Newbie with only 10gal tank and questions

DarkStar

Ok, today my wife and kids went to the beach and as they where swimming around my wife found 2 live starfish one was about 1inch wide and the othe about 3/4inch wide, and my kids where just blown away by what she found, so we thought it would be cool to start a saltwater aquarium. So i went to PetCo and picked up a 10gal glass aquarium,2 5gal jugs of pre-mixed saltwater, 2 5lb bags of crushed coral, and a 3 stage power filter with a bio wheel the brand name is "MarineLand Penguin 100". So heres what i did so far, i rinsed out the 10gal aquarium with clean water , i rinsed the crushed coral, i added the crushed coral, i added 10gal of pre-mixed saltwater, i installed power filter, then i let it sit for 4 hrs untill the water was nice and clear, then i added the 2 starfish,2 little crabs, 1 snail, 3 rocks,and 1 plant all of which we found at the beach.

So here's my questions, did i add the creatures too early if so will they die? I know that there all algie eaters but is there even any algie in the water yet i think there might be some on the rocks and on 1 little plant but cant be much. Do i have to have a protien skimmer or power jet? when can i add some fish the guy at PetCo said to wait 3days for the fish but he said i could add what we caught at the beach as soon as the water was clear but now that im reading diffrent things online im thinking he didnt know as much as i thought he did. Also what about a small 10gal tank i havent even seen anybody use one that small, im only planing on adding a few fish and maybe a 10lb live rock with some live plants. Let me know if im doomed!! my kids are counting on me to get this aquarium going.


thanks
bryan bolyard

onefish2fish

im more into the freshwater business.. but i personally would not trust the people from petco.. petsmart and so on.. they seem to be more concerned about your money then your fish tank.. but thats my opinion..just do research online and in books so you know when you are being lied to.. second i would imagine a 10g saltwater tank to be extremely hard to maintain, just to put it in perspective.. try painting a 4x4in replica of the mona lisa then try painting a 60x60in ( it might take longer but its easier to pay attention to details ) now try setting up a 4x4 of the ocean, and then a 60x60.. i hope you get my point.. however dont be discouraged because im just dipping my toes into saltwater tanks myself.. i just suggest starting with a freshwater tank. but bravo on showing the kids about the enviroment and learning about responsibilities.. just wish i could help more.. good luck..

501scionxb

Welcome to fishtankforums Darkstar. I was like you when i first began my saltwater venture. Now i have learn many many things i to have a 10gal reef that is doin wonderful at the moment. i have corals fish crabs and snails. Its really not that hard to maintain as everybody says. only problem i had in the beginning was my temperature fluctuating all the time. but on to what u are askin about, i think u are stockin prematurely. first your tank needs to cycle, second most people dont really use crushed coral anymore unless u have a pendulem system i hope i spelled that right. live sand is the way to go. crushed coral by itself tends to be a nitrate factory thats bad if u dont get it under control.
imo u are at risk of losing your livestock. that premixed saltwater is just saltwater it has no bacteria to help jump start your tank but your critters will jump start it for u and prolly die. if i were u i would have started out with 10 to 15lb. of live rock 10lb of live sand (u can still mix some into your crushed coral though), any skimmer is better than no skimmer but id recommend a cpr bak pak or an aqua c remora skimmer they cost a lil more but are well worth it. your filter u have is fine just make sure u have plenty of replacement filters. if u want more info on starting one up u can get some ideas from my post i had goin for a while about my nano reef. its nothing special but its nice. http://www.fishtankforums.com/22-sal...s-my-10-a.html (ok guys my 10 gal set up)

Judge

Welcome to the FTF. This is a great site with plenty of helpful info. We are really glad you have joined. In order to have a successful salt water aquarium it takes time, patience, planning ahead and some knowledge of certain processes. All tanks must go through a cycling period. Any LFS that tells you that you can fill a tank and plop a few fish in "after the water clears" or about three days is very mistaken. There is a sticky about "Fishless Cycling" that explains everything you need to do a successful cycle. This can take 5 or 6 weeks based on the exact method and materials that you use. When I cycled my 55 gallon I had NO LIVESTOCK in the tank. I had 40 pounds of live sand and about 40 pounds of live rock. The live rock has to cure. You take regular readings on things such as specific gravity, nitrItes, nitrAtes, Ammonia, ph, etc. until all the readings are within acceptable ranges. AFTER all this is done then you can begin to add SLOWLY some watery friends. Maybe start with a clean up crew. There are some who do not use a skimmer, JMO I would not be without mine. Remember when taking wild animals from the ocean, even if you have a well established tank (at least 1 yr. old) you still have to acclimate the animal by letting it float in a bag until the temp is the same and then slowly add water from the tank to the bag/plastic tub until anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 or even 3 hours have passed. ONLY then can you release the animal being very careful to not let any of the water escape from the bag. As you can see there is some involvement other than filling with saltwater and putting livestock in the tank. It would greatly surprise me if the animals survive. What are you feeding them, are the starfish an aggressive species and will it get along with others you may want to add if they survive? All these and more are questions to research before attempting to bring a new animal home to your aquarium. Again, we are here to help in any way that we can in this wonderful hobby. Good Luck.

orb4me

How old are your kids? Im just starting a SW tank. I dont know much, but from what Im reading and what I know about cycling a FW tank, I dont think things are looking too good.

Pet stores drive me crazy, most dont care what they say, the just want to make the sale. heard a saleswoman tell a customer the dead goldfish was an upside down goldfish. I was fit to be tied. The customer left, Im so glad because I know I would have been all over that situation.

Good luck with your project, and dont give up

501scionxb

forget that man id be Poed if i heard somebody say that. its just not right.

DarkStar

Ok, so far everything is going real good, ive added one live rock and some live sand and it looks great. The really good thing is my saltwater tests have been coming out perfect since the day i added everything but when i read stuff online it always says that saltwater tanks have to go throught a cycle with alot of diffrent spikes before stableing but mine has been stable since day one??? which was last sunday. Maybe its the pre-mixed saltwater?? Anyways, im going to the beach with my girls again to see if they can catch me some more creatures for are tank.

501scionxb

interesting. my nano cycled in 6 to 7 days. new things pop up every day when it comes to nano tanks.

DarkStar

Alright here's a few pictures of my 10gal nano tank, i have added some moon lighting and all my parameters are still coming out reall good so i think its cycled right? I mean i havent had a single parameter off and its been 2 weeks since i started. This friday im adding about 15lbs of LR and some coarals does anyone now of some good corals for my kind of setup? Also can you guys help me out on my lighting question, I started another post becuase i thought this one would be dead, here it is. http://www.fishtankforums.com/22-sal...0-50-moon.html (CF 50/50 and Moon Lighting Questions)

Daylight: http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...2/IMG_1787.jpg

Moonlight: http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t...2/IMG_1786.jpg

Judge

Great looking tank. In your update you did not mention the critters you removed from the ocean. How are they doing? Best thing to do is be patient. It might be a little soon to add corals. However, PLEASE do your homework and research what species are good for beginners and easiest to care for. At this point do you have anything alive in your tank? If so it is important to be sure the animals you chose will all get along. You have a responsibility as their keeper/benefactor to try to make them safe, comfortable, healthy, and happy.