New tank for me

[~Rookie Wookie~]

Hiya guys and gals, I've been lurking around the board for a few days and I've got to be a part of this awsome forum. Lots of great information here, unfortunately I'm not knowledged enough to understand it all yet

Hopefully I'll get familiarized with everything soon, as well as reading a few books on reef life. Here's some info on my tank, which I got only about a month ago...

Six sided 10 gallon tank
Aqua clear MINI filter
1 inch sand bed
3 live rocks and some dead coral
2 false clowns

Currently I'm getting some diatoms on the front and side walls, as well as the surface of the sand bed. From older posts, this seems to be normal I guess... I will have to invest in getting a RO/DI kit so I can minimize this.

Otherwise, I'm still honing my skills on keeping the water stable at all times. It is a lot of work, but it is also a lot of fun. In the future, I hope to make my nano as good as some of the members on this forum... I just gasp when I see the pics in the photo section.

Anyway, it's good to be here and hope someone can give me some pointers on what I should be doing next!

~The Wookster~

[ckreef]

Welcome Rookie Wookie

WOuld that be a flat back hex tank??

You didn't mention what lighting if any you have --- that is definatly a very critical part of a Nano setup and will generally determine what types of corals you can keep.

Also the Aqua Clear Mini is way small for a 10 gal IMHO. I use an Aqua Clear 200 on a 7gal Minibow and I still think thats too small. Sometime in the future I hope to upgrade to a 300 gph for my Minibow.

You could upgrade your HOB filter or maybe add a power head for some extra circulation. Diatom blooms are a normal part of a tanks cycle process but extra circulation helps and all your future corals will love you for it.

Charles

[~Rookie Wookie~]

Yes sir it's a flat back hex tank, and I knew I missed something when I was listing the specs of my tank. Right now the lighting is just a generic florescent light (10w i think) sitting on the top of the tank with a hood over it. I'm guessing that would be called a retro fit?...

It's a good thing you recommended me on the filter because I had the assumption the mini was enough for a ten gallon... I will do that for my next upgrade. Before posting on this thread, I have already put in an order of a PC 36w retro fit and a Hamilton 2 strip 50w light (this one requires a canopy), the LFS owner will let me decide on which one I like better... what do you think? More wattage isn't always better but higher intensity is correct? They both cost the same, according to the LFS. I think I will take some pics today and post them so it'll be easier for readers here.

I will also start looking into power heads like you said, in fact, I'll probably head to my LFS right after work! Thanks ck~



~The Wookster~

[Casey]

Welcome Welcome we sure are glad to have ya

[ckreef]

MY general recommendation for lighting on a Nano is the most wattage (in Flour or perferably PC's) you can put above your Nano while still maintaining a nice looking setup and of course not heating the water up too much. Please Note: that usually requires building a custome canopy in order toget the most up on top --- but not always.

Check out some mail order companies to see what is out in the market as far as compact sized power heads. That will give you a good heads up before going and inquiring at the LFS.

[~Rookie Wookie~]

Not very impressive indeed... but hopefully that will change as time goes on. One thing I'm trying to learn with this new hobby is to have patience, and patience is a virtue.

Tell me what you guys think, any recommendation is gladly welcomed. The more input the better, as I don't know much about anything right now... thanks again fellas.

[~Rookie Wookie~]

Closer shot

[ckreef]

Dang thats a really nice looking setup. You shouldn't have any problems retrofitting some decent lighting inside that canopy.

If it was me I would remove thoses dead coral looking things (left side of pic) --- would just look more natural without them in the tank.

Then move the LR over a little bit (more into the middle). That will allow you to get your hand between the LR and the acrylic (on the sides) for better cleaning. Still maintain the sand area up front that is a nice look and you'll want that area to put some corals down there.

Go to the LFS with the best LR in your area. Pick out a large piece (at least 3 x larger than any you currently have). USe your current LR to prop up the large piece. This should make a nice swimthrough for the fish and give you a little better realestate for corals. It also gets some of the LR realestate up closer to the lights. Just make sure it's basically cycled LR so it doesn't hurt them little fishes. Also you might take a bucket of saltwater w/ you so you can transport the LR fully submersed.

[sammy33]

~Rookie Wookie~ -
Nice tank! Looking really good so far.

Are you using tap water? Tap water is no good for reef tanks. I noticed from your post you mentioned you want an RO/DI unit eventually?

I used purified water (DI and carbon filtered) from Publix (grocery) for almost the first year of my Nano's life. This stuff is about .70 cents a gallon and I had great results. I probably spent about $55.00 on just water in the first year! With good RO/DI units going for about $120.00 on ebay an RO unit is well worth it. The cost for your own water from your own RO unit is about .10-.12 cents a gallon and your tank will be much happier in the long run.

[~Rookie Wookie~]

Thanks for the compliments guys, this just gives me more motivation to improve on it.

ck - I look forward to getting my new lights, they should be coming in later this week. Since you said higher wattage, I think I will go with the Hamilton 50w retrofit and just custom fit it to my existing hood. The dead corals I will remove eventually when I load up with more LR, however, one of the dead corals is starting to spawn some feather duster looking things. I have no clue what those things are, but they do look pretty cool... They retract if they sense a sudden change in current. Meanwhile, I'd like to think of a way to fit the light inside the hood, any suggestions?

sammy - I'll definitely have to invest in a RO unit somewhere in the near future... getting the tank setup cost a bit of money and I'd like to spread out my expenses if ya know what I mean. I'll start looking around for a RO unit soon. Btw, what are the primary factors to look for in a RO unit?

[bryjo]

Its pretty cool , I like it

[leester]

Sammy33, I still use the red label Publix water in a pinch. My LFS has an commercial RO\DI unit and sells @ $.24 per gallon usually try to buy 5gals @ a time

[CAT]

Another option is the Tap water filter by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. It can get expensive to replace the filters but I only use 4 gals every 2 weeks so it's not too bad. Plus it doesn't waste tap water making the ro/di water

[~Rookie Wookie~]

Thanks, I'm gonna look into that for sure.