10 gallon saltwater tank

cichlidman1888

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 16, 2006
163
0
0
35
Mansfield , Ohio
I have had my ten gallon saltwater tank set up now for about 4 weeks, i have to big chunks of live rock in there that consume most of my tank , i put a black sand substrate on the bottom. About a week or so ago i put 5 snails and 5 hermit crabs and a blue damsel in it to start everything. Everything is doing really well besides im not sure what the film is ontop of the water , the hang on filter is on full blast and the powerhead is on the opposite side of the tank. i bought a glass canopy top and put a 15watt powerglo fluorecent light, im not sure if thats enough light for a ten gallon to start putting some coral in there or not , thats one of my questions , then what else could i put with my damsel ??!!! i will eventually be converting over to a 47 gallon tall tank . soo what will be good to put in my tank now and will still be great for the 47?
 

fatsolomon

Blue Tier VIP
MFK Member
Sep 28, 2005
232
0
321
38
new hampshire
the film is prob some kind of algae. i would ditch the damsel and get a pair of clowns, or pj cardinals!!!
 

ogre929

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 25, 2005
303
1
0
45
England
landmineyouth said:
15 watts of light is not close to enough for corals, shoot for 3 to 5 watts per gallon
3-5 is ok for soft corals like mushrooms. But you need to go higher for sps corals like 5-10 watts per gallon. However, being new, your best bet is with lower light corals such as leathers, xenia, open brains and the such. .

Also, the film on top is most certainly not algae. Most likely it's protein film. The reason we run skimmers is go get rid of that. Keeps the corals healthy as well as the fish. Try doing small water changes frequently to reduce that, or pop a skimmer on the tank. Some of the hang on back filters are decent. Not great, but decent. Try running some carbon in the tank, however, if you've got a film the carbon will get used up quickly and you will have the same problem again.
As far as stocking the 10 gallon, since it sounds like you've got lots of rock in the tank, you may only have 5 or 7 gallons of actual water in the aquarium. In which case, I wouldn't put any more fish in that tank as it sits right now. However, when you go to the 47 gallon, you can add more fish. If you like the damsels add some more, if you want to try something new, Cardinals are an excelent suggestion. Clown fish are really cool, but are absolute a-holes to you when they get established. Most anyway. I had the coolest maroon clown ever. However I also had cinniamon clowns that would attack your hand on the skin between your fingers where it's nice and soft and death roll like a croc. That fish was the most aggressive fish I've ever seen. You couldn't put your hand in the aquarium without getting attacked. 100 gal tank at that. Also, pigmy angels are pretty sweet little fish, and for the most part really hardy.
 

ogre929

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 25, 2005
303
1
0
45
England
and if you wanna do corals on the 47, you SHOULD get a skimmer. You don't have to, but it makes life much easier.
 

fatsolomon

Blue Tier VIP
MFK Member
Sep 28, 2005
232
0
321
38
new hampshire
ogre929 said:
and if you wanna do corals on the 47, you SHOULD get a skimmer. You don't have to, but it makes life much easier.
i couldnt agree more. get one, dont even think of not having one. just my advise...
 

Scuba Oz

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 10, 2006
40
0
0
Houston
A good skimmer is a must on a salt tank. Its the #1 piece of equipment not to skimp on. As for lights and corals I would wait until you move it all to the 47 and get yourself some good lights. Research what corals you like and then base your light purchase around that, ie if you like SPS you are going to need a light capable of strong lums and penatration in a tall tank, Metal Halides with actinic supplements or a T-5 set up with individual reflectors will be suitable for SPS. Research is key to a sucsessful saltwater tank.
 

ogre929

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 25, 2005
303
1
0
45
England
Scuba Oz said:
A good skimmer is a must on a salt tank. Its the #1 piece of equipment not to skimp on. As for lights and corals I would wait until you move it all to the 47 and get yourself some good lights. Research what corals you like and then base your light purchase around that, ie if you like SPS you are going to need a light capable of strong lums and penatration in a tall tank, Metal Halides with actinic supplements or a T-5 set up with individual reflectors will be suitable for SPS. Research is key to a sucsessful saltwater tank.
Spot f'n on!
 

DeeGee

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 2, 2006
81
0
0
Lasalle
What kind of black sand is it??? Is it by K&E???

If it is it has metal in it. Easy way to find out use a magnet
 

cichlidman1888

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 16, 2006
163
0
0
35
Mansfield , Ohio
The sand i used its by seachem , its called gary coast substrate. Heres what it says Gary Coast Calcite is an all-natural substrate for all types of marine, reef, and tropical aquaria. GOOD noo GOOD ??!!!
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store