON'T DO IT MAN!"
??

 

[Juck]

Nothing wrong with this setup at all!

1. No, regular small water changes will do just fine on a 10g.

2. Carbon is a personal choice thing,,, I like to use it in my tanks but I think it is more effective in smaller setups that have no skimmer.

3 & 4. Water from an established tank is a good thing (assuming the water does not contain any medications, copper etc). If your LR is fully cured then get it in there on day one and wait for the initial cycle to complete. Pop your first hermit in when the A,N,N levels have dropped to safe levels. Remember that glass cleaning is usually more frequent with a saltwater tank so leave enough space between the rock and the glass for your hand or magnetic cleaner. I still get this wrong and it drives me mad.

If it were me,,, I'd ditch the CC and go with aragonite sand. CC has a reputation as a detritus trap and Aragonite sand looks nicer (I think) and has a greater surface area for all that lovely bacteria to live.

14 watts of flurescent lighting over a 10g is going to limit the type of corals you can keep,, if you can stump up a little extra cash,, try for a bit more wattage. Assuming you have a standard 20" long 10g tank,, look at the Coralife Aqualite,, they make 28w and 96w 20" Power Compact fixtures that are pretty cheap (less than $90 for the 96w).


The aquaclear will not provide adequate water movement around your LR,,, a small powerhead (I like Maxijets) in the tank would probably be a good idea.

Good luck,, post pics in the Nano forum when it's set up.

 

[Chucky]

Thanx for the advice...

I'll be sure to do a weekly 10% change.

Any problems with Brita filtered water as a base for my salt mix?

 

[ChrisRD]

The Brita filter won't do much in the way of purifying the water for use in your reef. Most of us use an RO or RO/DI unit as it's usually the most convenient way of getting water of known purity on a regular basis.

With a small tank like that you could probably just try to find a local source of RO or distilled water. Another option would be to get one of those cheap countertop DI units that hook to your faucet.

A TDS meter is helpful to insure that the water you're getting is pure. I'd be even more interested in checking the water with a meter if I was getting it from somewhere other than my own RO unit.

HTH

 

[SnowManSnow]

Planning on corals? the 14w will be a bit slim IMO. 3w/g is minimum... I know people that have 7 or 8 w/g .

Just a thought.
B>

 

[SnowManSnow]

OH.. and for the RO water.. check you local grocery stores and walmarts... I buy mine at 33cents/gallon.. untill I can afford a filtration system.

B.

 

[Chucky]

Thanx everyone!

(This snowmansnow guy looks kinda young to be keeping marine...)