coachfraley
01-09-2008, 09:48 PM
After reading post after post about setting up a small SW tank, I decided to compile a little bit of the information that has been posted recently. Hopefully, you have read a little about keeping nanos, and you realize that they need constant maintenance, and a lot of TLC. I also hope that you do not have unreal expectations as far as what you can keep in the tank. For small SW tanks, the 1" rule (or even the .5" rule) does not apply! But, with a little forethought, you can stock a 10g with more than enough life to make a very interesting display.
Please note, that this article is for people who are absolutely set on a 10g. I am in no way saying that this an ideal size, but I realize that many people will want to start here.
So, lets get down to the nuts and bolts:
Must Have Equipment
Tank
SW Test Kit
Live Rock: 10-15 lbs. of rock. There are a wide variety of choices, but it will ultimately depend upon how much you want to spend and/or what is available to you. Prices and quality of LR can vary immensely. In Southern California, you can find beautiful, fully cured live rock at fish stores for around $5 a pound. In some rural areas, people are paying $20 a pound for just about anything they can get their hands on. If you want to save some $, one way to go is to mix up the quality of the rock you buy. For instance, you can buy 6 pounds of "base rock" (which is usually white and devoid of life), and hide it under 9 pounds of premium live rock. Some generalizations about live rock: "uncured" rock is usually cheaper, takes longer to cycle, and contains more hitchhikers. The opposite is true of "cured" live rock. Making concrete statements about which live rock to buy is very difficult, because terms such as "fully cured" mean different things to different retailers. Ideally, you will be able to go around and look at rock at several fish stores. You will quickly see that there can be a big difference in the quality of rock available. Read up on the curing process and talk to retailers about how their LR is handled on the way to the store. If you take your time and get a great deal on nice rock, you will not regret it.
Live Sand/ Aragonite: 10-20 lbs. of dry aragonite sand or bagged aragonite "live" sand. Popular buys here are Natures Ocean Bio-Active Live Aragonite and the Caribsea Aragamax line of products.
Powerhead(s): You will want around 120-250 gph of flow for your 10g. Popular choices are the Koralia Nano, the Aquaclear powerheads, and the Maxi-jet powerheads.
Lighting: Here is where you will need to have some idea of what you are going to keep in your aquarium. If you want a Fish Only With LR tank, you can get away with standard aquarium florescent lighting. If you are going to keep corals, you will need to buy lights that fit the kind of corals you are going to keep. Keep in mind that almost everyone who starts out with a FOWLR ends up keeping corals. That is why I recommend that you invest in a lighting system that will at least work for low-light corals. That way, if you are in your LFS, and you see some really cool mushrooms or zoas, you will be able to get them. Here are a few of the popular lights:
Low Light: Current Nova Extreme HO T5 40 watts , Current USA PC Single Satellite 40 watts
Med/High Light: Coralife PC quad-tube aqualite 96 watt, Current USA PC Dual Satellite 80 watts
50 watt Heater: Steath, Visa-therm, and the Jager are popular.
Hydrometer: Coralife and Instant Ocean are the most common. No hydrometer is going to be very accurate. Check yours against a refractometer if possible.
SW & FW Supplies: You will need a constant supply of filtered FW for top-offs and for mixing your SW. Most people use RO water from their LFS or a home RO system. You will need a bucket, extra heater (25-50 watt), and powerhead to prep your SW for water changes. If you mix your own SW, you will also need to buy a salt mix. Seachem, Tropic Marine, Instant Ocean, and Kent Marine are some of the most commonly used brands. Buying pre-mixed water from your LFS is another option, and it is usually economically feasible on a 10g tank. In case you are interested, here is a cool article on Salt Mixes:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/12/aafeature1/view
Optional Equipment
Hang On Back Filter: Although it is not required, an HOB filter will allow you to run mechanical and chemical filtration on your tank. Keep in mind that the "stock" media in most filters was designed for FW. So ditch the bioballs, and use the HOB to hold your carbon or purigen, and maybe some disposable filter floss. The most popular HOB filter is the Hagen Aquaclear.
Hang on Back Refugium: A fuge is a great way to fine tune your water quality on a small tank. Basically all it is, is a home for macroalgae (such as chaetomorphia). In order for the macroalgae to grow, you will need to purchase an extra light (ideally in the 6700k spectrum), and run the light on a separate timer. So setting up a fuge can add quite a bit of cost to your setup. The aquafuge is a prefabricated refugium that can be purchased with a light. Other people choose to make a DIY fuge out of an HOB filter and a small PC palm light.
By making this post, I am not claiming to be any kind of expert. Most of the info. here is compiled from this site, other forums, and articles around the internet. If you have other questions, there are some very experienced reefers on this forum who can help you out. Good luck, and happy reefing!
Please note, that this article is for people who are absolutely set on a 10g. I am in no way saying that this an ideal size, but I realize that many people will want to start here.
So, lets get down to the nuts and bolts:
Must Have Equipment
Tank
SW Test Kit
Live Rock: 10-15 lbs. of rock. There are a wide variety of choices, but it will ultimately depend upon how much you want to spend and/or what is available to you. Prices and quality of LR can vary immensely. In Southern California, you can find beautiful, fully cured live rock at fish stores for around $5 a pound. In some rural areas, people are paying $20 a pound for just about anything they can get their hands on. If you want to save some $, one way to go is to mix up the quality of the rock you buy. For instance, you can buy 6 pounds of "base rock" (which is usually white and devoid of life), and hide it under 9 pounds of premium live rock. Some generalizations about live rock: "uncured" rock is usually cheaper, takes longer to cycle, and contains more hitchhikers. The opposite is true of "cured" live rock. Making concrete statements about which live rock to buy is very difficult, because terms such as "fully cured" mean different things to different retailers. Ideally, you will be able to go around and look at rock at several fish stores. You will quickly see that there can be a big difference in the quality of rock available. Read up on the curing process and talk to retailers about how their LR is handled on the way to the store. If you take your time and get a great deal on nice rock, you will not regret it.
Live Sand/ Aragonite: 10-20 lbs. of dry aragonite sand or bagged aragonite "live" sand. Popular buys here are Natures Ocean Bio-Active Live Aragonite and the Caribsea Aragamax line of products.
Powerhead(s): You will want around 120-250 gph of flow for your 10g. Popular choices are the Koralia Nano, the Aquaclear powerheads, and the Maxi-jet powerheads.
Lighting: Here is where you will need to have some idea of what you are going to keep in your aquarium. If you want a Fish Only With LR tank, you can get away with standard aquarium florescent lighting. If you are going to keep corals, you will need to buy lights that fit the kind of corals you are going to keep. Keep in mind that almost everyone who starts out with a FOWLR ends up keeping corals. That is why I recommend that you invest in a lighting system that will at least work for low-light corals. That way, if you are in your LFS, and you see some really cool mushrooms or zoas, you will be able to get them. Here are a few of the popular lights:
Low Light: Current Nova Extreme HO T5 40 watts , Current USA PC Single Satellite 40 watts
Med/High Light: Coralife PC quad-tube aqualite 96 watt, Current USA PC Dual Satellite 80 watts
50 watt Heater: Steath, Visa-therm, and the Jager are popular.
Hydrometer: Coralife and Instant Ocean are the most common. No hydrometer is going to be very accurate. Check yours against a refractometer if possible.
SW & FW Supplies: You will need a constant supply of filtered FW for top-offs and for mixing your SW. Most people use RO water from their LFS or a home RO system. You will need a bucket, extra heater (25-50 watt), and powerhead to prep your SW for water changes. If you mix your own SW, you will also need to buy a salt mix. Seachem, Tropic Marine, Instant Ocean, and Kent Marine are some of the most commonly used brands. Buying pre-mixed water from your LFS is another option, and it is usually economically feasible on a 10g tank. In case you are interested, here is a cool article on Salt Mixes:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/12/aafeature1/view
Optional Equipment
Hang On Back Filter: Although it is not required, an HOB filter will allow you to run mechanical and chemical filtration on your tank. Keep in mind that the "stock" media in most filters was designed for FW. So ditch the bioballs, and use the HOB to hold your carbon or purigen, and maybe some disposable filter floss. The most popular HOB filter is the Hagen Aquaclear.
Hang on Back Refugium: A fuge is a great way to fine tune your water quality on a small tank. Basically all it is, is a home for macroalgae (such as chaetomorphia). In order for the macroalgae to grow, you will need to purchase an extra light (ideally in the 6700k spectrum), and run the light on a separate timer. So setting up a fuge can add quite a bit of cost to your setup. The aquafuge is a prefabricated refugium that can be purchased with a light. Other people choose to make a DIY fuge out of an HOB filter and a small PC palm light.
By making this post, I am not claiming to be any kind of expert. Most of the info. here is compiled from this site, other forums, and articles around the internet. If you have other questions, there are some very experienced reefers on this forum who can help you out. Good luck, and happy reefing!