stuff for a 10g sw tank

dempseyjosh

dempseyjosh

Member
i really want to get a 10 gallon tank for my bedroom, and set it up with some fish and live rock(seems easier than a reef tank) i'm not sure about everything i need because every where i read i see people getting told different answers to the same questions.
i can buy a tank, hood and filter for 30$ at walmart
or tank, hood, filter, and heater for 60$ at petsmart or walmart.
once i buy this i'm not sure what else i need.
is flourescent or incandescent lighting better? i can find both of these types of lighting in one of the kits at walmart or petsmart.
for a 10g tank what kind of gph should the filter do? is there one brand thats better than the other?
 
dempseyjosh

dempseyjosh

Member
one or two fish is fine..... i'm aware of how small a 10g tank is
am i better off saving up and buying a nano cube? seems there are things that need changed or addedwith those
 
nietzsche

nietzsche

Active Member
for my 10 it was:
-10 gallon tank (10$)
-small bag of arogonite sand from petsmart that was like 12 bucks
-took some rock from my 28
-also took some corals (hammer, zoas, xenia, shrooms)
-70w MH light jbj viper
-2 clownfish
-4 cerith snails, 1 hermit crab, 1 astrea snail
-1 random powerhead from walmart
and thats it. i dont have a heater on it since temperature is the coldest at 74 and highest being 80
i dont have a filter of any kind on my 10. ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 10. coraline is growing like crazy in that tank, better than my 28. 20% water changes weekly, just 2 gallons.
if i were to do it all over again, i would try to find a tank that didnt have tempered glass on one of the sides and try to drill it to make it reef ready. not sure how it would do under pressure but ive seem some that people have drilled and setup. hoping to get around to getting an aquaclear filter and modifying into some kind of refugium to put chaeto and maybe getting a custom made prefilter box so i can put a refugium underneath the 10 like this one
 
nietzsche

nietzsche

Active Member
biocubes are cool and all, but i think itll be cheaper to just buy a 10 and do what you want to it. with the all-in-ones youre going to be modifying this and that or will be restricted if you dont have the money to modify it or dont have any skill in DIYing. but it is nice that everything is built into it you know? has its own refugium, built in lights, etc.
 
dempseyjosh

dempseyjosh

Member
how out of control would it get if i just told people to list off what i should get, and tell them i had a budget of $100 a week and i bought things as i went?
 
dempseyjosh

dempseyjosh

Member
i found this for about 230 shipped. would there be anythign i need to add?
24G JBJ Nano Cube Deluxe with LED and FREE MSS SKIMMER $185.99
Sale Nano Cube
24 Gallon Nano Cube DX Deluxe
The self-contained jbj 24g NanoCube Deluxe offers the easiest solution for the hobbyist that demands high-tech performance in a miniature environment.
The Nano Cube DX elegant system offers panoramic viewing with smooth rounded glass corners, built-in 3 stage filtration system, and a powercompact lights.
The 24 gallon Deluxe nanocube system has a heavy duty ABS top that can be flipped back and held in place for tank cleaning and feeding.
Aquarium Measures 18” (L) x 19.6” (W) x 19.7” (H).
Great For Freshwater and saltwateruse
The Deluxe Nano Cube comes standard with two 60 x 60 mm cooling fans, (2) 36 watt combo bulbs and remote ballast, 290 GPH submersible pump. Shown with optional stand.
BLUE LED LIGHTS for nightime viewing FREE
FREE MSS SURFACE SKIMMER INCLUDED!!!!
This 24 gallon nano cube is the newest model offered by jbj lighting.
With surface skimmer.
 
nietzsche

nietzsche

Active Member
Originally Posted by dempseyjosh
i found this for about 230 shipped. would there be anythign i need to add?
24G JBJ Nano Cube Deluxe with LED and FREE MSS SKIMMER $185.99
Sale Nano Cube
24 Gallon Nano Cube DX Deluxe
The self-contained jbj 24g NanoCube Deluxe offers the easiest solution for the hobbyist that demands high-tech performance in a miniature environment.
The Nano Cube DX elegant system offers panoramic viewing with smooth rounded glass corners, built-in 3 stage filtration system, and a powercompact lights.
The 24 gallon Deluxe nanocube system has a heavy duty ABS top that can be flipped back and held in place for tank cleaning and feeding.
Aquarium Measures 18” (L) x 19.6” (W) x 19.7” (H).
Great For Freshwater and saltwateruse
The Deluxe Nano Cube comes standard with two 60 x 60 mm cooling fans, (2) 36 watt combo bulbs and remote ballast, 290 GPH submersible pump. Shown with optional stand.
BLUE LED LIGHTS for nightime viewing FREE
FREE MSS SURFACE SKIMMER INCLUDED!!!!
This 24 gallon nano cube is the newest model offered by jbj lighting.
With surface skimmer.

the all-in-one tanks should have everything including a pump. you might to replace the stock pump with something else if there isnt enough flow, that might cost you like 20 dollars or under. not sure how good the skimmer is or if they build any for that tank. i know the sapphire skimmer is made for certain sizes for the biocube.
also if your LFS has them in store, try to see if thats somehting you will like. to me the aquapods have an odd top, and the biocubes have a more professional look. but thats where each individual will start getting picky about what he/she likes.
if you were to buy a 10 and had a budget of a 100 every week then you could get:
-10g tank ~10$
-sand from petsmart for ~12 depending on how many inches of sand you want, i went with one bag.. i think its 1in or so and i like it
then you can start letting it cycle. and you can save up money for either some small amount of rock or your lighting fixture. putting in sand helped the bacteria attach to the surface instead of having an empty tank with water.
-1lb-1.5lbs per gallon...thats going to depend on the cost at your LFS or online. mine has it at 6.99 per pound. so far about 15lbs of rock youll need to spend 104.85 not including tax OR 69.90 for 10lbs of rock. id start off with just 10lbs of rock
the rest is up to you. you can stock it with just corals and two fish, or just corals. and the types of corals is up to you and the lighting youll have.
if you go with the light i have itll cost:
-149.99 plus shipping and handling
total: roughly $241 expensive part is just the rock and the light
also you may or may not a heater, and you still have to think about a small powerhead.. thepowerhead that i got from walmart was like 18 dollars, but its a cheap brand. you could do what i was going to do and get an aquaclear filter modify it to put chaeto and try to get a small heater in there with it and you probably wont need the powerhead as long as theres flow from the filter
 
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