Mobile Bay Reef Keepers

Ok, this is my first reef tank, and I am starting small.

Current Equipment:
-Hydor Koralia Nano Circulation Pump
-Fission Nano-skimmer
-Hang-on-Back Penguin Mech. Filter (approved for 40 gallon)
-Visi-therm stealth 50 wt. heater

Lighting:
Current USA Satellite 20" 2x28 wt. Compact Fluorescent w/ lunar light
(on order)

Live Sand and water already in tank. Ordering Live Rock soon (want to make sure lighting is here first)

Good So Far? Is lighting sufficient for Mushrooms?

Future Stocking List: (Suggestions please)
Yellow Tail Damsel
Neon Goby
Red Scooter Blenny
Purple Firefish Goby
Royal gramma
Astrae Snails (7?)
Blue Legged Hermit Crabs (5?)
Nassarius Snails (5?)
Shrimp? Suggestions?

Can I have a clownfish? If so, what type would be best?

Suggestions PLEASE!

Thanks in Advance!

Ok, the first issue I see is the stocking density. That much fish biomass is very unrealistic for a tank of that size. My advice is to pick one or two of the smaller fish and stick with those and only those. An ocellaris or percula clownfish (or a pair) is the only clownfish species I'd keep in a tank of that size. Remember if you get a pair, that is it as far as fish go. A scooter blenny isn't an option for that size tank due to dietary restrictions. The damsel and royal gramma may end up being to pugnacious for some of the other inhabitants. If you really must add one of them, add them last. The clownfish, neon goby, and firefish are fine--you'll just have to make a choice as to which ones you want.

Be sure to remove the biowheels from that penguin filter--you won't need them and they will end up doing more to the detriment of the tank in the long run. It is useful, however, to run carbon (and phosphate remover) in.

That lighting is fine for mushrooms.

A note on the snails: start with lesser numbers, or else they will simply starve. The same goes with the hermits (get less hermits than snails), but they will begin to eat snails and each other if they get hungry enough. You can do some shrimp species, but I recommend peppermint shrimp simply due to their small size. One or two of those would work well.

HOpe that helps...

I agree. The bioload would be way too much for that small of a tank. Stick with the 1 inch of fish per 5 gallons of water rule. Take the adult size of the fish, and calculate how many fish from there. At ten gallons you are looking at a max of a 2 inch fish... You might be ok with 2 small fish, a couple hermits and a couple snails. But like previously stated, start with a small amount, the snails and hermits will starve to death if there is nothing to eat...

Not to jump in and take the topic off the 10 gallon nano but when you say bio -wheels, you mean the things on top that are pushed by the water? And why are they not good for these tanks. I use them on my tanks and if they are not a good idea, i really want to take them off. Thanks

Ok, so revised stock list:
Purple Firefish Goby
Ocellaris Clown (okay to go with the black species?)
Two Astreas to start
Two BL hermits to start

Skimmer question...No air will come through tubing even on highest pump setting, it's not clogged or kinked...What's wrong?

The biowheels are already out, and I was told not to have carbon...?

What other corals would you recommend?

jdmorgan20fan wrote:Not to jump in and take the topic off the 10 gallon nano but when you say bio -wheels, you mean the things on top that are pushed by the water? And why are they not good for these tanks. I use them on my tanks and if they are not a good idea, i really want to take them off. Thanks

Those biowheels are designed to gain the most efficiency/maximize mineralization/nitrification. If anything, it is overly redundant--at worst, it becomes a literal "nitrate factory." They are so good at what they do, they almost do it a little too well. They can easily contribute to elevated nitrate levels (granted, this has several potential causes). In pretty much all cases, the amounts of live rock/sand (and protein skimmers) people have is more than enough to handle what that filter does. It is ok to keep it for chemical filtration, however.

That being said, they work well in very heavily stocked fish-only tanks, breeding tanks, and unplanted freshwater tanks.

AquariKeeper wrote:Ok, so revised stock list:
Purple Firefish Goby
Ocellaris Clown (okay to go with the black species?)
Two Astreas to start
Two BL hermits to start

Skimmer question...No air will come through tubing even on highest pump setting, it's not clogged or kinked...What's wrong?

The biowheels are already out, and I was told not to have carbon...?

What other corals would you recommend?

Yes, black kind is fine--actually the same species, just a different color morph. What exactly is the skimmer doing now? Is it pumping water through it at all? If it is, do you have the air valve (if included) open? Have you tried gently blowing into it?

Lastly, I wonder why you were told not to run carbon? What were you told, as I will do my best to dispel any "mythinformation" that circulates about carbon. I recommend running carbon on any tank, anytime, all the time.

It pumps water, but if I blow in it it just circulates the air like it's supposed to and goes back to pumping water...

I was told carbon just wasn't good for saltwater... weird...

The venturi isn't working for some reason. The flow running past the air line should be drawing air in to the water. Is there a valve on the airline? A pic would help

To me it appears as though the water gets into the tubing, and the pump doesn't have enough direct suction to draw the air through it.

The airline is just a long thin piece of plastic tubing that you stick in the slots on the filter intake cover...there isn't a valve...

Carbon package is in the filter again.

Do you know of anybody on here who has some softy frags I can buy when my tank esta finito? What softies are recommendable?

Sorry for all the questions, I want to make sure I do this right the first time.

This (if it works), is a picture of the nano thus far. (sans lighting and live rock and coral and fish and inverts)...this process takes a while doesn't it?

Now we just need a closeup of the skimmer and the venturi fitting. Let's get this solved before you worry about stocking--but rest assured there options for your lighting available--many, if not most softies.

Ok, closeup time, horrible closeups, but closeups nonetheless...

Im not familiar with this skimmer but it looks like the pump is very deep in the water. I know that some HOT skimmers perform better the higher you can get the pump because of head pressure and other reasons like more nutrients accumlulate on the surface of the water. I found a pic of your skimmer on DF&S. See if you can set the pump up like this and make sure the airline is connected like the pic. Hope this helps.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/d ... 4862_i.jpg

Yeah, i don't see any airline tubing attached?