10 Gallon Reef/MacroAlgae Tank

[vlangel]

Ok great I will hold off then, I was on the fence about it bc of the macro. What light do you think I should get for the tank- should it be geared more towards plants or marine? I may have a couple of coral eventually so I’m not sure what light spectrum to use that will grow both coral and macro

Right now I am using a ReefBreeder 24 Photon V-2+ and my tank is also 30" across, which is the same as your 20 gallon Long. It might be more investment than you are wanting now. It's what I would describe as the more reasonably priced of the nicer LEDs. It has 6 different colors so you can tailor it for whatever you have.

It will grow anything you want, from macroalgae to SPS coral. Here is a pic of my tank. You can see codium, cheato, halimenia, ulva and red grape caulerpa. You cannot see opuntia and caulerpa cupressoides but I have those too.

 

[GirlWithFish]

Right now I am using a ReefBreeder 24 Photon V-2+ and my tank is also 30" across, which is the same as your 20 gallon Long. It might be more investment than you are wanting now. It's what I would describe as the more reasonably priced of the nicer LEDs. It has 6 different colors so you can tailor it for whatever you have.

It will grow anything you want, from macroalgae to SPS coral. Here is a pic of my tank. You can see codium, cheato, halimenia, ulva and red grape caulerpa. You cannot see opuntia and caulerpa cupressoides but I have those too.

Wow gorgeous tank! I think I’m going to buy the fluval marine light for the tank, it’s my understanding that the fluval light can be tailored as well. Eventually will upgrade the light

 

[vlangel]

Wow gorgeous tank! I think I’m going to buy the fluval marine light for the tank, it’s my understanding that the fluval light can be tailored as well. Eventually will upgrade the light

Thanks for the kind words. My tank is a bit on the wild and woolly side but growing macroalgae can get that way, LOL.

Yes, I bet that light will do the job. When you are ready to upgrade I highly recommend the ReefBreeder Photon. I watched a lot of BRS videos on LEDs and the BRS LED showdown is the one that sold me. They tested a lot of different LEDs against each other to see how they performed. I liked the price of the ReefBreeder plus it could be hung a little higher which lets me work in my tank without moving the light.

 

[GirlWithFish]

Thanks for the kind words. My tank is a bit on the wild and woolly side but growing macroalgae can get that way, LOL.

Yes, I bet that light will do the job. When you are ready to upgrade I highly recommend the ReefBreeder Photon. I watched a lot of BRS videos on LEDs and the BRS LED showdown is the one that sold me. They tested a lot of different LEDs against each other to see how they performed. I liked the price of the ReefBreeder plus it could be hung a little higher which lets me work in my tank without moving the light.

Ok great thanks!

 

[Aqua Man]

What light do you think I should get for the tank- should it be geared more towards plants or marine? I may have a couple of coral eventually so I’m not sure what light spectrum to use that will grow both coral and macro

Almost any kind of light will grow most coral. The coral may not look good in certain spectrums though.

fluval light can be tailored as well. Eventually will upgrade the light

Good light to start with, may not even need an upgrade. It all depends on which coral you want to grow. Just like plants, some coral don’t need super intense light.

 

[xxjamesjohnxx1]

everything will eventually out grow a tank imo...the bug will bite you and fresh water will be a thing of your dark past...bigger tanks are a evil eventuality

lol I got 2 freshwater and a 10 gallon salt. I'm turning one of my fresh to salt this summer. I'm addicted to saltwater now

 

[xxjamesjohnxx1]

Hello! I have finally decided on a 10 gallon for my first saltwater tank. I know the size makes it less than ideal for a first tank but I have a lot of experience with freshwater from planted tropical tanks to cold water tanks. I currently have 7 freshwater tanks so I don’t have space for more than 10 gallons right now haha. The main focus of the tank is going to be macroalgae with live rock, for now it will be FOWLR. I’m going to hold off on coral for a bit until I can upgrade the light system and protein skimmer and such. The tank will be outfitted with a full spectrum LED light for the macroalgae (will maybe use a fluval plant light as I love that light). The tank has a topfin 30 with a fluval sponge inside (not my fav filter but I have it lying around and it does the job, I also like the adjustable flow). I am planning on adding two turbo snails, thor ambionensis shrimp, an pom pom crab, and a lettuce nudibranch (once the tank has aged for a few months). My question is, do these inhabitants sounds reasonable? I understand the unique needs of the nudibranch. Would you suggest any fish for a 10 gallon- would a pair of clownfish be suitable (I’m getting mixed results on that). The other fish I have fallen in love with is a banggai cardinalfish- would I be able to have one of these (instead of the clowns)? If these aren’t reasonable, I am very open to any suggestions or ideas! Thanks

I'm in the same boat. Went from fresh to the salt life lol. I love my cardinal fish. Look at getting a yellow clown goby. They are active and love flake food, at least mine does.