# 10.5 Gallon Tank - Need Help Setting Up Please!



## punch444 (Aug 21, 2012)

Hey,

I just bought a 10.5 gallon Panoramic Wall mounted aquarium. I am looking for some help on what equipment I need to buy. The dimensions are (in inches)*17.5h x 69.5w x 5d*. The previous owner was running a fresh water tank, but I want to set up a salt water. It came with some equipment but I was reading on some forums that fresh water equipement, such as filters, are different for saltwater aquariums? I would also appreciate any help in regards to live rock, sand, and fish.

The equipment I have:
-Hagen Elite Stingray 10 Underwater Filter
-Fluval 2 Plus Internal Filter (submersible & it has a power head on it)
-Elite Aquarium Heater
-2X Aquarium Filter HJ-611B (it has an output of 450L/h)
-A light that came with the fish tank

Here is a picture of the tank: Extra Large Panoramic Wall Aquarium

It doesn't have a glass lid either, is that a problem?

Thanks for the help in advance!


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Don't put anything in the filters, you could use em as water movers. You don't need them with media in a SW tank. You also won't need a skimmer, if you do weekly water changes of at least 10% to start with.
#1-Dry Rock, there are a few hitchhikers on Live Rock that people want to stay away from, so they opt for using Dry Rock, or Dead Rock. Macro Rock is a good place to start looking for that. Either way you go you will need a minimum of 1lb per gallon.
#2-Replacement filter media like filter floss and activated carbon (if you get a filter) Which is really not necessary.
#3-Multiple Power heads (2 or 3) 10x your water volume for just a Fish Only With Live Rock, and at least 20x your water volume for a Reef Tank. So lets say your going reef, and you have a 100g tank, you would need flow in that tank at minimum of 2000gph, or 2 1000gph power heads.
#4-Protein Skimmer, rated at 2 times your water volume
#5-Saltwater Test Kits. Reef Test Kit. Test for Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, PH, Phosphates, Calcium, ALK and Magnesium.
#6-Saltwater fish food. Mysis Shrimp, Squid, Cyclopease, Algae Sheets, Romaine . Flake food is not really a good food to feed your marine fish.
#7-Aquarium vacuum. This one is iffy. Most don't use one, if you have enough flow in the tank you won’t need one
#8-Rubber kitchen gloves
#9-Fish net
#10-Two, clean, never used before, 5-gallon buckets
#11-Aquarium thermometer, digital being the best.
#12-Brush with plastic bristles (old tooth brush) - needed for cleaning the live rock if you don't get Fully Cured Live Rock
.#13-Power Strip, possibly GFCI outlets by the tank.
#14-Optional but definitely recommend getting a Reverse Osmosis or RO/Deionization filter for the make-up water, and a barrel for storing the water.
#15-Possibly a Quarantine Tank for your new fish. They sit in here for a few weeks to kill off parasites and bacteria, to keep it from getting in your main tank
#16-Heater rated for your size tank.
#17-Saltwater Mix. Marine Salt. Instant Ocean is the cheap Salt that beginners and Advanced use alike.
#18-Saltwater Hydrometer or even better a Refractometer, which is more accurate. There is also a Digital Meter that is way advanced if you have the cash.
#19-Aquarium filter (not absolutely necessary if running with adequate amounts of live rock, but nice to have if you need to use a mechanical filter or activated carbon, or GFO and such)
#20-Aquarium substrate such as live sand or crushed coral. Some go bare Bottom, others choose the 2-3" bottom, others, more advanced will try the Deep Sand Bed, which is over 6" deep.


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## ReefTrooper (Jan 29, 2012)

Hey reefing madness.. sorry this is a little off topic, i was just thinking since you have to keep on posting that same list many times a day ive seen it posted by you like 30 times already and since its really helpful for people new to the hobby, Couldn't a Mod stickie this :dunno:? sorry for the going off topic...


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## wake49 (Jul 2, 2008)

Reefing Madness said:


> You also won't need a skimmer, if you do weekly water changes of at least 10% to start with.


If you go without a skimmer and decide to go the water change route, I would personally run a bag of activated carbon in one of those filters that I would rinse out every water change and change once a month.


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

wake49 said:


> If you go without a skimmer and decide to go the water change route, I would personally run a bag of activated carbon in one of those filters that I would rinse out every water change and change once a month.


 Here is the reason I don't much try to push Carbon on anyone. But, its ok to use from time to time, I just would not advise running it 24/7.
Activated Carbon: HLLE Smoking Gun Found | Coral Magazine


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Timothy 1998 cremer said:


> Hey reefing madness.. sorry this is a little off topic, i was just thinking since you have to keep on posting that same list many times a day ive seen it posted by you like 30 times already and since its really helpful for people new to the hobby, Couldn't a Mod stickie this :dunno:? sorry for the going off topic...


 :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## wake49 (Jul 2, 2008)

Reefing Madness said:


> Here is the reason I don't much try to push Carbon on anyone. But, its ok to use from time to time, I just would not advise running it 24/7.
> Activated Carbon: HLLE Smoking Gun Found | Coral Magazine


That is an interesting article. I think I will toss this carton of lignite carbon I have. 

The problem lies in the fact that a protein skimmer removes DOS (Dissolved Organic Solids) from the water in a way that water changes, live rock and mechanical filtration cannot. Therefore, the only other way (if a protein skimmer is not present) to remove DOS from the aquarium is Carbon. Having the water flow over the carbon will remove the DOS from the tank, not quite at the rate of a skimmer, but better than nothing.

Considernig this is a 10.5 gallon aquarium and most of the fish on the list he will not be adding to this tank, I think that pelletized carbon would be beneficial to this system. It is only in nano tanks that I think it's ok to use carbon, on larger systems I think a protein skimmer is mandatory.


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Welp, in thw water coulmn the bacteria or the majority of the bacteria is not present. The majority of it lies in the LR and substrate, therefor allowing an almost complete water change if needed to get water parameters back in check. That's why in smaller tanks I advise that its not needed, becasue they can change out a huge volume of water at one time without issues. As for us bigger tank owners, its not feasible to change 240g at one time. =)


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## wake49 (Jul 2, 2008)

Reefing Madness said:


> Welp, in thw water coulmn the bacteria or the majority of the bacteria is not present. The majority of it lies in the LR and substrate, therefor allowing an almost complete water change if needed to get water parameters back in check. That's why in smaller tanks I advise that its not needed, becasue they can change out a huge volume of water at one time without issues. As for us bigger tank owners, its not feasible to change 240g at one time. =)


When I ran my 150, I would do a 10% (15 gallons) change every week, two weeks at the most. I use water changes to replace trace elements, freshen the water and help keep Alk and Calcium in check (still dose for the latter two, but w/c's help). 

In a smaller system (let's say less than 30 gallons) that IS running a skimmer, my advice would be 10% water changes a week and dose Calcium and Alk. In that same system that is NOT running a skimmer, my advice would be 10% water changes a week, dose Calcium and Alk and run a small bag of carbon in filter or sump.

The reason I am against large water changes is that it can be a stressful salinity swing (smaller aquariums tend to have bigger swings due to evap) for the fish and corals, along with temperature swings. Also, if the water yellows and you change a large amount of water to clear it up, you can bleach your coral from the accelerated change in light. Lastly, depending on bioload, fish poop in the water at such a rate that to remove DOS from the water strictly with water changes, it would require a large water change almost daily.

With all this being said and with the article you posted yesterday Madness (thank you for that piece of info) I will be switching from carbon to protein skimming on my 16 bow that I am starting tonight.


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