Help with a 10g setup

[jjakes24]

Hello all,
Just started to get into saltwater tanks and decided to setup a 10g tank for my first one. I read that you should try and start with a larger tank at first because it may be easier but this was my only option for now. I will be setting up a 55g tank in the future but not until i learn enough with the 10g. Anyway, I started to cycle the 10g tank but have a few questions. Me setup is as follows.

10g tank, skilter 250, aquaclear powerhead, aquaclear heater, aroganite sand for the substrate and one lace rock and once live rock from the LFS placed on top. I used tapwater to fill the tank but treated it with AMQUEL Plus before placing anything else in the tank.

I have been testing the water everyday and keep a PH of 8.2 and Saliety of 1.023. I am trying to keep my temp at 75 degrees but think my thermometer might be busted because the slightest change in the heater gives me a 10 degree difference. I am going to get a new thermometer today.

1) I started a fishless cycle in the 10g tank using a cocktail shrimp for an ammonia source. It has been in there for about a week now and the water is smells pretty bad. My ammonia levels are about 4 ppm and rising. Nitrite at .50 and Nitrate at 20. How long does this shrimp have to stay in there? Can I take this out now?

2) Should I be running the Skilter while the tank is cycling? The powerhead is running currently.

3) Once the cycle completes on the tank and the Nitrite and Ammonia levels are 0, should I do a 50% water change?

4) When it comes time to add critters, Can I add one Fish and some Invertabres such as crabs or shrimp? Of course I would only add these one at a time and keep a careful watch on the water levels.

5) Do I need to add any type of airheads?

6) Lighting? Do i need any? remember, this will be a QT in the future. I don't have any now but is there anything i can get for the 10g that wouldn't be too expensive?

7) Water evaporation? When i top the tank off, do I use fresh water or mixed salt water?

I plan to make this tank my QT tank for my 55g tank in the future. When I set up the 55g tank, I eventually plan to move any of the fish from this tank to the 55g.

thanks is advance

 

[disbjohn]

Hello all,
Just started to get into saltwater tanks and decided to setup a 10g tank for my first one. I read that you should try and start with a larger tank at first because it may be easier but this was my only option for now. I will be setting up a 55g tank in the future but not until i learn enough with the 10g. Anyway, I started to cycle the 10g tank but have a few questions. Me setup is as follows.

10g tank, skilter 250, aquaclear powerhead, aquaclear heater, aroganite sand for the substrate and one lace rock and once live rock from the LFS placed on top. I used tapwater to fill the tank but treated it with AMQUEL Plus before placing anything else in the tank.

I have been testing the water everyday and keep a PH of 8.2 and Saliety of 1.023. I am trying to keep my temp at 75 degrees but think my thermometer might be busted because the slightest change in the heater gives me a 10 degree difference. I am going to get a new thermometer today.

1) I started a fishless cycle in the 10g tank using a cocktail shrimp for an ammonia source. It has been in there for about a week now and the water is smells pretty bad. My ammonia levels are about 4 ppm and rising. Nitrite at .50 and Nitrate at 20. How long does this shrimp have to stay in there? Can I take this out now?

2) Should I be running the Skilter while the tank is cycling? The powerhead is running currently.

3) Once the cycle completes on the tank and the Nitrite and Ammonia levels are 0, should I do a 50% water change?

4) When it comes time to add critters, Can I add one Fish and some Invertabres such as crabs or shrimp? Of course I would only add these one at a time and keep a careful watch on the water levels.

I plan to make this tank my QT tank for my 55g tank in the future. When I set up the 55g tank, I eventually plan to move any of the fish from this tank to the 55g.

thanks is advance

I'm pretty new so correct me if I am wrong...

Try running your thermometer at 80 degrees.
Once your tank has been cycled you should do about an 80% water change to rid of all the nitrates. Then add all the livestock you wish to hold in your tank. You would want to do this because you've established your bacteria colonies and adding all your livestock at that time will allow the bacteria to adjust to the bio load. If you add livestock one at a time, then the load will need some readjusting after introducing another fish/invert.

 

[OrionGirl]

1) I started a fishless cycle in the 10g tank using a cocktail shrimp for an ammonia source. It has been in there for about a week now and the water is smells pretty bad. My ammonia levels are about 4 ppm and rising. Nitrite at .50 and Nitrate at 20. How long does this shrimp have to stay in there? Can I take this out now? Yes, you can remove the shrimp. It's only purpose is to introduce ammonia, which you now have.

2) Should I be running the Skilter while the tank is cycling? The powerhead is running currently. This can go either way. I'm in favor of running them, simply because it helps to break them in and gives you time to adjust it.

3) Once the cycle completes on the tank and the Nitrite and Ammonia levels are 0, should I do a 50% water change? You'll want to do a water change to reduce nitrates, if they are high. I like doing a water change for restoring trace elements.

4) When it comes time to add critters, Can I add one Fish and some Invertabres such as crabs or shrimp? Of course I would only add these one at a time and keep a careful watch on the water levels.You can fully stock the tank...But, with small tanks, I've found that you really want to give the system as much time as you can to stabilize--6 months, at least. Adding a few snails, and other cleaners first...See how that goes, and maybe start with a few appropriate fish.

5) Do I need to add any type of airheads? No, and I would discourage them in SW. The increase in evaporation, plus the salt creep from splashing, is really rough on a small tank, and a good skimmer provides adequate gas exchange for oxygenation.

6) Lighting? Do i need any? remember, this will be a QT in the future. I don't have any now but is there anything i can get for the 10g that wouldn't be too expensive? Not really, but there will be some organisms on the LR that won't live. You should be able to pick up an incandescent hood for about $20--but replace that bulb with a compact fluorescent with a built in ballast. Corallife makes them, they run about $5-6. This will improve the lighting, reduce heat from an incandescent bulbs, and work just fine. They have 50/50 available and that's what I run on my 10--I have a few polyps, lots of coralline algae, a few unhappy macro algaes.

7) Water evaporation? When i top the tank off, do I use fresh water or mixed salt water? Fresh. Salt doesn't evaporate, so you're only replacing the water. Using RO/filtered water is best.

I plan to make this tank my QT tank for my 55g tank in the future. When I set up the 55g tank, I eventually plan to move any of the fish from this tank to the 55g. And that's good--but I'd still stick with fish that will stay small enough to be in the 10 their entire life--don't add a small butterfly, just because it will eventually go in bigger tank.