just a few questions

[omard]

Any particular reason a Maroon?

They can get fairly large pretty quick.

In that small of environment, it may not tolerate any other fish.

[green1_8team]

No the maroon was just one that popped into my head. And i have a all in one testing that has dip sticks that test for nitrate, nitrite, hardness, chlorine, alkalinity and pH. About how much brine shrimp should i feed my blue damsel. Dont want to over feed her. And what is the deal with protein skimmers, is it really necessary for a tank my size??? btw thanks for all the help because it seems like the guys at my LFS are good just seem to get impatient after me coming in twice a day asking question for a half an hour each time.

[Uvajed]

Originally Posted by missionsix66

A larger tank will make this venture much easier on you.
You are going to need the following test kits.
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
PH
KH/alklinity
Calcium
Magnesium
Phosphate
And I may have forgotten something.
The anthias and maroon aren't good choices for a 10 gallon starter tank. And depending on the lights you are going to use will determine the corals you can keep.

I was tossing around the idea of a smaller tank, 29 gallons. Then, after reading tons of info, the bigger, the easier, but the more expensive. I was going to get a 55 gallon tank, but all the stuff, protein skimmer, heaters, powerheads, etc, were rated up to 55 gals. So, for 60 dollars more, I got the 75 gallon tank. The most expensive part has been the live rocks, but, I'm really happy I made this choice. My water levels are very stable, temp, sal, ph, nitrites, etc haven't moved too much after the initial cycling.

The KEY is, TAKE YOUR TIME.....

Good luck, and let's see some pics!

[aquaboy]

Sorry bro, but dipsticks aint reliable enough for this hobby. Invest in the aforementioned ones, but in liquid tests. if your dip shows 0 ammonia but its actually 0.5, thats enough to wipe your tank out.....

[baugherb]

I love my 5.5... I didn't at first but its grown on me... Plus seeing peoples expressions when I tell them I have about 30 different kinds and colors of corals in my tank....