10g nano startup

hi,
i'm starting a 10gallon nano tank...i've placed an agronite base and mixed in some live sand already.
I've ordered some live rock, but it hasn't arrived yet. I was talking to someone else who bought the same rock and they said it smells bad...does that mean its not cured? if its not, then do i just leave it in my tank to cure? can i still add a fish? and is there any precautions i need to take before adding the rock to the tank?

Also do i need to add Ca, Strontium, or iodine to the tank?

I've bought some compact lights, they total 20 watts...is that enough if i want to put in coral?

One last thing...The lights i bought, one was 6,500K the other was 10K and half actinic. Which one is better? I would figure that the second one would be, but it seems less bright when i turn it on.

Thanks for any help....my fish and i will both appreciate it.

vinnie

[Birdlady]

Well, there are lots of questions here.....

The rock, ...if it smells bad, I would just get a plastic container large enough, and toss in a powerhead, and cure the rock in there. Why foul up your sandbed with decaying rock. After a week or two, and the smell is gone, and you don't see any dead stuff on the rocks, they place in your display tank and toss out the water you used to cure the rocks in.

No fish yet.

20 watts would probably be fine for soft corals and mushrooms, but might not be enough for anemones and hard corals.

The light is purely preference. 6500K's look more yellow while the 10K's look more white, add in the half actinic, and you get a blueish look. [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

Oh, BTW, go ahead and register here, it is free!!! Add your tank info in the 'signature' section so it shows with each post so we can refer to that info.

AND WELCOME!!!!

Vinnie,
I am a hobbyist with approx. 10 years keeping reef aquaria. I assume (please don't be offended) that you are new to the hobby. Keep in mind that, while it is easier financially, a really small reef tank (such as your 10g) is inherently less stable than a larger tank. This does not mean that you can't keep a stunningly healthy tank of this size. It does mean that you must be more diligent with your tank than one would need to be with a larger tank.
When your live rock arrives, just place it in the tank. Test your ammonia and nitrite levels every day or two until they both read zero and stay there. Then change about half (or all) the tank contents with newly-mixed seawater. You may want to keep the lights off for the first week or so you have the live rock to avoid an algal bloom. DO NOT add fish until after the levels have stabilized. When you do add fish, do so one or two small fish at a time. The more fish you have, the more rapidly your water quality will degrade, and the more frequently you will need to do partial water changes. I suggest a maximum of three or four small fish.
For a small reef tank such as yours, i do not think any supplementation is neccessary, unless you are keeping a lot of stony corals. Instead, i suggest that you change one or two gallons of water each week, making sure to check your salinity level frequently. (evaporation can cause the salinity to drift over time, so make sure you add a little fresh water here and there to compensate) This regimen of water changes is probably more than many people would suggest, but it is the easiest way to avoid problems in the long run. Just make sure that when you change water that you match the temperature and salinity of the fresh water as closely as possible to the water already in the tank. This will minimize stress to the inhabitants.
As for lighting, the more the better. It is almost impossible to overdo it with flourescent lighting. If you can fit three or four PC bulbs over your tank, i think you will be pleased with the results. If you can only fit two, you can still keep some corals, but try to stick to soft corals. They are harder to kill and more tolerant of fluctuations in water chemistry and temperature. I reccoment an even balance of actinic and full spectrum bulbs. The actinics don't seem bright to the human eye, but believe me, they really help corals grow, since the light they give off is just the right color for corals to absorb and use. 6,500k and 10,000k lights are both considered full-spectrum, or "daylight" bulbs. Avoid the use of "blue" bulbs that are not actinic. The light they produce is pretty to the eye, but photosynthetically useless. Remember: the right light spectrum is just as important as intensity. I would suggest you load up on as many "50/50" type bulbs as you can. They do the job. I hope this advice was helpful, as it is the result of a decade of experience.

[somethingfishy]

I don't mean to step on you toes Josh but 4 fish in a 10 gal? I would suggest 1 maybe 2 and should be 2 inchs max. 4 fish will be a big bio-load which will make keeping a small tank that much harder. JMHO

You are right, somethingfishy, 3 or 4 small fish might be a bit much for a low-maintenence system. I think it safe to say, as a rule of thumb, the more fish you have, the faster your water quality degrades, and thus the more filtration and and water changes you need to maintain the same level of water quality.

thank you everyone for your insight...i'm still waiting on my live rock...all your info has helped alot