please give opinions/advice

mcavoy · 03/08/2015, 05:04 AM

hello my name is roger and im about to set up a small 10g standard 20x10x12 glass nano reef im looking to house 2 clown goby citrinis 2 pom pom crab a few electric blue hermits possible a sea slug a verity of sps but nothing till i properly cycle my small tank with each addition

as for the equipment lighting im looking at the odyssea t5 72 watt 20" 18Wx4
a red sea prizm protein skimmer with surface skimmer
a tunze 6015 powerhead
hydor 50w heater
a ro/di small 50gpd unit

substrate carbisea aragonite seaflor 15pds thinking that will give me a 1.5" floor
rock caribsea base rock 12-15pds
and get a small cup of sand from my lfs and and a small peace of live rock from him for the bacteria and jump start the coralline

would love to hear your thoughts opinions and most of all advice

dkeller_nc · 03/08/2015, 07:09 AM

Hi Roger - Welcome to Reef Central!

If this is your first marine tank (and especially if this is your first aquarium, whether freshwater or marine), I'd urge you to spend a day and read the "Setting Up" thread at the top of this section of Reef Central. Investing that time will more than pay for itself in reduced expenditure and frustration.

The first thing to address is the choice of tank size. If this is your first one, be aware that it's a lot harder to keep a nano tank than one that's 40 gallons or larger. If you've the space for it, I'd strongly recommend a 40g breeder from Petco to start with - the tank will be $40 during their $/gallon sale, and the equipment necessary to run a 40g won't be all that much different in $$ terms from the 10g nano.

Your lighting choice is smart - stay away from LEDs as a newbie; T5HOs are bullet-proof and means you don't have to think about the lighting and can spend your time learning the ropes about water chemistry, animal husbandry, etc.... I would, however, suggest the Aquatic Life T5HO fixtures instead of the Oddysea or Coralife, they're much higher quality for very little extra cash.

The skimmer you noted will work, and if you already have it then I'd use it. But don't buy one - there are much better alternatives for about the same money.

gone fishin · 03/08/2015, 07:35 AM

dkeller gave some good advice, http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074

Here is the link he mentioned.

03/08/2015, 05:04 AM	#1
mcavoy Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: murfreesboro tn Posts: 17	please give opinions/advice hello my name is roger and im about to set up a small 10g standard 20x10x12 glass nano reef im looking to house 2 clown goby citrinis 2 pom pom crab a few electric blue hermits possible a sea slug a verity of sps but nothing till i properly cycle my small tank with each addition as for the equipment lighting im looking at the odyssea t5 72 watt 20" 18Wx4 a red sea prizm protein skimmer with surface skimmer a tunze 6015 powerhead hydor 50w heater a ro/di small 50gpd unit substrate carbisea aragonite seaflor 15pds thinking that will give me a 1.5" floor rock caribsea base rock 12-15pds and get a small cup of sand from my lfs and and a small peace of live rock from him for the bacteria and jump start the coralline would love to hear your thoughts opinions and most of all advice

03/08/2015, 07:35 AM	#3
gone fishin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Wyocena Wi Posts: 6,936	dkeller gave some good advice, http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074 Here is the link he mentioned. __________________ Tony Current Tank Info: 180gal DT, BM NAC77 skimmer,3 Maxspect razors, Maxspect Gyre 150, 30g QT

03/08/2015, 07:09 AM	#2
dkeller_nc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Central NC Posts: 5,062	Hi Roger - Welcome to Reef Central! If this is your first marine tank (and *especially* if this is your first aquarium, whether freshwater or marine), I'd urge you to spend a day and read the "Setting Up" thread at the top of this section of Reef Central. Investing that time will more than pay for itself in reduced expenditure and frustration. The first thing to address is the choice of tank size. If this is your first one, be aware that it's a lot harder to keep a nano tank than one that's 40 gallons or larger. If you've the space for it, I'd strongly recommend a 40g breeder from Petco to start with - the tank will be $40 during their $/gallon sale, and the equipment necessary to run a 40g won't be all that much different in $$ terms from the 10g nano. Your lighting choice is smart - stay away from LEDs as a newbie; T5HOs are bullet-proof and means you don't have to think about the lighting and can spend your time learning the ropes about water chemistry, animal husbandry, etc.... I would, however, suggest the Aquatic Life T5HO fixtures instead of the Oddysea or Coralife, they're much higher quality for very little extra cash. The skimmer you noted will work, and if you already have it then I'd use it. But don't buy one - there are much better alternatives for about the same money.