10 gallon nano need some help people! :)

[Justfishing189]

I need all the help I can get people. I have a brand 10g hopefully reef aquarium and i don't even know where to start. I know your probably all mad at me for bing clueless but here's what I've got.

-HOB filter for 30 gallons
-15 pounds cured live rock
-2 inches of live sand
-attiquite reef lighting
-already mixed tank water

I have a freshwater tank right now but that's a whole different ball game I pretty much just need help to know where and what to add and when. I have this video explaining all I need help with below if that helps and also I can post pictures if you all want that. Any help is appreciated, much love!
http://youtu.be/Fy0PNYKp3js

 

[Livewreck]

I'm not sure where to begin. I don't mean to be critical, but it's best to read as much as possible before buying anything. (BTW, while I am new to this forum, I've been in the hobby for over 17 years and so I do have some experience and advice to share with you.)

The good news is that you still have a good solid month to read about marine aquariums before you do much of anything else... and that means before adding anything else to the tank. First, the aquarium needs to undergo a complete nitrogen cycle - similar to that of a freshwater aquarium. In addition, the bio-load in your live rock and live sand needs time to settle in and begin to reach an acceptable level of equilibrium. The key word there is "acceptable." Your reef tank will not reach full equilibrium for many months... maybe even as long as a year.

In the meantime, run your HOB filter but keep the light low for at least a couple of weeks to prevent algae blooms. Buy test kits for saltwater aquariums and monitor ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Keep the pH between 8.0 and 8.4. Change about 1/2 the water volume in the tank at least once every week.

The only other thing I recommend... strongly recommend... is that you do internet searches and read as much as you can while waiting to proceed to the next step in setting up your nano-reef. Don't buy any livestock until you understand how to maintain proper water conditions, lighting requirements, filtration, etc. Read about the different classes and types of corals and their specific requirements and ease or difficulty keeping them in a nano-reef. (And although you will probably ignore this piece of advice), avoid the temptation of adding live stock too soon and refrain from over-stocking your aquarium. Go Slow!

If you try to speed up the process, or take shortcuts with a saltwater aquarium (the way many do with freshwater aquaria), you will run into a lot of problems really quick. If you take your time, you are going to really enjoy this hobby. If you try to jump in blind and proceed quickly, you're in for a big disappointment.

 

[Livewreck]

Forgot to mention that you will need to replace the water that evaporates from the tank. Use either distilled water or RO water for the "top off."

 

[gone fishin]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074

There is a lot of info in the link but it should help. Good luck

 

[AdamNC]

No one's mad at you, we all started somewhere. Just read all the stickys and as much of the forum posts as you can and take your time. Nothing about this hobby is fast.

 

[JordanB8810]

Another piece of advise...

Be aware of how difficult it is to keep a 10g reef aquarium. The short version of this story is the less water you have the harder it is to maintain water parameters. In my experience, nano reefs require DAILY maintenance.

Not telling you not to go through with it, but my advice would be to keep what you have, save some money to buy a larger aquarium (you can find used for very cheap), and take the time to research exactly what you want to keep (livestock) and what they require.