first saltwater aquarium, weird 15g setup, many questions

[skipper03]

i think i just decided on the corals i want! nepthea and some kind of photosynthetic gorgonian (purple lace?).
according to a review, one of the lights i can afford (a hygger one : P) seems to put out about 100 PAR, "in most areas of [their 20 gallon] tank" and from my research these corals will do fine under that level of light. colt coral and sinularia might be able to as well, but the information i found on them was confusing and they aren't very appealing to me anyway.

speaking of being able to afford things... woah
i spent the evening searching for the most affordable supplies available online, including: test kits, salt, dry rock, sand, powerhead (lil guy, 211 gph), rock cement, coral elements, ammonia for cycling, live rock, and that light. it comes out to $405. that is. more than i can buy next month lol. if i skip out on the coral-specific stuff for now (trace elements, some of the test kits, the light) it comes down to $295, which i might actually be able to afford. makes sense anyway bc i won't be adding any corals until the tank is fully cycled.

 

[griss]

You don’t need the rock cement, just stack the rock. If you use live rock, you don’t need ammonia for cycling.

You won’t need the trace elements until after the cycle and you’ve added corals.

Nothing good happens fast in this hobby. Go slow, take your time and be patient.

This hobby is also relatively expensive.

On the light, which specific Hygger light are you looking at? You might be able to get away with less since you’re only wanting lower light corals.

 

[skipper03]

You don’t need the rock cement, just stack the rock. If you use live rock, you don’t need ammonia for cycling.

You won’t need the trace elements until after the cycle and you’ve added corals.

Nothing good happens fast in this hobby. Go slow, take your time and be patient.

This hobby is also relatively expensive.

On the light, which specific Hygger light are you looking at? You might be able to get away with less since you’re only wanting lower light corals.

i'm nervous about just stacking the rock bc what if it fall down smash tank aaaaaa but i'll take ur word for it
yeah i guess dosing ammonia would also mean hurting any sponges and stuff on the live rock, huh?

the light i found is this one, which is pretty cheap. i can go higher than this price, but i chose it bc someone measured the PAR and i don't know how to figure that out for myself : P

i'd actually want to get some higher light corals when i can afford a stronger light (what if the 10g and 5g had different light levels, so i could have a higher light in one without having to acclimate the corals from the lower light... woah)

 

[griss]

i'm nervous about just stacking the rock bc what if it fall down smash tank aaaaaa but i'll take ur word for it
yeah i guess dosing ammonia would also mean hurting any sponges and stuff on the live rock, huh?

the light i found is this one, which is pretty cheap. i can go higher than this price, but i chose it bc someone measured the PAR and i don't know how to figure that out for myself : P

i'd actually want to get some higher light corals when i can afford a stronger light (what if the 10g and 5g had different light levels, so i could have a higher light in one without having to acclimate the corals from the lower light... woah)

I've always stacked my rock whether it was in my 15 gallon reef or my 450 or any of the tank sizes I've had in between. IMO, the only reason to use the cement is if you want to get really fancy with your rock work.

Adding ammonia with live rock can potentially kill off some of the life on the rock.

@Reefing102 @wvned What do you guys think about the light? It's only 22 watts but, as you know, my knowledge of LEDs is still in its infancy.

Yes, you could do different light levels in the two tanks and keep lower light corals in one and higher light corals in the other.

 

[wvned]

LOL
When I had small tanks we were still using CF bulbs.
Then T-5s were a super upgrade.
If you want 90 watts over 24x24 usually you would need 30-40 watts I think over the 10 gallon.
https://www.amazon.com/Smatfarm-N30-Aquarium-Dimmable-Saltwater

Want more light. Add a second one later
hygger 16-20" LED Saltwater Aquarium Light 36W, Nano Tank Reef Light for Coral | eBay

 

[Reefing102]

Ned’s picks are good. I have a smatfarm g5 that keeps anemones and the such with no issue (just not a huge fan of the spectrum).

 

[skipper03]

thank you thank you! i'm a little sad that my brackets i put into the ceiling will be of no use with this type of light lol but i shouldn't be basing my decision on that.

rn i'm making prototype lids out of cardboard! everything must cater to my very stubborn idea of fish bridge

also, random question but... can i use hot tap water? one of my sw fish books says to never use it because the copper content will kill invertebrates... but i've been using it in my fw tanks forever, and the snail population is (unfortunately) booming. i've also not really found anything online? was this just wrong advice, or does everyone already know not to use it so they don't even have to ask??

 

[griss]

Depending on your water source, in most cases, for a reef tank you really want to use distilled water or RODI (preferred) water. Otherwise, you’re just looking for algae problems.

it’s not just about the copper, it’s everything else in your source (tap) water. St. Louis (where I live) has excellent water purification but, I would never use tap water for a reef tank.

My tap water had over 100 total dissolved solids (“TDS”). TDS is basically everything in the water besides pure water…metals, salts, etc. After my RODI system, it has zero TDS.

I’m not saying you cannot have a successful tank using tap water but, the odds are against you.

 

[skipper03]

Depending on your water source, in most cases, for a reef tank you really want to use distilled water or RODI (preferred) water. Otherwise, you’re just looking for algae problems.

it’s not just about the copper, it’s everything else in your source (tap) water. St. Louis (where I live) has excellent water purification but, I would never use tap water for a reef tank.

My tap water had over 100 total dissolved solids (“TDS”). TDS is basically everything in the water besides pure water…metals, salts, etc. After my RODI system, it has zero TDS.

I’m not saying you cannot have a successful tank using tap water but, the odds are against you.

well, looks like my water's around 250 so ig i'm getting some kind of rodi unit lol

i've been thinking about getting one anyway for trying a softwater fw aquarium!

this one looks good? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00204CQF6

 

[griss]

well, looks like my water's around 250 so ig i'm getting some kind of rodi unit lol

i've been thinking about getting one anyway for trying a softwater fw aquarium!

this one looks good? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00204CQF6

That’s an inexpensive “cheap” one IMO. Since you’re on a budget, it will do. In the long run, I’d recommend something better. My system has 7 stages compared to that 4 stage unit.

Also, I’d recommend getting a water report from your water company. If they use chloramines to treat the water, you’ll need a cartridge to remove those as they will ruin the RO membrane.

My system goes micron cartridge > carbon > chloramine cartridge > RO membrane > cation resin > anion resin > mixed bed resin. I separate the resin because my water depletes the anion faster than cation.