just a few questions

i have a ten gallon tank to start out with to get a grasp on cycling and just basic care for fish before i get a larger tank with more expensive fish. I ahve a peguin 100 filter, a 50 watt heater, thermometer, hydrometer, sand 7lb of rocks one blue damsel, two turbo snails and 10 red legged hermit crabs. What else do i need for this tank or will this be suffiecient to raise a maroon clown fish and a bartletts anthius along with small mushrooms, polyps and corals??? but i must say this is so addicting

 

Add a refractometer to the test kit also a $45 investment that can save you alot of work and pain over time. Hydrometers are infamous for being inaccurate

 

what about substrate? I think using a finer grained coral sand verses crushed coral will be better. Also the lighting, probably the most important piece of equipment. The problem here lies in the fact that you want to upgrade to a larger tank later. If you buy a lighting fixture for the 10, it will most likely not fit a larger tank later on. From my experience, t5 lighting would the most cost effective while being very potent. If you were planning on using just a hood with a single NO flourescent bulb, I would reconsider. That won't support any coral well and you might be able to get by with the fish and lr imo. I just started out too, best of luck to you

 

sorry forgot to include that i did buy a test kit. I had to get a pH buffer to get that back to 8.3. Yesterday when i got back from the LFS i came home to my green chromis being eaten by the hermits. I also do have a fine sand in not crushed coral.

 

I see what your saying bout the lights but for a 10gal he could go to home depot and purchase a small T5 shop light fixture for around $15-$20 and it can hold 2-25watt bulbs, so all he'd have to really spend on would be his bulbs. and he'd be able to keep alot of stuff. but still would have to upgrade lights when he upgrades tank.

 

Do you have test kits for what? Ammonia, Magnesium, Nitrite, Nitrate, KH, and PH are musts. Get fine sand. I bet it did not cycle. Get yourself a small damselfish, and let it sit for about 6-12 weeks. Then, check your water. If all is well (We'll tell you that), you would be in great position to get some nice fish. Not all the pretty fish are big. I could see that tank with the damsel, 2 small ocellaris clowns, and a small blue goby or yellow clown goby. Dont forget the interesting invertebrae available in this hobby

 

Howdy! and welcome to 3Reef

 

Interior designer for aquariums now, huh, i hear there's big $ in that. j/k, that actually sounds pretty good

 

Welcome to 3Reef fellow nanoian... The force is strong in you....