New to the hobby and purchased Waterbox 10 with AI 16 prime light

[Fullmoonkayaking]

My first tank and I have some questions! I keep finding conflicting information between my online research and LFS. Maybe I should break these down in separate posts?

1. What is the appropriate water level for tank and all 3 chambers?
2. In this size tank, would it be beneficial to add a reactor or skimmer. (I upgraded the pump to a Sicce Syncra Silent 0.5.)
3. Which fish and corals would be good for me as a beginner?
4. How many fish and coral can I stock in a 10 gal?
5. What is the benefit in turning the middle chamber into a refugium?
6. I have an ATO but don't want a 5 gallon bucket eyesore. I saw someone had a mason jar with a tube running to the top of it. I wonder if this was homemade or purchased?
7. Are there some corals and fish that require less maintenance than others?

I tossed the filter sock and replaced with bio balls and filter floss. I kept the sponges and carbon in the middle chamber.

The tank was moved from my friends house to mine. It's now in mini cycle mode. The water numbers are good, with the exception of ph being too low. (7.8) I bought some eight.four additive from my LFS today and will retest in 2 days.

Any suggestions or direction is much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

[FishyFishFish]

If you still have the filter sock then I would keep it, just in case. Pretty much the only thing I don't like about my Fluval Evo is the lack of a sock. I don't know much about the Waterbox 10 but I might remove the sponge. What Bio Balls do you have?

I don't have a skimmer or reactor in my Evo; I do dose and haven't found excessive nutrients to be a problem with my 2 little fish.

I would say 2 (maybe 3 max if they're really tiny) small fish in a 10 gal. I bought a Sharknose Goby as it was all that my LFS (Petco ) had, but it's awesome for this little tank. I also have a Green Clown Goby but I only see it when I feed; I probably wouldn't get another one.

I actually have 2 Evos. one has an expensive Bashsea ATO reservoir and the other has a bucket. You can use any food safe container that you can find and just stick the pump/tube in it.

As for corals, it depends on what you want. Easier corals would be softies like GSP and Xenia; I like the former, as long as you keep it isolated on a rock. I've only had Xenia by mail order and it hasn't shipped well (twice!) but I'm actually glad, as I wouldn't want it in my system now. After GSP, the next easier ones might be Zoas, mushrooms, leathers etc. Then LPS, then SPS. I've found some LPS pretty easy to keep and others more difficult. My second Evo is SPS and that is proving a challenge!

My approach is not to add chemicals unless necessary. I do add 'pure' additives like Baking Soda and Kalk, and I've just started using Sodium Nitrate on my SPS tank, but I try not to use any commercial PH boosters, Vibrant, Chemiclean etc, that contain unknown substances or a mixture of ingredients. That might change if I have no other option but I haven't needed anything like that yet.

 

[JoJosReef]

My first tank and I have some questions! I keep finding conflicting information between my online research and LFS. Maybe I should break these down in separate posts?

1. What is the appropriate water level for tank and all 3 chambers?
2. In this size tank, would it be beneficial to add a reactor or skimmer. (I upgraded the pump to a Sicce Syncra Silent 0.5.)
3. Which fish and corals would be good for me as a beginner?
4. How many fish and coral can I stock in a 10 gal?
5. What is the benefit in turning the middle chamber into a refugium?
6. I have an ATO but don't want a 5 gallon bucket eyesore. I saw someone had a mason jar with a tube running to the top of it. I wonder if this was homemade or purchased?
7. Are there some corals and fish that require less maintenance than others?

I tossed the filter sock and replaced with bio balls and filter floss. I kept the sponges and carbon in the middle chamber.

The tank was moved from my friends house to mine. It's now in mini cycle mode. The water numbers are good, with the exception of ph being too low. (7.8) I bought some eight.four additive from my LFS today and will retest in 2 days.

Any suggestions or direction is much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

I have an EVO 13.5g and starting an IM 10g.

2. I chose not to go with the skimmer, because there seems to be a split opinion about the efficacy of nano skimmers, even some saying it is detrimental (strips useful organics) in a nano. So far water changes seems to be OK for my tank inhabitants, although I have had a few losses that I prefer to attribute to disease (BJD) and a parameter swing than some unknown level of organics...

3. Can't go wrong with a pair of clowns. I also added a high fin goby but think it's dead--went under the big rock and haven't seen it since although the pistol shrimp still pokes it's head out occasionally. +1 on the tailspot blenny--that's going into my new 10g.

4. 2 maybe? 3 might be pushing it, but I've seen some 10g tank builds that have 3.

7. My ricordeas and shrooms have been super easy. Euphyllia not as easy for me--just a lot of monitoring and hammer died. Low light LPS have also done well: blastos, alveopora and acan lords. Fun to feed mysis to the blastos and acans. Fish: pair of clowns--they aren't picky eaters.

Just my limited experience if that helps