New To The Hobby, 10 Gallon Reef

I wanted to get some input from you guys.

Is 20lbs of live sand enough to seed a 10gal tank with 12-15lbs of dry/dead base rock?

I ordered a Marina HOB Breeder, I'll be using a 95gph powerhead on it. First compartment with rubble, the rest with cheato.

Is a 200w, 300w, 500w glass/quartz heater too much for a 10gal? I'm in South Florida, household ac runs between 67F (nights) and 72F (day). I have a few higher wattage ones, not sure if I need a small 100w though?

Is Hydor Koralia Nano 240 PLENTY of flow? Is a Hydor Koralia Evolution 750-850 TOO much flow? I don't want to have to add circulation later on or be limited by it nor do I want to tumble my aquascape.

This is the light I'll be ordering:
Odyssea T5 Aquarium Lighting Decided on this because of the price/performance. I shouldn't have any problems housing anything a noob like me would want and it doesn't cost more than my entire setup.

Thanks for the feedback folks!

 

Seems like you are on the right track. Heater size does not matter as long as it is rated for the tank size. If it is oversized, it will just run for less time. No real concerns there.

I have no experience with that HOB 'fuge/skimmer, but it seems decent.

What are your stocking plans?

 

I would tend to disagree with the heater statement. If you have a large heater for a small tank and it gets stuck on you could boil that tank quickly. I would instead suggest 2 smaller heaters. If one gets stuck on it can only raise the temp so much.

 

Hey and welcome to 3reef!

Whats your stocking plan for your tank? That would help answer questions about lighting and water flow.

As for your live sand seeding question. The live sand will seed the live rock with bacteria. However live sand unless its diver sand wont have the biodiversity that live rock has, like pods and worms. I would recommend picking up one piece of live rock to add to the tank.

As for the heater for 10 gallons you shouldn't need a very large heater. If i remember correctly mine is 250w and my tank is only about 70 gallons. The one I use for water changes is 50 watts and I am heating up to 20 gallons without a problem.

 

A 750-850 would be too much for anything you plan to keep, imo.

A 240 would be good for soft coral. 2 240s would be perfect for SPS coral, which may be tough to keep in a 10, especially if you are new to the hobby; you could add a second late if you plan to try SPS.

 

So based on the comment here, a little research on currents/movement in regards to different species in general, and seeing how my my sisters 1100GPH Hydor moves in her 49 gallon i'm going to grab the 425GPH Hydor - if it's too much I'll get a deflector.

Livestock Plans:

I wont but...Urchin, Stars, Palys, Acans, Mushrooms, Corals that have multiple colors and move (frogspawns, torches, hammers) call my attention most. I have very little clue. I haven't done much research as to any specific choices. These are all common/popular I see them online, in every LFS in a 30mi radius (about 30~, not all worth visiting more than once). I know I don't want to over complicate things, I like movement, lots of colors, and invertebrate..

Suggestions please?? Maybe a directory or magazine or blog I could sign up to so I can learn.

 

Have you looked around at Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=597

It's actually a good site for picking up on names and general husbandry. Some details are lacking but over all the site can be very helpful.

You might not want to shop there but you can learn a lot just by going through the corals and fish. You get an idea of the simple do's and don'ts.

 

That 425 should do well for everything you listed. Ideally splitting that flow into power heads would be best, but it's paying twice the price.