new to saltwater and learning what i need

chrisp6108 · 01-29-2008, 10:16 PM

Well as the titel says im new to saltwater i current own alot of freshwater fish and testing the idea of doing my 10 gal hex as a saltwater tank but need help.

im starting from square one with saltwater, same thing i did with my frehs tanks i setup, ALOT OF RESEARCH for awhile and have an idea and stick to it.

from the research i have done, i would like to do 1 or maybe 2 small fish, (no more would be overstocked) and 10 lbs of live rock but i would like to do a few small coral as well and this is where im drawing a blank esp when it comes to lighting. because in freshwater theres not much envolved for lighting that is required to keep a freshwater plants healthy.

and also filtration is another blank for me, since is a 10gal hex i want to put it up on the ledge of our living room and kitchen so sump pump is a no go, could i use a powerheard from a 29 gallon take to let water flow throw the rocks as a good filter? or???????????? this again im new to saltwater and read this somewhere.

and fish i have not done alot of reseach but im thinking some kind of dwarf would work just fine (im guessing) im open to ideas and my fiance would like purple so any suggestions im all open.

and any other tips or ideas PLEASE let me know im all open to ideas, and i have read a few times about water, and theres a place where i live in dayton ohio that sells pre mixed water so i was thinking of that because its simple an d convenient.

(posted this in another online forum as well) and the first thing they mentiond was lighting, i have a hood with my 10 gallon hex and it has a 12" floursecnt 8w light and i was doing some research and found one for coral but its only 8w, which i dont know is enough or not but this is what i found "Power-Glo Fluorescent Aquarium Light Bulb, 12" 8W - T5"

dobejazz · 01-29-2008, 11:13 PM

Welcome to TRT !!

for a nano tank a sump isn't needed. As long as you have flow, LR and a decent waterchange schedule your filtration should be taken care of.

Check out this forum for some nano ideas We are starting up a nano build off and there are ton's of ideas and examples of how to set up a nano tank

http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=260

chrisp6108 · 01-30-2008, 10:36 AM

all the research i keep findind does not apply to this small of a tank, i find people saying they dont need skimmers, and i find people that say they do, if i want a clean look all i would need is a power head to make water flow throw the coral correct? (and of course water changes weekely)

and my next question since im new to salt, and i know this stuff is not cheap whats a good starter coral to invest in that is hearty,

as for fish i was told damsel's are they way to start because there a hearty fish as well. but a few websites i found does not recoment one in a 10 gallon, (20 is minimum) and i learned this one the heard way with my fresh water fish, i have a green terror chiclid that is about a foot long in my 29 gallon and my LFS wont take him cause hes too big but he LOOKS AMAZING.

here is the site i found which i love how the break it down... any suggestions on fish?
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/mari...ls/damsels.php

dobejazz · 01-30-2008, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisp6108

all the research i keep findind does not apply to this small of a tank, i find people saying they dont need skimmers, and i find people that say they do, if i want a clean look all i would need is a power head to make water flow throw the coral correct? (and of course water changes weekely)

and my next question since im new to salt, and i know this stuff is not cheap whats a good starter coral to invest in that is hearty,

as for fish i was told damsel's are they way to start because there a hearty fish as well. but a few websites i found does not recoment one in a 10 gallon, (20 is minimum) and i learned this one the heard way with my fresh water fish, i have a green terror chiclid that is about a foot long in my 29 gallon and my LFS wont take him cause hes too big but he LOOKS AMAZING.

here is the site i found which i love how the break it down... any suggestions on fish?
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/mari...ls/damsels.php

There are many different ways to run a reef tank - do you need a skimmer? NO - regular water changes will be more than adequate.

Only consider damsels if that is the only type of fish you intend to add - 1 or 2 small damsels would be fine in a 10g by them selves but some Damsels get larger than others so research them well.

There are many easier to keep "starter" corals - mushrooms, Green star polyps, most leathers, button polyps and Zoa's are a good start

chrisp6108 · 01-30-2008, 08:53 PM

my LFS has sml something (looks like small clown fish that only grow to like 3" or so and they only have one white stripe on the front of its body, i want to go back there and find out what it is so i can do some research, and i will probably run a skimmer because i found one for $40 bucks that does not look to horriable and it cant hurt to have it.

dobejazz · 01-30-2008, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisp6108

my LFS has sml something (looks like small clown fish that only grow to like 3" or so and they only have one white stripe on the front of its body, i want to go back there and find out what it is so i can do some research, and i will probably run a skimmer because i found one for $40 bucks that does not look to horriable and it cant hurt to have it.

I don't use a skimmer but before you buy post here for feedback - also on the fish

aquawolf · 01-30-2008, 10:12 PM

If you want some ideas to research for fish to put in the tank when the time finally comes, check out Live Aquaria where I linked you to the nano fish section. These are all fish that do well in smaller tanks.

Welcome to TRT and good luck with everything!

chrisp6108 · 01-31-2008, 12:08 AM

thanks alot for the help, im still in planning stages, due to lack of funds so far..... and i want to know ALOT about it before i begin this, i learned from FW tanks, RESEARCH IS KEY TO A GOOD FISH TANK. and thats what im doing is alot of research to find out what i should do, and what i should stay away from.

chrisp6108 · 01-31-2008, 12:11 AM

they had tomato clownfish and regular ones, i liked the tomato but i think they might get to big.

dobejazz · 01-31-2008, 12:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisp6108

they had tomato clownfish and regular ones, i liked the tomato but i think they might get to big.

Tomato's do get big. percula, skunk and Ocerellis stay smaller I believe

chrisp6108 · 01-31-2008, 10:02 AM

ok if i do one or 2 small clown fish, what do i need to look for in the clean up crew because i was looking at my LFS and i got totally lost looking at these litte guys(which looked amazing)

dobejazz · 01-31-2008, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisp6108

ok if i do one or 2 small clown fish, what do i need to look for in the clean up crew because i was looking at my LFS and i got totally lost looking at these litte guys(which looked amazing)

I have a few red leg hermits and some blue leg hermits, Astrea snails and if you have sand a couple of narcissious snails are cool.

I'd recommend getting a couple of snails to start then add more as needed.