Newbie Saying hello 10g nano

T

theromulus

New member
Hello to all the reef keepers in the AZ area. I am starting up a new 10g mini reef and I am both excited and scared. I have had two saltwater tanks in the past but this was before Gore invented the Internet. I had a few damsels in my first tank. I had a lionfish in my second. After reading this and a few other forums I have learned a lot hopefully and I am confident on my first nano-reef tank.
I am starting up a 10g for my first. I wanted to start this long ago and built a stand that would house a sump and refugium with a 55g but I ended up making it a freshwater because I was nervous. Anyway the 10g is now underway. I thought I would keep a diary of what I have done and what I have learned along the way.

I would enjoy hearing your opinions of what I am doing wrong or right.

Look forward to this forum.
 
Welcome! I'm super new and everyone here is helpfull and nice. Love to be here and learn from everyone. Ask questions and you'll get an answer. :D
 
I had a 10g setting around. I decided to start a nano reef with the 10g aga. I had a hob filter and a 50w heater and a powerhead to start with. I visited a few lfs and went with ATR to start things off. They got me set up with 15g of RO water and some Marin salt and some realy nice LR. I bought some black fiji sand and a 96 watt coralife light to get started. It looks like I am going to have to wait for about four weeks according to the knowledgeable staff member before I move along.
8-31-06
I made sure I was at 1.024 on my salinity level.
got the tank to 98 degrees and added my live rock
Checked my PH it is at 8
Checked my nitrates at 12.5
HOB has nothing in it just moving water
power head moving water towards the surface
lights off Is this correct?
9-3-06
Did a 25% water change
temps still 98 degrees
 
are you typing that right? 98 degrees? I never heard of this. You are probably cooking your live rock or at least making a nice stew... I could be wrong but I cycled my tank at about 80 degrees and that worked.
 
I know pictures are important.
showphoto.php
 
Well lights off are going to impede all life so really up to you on that one. Personally I left mine on for a few hours a day. I'm not sure on a skimmer for something that small I wish I could help you there. It looks like you are cycling with those numbers. I hope you can test for amonia too very important. The longer you can wait for the cycle the better. Cured live rock usually has a shorter cycle but would probably be good if you waited for the good bact. to grow in the tank. Everything seems normal for a cycle to me.
 
I started with a 10 gallon reef as well. It was a great learning experience and I soon moved to a 29. Now I'm ready to go bigger. Good luck!!
 
Great start.

But IMO its harder to do a 10g than a larger tank. You have no room for error with a small tank and being small its subject to big changes easy.
 
I read somewhere to drop a peice of raw shrimp in the tank and let it rot to get the bacteria up. Any thoughts on this?
I will do an amonia check today.
Jakaru: How many hours a day did you keep your lights on?
 
With live rock you shouldn't need to do a raw shrimp. You should get a cycle from the rocks and it looks like you are with those numbers. I left mine on about four hours a day and didn't have any algea or anything bloom. I do have some brown diatoms I'm fighting right now but I seem to be winning and it's normal. If you want a bigger change drop some fish food in there and it's basically the same thing.
 
Did some tests today.
Ammonia 3.0
NO2 1.6
PH 8
Set the lights to come on 4 hours a day.

I have been looking around and I am considering an Aquaclear 110 turned into a fuge or doing a refugium underneath in a 5 or 10 gallon tank with an overflow box. I figure this would give me more water and maybe address some of the concerns of quick changes with such a small amount of water.
 
More water is always better. just have to be more carefull than most in such a small tank. And If I were you I wouldn't even put in the fish food. cycle seems to be doing well.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8078161#post8078161 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by theromulus
Did some tests today.
Ammonia 3.0
NO2 1.6
PH 8
Set the lights to come on 4 hours a day.

I have been looking around and I am considering an Aquaclear 110 turned into a fuge or doing a refugium underneath in a 5 or 10 gallon tank with an overflow box. I figure this would give me more water and maybe address some of the concerns of quick changes with such a small amount of water.
Click to expand...

Just curios did you check your PO4 and are you using RO/DI anyway this is where I started off wrong so just checking
 
Ammonia at 0
Nitrites are .8
PH at 8
Temps holding steady at 80 lights on and off.
Lights on 10 hours a day.
Lots of little critters on the glass, sand and rocks. Checked them out with a loop today.
SG 1.024
Topping off with distilled water
Tiny bits of algae on the rocks.
Seems to be cycling fast.
Purchased an ac110 to add a fuge and a litttle more volume to the water. I will use some of the sand and rock from the aquarium. There's a bit too much of both in there now.
 
yes raw shrimp helps cycle, but you generally do that on day one. you are too far along now. great looking little setup you got there!
 
Here's where it's at now.
I added an ac110 fuge with a mini coralife that runs at lights off and off at lights on. I added a coralife moonlight for night viewing. I have the moonlight running an hour after lights off until 1 am. I got a few frags from some of the LFS and a package online. The cycle seemed to be over about nine days into the setup. I waited another week and added a few mushrooms then another week and added some zoos and an acro ?mistake? but it seems to be doing very well and has shown growth and is keeping its color. I have a coralife 96w 50/50. Then I got some zoo frags online and some digitata.
A couple of days ago I got some "nano clowns" they seem to be running against the current 24 hours a day. Not sure if they should be in there. Any suggestions are welcome.
Does anyone know if there is a protein skimmer that will fit in an ac 110? With the entire width of the tank filled by the ac110 I would not know where to install a protein skimmer.
Doing daily ro/di water top offs. 1.5g water changes weekly. 000 tests no phosphates are not measureable and calcium is around 480.
LFS suggested 5mg Phyto twice weekly and daily mysis for the clowns.
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