Never had Salt Tank, HELP!!!

[stargirl76]

Hey all, I received a 10g tank for christmas and I would really like to have a salt tank. I realize I can't put very many fish etc. in this size of a tank, but I am ok with having a few fish, maybe some crabs? anyway, I don't know the first thing about set-up, upkeep, maintenance, etc. I have looked online and nothing seems to be very helpful. Anyone have step by steps for a novice? :help:

 

[wbilton]

read the sticky advise for new hobyists. there is a lot of good information.

 

[clarkiiclo]

Yeah- do tons of reading BEFORE you put anything in the tank. This is a good place to start.
Be patient.
Welcome to the boards!

 

[joker_ca]

the key to this hobby is "baby steps" and enjoy it
welcome to the boards

 

[stargirl76]

ok, so in my first reading, I have decided that since my tank is small enough, I will be using an underground filter. Now I am trying to determine lighting, plant life and of course what to put at the bottom of my tank. and then... whew! finding fish compatible with all of this

 

[maeistero]

have you considered filling your tank halfway, then doing freshwater crabs w/some bright cichlids? lots of african wedgeroot and live plants make that really sweet to watch. the tank seems really small for a first saltwater. the smaller the tank the quicker the contaminants build up. if you do a lot of research i'm sure that you could do it, but you'll need to test a lot. probably every 4-5 days at least. and water change like mad.

 

[avbryce1]

:scared: stay away from undergravel filters

 

[lion_crazz]

If you are really serious about setting it up as a saltwater tank, ditch the undergravel filter, they are terrible. Go with a hang-on-the-back filter, as well as 15 lbs. of live rock and aragonite for the bottom (so that you can do water changes often to keep it clean since you cannot run a protein skimmer on there). Get crabs, hermits, snails, and a few stars to keep the bottom clean as well. You can put one or two small fish in the tank (a pair of clowns would be nice). For lights, get a nice power compact fixture, preferably one that can offer you at least 40 or 50 watts (which would be 4 ot 5 watts per gallon). Then, you will be good to go and you will be able to keep some corals in that size tank as well (preferably softies like mushrooms, leathers, fingers, polyps, etc.)
Thus, you need a hang-on-the-back filter, a bag of aragonite for the substrate, a power compact fixture that can offer at least 40 watts of light, 15 lbs. of live rock, and a good brand of salt mixture, such as Oceanic. From there, you will be good to go.
Make sure you get uncured rock and after you set the tank up and put water and the correct amount of salt in it, connect your filter, put the aragonite on the bottom, put your 15 lbs. of live rock in there and do not add anything else to the tank for 4-6 weeks to allow the tank to cycle! Following the 4-6 week period, test your water and if your ammonia and nitrites are definitely 0, do your first water change of about 30-40% to lower your nitrates. Make sure your pH is correct too, around 8.3, and your specific gravity is about 1.023. When you have done all this and all the water levels are right, first add your clean-up crew of snails, crabs, hermit crabs, and maybe a small sand-sifter star to sift through the aragonite. Let them in the tank for another couple of weeks, monitoring the tank to make sure everything is holding up well. In about another month, add your first fish (or pair of fish if you decide to go with a pair of clowns).
Just remember, take the process slow and do not rush into anything! Do not add a lot at any given time, because it is such a small tank.