Hello, From Buffalo, NY

Hi, I'm Joel I am 20 years old and I have embarked on the adventure of salt water aquarium keeping.

First of all I just want to say that from all the forums and websites I've checked out, this is by far the best one I have found, I love it. I hate forums they always confuse me and ugh and for me to like its something. haha You guys are organized and its so easy to navigate through it.

So I am a TOTAL noobie haha. I have never had a salt water tank before, I've only had fresh water. I started my 10 gallon nano tank exactly 9 days ago.

**** I know that the smaller the tank is the harder it is to take care of and I am aware that 10 gallon is really small and I am taking all the precautions and trying my best to keep everything to the dot so far its going alright, so you don't have to remind me that its too small.*****

I see it this way, because its a small tank and its harder then a larger tank it should be a greater challenge for me and I love a good challenge and If I successfully maintain this tank in great conditions next year ill be getting a larger one and it should be a lot easier to take care of. So if I can have a perfect 10 gallon tank, I can keep a larger tank with no problem.

So my tank is a 10 gallon, my specific gravity is between 1.023 and 1.024, my temperature is between 74-76, My tank is cycling right now. I tested the water on thursday and there is still some ammonia left and there is nitrite so I'm guessing I'm half way there. I do have to very small damsel fish they are yellow with black stripes. I KNOW that its cruel to expose the fish to high levels of ammonia and nitrite but I didn't buy them they where a gift from a neighbor that sold his salt water set up and was going to flush the fish. Now thats cruel. So I decided to keep them. My lights are T5 I have a 48 watts 24
white and blue lights and moonlights. I keep them on for about 9 hours (the white and blue) then turn off the white one and keep the blue only for an hour and then turn it off and just keep the moon light, I do this on the morning too just opposite I have a over flow filter, I took it to a very respectable saltwater only fish store in my area, and they told me its fine for the ten gallon I have.

I have around 7-8 pounds of live rock I'm going to add 2 more pounds. I do have a corals, but they came with the live rock. One is a small pulsating Xenia and the other, I think its a coral i am not sure, I posted another thread so someone could help me figure what it is. I believe the Xenia is in great health because when the day lights are on its fully extended and its always pulsating like crazy, its stalk is about 2 cm and it has around 8 branches that are about 1 cm each, and its spreading like crazy I keep finding it all around the tank. Is it rare that this coral is alive during the cycling process?

Okay I'm going to stop here because I can keep going on and on and on ha ha. This is suck an amazing hobby I've been researching it and reading and watching videos and the more I learn about it the more fascinated I get. I have fallen in love with it, If that makes sense ha ha. Okay now I'm done ha ha

 

First Welcome!!!


I am noobish myself but SG should be 1.025 - 1.026 for Coral
The temp could probably be like 78 - 80 (raise it slowly)
You should definitely get a refractometer to get very precise readings especially for a small tank set up.

Thats all I got I am sure some of the resident experts can comment from here.

Good Luck!!!

 

Welcome!!
Your specific gravity could go up a little if your making it a reef tank and the temp is good 78 - 80 is a little high for my liking monster. I keep mine at 75 and my specific gravity at 1.025. how many bulb fixture do you have?

oh and good luck with your tank ;D

 

welcome i live east of rochester

 

Hi, I only have on bulb fixture Its called the Solarmax H.O. high output double T5 lighting system.

 

Thanks, thats cool man, nice to meet someone local in here. I live right in the city.

 

Welcome to 3reef.

 

Hello and welcome to 3reef