10 Gal Reef set-up

[AnthonyTheNewbie]

So, I had a 10 gal set up that I had to break down and rebuild. My girlfriend and two children (One four, and the other 11 months) were trying to help daddy by "feeding the fish". Needless to say they over-fed the crap out of it. I had 5Lbs of Sand and 5Lbs of Crushed Coral that was just littered with food. So, I emptied all the water out, got rid of all the sand and coral (never putting crushed coral again). Went out and bought some more live sand and set the tank back up. Got like 15-20Lbs of BR in there with like 3Lbs-ish of small LR pieces thrown in for seeding. I re-used the water from before and still had the mini-refug setup in the HOB filter. Hoping for a short cycle (with my luck, it'll take like 8 weeks haha). Got two of the Coralife 50/50 15 Watt MCF. Going to do this build right. :)

 

[AnthonyTheNewbie]

Filling it up with water :)

 

[AnthonyTheNewbie]

And filled, now waiting for the cycle to start/finish

 

[Salty B]

Why is the water so low? My only concern right now would be the heater. Is there a line on the heater for min water level? Would worry about cracking the heater if its glass. If it's submersible, you can just lay it on the bottom so you don't see anything but the cord. What are the plans for this tank? The lighting can sustain a few softies but may want to consider upgrading if other corals are in the future. Other than that, you're off to a good start!

 

[AnthonyTheNewbie]

Thank you :). That was a pic of it filled with saltwater. Was waiting for it to settle out for a few hours so i could check the salinity (too find out if i needed to top off with more saltwater or freshwater lol). Not really sure what I'm looking to do coral-wise, could you give me a list of what types of corals these lights would support? I don't mind spot-feeding if needed to supplement for lack of lighting(not sure if that's how it works[no experience with corals at all]).

And i just haven't moved the heater down yet lol. Not really in a big rush to move it around, still got the cycle to do. :p

 

[Salty B]

I started out with 2 10 watt 50/50 CFL also. This may sound strange but I took aluminum foil and covered the so called "reflectors" with it. Made sure to keep the shiny side facing toward the tank. (You'd be surprised how many folks dont know that foil has a dull and a shiny side) And it made a big difference. Not enough to keep the corals I wanted but still made it brighter. As for corals...I kept mushrooms,xenia,zenya trees,metalic GSP and zoas under those lights. And they dont need to be fed. Didnt see much growth with those lights except for the trees (AKA weeds). Once I switched over to T-5's a whole new world opened up and wish I started that way. I've seen T-5 units at Petco that fit a 10 gallon for like 50-60 bucks. May be something to consider.

 

[AnthonyTheNewbie]

How many bulb fixture would I need for the 10? 2?

 

[Salty B]

This is the one I got. Not the best by any means but is much better than CFL.
Zoo Med AquaSun T-5 HO Double Light Linear Fluorescent Hood at PETCO


Gave me more options on corals. I got it mainly for the price.

 

[kbuser92]

Ive got a 4 bulb. Odyssea. Id keep anything with it, but I havent gooten that far. No SPS yet, but Ill sure be trying.

 

[AnthonyTheNewbie]

This is the one I got. Not the best by any means but is much better than CFL.
Zoo Med AquaSun T-5 HO Double Light Linear Fluorescent Hood at PETCO


Gave me more options on corals. I got it mainly for the price.

That fits on your 10 gal? My 10 gal is only 20" long.

 

[AnthonyTheNewbie]

Ive got a 4 bulb. Odyssea. Id keep anything with it, but I havent gooten that far. No SPS yet, but Ill sure be trying.

Oh wow, that 4 bulb Odyssea is like 50ish bucks. How much was shipping for it?

 

[kbuser92]

I bought it off Amazon so...FREE!

 

[Salty B]

I saw it at petco and impulse bought it instead of waiting to get what i wanted. Regreted it later but had no complaints about the light for what it is.

 

[Salty B]

That fits on your 10 gal? My 10 gal is only 20" long.

The legs slide in tracks on the bottom so they fit everything under 24". I didnt like how the salt creep got into those tracks and legs. Made it hard to keep clean so I hung it from the ceiling with the hanging kit that comes with it.

 

[AnthonyTheNewbie]

Just ordered the Odyssea 4 bulb t5. :mrgreen:

 

[kbuser92]

Good choice, youll like it. Heads up: the LEDs will burnout quick from salt creep unless you keep it clean and try to keep it highee. Forgot to mention that. But as far as everything else, its a great light and fits perfectly on the inside lip of the rim.

 

[Smitty]

The tank is looking good so far Anthony...those t5's are gonna look awesome over that tank.

 

[AnthonyTheNewbie]

Thanks Smitty, nowhere near as nice as yours haha, but it's a start. :)


Kbuser, I can always get a little led bubble strip and tape it too the tank if they do. As long as the t5 bulbs work, that's all that matters lol. :)

 

[Salty B]

Cool! Look forward to watching it come together.

 

[kbuser92]

Yeah, those LEDs are just for moonlight. Looks cool while it lasts, but just aesthetic. If anything, just set the actinics to be on a few hours before/after the 10,000Ks.