new ten gallon.....what do I need to do?

[dbennett78]

i am getting a ten gallon tank soon for free.....I am just wondering what I need to keep corals and tell me what I need to do to feed them take care of them etc. I already have a 30 gallon fowlr so I can use the water from that to cycle as well as use live sand as a base and put a nice piece or 2 of live rock in the tank with a glass hood over it.
Also, can the lighting be upgraded enough for under $75?
Thanks

 

[marvida]

When I set up my 10 I used stuff out of an existing tank. I waited almost 6 months before adding corals (softies) & 14 months before adding anything difficult. Most of the time was spent learning the "feel" of the little tank. I started out with 2X32 PC then went to 3X32 PC and have recently changed to 1X32 Actinic + 70w HQI MH. Keep an eye on ---- for affordable lighting, sometimes you get lucky. A 2X32 PC new will cost around $75 for the bare bones setup not including bulbs or reflector.
Good Luck!

 

[dbennett78]

some please give me info. I need all that i can get

 

[cope787]

i had a 10g setup for a little while. it was just too much of a pain to take care of. anyway this is what i had.
small powerhead (forget name)
about 10-12 lbs of Lr
a hang-on whisper mini filter
some kind of protein skimmer. small and affordable. i think it was a LEE's skimmer.
10-15lbs of live sand.
the lighting is all up to you. it all depends on what kind of corals you want in your tank. if all you want is soft corals, mushrooms, leathers, polyps, etc.... then all you need is one 50-50 36watt pc. which goes for about 40$ i think. or you can spend probably over a 100$ for a 70 mh, but is recommended if you want to keep hard or stony corals, clams in your tank.
i hope this was helpful. good luck!

 

[overanalyzer]

you need to plan on what you want in there and then figure out your needs based on your desired inhabitants!
Good luck!