polleni-puffer Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 (edited) So i finally got the money and time and have started up a saltwater tank. As of now its only cycling and I have just added in 9 pounds of live rock and the salinity is right in the middle of 1.021 and 1.022(sorry ,mah test kits are dead) and I plan on adding the following Fish 1 Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon Kauderni) 1 Orange Striped Goby (Amblyeleotris Randalli) Inverts 5 Blue Legged Hermit-Crabs a cleaner shrimp of sorts Coral 1 Red Open Brain Coral 1 Green Bubble Coral 1 Candy Coral Tabk Stuff 1 Roi Nano Skimmer+filter 1 Heater 1 Hydrometer ya ,so thats pretty much all(pics soon) and I know that i Have to wait 2 ot so weeks to test my water and see if its safe for the first fish. -Scott Edited December 31, 2008 by polleni-puffer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfong Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 So i finally got the money and time and have started up a saltwater tank. As of now its only cycling and I have just added in 9 pounds of live rock and the salinity is right in the middle of 1.021 and 1.022(sorry ,mah test kits are dead) and I plan on adding the followingFish 1 Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon Kauderni) 1 Orange Striped Goby (Amblyeleotris Randalli) Inverts 5 Blue Legged Hermit-Crabs a cleaner shrimp of sorts Coral 1 Red Open Brain Coral 1 Green Bubble Coral 1 Candy Coral Tabk Stuff 1 Roi Nano Skimmer+filter 1 Heater 1 Hydrometer ya ,so thats pretty much all(pics soon) and I know that i Have to wait 2 ot so weeks to test my water and see if its safe for the first fish. -Scott Welcome to the world of saltwater Scott. Some questions, what size tank is it? and what kind of lighting do you plan to use for the tank? I would wait at least 4 weeks before adding the cuc (clean up crew) You don't want to rush it as it could result in losses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polleni-puffer Posted December 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 o.k ,so my tanks is ten gallons and as for lighting im not sure ,but any suggestions would be nice ,and i have found a few "suprizes" in my LR(live rock) aka a crab and blue legged hermit crab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegrandpoohbah Posted December 31, 2008 Report Share Posted December 31, 2008 I'd cycle for at least 4 weeks before adding the clean up crew then give it another 2 weeks before adding fish. Just make sure your ammonia and nitrite levels are at 0 before adding the livestock. Your SG seems a little low, I'd aim for 1.023-1.026. If you can, invest in a refractometer. Hydrometers are notoriously inaccurate. For the lighting I would go with a 70W MH (either a JBJ K2 Viper or a DIY retro-fit). A 150W set-up would be easier to find bulbs for but will likely give you heat issues. I'd skip PC's altogether unless you only want low-light corals. T5HO is another option that produces good results but there are very few choices that will fit over a 10G tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxPower Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 Hey Scott if you are new to saltwater I would suggest reading a book called the "Natural Reef" by Tullock (at least thats what I think its called). It's great help to get you up and going. You can get it at the library, and I know in that book he really talks about nano reefs. Again as was mentioned before lighting is going to be key to determine if the corals will grow. What about snails? cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue-Wolf Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 Just on the saltwater note, and tank sizes, I find my 20 Gallon needs far more attention than my friends 55. Evaporation of the water affects the SG pretty quickly... My next tank is going to be a bit bigger, but not too big as I don't have a whole bag of money to invest in it, but enough to build a nice tank at least. Goin to keep my 20 as a hospital tank once my Bowfront tank is ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polleni-puffer Posted January 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 ya ,i forgot i also want a few snails ,and have also decided to get 1 or 2 blue striped pipefish ya know ,these ones pipefish.bmp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharuq1 Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 (edited) Just my personal opinion on the Rio nano skimmer. (Others might like it, I hated it.) I had one and it was aweful! Very finicky, always got clogged up with salt in the venturi, overflowed, leaked and was unimpressed with how it skimmed (when it bothered to). You would be better off with putting on an AC converted into a fuge, or running carbon, or filter pad or all 3 and using reg. water change; getting a better quality skimmer, don't by a "seaclone" they suck (I believe euroreef and tunze may be coming out with nano skimmers) or (my favorite solution) putting in a sump so you can put whatever you want in there for equipment plus hide all your other junk (heaters, etc.). I know the last two solutions are more for when you have the money, but the AC filter really is a much more well made product than the rio nano (Mine's still collecting dust somewhere ) You might want to re-think adding pipefish to a tank with bubble coral. I am sure people have done it with success, but they aren't the strongest swimmers, so much like seahorses can be vulnerable to anything that can sting. I have heard conflicting arguments on whether or not this fish is difficult to keep. As to lighting, I agree mH's and t5HO are the bees knees and will bring out wonderful color in your coral. People can keep coral with pc's too though. As long as you keep the corals that need the most light higher in the tank, that is. Only reason I mention it is we had pc's over our tank for quite a long time as we just couldn't afford to upgrade. The pics I have in my sig under "more saltie pics" was a tank run under pc's. Edited January 5, 2009 by sharuq1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polleni-puffer Posted January 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 (edited) yes ,i have heard some bad and good reveiws over the rio nano ,but for my current money situation its the only thing that i can afford but over the pipefish delema i am still thinking about it ,but im leaning towards a banded pipe more then a blue pipe (not list thingy) Banded Pipefish pros:cheap ,easier to care for ,pretty ,my cardinalfish wont try and eat it cons:biggish Blue Striped Pipefish pros:small ,pretty cons:expencive ,small(cardinalfish may nip at it) ,harder to care for as for the lighting its seems that i know what to get now and am for the most part sorted out (oh ya ,im getting a candy corals ,normal and green ) (lastest word.....i have zoo's growing on mah live rock ,its a good sign..right) Edited January 5, 2009 by polleni-puffer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegrandpoohbah Posted January 5, 2009 Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 If you want a good nano skimmer then look into an AquaC Nano Remora or a Tunze Nano DOC 9002. They cost quite a bit more but actually work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polleni-puffer Posted January 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2009 ROFL ,i was acctually gonna get an AquaC remora ,but i cant find any-one who sells them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatpuffer Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 (edited) before you buy all of those livestock...just make sure you are used to running the tank, water testing, etc. take your time...dont rush it.\ js edit---also with a small tank like yours...water chemistry may fluctuate more that a bigger system ie. salinity, etc. Edited January 6, 2009 by fatpuffer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polleni-puffer Posted January 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 (edited) ya ,i have to add fresh water(with condishoner) to a.Keep water level up b.Keep to salinity from going over 1.27 Edited January 6, 2009 by polleni-puffer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosshog Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 I have an aqua c remora and a tunze 9002. They are both affordable skimmers that work quite well. Save your money, don't buy the rio, I had a guy who sells them tell me not to buy one. You'll be fine with no skimmer in a light bioload tank for some time. Just keep current with your water changes and you'll be ok. The corals in your list are hardy and don't need "pristine" water like SPS does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegrandpoohbah Posted January 6, 2009 Report Share Posted January 6, 2009 ROFL ,i was acctually gonna get an AquaC remora ,but i cant find any-one who sells them. http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/ps-acre/...in+Skimmer.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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