Any opinions?

[Saltybumfuzzle]

I've wanted one ever since my first freshwater, but now that I can afford it (sort of xD) I'm taking the plunge haha. I've been doing freshwater tanks by myself since I was a kid, and I've always had Atleast one going. But I feel like I have enough experience to start out with a 10g since that's really all I can really afford :confused:. I've been buying it piece by piece and I hope I don't get too much hate for this but I bought a hob filter (fluval aquaclear 20) and a cheap Petco brand powerhead, since I can't afford an extravagant filter or wave maker haha. But any advice/opinions would be awesome! :D (Besides the "don't even bother" ones haha)

I thought I'd make it easier to list all I have haha
-standard 10g glass aquarium
-pretty standard single t5 hood
-fluval aquaclear 20 hob filter
-petco brand King 160 gph powerhead
-hydor 100w heater
-thermometer, haha

I still need the glass scrubber and salt and little stuff like that but I was wondering what test kits you guys thought were some of the best

And I thought I should add that this will be a reef tank btw, really only a couple softies and possibly an Lps or 2

I hope this wasn't too long haha :D

 

[mcarroll]

There's nothing at all wrong with start with what you have....but going forward consider buying higher quality used gear (that you can afford) instead of low-end gear (that you will want to throw away later).

Start small with your livestock and go very slowly – don't add more than one critter at a time and do your best to wait one or more months between additions.

That way if you make mistakes you'll have plenty of time to catch them and learn from them before the tank is fully stocked! :) :)

 

[Saltybumfuzzle]

There's nothing at all wrong with start with what you have....but going forward consider buying higher quality used gear (that you can afford) instead of low-end gear (that you will want to throw away later).

Start small with your livestock and go very slowly – don't add more than one critter at a time and do your best to wait one or more months between additions.

That way if you make mistakes you'll have plenty of time to catch them and learn from them before the tank is fully stocked! :) :)

Thanks! :D I thought about the used stuff but just in case something I bought used did fail, I'd kinda be out of luck but i just thought I'd have that little bit of assurance with something new that I could take it back. :) And I knew I forgot something haha! I was thinking of keeping it small with a pair of ocellaris clownfish and maybe a small shrimp with a minimal clean up crew :)

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

For the t5 see if you can get a coral plus. It's a high par lamp for a little tank. If it's a two light get a blue plus.

The old version current orbit led are going for super cheap on eBay it's a sweet little light for next to nothing.

Api test kits are fine. When I very first started I used the test strips :eek: Just as accurate as the api and all three Lfs I went to.

Look into an auto top off for evaporation. It'll save so many headaches.

Get a refractometer to test salinity and not the swing arm. I'm not sure why they make those.

 

[R_C]

Welcome! What you got there is good enough to get you going at first. I started with API's test kits since I believe they are the most affordable.

Start small with your livestock and go very slowly – don't add more than one critter at a time and do your best to wait one or more months between additions.

That way if you make mistakes you'll have plenty of time to catch them and learn from them before the tank is fully stocked! :) :)

+1 ^

 

[azbigjohn]

In a 10 gallon, to Ocellaris clowns might be too much. Even though they are on the smaller end, they are feisty towards any other fish, and even each other f feeling crowded. There are lots of other fish that are more peaceful.

Nothing wrong with starting small at all. I second the thought about looking for used deals; often better (and cheaper) than newer (lower quality) stuff. Craigslist is your friend!

Patience is the hardest thing about this, but ask a ton of questions here, and you are going to be addicted in no time!

 

[Saltybumfuzzle]

For the t5 see if you can get a coral plus. It's a high par lamp for a little tank. If it's a two light get a blue plus.

The old version current orbit led are going for super cheap on eBay it's a sweet little light for next to nothing.

Api test kits are fine. When I very first started I used the test strips :eek: Just as accurate as the api and all three Lfs I went to.

Look into an auto top off for evaporation. It'll save so many headaches.

Get a refractometer to test salinity and not the swing arm. I'm not sure why they make those.

I also did foggy to mention a little down the line I was thinking maybe picking up an led to swap out the t5, unless you guys think I should stick to the t5. And i do have a floating hydrometer, but am definitely also looking into a refractometer soon after I'm up and running :D

 

[Saltybumfuzzle]

Welcome! What you got there is good enough to get you going at first. I started with API's test kits since I believe they are the most affordable.


+1 ^

Everybody seems to be recommending those the most, looks like I'll be picking up that one :)

 

[Saltybumfuzzle]

In a 10 gallon, to Ocellaris clowns might be too much. Even though they are on the smaller end, they are feisty towards any other fish, and even each other f feeling crowded. There are lots of other fish that are more peaceful.

Nothing wrong with starting small at all. I second the thought about looking for used deals; often better (and cheaper) than newer (lower quality) stuff. Craigslist is your friend!

Patience is the hardest thing about this, but ask a ton of questions here, and you are going to be addicted in no time!

I have heard that about ocellaris, but that's good to know, I'll have to look into some others :) but I'll be sure to read and ask a bunch! :D

 

[mcarroll]

I would side with @saltyfilmfolks on the test strips.....great way to get started, and very affordable.

I still use them occasionally for quick tests when I don't have time to stop and do a full workup plus adjustments. Can't beat them for speed.

Once you feel like you need more than strips (which may never happen, depending how the tank goes)

I'd suggest Salifert for alkalinity, calcium and magnesium tests. Their nitrate kit seems good too.

I don't recommend testing pH unless you get an electronic meter. (Don't bother until much later IMO.)

 

[Saltybumfuzzle]

I would side with @saltyfilmfolks on the test strips.....great way to get started, and very affordable.

I still use them occasionally for quick tests when I don't have time to stop and do a full workup plus adjustments. Can't beat them for speed.

Once you feel like you need more than strips (which may never happen, depending how the tank goes)

I'd suggest Salifert for alkalinity, calcium and magnesium tests. Their nitrate kit seems good too.

I don't recommend testing pH unless you get an electronic meter. (Don't bother until much later IMO.)

Hmm the strips might be a good idea :) I was thinking about getting the droppers with the tubes where you put some water in the tubes and put the drops in and shake it and compare the colors, but if you guys think those would be better to start off I might go with those :D and I wouldn't really need to do too much extra testing and dosing with all soft coral, and maybe an Lps or 2 right? I've researched a lot about them and I've come up with so far thinking they should be okay without all that right? :)

 

[Chrisfish]

Welcome! I'm a nano person myself. I started out with a 3 gallon tank which lead 2 a 8 gal. Tank which I used the same filter that u are using , but one for a 30 gal. Tank so one side I turned into a small refugium. I had a hydor wave make and a rio pump for circulation. Of course I had a heater live sand and rock, I skipped over the 15 gal. I bought on a whim and now I have a 30 gal. Jbj and wish I bought the 45 gal. :D. As the others have said it looks like you have it planned out well but take your time and in the long run its better to buy the better quality equipment in the beginning even if it takes a little longer. Good luck, can't wait to see your progress. :)

 

[mcarroll]

LPS = large-polyped stony

Any stony corals will put a load on your tank's alkalinity supply. It's possible that your water changes will take care of that load, but alkalinity is still one parameter I'd test for with an individual kit (Salifert by my preference) once you add stony corals.

 

[Saltybumfuzzle]

Welcome! I'm a nano person myself. I started out with a 3 gallon tank which lead 2 a 8 gal. Tank which I used the same filter that u are using , but one for a 30 gal. Tank so one side I turned into a small refugium. I had a hydor wave make and a rio pump for circulation. Of course I had a heater live sand and rock, I skipped over the 15 gal. I bought on a whim and now I have a 30 gal. Jbj and wish I bought the 45 gal. :D. As the others have said it looks like you have it planned out well but take your time and in the long run its better to buy the better quality equipment in the beginning even if it takes a little longer. Good luck, can't wait to see your progress. :)

Thanks! And I did forget to add that I will be using live rock/sand also. But it sounds like it ended up going pretty well for you :) that's awesome! But hoping I had a good turnout I was eventually going to turnover my biggest freshwater tank (55g) to a reef which I was thinking would be amazing haha :) I've been really wanting a reef and it'd take forever to be able to afford the 55g to be setup for a reef which I heard would be much easier to work with. But hopefully I'll get there one day! (Price wise haha) :D

 

[Saltybumfuzzle]

LPS = large-polyped stony

Any stony corals will put a load on your tank's alkalinity supply. It's possible that your water changes will take care of that load, but alkalinity is still one parameter I'd test for with an individual kit (Salifert by my preference) once you add stony corals.

Yeahh I knew they would take more out of the water but I was thinking about just maybe one or 2 wouldn't be too bad, and I was thinking regular water changes would be okay for them :) but thanks! I'll definitely get the tests for alkalinity also if I do get any Lps :D

 

[Chrisfish]

Thanks! And I did forget to add that I will be using live rock/sand also. But it sounds like it ended up going pretty well for you :) that's awesome! But hoping I had a good turnout I was eventually going to turnover my biggest freshwater tank (55g) to a reef which I was thinking would be amazing haha :) I've been really wanting a reef and it'd take forever to be able to afford the 55g to be setup for a reef which I heard would be much easier to work with. But hopefully I'll get there one day! (Price wise haha) :D

Here's a picture of my 8 gal. , not the best one but you get the ideas.

 

[Saltybumfuzzle]

Wow that tank is awesome! :D I'm just curious, but what kind of maintenance do you do on it? :)

 

[Chrisfish]

Wow that tank is awesome! :D I'm just curious, but what kind of maintenance do you do on it? :)

Weekly water changes and clean filter and pumps , also have magnetic glass scrapers for everyday use also invest in a screen top, saves a lot of heart ache when you find your pet fish lying on the floor.:(

 

[Saltybumfuzzle]

Weekly water changes and clean filter and pumps , also have magnetic glass scrapers for everyday use also invest in a screen top, saves a lot of heart ache when you find your pet fish lying on the floor.:(

That sounds a lot easier than a lot of stuff I've heard haha. But dang, man do I know that feeling :(

 

[Chrisfish]

That sounds a lot easier than a lot of stuff I've heard haha. But dang, man do I know that feeling :(

as others have stated you do want to invest in good test kits, a refractometor, and an ATO , I manually do mine at this time. And as I did read read read, and I watched you tube videos, I have learned lots from the members here and watching you tube:D