Setting up a 10 gallon saltwater tank

[dandaman]

I know people say to go bigger, but i wish to try it out before getting too much into the saltwater idea.

Just wondering hat i would need for:

lighting
filter
heater
substrate
rocks
fish
salt
conditioner
food
ect....

Any suggestions appreciated.
dan

[DARKPHREAK]

lighting... NO's will keep basic corals... mushrooms and such
filter... no need for a filter
heater... 50watt
substrate... CaribSea Aragonite
rocks... 10+ pounds of GOOD liverock
fish... 1-2 very small fish and a cleanup crew
salt... IO is good but there are others
conditioner... RO/DI or as good quality as you can get(I'll give you 10g free)
food... depends on the type of fish


water changes... once a week if you dont have a skimmer
flow... a few small powerheads will do

add rock and wait for cycle... can take days/weeks/months if rock quality isnt good(read BA's rock)

[dandaman]

Ok, thanks for the info so far now for the questions:
1) NO's, what are they? is it short form for something?
2)no filter, why is that>
3)any heater is fine?

[DARKPHREAK]

NO's Normal Output... lights that come in the canopy

no filter because LIVE ROCK is the filter

any heater for a 10g will be fine... need to keep temp around 78-80

[dandaman]

can a normal input be a marineglo tube?
and how many powerheads at wat size, does it matter what type?
dan

[DARKPHREAK]

Yeah that will do. I had an 29g Eclipse tank with 2 bulbs in the hood and I used 1 marine glow and 1 50/50. Remember with this lighting, you can only keep basic corals.

[dandaman]

ok, but how do i know which corals are basic and which are not?
and like i said do you think that one aquaclear 35 powerhead would do for the tank?

[DARKPHREAK]

Aquaclear 35 should be fine maybe add another one to get flow around the rocks.

easy corals would be something like this, corals that dont need alot of light and/or flow

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=714

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=2315

[dandaman]

thanks for the info~!
which type of fish do you think i could put in the tank?

[Julie]

You need something to measure the specific gravity of the water.
I purchased a refractometer and it works like a charm.

[DARKPHREAK]

1 or 2 small(check max size) fish from this list would be ok. I'd suggest a goby or firefish if the tank is sealed good(fishfish are jumpers)

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=2124

Remember that fish crap alot and you need a way to export(skimmer or water changes) that waste so it wont pollute the water. I maintain less then 5 ppm of Nitrate in my system(lower the better)

[dandaman]

wow that sounds a little complicated....
not sure... will have to think about it.
Thanks for the info though,.

[DARKPHREAK]

Nothing complicated at all. Alot of people maintain small tanks. If your ever near Carling Ave stop in at MarineScape and ask some questions. Or drop over to AC and read

http://aquariacanada.com/index.php

[93GTCANADA]

hi i used to have a 10 g but upgraded a while ago. click in my signature to see old pics of my tank. all my equipement is in my signature also.

[Seanc]

DARKPHREAK and 93GTCANADA, you guys have amasing looking tanks. salt tanks are so colorful, and bright.

[chloe2049]

this is a great subject as i thought of trying a saltwater set up and like you starting with a small one but by everyones information from before and now i find that it does sound complicated and if not,lots of work and not to mention money

if it would work great for me and i decided to go big,one fish that is very interesting for me and that i would like to own is a porcupine puffer fish,they have one at BA's and he is the cutest saltwater fish ,very interesting but do get very big from what i have read and also not for starters

i would like to try saltwater but lots of money wasted if it does work out,so we'll see,still need to do lots of research before deciding

thank you

[dannypd]

DARKPHREAK and 93GTCANADA, you guys have amasing looking tanks. salt tanks are so colorful, and bright.

..and expensive, cuz you'll be so tempted to go 100 gallon within months!!

[ToX]

Bah, I just jump right in with a 75G lol

[jimskoi]

IMO if you are serious about setting up a SW tank.Go as bgi as you think you can afford.Everyone starts out small ans then decide to go better.Costs more in the long run.
Its not as hard as you thhink.Just different.

jim