Starting 10g Nano

bluetangyellow

bluetangyellow

Member
Hi everyone. I'm getting ready to set up my first s.w. tank and I've decided to go with a nano tank. I would like to have a setup a FOWLR. Right now I'm not interested in doing any coral because I have school and don't want the tank to become too complicated. Here is a list of the things I plan to use for my setup:
10G Glass Tank
10LBS Fiji Live Rock
50W Heater
Aqua Clear 100 HOB Power Filter
Instant Ocean Salt
Fish:
1 False Percula Clown
1 Neon Goby
Questions:
Do I need a cleanup crew, if so what should I get?
Is Instant Ocean okay? Some say yes others say no.
Do I need a power head?
Should I use anything in the filter (carbon, etc.)?
Will the clownfish be okay alone?
What kind of substrate should I use? Does it matter?
Any advice would be great! Thanks. :)
 
diddley

diddley

Member
use live sand for substrate. everything sounds good including fish. try 3 scarlet hermits, 2 astrea snails, 2 cerith snails, and 2 nassarius snails for clean up crew. worked great for me and these critters are readily available in my area. you might need to amend due to specific livestock in your immediate area. oh, and use carbon when water is not crystal clear, just for a few days at a time. hope this helps.
 
nero

nero

Member
about the salt... i have heard a lot of negative comments about instant ocean (IO) salt. i would personally recommend using oceanic salt, i have had great luck with it and it is SUPER easy to mix. everything else looks good, wish you luck with your tank! :D
 
laddy

laddy

Active Member
Why would you recommend only using the carbon for a few days? I have the carbon filter in mine all the time since I cycled, 7 months ago--should I remove it? What exactly does the carbon harm?:notsure:
 
diddley

diddley

Member
the carbon becomes saturated and can even start putting bad things back in your tank. you should at least rinse your carbon filters to get some of the loose crap off. i bet yours is nasty after seven months. carbon is only useful for a few days.
 
liverock27

liverock27

Member
I am cycling my 10g nano right now and I also have a 30g and I have only used Oceanic and it works great! Are you using tap water?
 
bluetangyellow

bluetangyellow

Member
Well I was planning on using R.O. water from a lfs but I'm not sure I will be able to use that every time I do a top off or water change. Last night I got an Aqua Clear HOB filter and crushed coral for my substrate. Any ideas on how many inches deep the crushed coral should be? I have another HOB filter I think like a Whisper or Topfin filter, should I use that or get a small power head? Someone recommended doing daily topoffs. Should I do this or not? For a topoff do I take water out and replace it or just add in some f.w., how much? Should I do the 10% water changes every week or every two weeks? Thanks a lot for your posts they've helped a lot.
 
bigarn

bigarn

Active Member
Why did you decide on crushed coral? Fish waste and other things tend to get trapped in it. This could effect the nitrate level...Especially in a small tank.
I would get a powerhead for good water circulation..this is important.
I do daily topoffs in my 10 gallon. Add water, don't take any out, and just filler up.
I highly recommend weekly 10% water changes with RO water only.
HTH :D
 
bluetangyellow

bluetangyellow

Member
No particular reason as to why I chose crushed coral I've just seen a lot of people with it in their tanks. I might be able to get another type of substrate but then I just wasted $14 on substrate that I won't even be able to use.
Does the water evaporate quick enough to do daily topoffs? How long can I store the R.O. water and should I premix the water with salt or wait until I need it? Thanks!
-BTY
 
bigarn

bigarn

Active Member
Just to clarify...top off water is RO water only--no salt.
The saltwater mixture should aerate with a PH at least 24hrs before you do the water change.
I try to maintain a constant level in my tank, and enough water evaporates to warrant daily top offs.
When you do the 10% water change check to be sure the salinity of the water you're adding is the same as the water in the tank. :D
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member

Originally posted by BlueTangYellow
No particular reason as to why I chose crushed coral I've just seen a lot of people with it in their tanks.
-BTY
The reason so many folks have it in there tank is because they buy it because it is cheap ($14) and live sand is more expensive. do some more research. Don't open the bag and take it back (blame your wife, girlfriend or parents or something) .
My advice - do some research - I did a long post a while back on water mixing and top offs in the nano forum and I will try to bump it (because it is 3 AM and I can't sleep).
In my nano's I drip fresh RO/DI water .
Lastly - for salt I highly recommend two ways to go:
1. Oceanic - I will never use IO again
OR
2. Catalina "Real Ocean Water" from pet co is awesome stuff. I use it exclusively in my 5 because my 5.5 is @ work and I don't have time to fiddle with it.
Good luck and do a bunch of research before you toss the fish in the glass box!!!
 
laddy

laddy

Active Member
BlueTangYellow:
I too started a 10g after two years of thinking about it (you know, "life" kept getting in the way). I started off with a glass tank someone gave me, an Aqua Clear 150, and a 50w heater. I bought crushed coral at first, with two damsels, and let them have their way with the tank for six months or so--I sort of take things slow. Then 'Overanalyzer' replied to one of my posts and convinced me to buy some live rock (BTW--I have almost ten pounds now). Last week I switched the CC for 20 lbs of live sand, and spent most of saturday making the switch. I can't remember what I spend for the CC, I think it was something like $1.50/lb, but I found the live sand at ***** for $21. Not only do I get the added benefits of the bacteria, but it looks 1000% better than CC. Anyway, I gues my point is if you don't get too carried away with introducing things to the tank, there's nothing stopping you from adding things later. Hope this helped, I'm not no expert when it comes to marine keeping, however, what I've experienced I can at least pass it along. :D
 
bluetangyellow

bluetangyellow

Member
I already opened the bag of crushed coral. But I can look into getting live sand before I add the water and live rock. I'm also going to get a small powerhead. Thanks for the help!
-BTY
 
7days

7days

Member
Trash the CC, add ls. And don't add saltwater for topoffs, only add saltwater when you do a water change. As far as when to top off, make a small mark near the back of your tank where you want the water surface to be. If it starts dropping too much, add water. Hope that helps, and remember it's cheaper to research and do it right, than to rush and do it over.
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member

Originally posted by Laddy
BlueTangYellow:
Then 'Overanalyzer' replied to one of my posts and convinced me to buy some live rock (BTW--I have almost ten pounds now).
Rock on Laddy!!
BTY - check out the post I linked and bumped - I laid out exactly how to prepare water change water there ....
the nice thing about a small tank - easy to overhaul
the bad thing - easy to wipe out in an instant!!
 
bluetangyellow

bluetangyellow

Member
All right, well tomorrow I will be going to the lfs and lps to get the rest of the supplies I need. I'll go ahead and switch to LS. So I'll get LS, small ph, and 10lb LR. Is it okay for the LR to look plain at the lfs? Thanks again for all of your posts!
-BTY
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member

Originally posted by BlueTangYellow
All right, well tomorrow I will be going to the lfs and lps to get the rest of the supplies I need. I'll go ahead and switch to LS. So I'll get LS, small ph, and 10lb LR. Is it okay for the LR to look plain at the lfs? Thanks again for all of your posts!
-BTY
NO _ LR should have lots of color - especially deep purples and other signs of life .... if not it is just wet base rock. Be very very picky - as not a whole lot can go into a 10 gallon - I like some branching pieces!!!
 
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