Help!!!!!!!!

juniorjose · 10/31/2009, 11:03 PM

im new to this hobby so ur help would be highly appreciated....

i have a three damsels in my fish only 10 gallon nano tank right now with an African knob starfish.
i wanted to upgrade my tank to a 30 gallon tank soon to provide more space for my fishes and add new ones. this time though i wanted to add some corals to be part of the tank.
///what do i need in order for my tank to be successful?
what type of lighting, filter, coral?

thanks in advance

kahkaw · 10/31/2009, 11:53 PM

I started out with soft corals (mushrooms and Zoas) and T5 lighting until i got the hag of the hobby. Live rock plays a vital roll in filtration but you also may want to add a skimmer if there is to be any significant bio load. Hope this helps

tkeracer619 · 11/01/2009, 12:21 AM

First, you will want to avoid using the title Help!!!!!!!! for something of this nature. It won't help with responses

If you had success with your current tank I think a 30g would be an easy upgrade for you. To grow coral you need to monitor a few parameters. Keep a notebook of your test results and if you dosed or not. This will help you keep stable water conditions while you get used to dosing. You can buy the stuff to dose the tank at www.bulkreefsupply.com or use a salt such as reef crystals or oceanic and do more frequent water changes. You will still need to dose the tank if one or more parameters get off track.

-dKH - alkalinity - 8.0~9.0
-Ca - calcium - 400~440
-Mg - magnesium - 1300
-NO3 - nitrates - as close to zero
-Po4 - phosphates - as close to zero

You will need to do regular water changes, add a decent light, and watch your temps to make sure you do not get the tank too hot or cold. 78 is a good number to shoot for.

As for a filter a small hang on back skimmer would be a good choice. There are plenty of them out there, if nobody chimes in about it do a search for "best nano skimmer" or something like that and you can browse through the many posts about those.

If you are willing to add a sump then you could do an in sump skimmer and hide all your stuff out of sight.

You will also need an additional powerhead in the tank to provide flow for the coral.

I would not add any new fish to the new tank for a while. Focus on the coral, it will be easier to keep the water parameters in check.

Playa-1 · 11/01/2009, 12:13 PM

I agree with tkeracer619 and would add that the best thing you can do is to spend some time reading. This is a good place to start http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1031074

Then pick up some of these and I think they will be a tremendous help in a successful tank. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-01/tips/index.php

juniorjose · 11/01/2009, 06:06 PM

Thank you guys for ur help....appreciate it

thedoctor06 · 11/01/2009, 10:44 PM

I don't know what kinds of damsels you have, but when you upgrade, it may be a good time to give them up. They get nasty as they mature, and if you add other fish to "their tank" you may just be giving the new ones a death sentence.

10/31/2009, 11:03 PM	#1
juniorjose Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 596	Help!!!!!!!! im new to this hobby so ur help would be highly appreciated.... i have a three damsels in my fish only 10 gallon nano tank right now with an African knob starfish. i wanted to upgrade my tank to a 30 gallon tank soon to provide more space for my fishes and add new ones. this time though i wanted to add some corals to be part of the tank. ///what do i need in order for my tank to be successful? what type of lighting, filter, coral? thanks in advance __________________ JuJo

11/01/2009, 12:21 AM	#3
tkeracer619 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Westminster, CO Posts: 17,289	First, you will want to avoid using the title Help!!!!!!!! for something of this nature. It won't help with responses If you had success with your current tank I think a 30g would be an easy upgrade for you. To grow coral you need to monitor a few parameters. Keep a notebook of your test results and if you dosed or not. This will help you keep stable water conditions while you get used to dosing. You can buy the stuff to dose the tank at www.bulkreefsupply.com or use a salt such as reef crystals or oceanic and do more frequent water changes. You will still need to dose the tank if one or more parameters get off track. -dKH - alkalinity - 8.0~9.0 -Ca - calcium - 400~440 -Mg - magnesium - 1300 -NO3 - nitrates - as close to zero -Po4 - phosphates - as close to zero You will need to do regular water changes, add a decent light, and watch your temps to make sure you do not get the tank too hot or cold. 78 is a good number to shoot for. As for a filter a small hang on back skimmer would be a good choice. There are plenty of them out there, if nobody chimes in about it do a search for "best nano skimmer" or something like that and you can browse through the many posts about those. If you are willing to add a sump then you could do an in sump skimmer and hide all your stuff out of sight. You will also need an additional powerhead in the tank to provide flow for the coral. I would not add any new fish to the new tank for a while. Focus on the coral, it will be easier to keep the water parameters in check. __________________ Hobby Experience: 9200ish gallons, 26 skimmers, and a handful of Kent Scrapers. Current Tank: Vortech Powered 600G SPS Tank w/ 100gal frag tank & 100g Sump. RK2-RK10 Skimmer. ReefAngel. Radium 20k.

11/01/2009, 06:06 PM	#5
juniorjose Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 596	Thank you guys for ur help....appreciate it __________________ JuJo

10/31/2009, 11:53 PM	#2
kahkaw Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 110	I started out with soft corals (mushrooms and Zoas) and T5 lighting until i got the hag of the hobby. Live rock plays a vital roll in filtration but you also may want to add a skimmer if there is to be any significant bio load. Hope this helps

11/01/2009, 12:13 PM	#4
Playa-1 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Laguna Niguel, CA Posts: 7,497	I agree with tkeracer619 and would add that the best thing you can do is to spend some time reading. This is a good place to start http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1031074 Then pick up some of these and I think they will be a tremendous help in a successful tank. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-01/tips/index.php

11/01/2009, 10:44 PM	#6
thedoctor06 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Centennial, CO Posts: 188	I don't know what kinds of damsels you have, but when you upgrade, it may be a good time to give them up. They get nasty as they mature, and if you add other fish to "their tank" you may just be giving the new ones a death sentence.