What Do i Need for a Nano Reef 10g

[Tunaworm]

I am planning on starting a Saltwater nano reef tank in my room. I was wondering what kind of lighting you need for a reef? I was also wondering if 2 percula clowns and a cleaner shrimp would be A-okay? And if there are any other things i need to known for a healthy nano reef tank.
Please feel free to write what ever suggestions you feel like. Thank you for all.

[Tunaworm]

Its me again and i need to add something

I don't neccesarily want a REEF tank but just some live rock and mabe an Anenome or something like that? Please give some suggestions on live rock, anenomes or any thing to that sort.

[toodles]

Forget the anemone in a 10g and this being your first saltwater tank and all.
Is there any way you could go with a larger tank? The reason I'm asking is that the larger the tank, the more stable it will be.
Okay, depending on what you plan to keep coral wise (NOT including anemones, clownfish do not need them to be happy) is what will determine what kind of lighting you will need. If you are going with a FOWLR tank (Fish Only With Live Rock), then you will be fine with the lighting that comes with the hood. If you plan on keeping mushroom corals or yellow polyps you 'might' be able to get away with the lighting you have if the corals are placed up high on the rockwork close to the lights. You could always add another regular strip light too. If you did this, you will want to get tubes in the 10,000k range or the 50/50 tubes. Now if you go for something like a hammer or perhaps a frogspawn coral, then you will need to upgrade to PC lights (Power Compacts). They come in either 55watts or 110watts, the more watts, the more money! I cannot suggest VHO's (Very High Output) lights as they don't come in tubes small enough for a 10g. MH's (Metal Halides) are the way to go if you decide to go with clams or hard corals, but they run very hot, and are very expensive to buy.
LR (Live Rock) is always a good thing to buy for any saltwater tank. If it was me, I would start out with sand for the substrate about 3" or more and around 10lbs of LR. Then I would cycle the tank using the fishless method, once it's done, then add the shrimp....make sure everything is okay for a couple of weeks then add the clowns.
Other things you will need are a heater, salt (ha!), a hydrometer, power heads and a filter (I will always recommend a filter for any salt water tank, you will get conflicting reports on this subject but I like the fact that they will remove particles from the water, you can run carbon in them and the added circulation. Just keep the filter media clean!) A good book is always recommended too!!!
Don't forget some snails like turbo and astrea.....maybe 5 or 6 total (turbos are clumsy and will knock over rockwork if it isn't stable) and you could probably add a hermit crab or two.
When you have inverts of any kind, it's always better to keep the salinity around the natural sea levels of 1.025. Also, most people keep their tanks between 78º to 82º temperature.
Can't think of anything else at the moment!

[Tunaworm]

Thank you very much Kim. I was wondering if E-Z Ballasts would work okay. And maybe how to set them up.
Are power heads really that important.

I plan to use your advice and thank you again.

[toodles]

You're welcome!
And yes, powerheads are very important for circulation. In a saltwater tank you can have problems if the circulation is poor. One thing to remember is that many organisms need the water to flow past them to bring food and remove wastes. Also, in very low flow areas you will have a bigger chance of the dreaded cynao showing up (((**rubs four-leaf clover**))).
Another thing to remember is that warm water holds less oxygen than cool water and that saltwater holds less oxygen than freshwater so warm saltwater holds the least amount of oxygen of them all!! If you have any doubts about the surface agitation in your tank you can always aim a powerhead at the surface to get a nice roiling effect (not splashing though as this will lead to salt creep).
About the E-Z Ballasts.....you will have to ask someone else about them as I have no experience or knowledge of them. If you don't get any answers in this forum, post a question in the regular Saltwater section......

[wayne at home]

OK, you need what lighting you need for whatever you keep - some need lots, some need little, it's the inhabitants that determine the light , not tank size. And powerheads are really important for circulation.
Yes 2 percula and a shrimp are ok.
I guess the biggest thing ro know about nanos is they are hard work, they're not stable. It's possible to succeed and have a good tank, but realistically it's a gamble. If you're going to have a 10, well I've got a tank that 70cms *35 *35 - not so much bigger, but man that would be so much easier, esp for a novice. And I don;t believe it would be much, if any more expensive.

Research, and think about this, and you'll be on the right track

[supahtim]

hey! i have a 5 1/2 gallon nano and its doing pretty good. make sure to check all of your live rock for pests before you add it to your aquarium. i think i got one and i've lost 3 hermit crabs in the past 2 days

[1979camaro]

when you say "filter" you mean "skimmer" right toodles? or do you mean filter....heres the thing, its along these lines...im looking to set up a 20 or 25 gal reef and im a little unsure what skimmer to use, i am thinking about the AquaC Remora b/c its a HOB and im not gonna have room for a refugium, but perhaps there are better options...now, if with LR and a DBS i can get away with using a simple HOB filter for mechanical filtration and still have success I would be interested to hear about it b/c a skimmer is a hell of a lot more $$ than an HOB...mostly will be looking at mushrooms and soft corals so shooting for around 5wpg (gonna go with 110w PC lighting)...guess thats about all the info ive got for you now

any thoughts are appreciated

Kevin

[supahtim]

My friend at work has a 10g nano, and all he has is an aquaclear mini and its doing a great job. A powerhead would be a great add-on to that though because the water in that tank seems to be not moving at all. You wouldn't really need a skimmer for such a small aquarium though. All you have to do is scoop up some of the stuff floating at the top every once in a while and refill the tank with reverse-osmosis water. A 20-25g aquarium might be a little different because it is twice the size of a 10g...

[valdok]

very cool tank, supahtim. wish the picture could be seena little more clearly.