new 10 gallon tank!

Discussion in 'New To The Hobby' started by coug, May 4, 2006.

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  1. coug

    coug Astrea Snail

    Joined:
    Apr 20, 2006
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    Ok, so I've been a big fan of fish for years now. I've learned a lot about tanks and how they work and how the ecosystem develops. But they were all freshwaters tanks. I've always wanted a saltwater tank but every comment I'd ever heard about saltwater tanks were that they were expensive, hard to maintain, and very high maintenance. To make a long story short I bought a 10 gallon freshwater fishtank from oooh... I hate to say it Walmart. Anyway... I had some fish in that tank and they didn't make it so instead of getting rid of it I decided to convert it to a saltwater tank.

    I went to the store and talked to some of the workers there and got a few tips on how to start a saltwater tank. To my surprise they made it sound so easy. I bought the crushed coral to fill the bottom, sprung for some live rock for decorations, a few days later added a couple specimens and voila!
    One thing they did tell me was that a saltwater tank needs twice as much filtration per hour than fresh water. so I added an additional 5-15 filter with your typical carbon filter media and bio-filter media. Picked up a a new heater, and it stays at about 79-80 degrees now. A couple days after I filled the tank with saltwater that I decided to just buy from the store I added a blue damsel and an anemone. Absolutely gorgeous tank I created, looked like something out of Finding Nemo compared to my old fresh waters tanks I was used to. Beautiful. So about a month later I haven't really performed any water changes, only added water as it evaporated. The blue damsel is doing fine, but the anemone seems to be shrinking. it's still alive but it's tentacles aren't nearly as long as it used to be. I went to another store since then and the guy tells me that an anemone gets most of its nutrients from the light and that I need a high intensity light for saltwater tanks. Then he proceeds to tell me that the hood is only like 100 dollars. I like whoa aside from already having most of the tank I spent over 80 dollars just for the coral, water, and fish that are in it now.

    Any ideas? Do I really need this blinding half as bright as the sun light for saltwater tanks? I have a normal fluorescent hood right now.
    On a side note, I also found out that anemone's only sting when they want to. The girl that pulled the anemone out of the tank I bought it from didn't get stung, and when I took it out of the bag with my hand to put it into my tank I didn't get stung, but it dam sure stung me the other day when I tried to move it. I didn't blister or anything but my finger tingled for a couple hours.
     

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  3. amcarrig

    amcarrig Super Moderator

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    I hate to say it but you've started out badly. 10 gallons is considered a nano-tank and is not recommended for saltwater novices. You've also overloaded your tank with fish and inverts before it has even had a chance to fully cycle. Despite the bad advice that your fish store has given you so far, they are correct in telling you that anemones need a lot of strong lighting to survive. They do not, however, choose when and when not to sting. They will not sting if they are unhealthy so that sorta tells you the shape the animal was in when you bought it. That being said, even if you upgrade your lighting, the anemone will most likely not make it as they only do well in mature tanks with a lot of lighting. My suggestion is that you take everything out of the tank and start over. Crushed coral is not a suitable substrate so you'll need to replace that with fine sand. The anemone will not do well and will pollute your tank when it dies. The damsel may be ok considering it's been in there for a month already but unless you've been testing your water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, there is no indication that the tank has cycled yet.
     
  4. Brandon1023

    Brandon1023 Fire Goby

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    Hmmm, I agree 100% with amcarrig. Sorry man, but at this rate you will be in the poorhouse within a month. Saltwater tanks need about a month or so to complete the nitrogen cycle. Also, you need a lot more live rock. Atleast 10-15lbs. I would remove the damsel, you will not want it in the future I guarentee that. The anemone is as good as dead. They live off sunlight, and a single strip fluorescent hood isn't going to cut it. The LFS is probably showing you a PC fixture. Something like this would be what you need. http://cgi.ebay.com/20-1x96W-Corali...ameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting The same goes for that coral. Just calm down and stop trying to move so fast. Take it from me, I made a ton of newbie mistakes when I started my first tank and it cost me a LOT! Save yourself the money and frustration and read up on saltwater. Once you get things established, you will be glad because saltwater tanks are undeniably the most beautiful. Also, ask us more questions, between everyone here we have all experienced just about anything, and have different setups and different things that work, ect ect. Cheers!
     
  5. asilefx

    asilefx Skunk Shrimp

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    Location:
    Kenosha, Wisconsin
    I'd hate to say it but if you don't have the money I wouldn't attempt it. You'll find that you will also need money set aside to replace things as they break.

    I started a 75G about 3 months ago, I payed $1,500 for the start up costs, at the time I didn't think I would go too much higher than that. Boy was I wrong, I've now spent $6,000 on my tank and I plan on hitting 10 in the next couple of months. Not that you have to spend lots of money, I've gone a bit overboard, I'm just saying it adds up.

    Even all the test kits you will need can cost quite a bit.

    I wish that anyone with any income could create a marine environment, but if you only plan on paying a couple hundred in total you will find it won't work.

    I would also suggest that you get a different tank, you're filtration may not be enough. There are some very good nano tanks out there, check out Drs Foster and Smith, http://www.drsfostersmith.com.

    To tell you the truth it's much harder to take care of a nano than a larger tank. The water quality can be affected by the smallest things in a nano. Make sure that you only buy nano fish and nano coral if you are going to go that way.

    That's just my opinion.

    And as far as the anemone, I would have one in a nano at all. They need superb water quality and lighting, I'm not getting one for at least a year.
     
  6. serotonin

    serotonin Purple Spiny Lobster

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    Having patience is this hobby is more important than anything. You will make mistakes and I think you just made one that most people typically do. Buy a tank, throw some water in there. Add a filter, thermostat, light and some fish and your done. In an ideal world this would all be wonderfull if it were true, but its sooooooo not.

    OPINION: Your best off going out and buying a 55 gallon tank setup from walmart if money is an issue. I think they are 150$ by me. From there you need to cycle the tank which means no fish for 6 weeks. You could push 3-4 weeks but it is NOT worth testing your luck as a newbie. From there you can add live rock and fish (1 fish a week tops at first ) and take care not to add invertebrates to your tank as you will not have the appropriate lights and/or equipment for them or the knowledge on what it takes to keep them alive.

    The 6 weeks while you wait for your tank to cycle should be spent reading up on this hobby.
     
  7. Jason McKenzie

    Jason McKenzie Super Moderator

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  9. ragc

    ragc Bristle Worm

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    Location:
    Atlanta, GA, USA
    Hope!

    Coug:

    I also started with a 10 gallon, and without much knowledge. I still have my one fish, my Yellow-tailed Blue Damsel. I have been running my tank for 11 months now, with plenty of coral, a curlicue anemone (that is growing too large for the tank) and a great cleanup crew including an Emerald Mithrax crab, a pencil urchin, and many snails. My tank is planted with caulerpa macro algae (in larger tanks they plant this in a fugue - a separate tank connected by plumbing - to even out pH shifts from night to day and to take nutrients out that otherwise would feed hair algae). I am posting some photos of my tank for you to see. The green and purple stuff you see in the back glass is coralline algae (good). I am telling you this because you need encouragement: it can be done, and the cost does not need to be high.

    All the advice above is correct. Cycling is important (although the damsel fish are pretty tolerant of the process, it is still not pleasant for them). Anemone are difficult to keep. Your tank needs to age for at least 6 months to introduce one, and even then it will be at risk. What we don't have in such a small tank is a lot of cushion. Any slight change in water chemistry can have large consequences in such a small volume of water. Keeping your water chemistry adjusted and controlled is doubly important in a 10 gallon tank. Having said this, I check my parameters only once a week, because my tank is aged and very stable. I test for Salinity, Alkalinity, KH, NO2, NO3, PO4, Fe (because I have plants), and Calcium. I use a phosphate sponge as a standard practice just in case, and I use RO water. On this last count, you don't have to buy an RO/DI unit...you can buy Reverse Osmosis (RO) purified drinking water at the supermarket!

    It is very important to change 10 to 20% of your water periodically! I do it every two weeks because I have a skimmer. You should do it weekly if you don't. The reason is that your fish and any other animals excrete in the water and slowly poison it. You must replace the water with good water. In the ocean this is achieved through circulation of water in currents, etc. We don't have those in our little glass boxes!

    I recommend you keep your fish and some cleanup crew snails, hermits, etc. without coral or anemones until you can spring for better lighting, and until the 6 month tank maturation minimum has passed (some say a year!). You do not need high intensity lights for fish and other invertebrates. High intensity light is necessary for corals and anemones. This is because, like plants, they use photosythesis to make part or all of their food (actually it's a bit more complex, involving symbiotic relationships with photosynthetic microorganisms). My lights are a Satellite brand single tube fluorescent unit with half the double tube being actinic and half daylight. It has a moonlight also as part of the fixture, and puts out 65 watts of light, enough for a 10 gallon tank. You can find them online for around $75.00 or cheaper. Save up and get one when you are ready for coral.

    The photos are from different times, most are old - I can't remember if my modified Skilter 250 skimmer even shows up in them, and my coral has grown/multiplied a lot since I took them...Good luck! Don't give up, It's a great hobby. Read up and study every move before you make it and you cannot go wrong!

    ;D

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    This one is recent - compare with the first to see coral growth.

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    Last edited: May 5, 2006
  10. gkw

    gkw Peppermint Shrimp

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    Don't scare the new guy with all the high figures expenses. You don't have to spend all that money to start, although you will have a nicer setup.

    You can look for used fish tank in you area. Used fish tanks are way cheaper than new. If you have the time, there are lots of fun DIY projects you can do w/ your family...then maybe they will chips in too. :)

    If you are serious about this hobby, but don't want to cut your legs off to pay for it, I would suggest getting a 20 gal LONG tank or 29 gal as a display tank and use that 10 gal as a sump/fuge.

    For a fish only w/ live rock (FOWLR) tank, you will want(excluding the tank):
    ~20 - 30 lbs of LR, sand, protein skimmer, water pump, heater, and Normal Output lights. It can cost up to $450 new and way less if you buy used or DIY.

    IMO, although larger tanks are more stable, but if one have done his/her research and asked questions, it's not all that hard to keep a 20 - 30 gal tank whether it's FOWLR or reef. Good luck!
     
  11. ragc

    ragc Bristle Worm

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    [​IMG]

    One more thing: Just move the water, no need for aereation with airstone as in FW...
     
    Last edited: May 5, 2006
  12. coral reefer

    coral reefer Giant Squid

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    I'd lose the bubbles, add more live sand and live rock. Invest in a protein skimmer and possibly a refugium. If you plan on having corals or inverts in the future, you need to have a full spectrum lighting system and more water movement.
    The best advise I have for you is to read and research alot. I'd get a bigger tank as they are more forgiving. Remove the anemone as it will surely parrish and make sure that you cycle your tank properly and slowly. Invest in a variety of water test kits(ie. ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, salinity and gh/kh as the bare minimum...
    Don't be discouraged-you will learn and be successful-it's not that easy or difficult for that matter, to have a thriving beautiful reef aquarium, you just need to prepare yourself and research because of the many aspects of a successful saltwater aquarium.