10 gallon nano reef journal (pics)

[unwritten law]

I got an extra ten gallon so it's going to be a nano. This is my first saltwater tank but I've done a lot of research and with some help from other site members I feel like I got what I need to start.

So far I have:
Tank/Stand
Heater
Aragonite sand (15lbs)
Instant Ocean Salt Mix
Hydrometer
high pH kit/ alkalinity
and everything else that you can think of for fresh water tanks.

Whats being delivered this week:
Maxi Jet 400 power heads (110 gph) x2
20" 1x96W Coralife Aqualight CF hood w/ Quad 50/50
-plus mounting brackets since it's going to be open top

I will most likely wait for the power heads to get here before I setup the tank and fill it with water. With some help I found that you can get R/O water from wal-mart pretty cheap so I'm going to go that method.

For live stock I was thinking this.
Cleaning Crew
-About 4 hermit crabs, what ever type I can get at my SW LFS
-2 Astrea snails
-I dont know how many nassarius snails.
Fish
-pair of clowns (false)
or
-clown + goby
or
-goby + fire fish

I will later get corals when it's time. Most likely zoas and some xenia I can get for free from my friend (his grows like crazy). I like those firefish but I hear that they jump and with an open top I don't think it's a good idea. Any comments about the firefish or other livestock, like the number of nassarius snails. Also any suggestions on what else I could put in a ten besides what is listed.

Thanks for looking and reading.

[zoalover34]

Really you should only have 1 fish in a 10g..

[unwritten law]

I'm okay with only one fish, it's cheaper, haha. What do you suggest? I find that those Ocellaris Clownfish should be in a larger tank. I am still iffy about the firefish and the open top tank. I 'd rather have a fish that swims out in the open though instead of a goby that stays hidden or near the bottom.

[unwritten law]

ooooo..... sand. I got about 12.5 lbs of sand in there.

The reason I was thinking about 2 fish was from a few forum articles that seemed legit.
The Nano Reef: a Step by Step Guide
Nanotank.com : Nano reef tank discussion forum

[unwritten law]

added 5 gallons of mixed water, the heater, thermometer, and an extra filter to get things moving before the power heads get here. I figured the filter would just help heat the water up easier.



Salinity is a little low but I'l get on that once I get more water. I don't think adding salt straight to the tank will do too much with out it already dissolved.


pH looks right about right... the picture makes it look a more like 8.6 but it really is more like 8.2


what I have sitting next to the tank... mmm yum

[unwritten law]

When adding more water, what is the best way? I already cleaned out and designated a 5 gallon bucket for it. I have an extra 50 watt heater, but what is the best way to mix the salt? Would putting that little filter in there as the temperature gets good be good enough? At first it just seemed like the salinity was too low for the amount of salt I was adding, like I couldn't get it to dissolve. I think heating it would help too actually. Does this sound all good?

[Lotus]

It's a good idea to have good circulation in your water bucket. It gets the salt mixed well. A cheap powerhead or pump will work.

The heater is necessary if your room temp is lower than your tank temp, although a pump or filter may warm the water enough in a 5g bucket. Don't forget that temperature can affect your salinity reading.

[unwritten law]

Thanks for the suggestions lotus. My room is is usually pretty cool, cooler than the rest of the house (I put the tank here to try and prevent too much evaporation). I'll probably use that filter since its basically just a pump or maybe an extra pump I have sitting around and for now use the extra heater just in case.

I am figuring it out fast that temperature does have a big affect on salinity and I should have realized this being a chem major. With the temperature, the salinity is now at about 1.023 @76 degrees Fahrenheit so it seems that is pretty stable. I'm not sure if that had an effect on my pH cause i'm not sure if salinity would effect it or not but maybe.

One issue I have come across is that my alkalinity seems on the low side. Can someone tell me what affect this will have and or how I can fix it, if needed.

[Lotus]

If that's one of those internal filters, then yes, you could use it in your saltwater make-up bucket (without the sponge). Really, anything that pumps the water is fine.

Some pumps put off more heat than others, so you'll really just have to see how it goes with the water temperature in the bucket.

It's so hot here that I only use a heater in the bucket for a month or two of the year. I forget that it's not always that warm in people's houses.

[unwritten law]

It actually might be warm enough with out the thermometer ill just have to test it out next time.... I probably will need to borrow a thermometer from one of my other tanks though.