My 10 G NANO project

[Hpimichael02]

hey guys,

i am starting a 10G nano for my first time, this should be a great adventure. the nano will only consist of inverts and corals.

the setup:
10 gallon tank with a Acrylic top with cut outs for air
IO mix-i heard that this brand causes algea problems but its all the store had at the moment.
hydrometer
160gph ebay power head- will replace with korilla nano soon
5 gu10 led lights 3 blue 2 white- on order
Aragonite sand- 10lbs
for live rock im getting some from a guy on craigslist $3/lbs or 44/lbs for purple liverock- this im getting tonight roughly 7-10lbs to start
here is the link (http://orlando.craigslist.org/for/2682863806.html) for the live rock- please do tell if you think its worth it or not :)

my lights for cycling till i get my GU10's wire and delivered
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1/hpimichael02/25a6d957.jpg

[Cliff]

I'm not too sure about that live rock in the link. You have to look closely at it. If it is porous, than it should be OK for $3/lb.

When you get your live rock, I would suggest cycling your tank with the lights off and even cover the tank to make it completelty dark. As your live rock cures the algae and most all bad hitch hikers will die off that way. It will not effect your cycle and will help you aviod nasty algae outbreaks

[Hpimichael02]

so i got my live rock from a SW store cost more but worth it , it was tan with allot of light green so it looked better than the other, i have only 5 pounds in there now i will add 5 pounds of dry rock next month once its done curing.

he is the pic with my home made 32 5mm LED set up
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1/hpimichael02/923f103e.jpg

i had an issue with my salt, it would completely dissolve all the way and i mean i shook the heck out of the 5 gallon jar let it sit for an hour and it did dissolve more, but there was still salt in the bottom, any ideas why? im using instant ocean and it was like a brick when i opened the bag.???

also my cheap power head has a air suction feature as it suck air from above tank and through the water stream , should i have this active so it blows bubbles to help aerate the water???

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

I wouldn't run air into the tank. No need for it. I would strongly recommend getting a cheap powerhead to stick in your bucket for mixing your salt. You really should mix your salt for 24hours before using it in your tank.

[Hpimichael02]

thanks for the advice i stopped the air, and i turned the lights off. im just worried about the salt level. :(

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

keep a close eye on it. Also, if I recall correctly you have a hydrometer, you need to have someone with a refractometer test your water, or they need to test a sample at a known salinity to find out how much that hydrometer is off so you know how to accurately read it. Swing-arm hydrometers are not very accurate at all, and need to be "calibrated" by the method I just mentioned. So, if you test a sample of water that is known to be 1.025, then whatever your hydrometer reads, you will know by just how much it is off. So, for example, if your hydrometer reads that sample as being 1.028, then you know you will have to subtract 0.003 from every reading you take with it to ensure you have an accurate reading.

[Hpimichael02]

yes, i only bought the hydro meter for budget buy but wasn't a good idea, how would you recommend the eBay ones? or what would you recommend?

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Refractometers are not really that big a deal. Don't waste your money on the $200 models. The average $40-$50 model will be just as good. Just be sure you get one that can be calibrated.

[Hpimichael02]

that's next on my shopping list lol, but i called my LFS and they said they could test it with their refractometer (saltwater only shop), so im gonna take it their tonight. currently specs are

18hrs after setup
salinity:1.028- 7 gallons- going to add 2 gallons to it to try to dilute it if not, ill then do a water change, but i think the 2 gallons would off set it to get it to 1.023-.026- after i come back from the shop to see how far mine is off.
ammonia:0.50ppm
nitrite: 0.25ppm
water temp is currently 76F its a bit low but, im placing a water heater in there to raise it to about 78f-80f- or is 76 good to cycle with?

my water is now clear so i think im heading in the right direction. but time will tell

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

76 is ok for cycling, but not ideal. You probably should get it up a couple of degrees.

2 gal of FW in that tank will drop the salinity more than you think. You add just 2 gal of FW to that tank and you will likely drop your salinity to below 1.020. As you said, have your hydrometer tested before you make any changes to the salinity.

[Hpimichael02]

im kinda worried about the temp because once my =gu-10 comes in should be about 2 weeks so my cycle would be well in its cycle the temp will be about normal around 80f. but im getting it tested tonight if i get off work on time .

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

What is there to worry about? It doesn't really matter if your cycle is not completed by the time you get your lights.

[Hpimichael02]

i guess your right, just being paranoid. what does increase salt level do to your cycle, if my reading is correct for a short time? does it produce more bacteria or kill my live rock ?>

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

1.028 won't really do anything to harm your cycle, but some of the micro fauna on your live rock will not like it. That's ok though, because you expect some die-off and that die-off in turn creates ammonia which helps establish your bacteria. The main issue comes when you start adding fish and corals.j That 1.028 is a bit high for them and it needs to be in the 1.023-1.026 range. However, as you eluded to, your reading with your hydrometer is likely incorrect, and your actual SG may be more like 1.030, and then you have a problem as that will kill most stuff in the tank. (personal experience with that one)

[Hpimichael02]

yea thats making me nervous, if i cant get out of work by 5pm and get to teh store by 6 then im gonna add a gallon of water to lower it becuase i dont want to take any risks. thanks for the great info

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

I wouldn't do that either. Your hydrometer may also be reading high, and if that is the case, and your SG is actually down around 1.023, adding a gallon of FW will drop your SG into the hypo-saline range. Don't do anything to your water until you have that hydrometer calibrated. Also, 1gal of FW added to 7gal of SW is going to drop your SG move than just 0.003, it will drop it quite a bit more than that. You need to take this is in much smaller steps. Nothing good happens fast in a marine tank.

[Hpimichael02]

So I got my wTer tested, my hydrometer read 1.028 and the LCD refractometer read 1.025, so it's off by .03

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Glad you didn't add that fresh water? LOL

[Hpimichael02]

Yep so I made water yesterday before I got tested and now it's filled up, thanks for the advice, and at 80f it evaps allot! But went to the lfs and saw the zoas I'm gonna get when cycled :)

[Hpimichael02]

tested my water today 5th day running
ammonia-0.25ppm
trite-0ppm
trate- 5ppm

what is the other most important test kits to get ? KH, MAG, CA, phosphate?

[icefreeze57]

any updates on your tank

[Hpimichael02]

Tank has been running for almost two months, I got allot of hard green stuff on my rocks I belive is the coraline algea- it won't come off, I also have allot of little purple spots that keep increasing. I just had a mad nitrite spike over the holidays lost a flame torch coral, other than that tank has be going great I'll post some pics later today

[Hpimichael02]

Here is the pic of my main center rock and the green I mentioned
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1/hpimichael02/90c6bc6e.jpg

I need to clean the tank when I do I'll post more

[Hpimichael02]

The before picture
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1/hpimichael02/9d795b44.jpg
I moved the rock around but you can see the color change so fast- those led gu10 work well just need about 10 not 5

[icefreeze57]

yeah, damn. Looks like its coming around nice though

[Hpimichael02]

Today has marked 1 year in the saltwater side of things for me. My 10g has been sitting with water and crushed coral substrate. Well one year and I'm ready to do a full hardcore nano. I'm planning on taking my 10g to about 8 by adding an internal sump area, this tank will take sps mainly, led lighting(DIY) and 15 lbs of rock(5 live), will be starting this tomorrow with the canopy and then adding water and cycling- after that I will be adding my 9 Sps frags that are currently in my 55 mixed reef.