cichlids209
12-06-2009, 12:32 AM
Ok so i would like to start a nano reef, i have lots of questions . This Will Be My first saltwater tank . what type of fish can i put in a nano reef ? it will be a 10 gallon . and can i use a regular filter like a aquaclear 20 ?
MCHRKiller
12-06-2009, 01:24 AM
Fish, you would be limited to 1 small fish. I would go with either a Firefish, small Goby, or a Percula. You can keep some inverts as well a couple of hermits, 2-3 Nass. snails and then something like a pair of margarita snails or something will be a great clean up crew.
I personally always advocate skimming nanos, alot of people think that you wont get any benefit out of it but from the load my skimmer pulls out of my 15G I can tell you it is worth the investment. For a 10G an Aqua C Remora Nano would be perfect you can find these used on ebay for around $60...and since the only thing that could wear out is the pump its a safe buy even used.
For water circulation a Koralia nano and an AquaClear 20 would do well...I would just run chemical media in the AC20...some Purigen and a piece off a Polyfilter will help keep your phosphate level low and will remove some impurities and provide some mechanical filtration as well.
You will need some live rock, depending on density something around 12-16lbs would be enough to provide enough scape and enough for the core of your biological filtration. 10-15lbs of a good aragonite live sand would be nice to. Your going to be hard pressed to find a lighting system in the 20" range. http://www.marinedepot.com/Coralife_20_Inch_Aqualight_With_4_Tube_(Quad)_Lamp _Square_Pin_Base_20_Inch_Power_Compact_Light_Fixtu res-Coralife-ES53101-FILTFIPCTW-vi.html
This quad fixture is probably your best option in the 20" range, it will give you enough wattage to grow any coral youd like to keep in the tank. There are more options if you wanted to go up to a 24" long setup but that 20" one is more than adequate.
With that said for Reef aquariums you will also want to invest in a Refractometer they are more accurate and reliable than a hydrometer. A good salt mix(Oceanic, Seachem, Coralife) are the better choices...I personally use Seachem Reef salt and as it has a high level of calcium I dont have to dose calcium which comes in handy. You will also need test kits for Ammonia, Nirtrite, Nirate, Phosphate, Calcium, Alkalinity and pH at minimum....Salifert makes excellent test kits for the reef hobbyist.
Forgot to mention, dont use tap water...you will have more headaches in the end trying to use it with a reef. For a 10G I would personally just buy the RO water as for such a small tank investing in a RODI system it wouldnt be worth the cost or effort to use it. You can run RO water yourself at walmart for I think around 40cents per gallon or buy it pre-bottled by the gallon(its the green capped walmart brand one) for around 80cents, or even use Distilled water.
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