Trying to start my first saltwater tank.

jeo4

jeo4

Opious
Nov 5, 2005
25
0
0
37
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
I have a 10 gallon aquarium that was once occupied by freshwater tetras. I have moved them into a 30 gallon tank and now im questioning what to do with my 10 gallon tank. I have always had freshwater fish for the last 5 years, but have never gotten into saltwater tanks. However, I have recently acquired an interest and have a few questions. To start, I have no idea how to even begin the setup of a saltwater tank. Like what do i need, what certain filters, should I use crushed coral or sand for my suface, what are the best occupants for a 10 gallon tank?, etc. So if anyone could give me any info, that would be great and very helpful.
Opious
 
Hello and welcome to saltwater. First off i would consider using the 30 gal for the saltwater tank, it will be easier to care for and there is more you can do with 30 gal rather then 10. First let us know if you want to do a reef tank or fish only and from there we can help you better for the specific set up you want.
 
Couple of observations here...

There is no need to buy live sand, its a waste of money, all you need to do is buy standard aragonite sugar grade sand and just get a cup or two from a fellow reefer or LFS..save you a lot of money..the bit of live and the bacteria from the live rock will seed the new sand bed in time..Stay away from crushed coral like the plague...its bad as it will be trapping detrius and food particles which will raise nitrates..

With regards to equipment, you gonna need soem basics like live rock ( 1 - 1.5lbs per gallon ), Skimmer ( debatable on a small tank like 10 Gal ), Hydrometer or refractometer, Powerhead ( one maxijet 900 or 1200 ), Aragonite sand ( about 1lb per gallon ), Saltwater test kit to test at least for Ammonia + pH + nitrITE + nitrATE, Thermometer ( not the stick on kind ), 150w heater, lighting ( depends on whether your having fish or corals, RO unit and a large tub for mixing saltwater in....And above all, lots of patience and a few good books....

Obviously, due to size constraints, you are gonna be slightly limited to the fish you can keep, but, make a wish list when you have thought about it and we can advise there-after....

Welcome to saltwater and more inmpotantly, welcome to Aquaria Marine Boards...

Niko
 
Why would he need a 150w heater and a 900 or 1200 maxijet in a 10 gallons tank? A 75w heater or maybe even smaller would work just fine. The 1200 maxijet pushes 300gph. Thats 30x turnover rate which will create a swirling effect in a tank that small. A maxijet 400 or 600 would be more appropriate.
 
well, why not? why buy equipment and not give yourself some future proof or make the tank adaptable? Seems like logic to me. The maxi-jet can be controlled by the air tube to give you a good range of flow, how ever you like it. That way your covered if you want to put corals in the tank that require faster flow...

Niko
 
You want 3-4 watts of heat per gallon according to most heater charts. That means 30-40 watts on that tank. A 150 watt heater is 4 times what you need. As soon as it turns on it is going to turn off. I would be worried about it raising the temp too fast. Plus you would have to place it sideways in a 10 gallon tank as they are long. Heaters are 10-20 dollars. Go with a 50 watt or 75watt, save on your electric bill and if you upgrade down the road buy a new heater. I have a 75watt and 200watt visi therm deluxe heaters which I keep my tanks within half a degree. ThatPetPlace.com has good prices on them.

And I still think the MaxiJet is overkill. It will create a whirlpool in a 10 gal tank. Why hookup an air hose to control the flow. What if he just keeps a 10 gal for years. Just more things to clutter up the tank. Besides if you upgrade to a larger tank you can use the small maxijet to mix the saltwater.

Just my view on this. If you plan on upgrading in a few months then by all means go with the larger equipment. If you plan to stay with the 10gal size it accordingly.
 
rsw686 said:
Why would he need a 150w heater and a 900 or 1200 maxijet in a 10 gallons tank? A 75w heater or maybe even smaller would work just fine. The 1200 maxijet pushes 300gph. Thats 30x turnover rate which will create a swirling effect in a tank that small. A maxijet 400 or 600 would be more appropriate.
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atnixon said:
well, why not? why buy equipment and not give yourself some future proof or make the tank adaptable? Seems like logic to me. The maxi-jet can be controlled by the air tube to give you a good range of flow, how ever you like it. That way your covered if you want to put corals in the tank that require faster flow...

Niko
Click to expand...

both are good points but as Niko said it is always good to do over a bit a larger heater will be on less as well saving more energy. as for the pumps both are good it really depends on what he wants to keep in there. some things need more flow. i can always have a bit more though.
 
Hmm, I'd go with two lower wat heaters in case one of them breaks. I agree though I alway like to have a little wiggle room in case of emergency. We get ice storms from time to time and it's nice to have a little wiggle room in case the room is 50F. Make sure you get a good quaity heater or heaters whichever the case may be so that you don't wind up with an unfortunant accident.
:)
Max
 
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