Thanks For The Info !!!

[mitchmac]

My 10 Gal...Is Cleaner Then ever...still havent gotten a test kit but im going to let it cycle a moneth or so more befor i start adding corals...and then im going to start with frags...and let them grow themselves into the tank...i want to do a mushroom and pollyp tank ... if anyone knows the preferred salinity and water conditions for them please let me know ... i know it has to stay between 1.020 and 1.023 and the lighting they prefer most low or high ? im assuming high but i could be wrong i have had shrooms int he past and they always tend to stay scrunched up and never open is there a reason for that ?

here is a pic with just the live rock cycling ...

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/i...eeftank005.jpg

[reginanmc]

You salinity should be fine at 1.024. shrooms woudl do fine under lower light. Paly's theoretically would, but i recently had problems with some paly's under low light, they kept growing taller and taller trying to get to light (pic in my nano build). There are a hand full of good lights that would work for a 10g. There are some great clip on MH fixtures that are reasonably priced. (i'm got 150w Mh on my 8g and everyone is very happy)

You're going to get better growth if you gt some decent lighting.

[mitchmac]

lol my lighting should be all ok...i have a 20" coralife aqualight 96w quad dual linear strip...50/50 split 10k daylight and actinic on a 10 gal. tank whats wrong with that ? it was actually recommended over pretty much any other ligth fixture that is sold around here adn there are some decent stores in the area...it has cooling fans and puts out plenty of light for all of the corals i ahve had in the past...i was using a retro fit kit on my 50 gal and everythign thrived in that .. i like pc lights...they do the trick and are easily cleaned and aer allin theier own fixture...just wondering tho ... if halogen is the way to go then i should start lookin into that but i just think its an over kil for a nano...that and they put out alot of heat correct ?

[OneDummHikk]

Get the test kit. And, get you a notebook of some sort. Every time you test the water, write down all the results. It will become invaluable to you as time goes on. It will allow you to look back and know what was going on. It will also help you know, for sure, when the cycle has finished.

[mitchmac]

Originally Posted by OneDummHikk

Get the test kit. And, get you a notebook of some sort. Every time you test the water, write down all the results. It will become invaluable to you as time goes on. It will allow you to look back and know what was going on. It will also help you know, for sure, when the cycle has finished.

what type of test kit shold ik get is there one with a digital readout ? or just get the one thats in strips n test for phosphates nitrites nitrates amonia and something else i cant remember but there are 5 things it tests for ...and they are like 3 inch strips multi colored all i have to do it dip them in the tank and watch...but what about my lighting ? that should be sudfficient enough for a 10 gal with corals correct ?

[OneDummHikk]

Yes, the 2x45 PC's are enough light for the nano. As for test kits, you can use the test strips but only use them as an indicator, not for reliability. Most people recommend the Salifert brand of test kits. I use API and like them.

Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, General Hardness (GH), and pH are generally the five things they test for. Depending on brand. You can use them as a semi-indicator but they are nowhere near as accurate as the test kits.

Ammonia
Nitrate
Nitrtite
pH
Calcium
KH
Phosphates

And there are some others. Most tests run around 7-10 dollars, again depending on brand and location.

[mitchmac]

ok the test strips were like 14 bucks but i ddint gert any i just obut a cleaner shrimp an emerald crab a turbo snail and one more piece of live rock...so now my load is

6 blue legged hermits
2 troch snails
1 turb snail
1 emerald crab
1 cleaner shrimp

and going ot add a fire fish in about a month or 2 after this cycle ends and everything is runing smoothley then i will begin adding small coral nuggets...

[mitchmac]

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/i...eeftank006.jpg

heres a new pic of the finished wall of rock...corals and fish coming soon