10 gallon Nano reef build

[tonykahrs]

Hey fellow fish keepers! I'm new to the saltwater tank stuff, and decided to start with a 10 gallon nano reef. I know your supposed to start with a big tank first but I'm on a budget, and I'll make up for it with patience and weekly matainace.

I have a 10 gallon glass tank with a cheap 20 gallon filter from Wal-Mart and a 50W aqueon heater. I have the smallest powerhead they had at petco, and 2 LED strip lights on a flat hood.

Now that I've gotten the equipment out of the way, here's what's in it....

About 4LBs of LR and 10LBs of LS and been cycled for about 1 1/2 weeks. The sand has dusted up the water, so as soon as it settles down I'll test the water before growing algae. Here's the pic of the tank.

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[twitchy]

Looks good, I would look into making a DIY auto top off for a tank that small. It's a cheap project that will make a big difference in the stability of your system.

Are you going to put a filter or anything on it for media? And any stocking plans yet?

Welcome to the hobby

 

[tonykahrs]

Thank you! I have no idea what a auto top off is, but I'll look into it. And the filter is just a standard pack filter. Should I use media instead? And I would like to have 2 clowns, and an anemone for sure. Anything else that I need would fall into place.

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[twitchy]

An auto top off is basically a float switch that you mount at the waterline and trips as water evaporates, to turn on a pump to replenish the freshwater lost. Its helps stabilize your tank because as water evaporates your salinity will increase.

I'm not sure what you mean about basic pack filter, if it's one that takes those cartridges, it'll work, but will get expensive quick, most people get a refillable media bag and refil the carbon themselves.

Media is not a specific item, it's just a general term for anything you can use for filtration (GFO, carbon, filter floss, purigen etc)

I've never kept an anemone, but I know that it will be a struggle in a 10gal, most of them grow to be pretty large and require a mature, stable tank with excellent water quality and good lighting. Be patient and do your research, I'm sure someone who knows more will chime in. Not to discourage you, just want you to know what you're getting into before you come home with one

 

[Chriss614]

The only issue I see with an anemone is that your light probably isn't strong enough. Anemones require similar lighting to coral and of those are just the basic LED strips that come with those tank starter kits then they are not strong enough. For anemone and coral I would look into a Chinese black box or DIY lighting.

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[tonykahrs]

Ok. So what kind of lighting setup should I look for to keep those corals and anemone?

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[ReefWreak]

You will have a very difficult time trying to keep an anemone and two clowns in a 10 gallon tank as a novice hobbyist. I would recommend getting a significantly larger tank, and spending more time learning the hobby before committing to caring for those organisms which take a pretty significant amount of experience and effort to keep healthy.

I would recommend some beginner corals first, and a few months of learning before committing to an anemone.

 

[tonykahrs]

I also plan to upgrade in the future, this is just like a....start tank. To learn and test the waters.

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[tonykahrs]

So what kind of corals and or fish that a beginner could keep in my tank?

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[twitchy]

So what kind of corals and or fish that a beginner could keep in my tank?

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Some examples beginner corals:
Xenia (careful, can takeover tank)
Green star polyps (same)
Mushrooms
Kenya tree other leathers
Some zoas (they range in difficulty from nuisance coral to challenging depending on type IMO)

With your current lighting I'd say start with mushrooms, you'll probably have to upgrade to keep anything else.

 

[tonykahrs]

Thanks for all the help. I've done a lot of research into getting it started, haven't moved into coral yet.

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[Troublekitty]

Thanks for all the help. I've done a lot of research into getting it started, haven't moved into coral yet.

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I set up my tank May 6th. My diatoms aren't spreading anymore so I'll be adding my crabs and snails this weekend. I'm ready to have some life in my tank. My advice. Take your time. Also look into the Fluval c2 or c3 filter. I have a c4 which is overkill but that was my fault. I'm not running carbon but I filled both media racks with ceramics for more bio filtration. Oh and buy a refractometer.

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[Troublekitty]

Thanks for all the help. I've done a lot of research into getting it started, haven't moved into coral yet.

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[barnaby416]

My first tank was 10 gal and I had two clowns, a damsel, 3 lps, and a clam, plus some invert including a pistol shrimp. They are all in my 60 gal tank right now, so yes it can be done, but you do need good light and maintain your water parameters stable.

 

[twitchy]

x2 on the refractometer, a cheap one can be had on Amazon for ~20 and mines lasted me for years

 

[Frank H]

Alright, a true budget build. Keep us informed on how its doing.

 

[tonykahrs]

Hello hello! Quick update, the tank is still cycling. Now, since this is a true to the bone budget build, I decided to keep the small amount of live rock in the tank, and wait a bit longer for the cycle. I have not tested the water, but algae is growing so I'm considering a snail to clean it up. Let me know what yah think.

In other news, my landlord gave the "" to my idea of building a koi pond. So that's a whole new ball game while the tank is cycled. If you want updates on that build. "On a budget of course" then let me know, or I'll just stick with the reef tank.

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[sde1500]

Don't add the snails til you know the tank is cycled.

 

[tonykahrs]

I'm trying to avoid spending 20+ on test kits for the water, do I have to cave in, or is there another way to be sure?

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[tonykahrs]

Also, would more live rock be necessary? I've only got about 4lbs, and they recommend about 10lbs. What do you think?

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