Low Budget 10 Gallon Nano

This is somewhat of a log and somewhat of a rant. I've been wanting a saltwater tank since forever. I decided to set up a 10 gallon nano. Here's a rundown of what I've gotten so far. Most of the equipment was free since a lot of it was from a 10 gallon freshwater that was replaced when I was given a free 20g long. I will undoubtedly make a lot of mistakes but hey, live and learn.



Equipment
10 gallon tank - $10 (free)
2 x 10w Coralife Mini 50/50 bulbs - $20 (free - I wanted my freshwater to be blue back then : P)
Whisper Power Filter - $15 (free)
50w Stealth Heater - $20 (free)
Aquatic Gardens Thermometer - $2 (free)

Livestock
~20 lbs live rock - $30
10-20 lbs of live sand - free (came with the live rock)
1 hermit crab - free (came with live rock)


I was given a free powerhead but the black tubing covering the wires is a little split. I'd rather not risk the tubing on the inside getting corroded and electrocuting me. It's also missing the suction cups so I'll be picking up some GE silicone this week to seal the wires and probably glue the powerhead to the corner. There's no air running at the moment since I'm pretty sure the water filter is providing enough oxygen for a single hermit crab. I'm currently searching for a cheap source for 20w Coralife Mini 50/50 bulbs so I can ever so slightly broaden my choice of corals later on.

Just using dechlorinated tap water with salt mix. Cycling the tank with a tiny hardy hermit crab doesn't merit me searching for RO/DI water at 4PM. I doubt I'll be switching to RO/DI water until I start getting fish or coral. This won't be for a good while for two reasons. First one being that I refuse to pay much for fish or coral. And the second one being that I refuse to get testing equipment (besides a hydrometer which I think I'll be getting for free). So I'll let this tank run for many weeks before adding any other livestock. By then I'll probably find a cheap/free clownfish and the tank will have fully cycled by then.

Any comments/concerns/feedback is welcome.

I've seen a good number of tap water reefs that have run very healthy for years. (Nice elegance you have there, archer) And FOWLR tanks do not require RO/DI water. At the moment I have live rock and a hermit. Until I add inverts and coral, I don't really need to spend 40-80 cents every week on water. And the lack of a test kit is not because I'm stubborn and and irresponsible. It's going towards the goal of a more natural and self-sustained system. The absolute best reefs are those that do not require testing as the tank is so absolutely close to a natural reef.

First off, the lives of humans far surpass the lives of any animal. So using that as an example has absolutely no meaning. Second, any wildlife in captivity is put at risk. My dog is at risk and he gets better treatment than about 99% of pet dogs.

Thanks. And the tap water test sounds good to me. I'll have to find a place that will test for copper and stuff. Where in the system does the copper stay, though? Like in the rocks, sand, and silicone? Or would I be able to remove the copper with a large water change?