New Tank

FishieLover87

New member
Hi there, I just joined this forum today because I just set up a small 10 gallon tank and since this is my first saltwater tank I wanted to talk to others who share the same passion and enjoyment of marine aquariums that I do. Plus I would love some advice from other people who have had aquariums and know the little "secrets" on how to keep them going and healthy. My 10 gallon saltwater tank has now been running for 4 days with 10lbs of live rock and everything and its crystal clear. I would love to know if there are any tricks to cycling the tank or when I should start adding crabs or snails or anything to begin with? I'm anxious to ad living things but I also want to do it properly and do a full cycle and make sure everything is doing awesome before putting anything living into it. I know how it works with freshwater and have an awesome 55 gallon freshwater setup that I've had for years but this is my first saltwater attempt and I want to make sure I do it the right way. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :)
Thanks so much.
 

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Best advice I can give is to take your time (nothing happens fast in this hobby). And research everything you have questions about.

Oh yeah, and dont forget to ask questions.
 
Strongly consider converting your 55 into SW or start a larger tank than 10G (40G minimum IMO). The key to a reef is stability - and a larger volume will go a long ways towards that stability.
 
The reason I started small is I'm not exactly made of money and it's very expensive to start a large tank such as a 55 gallon saltwater setup. So I started small to make sure I was capable and maintaining a smaller tank before I go ahead and start up a large tank. I can definitely be a very patient person when I want to be. Lol. I have done lots of research and I do plan on following my research but I thought I'd ask and see if anyone else has setup a small tank and what your experiences have been. :) Thanks Chaotic Reefer4u I'm glad I joined. :)
 
I started with a 14 gal for the same reasons you did. You can do it. Check out the nano forums, as it is a different culture than the regular boards. Not saying its a bad thing, but just different views. In a year, I quickly outgrew my budget 14, and now it turned into a 100 gal budgetless monster. Enjoy the ride, LOL!

Go slow, stay on top of things, relax and have fun. Get some hands on experience, all the while reading every bit you can.
 
Honestly in a ten gallon tank one of the most valuable things you can buy is an auto top off. It will reduce salinity swings which in a small tank happen very quickly
 
Thanks for your input. :) I know mine will grow into a much larger tank some day. Lol. When I move into my own house I'm sure I'll end up having more then one but this is how I have to start right now. I'll check the nano forums. Thank you. :)
 
i started off w/ a 10 gallon tank, in a small tank like that you can have delicate little guys that would get lost in a bigger tank, like sexy shrimp and a pistol shrimp/goby combo!!

the only advice i have is patience, patience, patience...
 
Hi there, I just joined this forum today because I just set up a small 10 gallon tank and since this is my first saltwater tank I wanted to talk to others who share the same passion and enjoyment of marine aquariums that I do. Plus I would love some advice from other people who have had aquariums and know the little "secrets" on how to keep them going and healthy. My 10 gallon saltwater tank has now been running for 4 days with 10lbs of live rock and everything and its crystal clear. I would love to know if there are any tricks to cycling the tank or when I should start adding crabs or snails or anything to begin with? I'm anxious to ad living things but I also want to do it properly and do a full cycle and make sure everything is doing awesome before putting anything living into it. I know how it works with freshwater and have an awesome 55 gallon freshwater setup that I've had for years but this is my first saltwater attempt and I want to make sure I do it the right way. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. :)
Thanks so much.


I have been running nano's since I first started about 7 years ago. They are not as difficult as some say, you just can't make too many changes at once and your focus needs to be on stability and regularity. Here is the Nano Forum, stop by and check it out. From the looks of it, everything looks good so far. What kind of equipment do you have? I see you have a Koralia of some sort and also an aquaclear filter? What kind of lighting do you have and what are your goals? What got you into the hobby and what made you say "hey, I want one of those"?
 
I have been running nano's since I first started about 7 years ago. They are not as difficult as some say, you just can't make too many changes at once and your focus needs to be on stability and regularity. Here is the Nano Forum, stop by and check it out. From the looks of it, everything looks good so far. What kind of equipment do you have? I see you have a Koralia of some sort and also an aquaclear filter? What kind of lighting do you have and what are your goals? What got you into the hobby and what made you say "hey, I want one of those"?

You can tell what kind of filter I have from that picture? Lol. That's amazing. Yes its an AquaClear 30 filter and a small circulation fan from Big Al's can't remember the specs. Other then that just the ocean sand and live fiji rock I think. The light strip is a Power Glo and was recommended to me by the nice guy at Big Al's. My tank just started growing algae and from what I've read and heard thats a good thing. I've had fish tanks my whole life and betta tanks and at one point I had 4 different fresh water setups cause I just wanted them all. Lol. But I've always admired salt water setups and fish and all the corals, anemones, bright colorful fish and even the little gobies and shrimp. So in terms of goals I want a pair of ocellaris clown fish, a goby and some small emerald crabs I believe they are called and maybe a couple snails. Even when I was in Costa Rica we went snorkelling and I saw some beautiful little fish and I've just always wanted a saltwater tank. I'm not sure if I can do corals and an anemone with the size tank or with the light I have but we'll see. I'm still reading the books while my tank cycles and talking to the guys at Big Al's so hopefully I do everything right and maybe eventually get to the stage where I can ad these things and have them survive. I know the cycle process is much longer with saltwater then fresh water so I'm being patient. But I'm also new to saltwater which is why I joined here so I can learn more and eventually do a bigger tank. This is my tank now with the algae.
 

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I have a 55 freshwater too and would never break it down for salt. They have a beauty of their own.

That being said, I have a 12 gallon long tank reef, my first, and it's been a breeze so far! I know bigger is better, but bigger is more loot and not all of us have $400-$500 to throw at live rock alone. I just do plenty of small water changes. I think my favorite critters have to be my sexy shrimp and maxi minis....also my small maxima clam.

My reef cycled faster than my freshwater - I added hermits, snails and a crab after one week. One word of advice though...hermits are little monsters - picking on each other and my snails for shells, even with empty shells around.

Like you, I have an Aquaclear and it works great!

Best of luck and welcome!
 
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Thanks so much. And I agree about the live rock thing. Its expensive the bigger the tank and I would never take down my fresh water either. How did you cycle your saltwater that fast? Mine is crawling with algae but I'm worried about adding things too soon but I also don't want the algae to over run the tank.
 
Thanks so much. And I agree about the live rock thing. Its expensive the bigger the tank and I would never take down my fresh water either. How did you cycle your saltwater that fast? Mine is crawling with algae but I'm worried about adding things too soon but I also don't want the algae to over run the tank.

With the live rock, it cycles really quickly. Much faster than freshwater, where the water gets cloudy at 1st. I had my water tested just a few days after setting it up, and the store said I was good to go for the clean up crew. I bet you're ready now for a clean up crew to battle that algae! Your tank has been running for 8 days - I think you'll be ok for snails/crabs/hermits.

I have to say my favorite snails for the algae are nassarius - they bury into the gravel then pop out at night or after being fed, and my 2 black-footed snails.

Good luck!
 
Have been out of the loop for years but I started with a 30 gal myself... FreshWater was the gateway for me as well. Just got a 110gal tank off of eBay for $48. Still tight with my $ but going big this time. Wish you all the best.
 
Started with a 20... moved to a 46. But I first helped my friends uncle with his 150 and learned with him and started my own. Make sure you have no deadspots on the sandbed. Detritus build up is no good. Plus, remove the sponge from your AC30 and keep only carbon in it. As for the light, If you are looking to grow softies, that fixture should be fine. If you want to grow lps and more light demanding corals, go with a 4 bulb T5 fixture or even LEDs. It shouldnt hurt your wallet too bad since it is only a 10 gallon tank. Btw, no skimmer needed for a ten gallon, water changes are ample.
 
The best advice you'll ever receive is to read the stickies at the top of this forum. They were written by the most expert of our membership.
 
Plus I would love some advice from other people who have had aquariums and know the little "secrets" on how to keep them going and healthy.
Thanks so much.

With a tiny tank like yours you need to keep fresh sea water available and a large glass or jug near by, I would recommend you take out 3 - 4 glasses or a good jug full a day and replace with 3-4 glasses/a jug of new water, very easy to keep the water quality pure this way, a tiny tank like yours can pollute very very easily if water isn't replaced even in small amounts almost daily if you add livestock like fishes, JMO and JME.
 
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