10 g reef start up, looking for input

fvega1523

fvega1523

New Member
hey guys,
so I have been around saltwater tanks for about 2 years now, all nano so far. I am basically looking for your guys opinion on my next set up im doing for my girlfriend.
So I got her a 10g acrylic clear for life tank, it’s a 12 (L) x 12 (W) x 16(H) and she wants to do a small reef tank nothing crazy all soft coral xenia, mushroom, polyps, ect. And maybe 2 fish small gobies probably
My plan on equipment is,
Filter- Tom Rapid Mini Canister filter(planning on using chemi pure elite, buying live ceramic rings and using floss)
Lighting – Coralife Mini Aqua T5 11” fixture 2 x 6W (one 10,000k bulb and one 420nm Actinic bulb ) 9” bulbs
Powerhead- koralia 240 GPH
Heater-not sure yet prob some 100w or 150w heater
Fan(because the room gets pretty warm)- I was thinking some small nano fan, the ones that are flat like
http://www.***********.com/UP_Aqua_Flexible_Aquarium_Cooling_Fan_Cooling_Fans_for_Aquarium_Lighting-UP_Aqua-AZ64048-FILTACAF-vi.html
and of course some live sand and live rock
So im basically looking for input as far as the set up goes if guys have heard of something better or what would you change.
Thanks
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
What I would do (your preferences are probably different):
2 X 25 watt heaters. Costs a little more but if a 100w heater fails it can quickly get the temp of a 10 gallon well over 100 degrees.
Clown Gobies or Neon Gobies would be excellent.
I think more light is needed. I would probably put a 50w MH over it but I'm a bit old school. There are probably some really good LEDs that would fit a 10.
That powerhead in that tiny tank is going to look severe on softies. You have nano experience though so you probably know what you want.
I have no experence with that filter. Personally, I probably wouldn't use one but I might build a small custom skimmer for it.
 
fvega1523

fvega1523

New Member
I like the heater idea plus they will be small and ill be able to hide them some what
Ya i was looking into LED and MH. Problem is LED are expensive as hell lol and the tank has a hood and I havent found a MW that will fit under there and the thing with MW is also i dont know if the fan would be able to keep the temp down in that small of a tank.
Ive never done T5s so im also wondering if that is enough lighting to put some easy corals in there.
about the power head ya i was wondering about that myself ...i have the 420 gph (i think, something in the 400) i my 28 jbj nano and it works great. But idk if there is small power heads i could try or if any one has tried the koralia 240 gph in a 10g.
ya i dont have experince with that filter either, just found it online the other day. if not that i was going with just hang on the back aquaclear 30. But i have heard canisters are better for mechanical, chemical and bio filtration i dont have personal experince with that so i was hoping for some help with that as well.
 
nano-newb1983

nano-newb1983

Active Member
I would just get some t-5's
Can get a nice 48w set ups for around $70 or so. OR looking into the Par 38 LED bulb, they screw into any lighting fixture just like any household bulb
Alot of people run the par 38 on their 10gallons
My 10gallon frag tank with a duel 24w t-5 fixture
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
A small two bulb T5 fixture for a 10g would work perfect. I think that you have way too much flow in it with that koralia powerhead. A little $20 or less aquaclear mechanical filter should be enough. You could even put some additional live rock in the back and some filter floss. Maybe even a small refugium. I wouldn't worry about protein skimming on a 10g because 5g would be a 50% water change - and that's easy as pie to do... and cheap.
I also don't recommend a large heater. Get two small one's instead.
Neon gobies are really cool. I like clown gobies too. What might be cool would be a couple of firefish gobies - but they are jumpers, so you would have to take precautions. If the room does get really hot, then I would just get one small heater and see if you need to add another one - you might not need it.
Keep us posted. :D
 
fvega1523

fvega1523

New Member
http://www.amazon.com/Coralife-Mini-Aqualight-Aquarium-Fixture/dp/B003WYY6SI
so that would be ok? i wasnt looking at going crazy with the tank.
and i looked into the par 38 b4 but unfortunatly my girlfriend is pretty set on keeping the cover for the tank it came with so im limited to the lighting i can get only about 5" clearance up and 12" across. So this is why im hoping that fixture i posted above is enough lighting for simple corals
http://www.fish.com/item/desktop-cube-aquarium-10-gallon/704502/
thats the tank
ok well ya looks like im going with a small heater than and im going to start looking into a different power head a well than maybe. what would be a good flow amount in gph?
and ya thats the kinda of fish was thinking small gobies maybe a catalina goby for some nice color
any thought on the hang on the back (aquaclear 30) vs mini canister filter ?
And i will be buying everything this weekend (hopefully) and ill be setting it up soon ill post some pics
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
You mentioned earlier that it's warm there. That eliminates the Catalina Goby. They are temperate fish, not tropical.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
+1 about the Catalina Goby... not good for warmer tanks.
That light right there would be ok for low light corals like what you want. Mushrooms, palys, and xenia. ...
Make sure that it comes in 10000k daylight and an actinic, you don't want it too low in K.
 
fvega1523

fvega1523

New Member
ok thanks guys for the help so far. My LFS has it and is say it as a 10000k daylight and actinic bulb.
so no input on the HoB vs. mini canister filter so far? : D
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
HOB or canister, they are both filtration. Canisters may require more frequent cleanings. It's pretty much your choice. There are a lot of options available when it comes to aquaria, it just depends on how much you feel like spending or how much DIY you plan to do.
 
fvega1523

fvega1523

New Member
So I got the tank set up today i will be posting some pics soon guys, from what i have seen you guys love pictures haha
 
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