Hey I'm new to this site and new to sw I have a 50 gallon african cichlid tank. I have been really wanting a small sw tank with a clownfish. I'm overwhelmed buy all the supplies and I would really like some help on narrowing down things you need and extras I would also like help with maintaince. Just the basics but I really need help anything would be helpful! I need to know supplies please!
New small reef help!
- Thread starter mattslack
- Start date
tallball158
New member
If you look above your post, you will see some sticky threads that explain all of this. I would start with the link below and start reading.
Sk8r's Recommended Reads for Startup and Maintenance
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2199265
Sk8r's Recommended Reads for Startup and Maintenance
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2199265
Reefer54
New member
Go as large as possible... Red Sea makes a few real nice and straight forward all in one setups that you wont need to tweak too much if you keep it basic. As well, they offer a great foot in the door for getting familiar with the components and you can research from there if you wish to grow.
RESEARCH as much as possible before buying any tanks, equipment, etc. Go buy a couple books and read them 2x. Calfo and Sprung have a few great books that explain most everything. read them twice.
RESEARCH as much as possible before buying any tanks, equipment, etc. Go buy a couple books and read them 2x. Calfo and Sprung have a few great books that explain most everything. read them twice.
Those really are small. If you have a Petco around you, they have a $1 a gallon sale a few times a year. I would highly suggest starting with a 40 gallon breeder as the dimensions are good. If you insist on the 10 gallon that is fine, but do be informed that most people would consider a 10 gallon too small for a clownfish.
Yes I have a pair of ocelaris in my 90 gallon. I am by no means discouraging you to using a 10 gallon. I just wanted you to be aware of a few things along the way. Many people have done a successful "pico" reef tank before.
It is the general consensus that smaller tanks are harder to keep stable and takes a little more work in terms of maintenance (keeping parameters stable) than larger tanks. The number one thing I have learned is that stability is the number one thing you need when keeping a successful reef (in regards to keeping coral).
You can find a list of fish and recommended tanks sizes for each fish from http://www.liveaquaria.com. A very docile and gorgeous fish (imo) suitable for a 10 gallon imo would be a firefish.
If you really are looking for a clownfish and want to keep costs to a minimum, you should at least consider a 20 gallon long (again, you can get it for $20 at the Petco $1 a gallon sale they have a few times each year... that is just for the tank, however).
Many people prefer a 40 breeder that I mentioned above as it has a good length and good depth to make aquascaping look pleasant. It is also a decent size water volume which will make your parameters a little easier to stabilze.
Good luck and welcome to reef central! This is a fun and exciting hobby with something new to always learn.
eastfernstreet
New member
First off . . . I'm a noob.
That having been said; listen to these guys. Size matters. I've had great success (so far) with a 90 gallon that's been up and running since last September.
FW is forgiving. Had all kinds of FW set ups since the 70's. SW is not forgiving at all! The larger the volume of water, the better chance you have to keep the environment healthy. The smaller the tank, the more immediate and deadly are the consequences.
Read ALL of Sk8ers stickies. Listen to BNUMAIR(?).
Go with the biggest tank you can. The ocean is MUCH larger than any fresh water environment. As a result, the water is much more stable AND the creatures that have evolved in it REQUIRE that stability.
Reef Central is the BEST. Good luck!
eastfernstreet
New member
Pretty much any heater will do. I believe a simple 75 watt heater should be good for a 10 gallon. If you already have one that was in your FW tank that should be fine. If you don't, just google around for a good brand. Lots of people use Jagers (I use them as well), but they are very long and wouldn't look the "nicest" if used in the main DT of a 10 gallon.
I have also heard some good things from the new Cobalt Aquatics Neo-Therm Heaters. They are a bit pricey but they have a slim profile.
This part is entirely up to you; however, if it were my tank and I was limited to 10 gallons, I would use a HOB filter and keep just softies and do a 1 gallon water change a week since the water level is so small. I would probably also get a tiny powerhead for circulation.
Just make sure to keep the filters sponge clean as they have been known to cause an excess in nitrates which will lead to algae issues. I personally like 'Aqua Clear' HOB's that I used in my FW days. You can add some carbon and a tiny bit of GFO in it to help keep nutrients down if you run into any PO4 problems.
One word of caution with modded filters. I used to have a HOB modded filter with chaeto in it on a small frag tank (ok... it wasn't really 'modded'... but I just had some chaeto with a light on top of it). I woke up at 2 am one morning to my fire alarms going off... Turns out my chaeto grew just enough that my HOB filter started to slowly 'overflow' and water got into a fire alarm wire downstairs.
