Just a few questions..

ItouchedThebutt · May 22, 2017

My nano 10gal AIO tank has been set up for almost 2 months now. I have ine fish and a CUC. My first question is when can i add a second fish? What would be the apropriate time if there is one? Second when can i add coral? I already have some zoas growning that came with the live rock but i dont know if i need to have my tank established even longer before i go buy and add corals. Third is about hydroids i just found one in the tank and took him out. Are they bad or good and what do they do? Because im sure if i have one i have more. Any answers or advice is greatly appreciated thank you!!

Ty Hamatake · May 22, 2017

ItouchedThebutt said:
My nano 10gal AIO tank has been set up for almost 2 months now. I have ine fish and a CUC. My first question is when can i add a second fish? What would be the apropriate time if there is one? Second when can i add coral? I already have some zoas growning that came with the live rock but i dont know if i need to have my tank established even longer before i go buy and add corals. Third is about hydroids i just found one in the tank and took him out. Are they bad or good and what do they do? Because im sure if i have one i have more. Any answers or advice is greatly appreciated thank you!!

Well if you have a healthy fish in a two month old tank, I'd say you've definitely cycled. What fish do you have one now, and what are you planning on getting? I think two weeks is a sufficient wait time between adding one more fish.

Corals could be added now, though I'd suggest you start off with more hardy types (like your zoas). Your tank is still maturing and putting a delicate coral in there is asking for disappointment. I don't know if everyone shares this opinion, but I like using liveaquaria as my guide on the general difficulty level of different types of corals.

Can you post a picture of these hydroids?

mcarroll · May 22, 2017

I'd try not to add any more fish for a while...no more than one if you just can't help it.

But feel free to stock up corals slowly...maybe one or two every few weeks up to your limit. Try not to go overboard.

ItouchedThebutt · May 22, 2017

Ty Hamatake said:
Well if you have a healthy fish in a two month old tank, I'd say you've definitely cycled. What fish do you have one now, and what are you planning on getting? I think two weeks is a sufficient wait time between adding one more fish.

Corals could be added now, though I'd suggest you start off with more hardy types (like your zoas). Your tank is still maturing and putting a delicate coral in there is asking for disappointment. I don't know if everyone shares this opinion, but I like using liveaquaria as my guide on the general difficulty level of different types of corals.

Can you post a picture of these hydroids?

The fish is a swales swissgaurd besslet and i want either a ocelaris wyoming white clown fish or a purple firefish and that would be the only fish in the tank. The first coral i would buy is frogspawn. Still doing research on them and all. As far as the hydroid Unfortantly no. I squished it and threw it out but it moved like a jelly fish and clung to the glass. Very very small and transparent with a pink dot in the center.

ItouchedThebutt · May 22, 2017

mcarroll said:
I'd try not to add any more fish for a while...no more than one if you just can't help it.

But feel free to stock up corals slowly...maybe one or two every few weeks up to your limit. Try not to go overboard.

For a 10 gallon tank do you think i can get away with having just 2 fish? I really wanted 3 but i think that would be pushing it a bit much

mcarroll · May 23, 2017

Hm....how big do those basslets get?

Katrina71 · May 23, 2017

mcarroll said:
I'd try not to add any more fish for a while...no more than one if you just can't help it.

But feel free to stock up corals slowly...maybe one or two every few weeks up to your limit. Try not to go overboard.

How does one know the limit? Obviously if I'm asking, I might have an addiction. I can stop whenever I want and I only coral socially. Seriously, what is a good way to know?

ItouchedThebutt · May 23, 2017

mcarroll said:
Hm....how big do those basslets get?

I was told 2-3 inches but on average closer to 2inches. Right now id sah hes about a 1 1/2inches.

ItouchedThebutt · May 23, 2017

Katrina71 said:
How does one know the limit? Obviously if I'm asking, I might have an addiction. I can stop whenever I want and I only coral socially. Seriously, what is a good way to know?

I to would like to know. As well as how do you know if a coral you want can get to be to big for your tank.

Ty Hamatake · May 23, 2017

Katrina71 said:
How does one know the limit? Obviously if I'm asking, I might have an addiction. I can stop whenever I want and I only coral socially. Seriously, what is a good way to know?

With corals it's just how much you're willing to take care of. The more you have usually equals more maintenance in regards to proper levels of calcium, alkalinity, etc... compatability plays a part too, though not as much as fish (which you can't really separate). You'll also want to look at the demands (i.e. lighting, flow, nutrients) of the corals and make sure your setup is sufficient.

Ty Hamatake · May 23, 2017

ItouchedThebutt said:
how do you know if a coral you want can get to be to big for your tank.

That's what fragging is for

ItouchedThebutt · May 23, 2017

For lighting i have a AI prime HD and filtration i just run filter floss chemi pure elite and phosband. I dont does any extra nutriants. If i were to do that witch nutrients are best to dose? And side question. How can i get rid of diatoms?

Ty Hamatake · May 23, 2017

ItouchedThebutt said:
For lighting i have a AI prime HD and filtration i just run filter floss chemi pure elite and phosband. I dont does any extra nutriants. If i were to do that witch nutrients are best to dose? And side question. How can i get rid of diatoms?

I wouldn't dose anything at all unless you have tested for it and need it. On a 10 gallon it is relatively easy to keep things in line with consistent water changes though. What are you planning on putting in the tank coral-wise? Diatoms usually go away on their own. I would just give that one time.

Side question from me. Are you having trouble with phosphates? Or are you just running that media as a precaution?

ItouchedThebutt · May 23, 2017

I had a beginning stage of hair algea bloom and thats why i put the ohosband in there. Seems to be helping alot havnt seen any of it die really but its not getting worse. Just whatever i take out or the snails get. As far as corals i was thinking of three, green star polyp, frog spawn, and zoanthids.

Ty Hamatake · May 23, 2017

ItouchedThebutt said:
I had a beginning stage of hair algea bloom and thats why i put the ohosband in there. Seems to be helping alot havnt seen any of it die really but its not getting worse. Just whatever i take out or the snails get. As far as corals i was thinking of three, green star polyp, frog spawn, and zoanthids.

Do you know what your NO3/PO4 (nitrate/phosphate) are at? Also, good choices to start with, just be careful with the GAP. I hear that can take over a tank pretty quickly so isolating it might be a good idea!

ItouchedThebutt · May 23, 2017

Ty Hamatake said:
Do you know what your NO3/PO4 (nitrate/phosphate) are at? Also, good choices to start with, just be careful with the GAP. I hear that can take over a tank pretty quickly so isolating it might be a good idea!

Yeah i have a small island it can go on and Unfortantly i don't have my own test kit yet so i do not

Ty Hamatake · May 23, 2017

ItouchedThebutt said:
Yeah i have a small island it can go on and Unfortantly i don't have my own test kit yet so i do not

Perfect!

There are plenty of people who are very successful without testing, but if you decide you do want to dose I would highly recommend getting a kit for whatever it is your plan to dose.

ItouchedThebutt · May 23, 2017

Ty Hamatake said:
Perfect!

There are plenty of people who are very successful without testing, but if you decide you do want to dose I would highly recommend getting a kit for whatever it is your plan to dose.

I dont know if it counts as dosing but i do like the reveiws on reef roids and planned to use that at a point in time. What are some good not so expensive test kits? Like is the api test kit at petsmart a good one?

Ty Hamatake · May 23, 2017

ItouchedThebutt said:
I dont know if it counts as dosing but i do like the reveiws on reef roids and planned to use that at a point in time. What are some good not so expensive test kits? Like is the api test kit at petsmart a good one?

Reef roids is coral food, which is different from dosing (i.e. calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, and more specifically what we were discussing nitrates and phosphates [yes people, including myself, dose for these

]).

My favorite cheaper test kits would have to be salifert! Most of them are super fast and easy (as easy as color charts can be) to read. API is generally not recommended, and I have to agree. The difference in ease of testing and reading results is definitely worth the few extra bucks.

ItouchedThebutt · May 23, 2017

Ty Hamatake said:
Reef roids is coral food, which is different from dosing (i.e. calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, and more specifically what we were discussing nitrates and phosphates [yes people, including myself, dose for these ]).

My favorite cheaper test kits would have to be salifert! Most of them are super fast and easy (as easy as color charts can be) to read. API is generally not recommended, and I have to agree. The difference in ease of testing and reading results is definitely worth the few extra bucks.

Ok ill look those up online. So let me ask this, do you necessarily want phosphates in your tank?