Skimmer for 10g nano reef tank...?

[ChrisMan123]

Hey

Im helping someone i know set up a nano reef tank.. and I'm helping him set up almost the same set up as mine.. but i have a coralife skimmer and its an older model so I don't know the best new up to date skimmer for a 10g tank... so if anyone knows a good skimmer for a 10g nano reef tank.. let me know please.. thanks

and also if you have any recommendations for filters and lighting... let me know about that too... its a beginner tank so nothing too much $ either... like metal halides and stuff.. he doesn't need that right away... thanks

[Cutiewitbooty]

For a skimmer you could probally go for the red sea prizem

for lighting you should go ahead and get the 96watt quad fits good and is only about $100. I was going to get the orbit ligting but i changed my mind to the 96watt cuz it seemed to be a better value.

[ChrisMan123]

yeah i have the 96watt coralife quad on my 10g tank and its great.. but im not sure if he needs so much.. he will in the future so i guess he might as well get it now

[Cutiewitbooty]

you know what you can do ( i just thought of this cool idea), this is what i have at the moment untill i get my quad. This will give him 4 watts per gal which should be enough or most softies and polps and shrooms. Seems like it would be perfect and cheep lol

Get an incandescent hood like this (only $14)
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=3792&N=2004+113179

and get 2 of these bulbs, they look really good on my tank , awesome color, makes everything glow ( about $10 each online)
http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products/KW/F36DD/Class/Fish+Supplies+Lighting/T1/F36DD+0047+0868/EDP/39450/Itemdy00.aspx

[ChrisMan123]

so he'd have 40 watts? yeah it depends what his wife is willing to spend on lighting... i might go with the quad right away to avoid later upgrades... but the main thing right now is the bookshelf he chose to put it on.. its a great spot.. its a low bookshelf with 2 shelves underneath and he wants it on top... and its pretty sturdy but idk about it supporting the tank with water, liverock, and sand etc. its 50 inches long and 13 inches wide/deep... so i dont know.. ive thought about putting in wood supports on the shelf underneath to support the tank weight above on top... not sure if this would work.. any ideas? its kind of discouraging cuz everything was going well until i realized it might not hold the tank.. know inexpensive but sturdy stands?

[Cutiewitbooty]

I got one from watmart for $27 and it's really sturdy (it even has space on the bottom for another tank or a sump or whatever. To test the bookshelf go sit on it and jump around a little if it seems stable, then if it is, it should be fine :D

[ChrisMan123]

yeah cuz the tank will probably weight around 100+ pounds and im 140 so i could try that.. but its my girlfriends dad so that might be a little weird if he sees me.. but i'll try and i'll see if i can do that wood support idea.. but a cheap stand might not be such a bad idea...

[Cutiewitbooty]

The walmart stand is actually really good and extremly sturdy. I have a 3yo girl and 4yo boy and i have no worries. It can be used for a 20gal or a 10 gal. It's not a cabnit stand, but its really good. Here is a pic of it before i had water or sand in my tank, on the bottom is my snake tank.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b316/Amber1983/DSCF1792.jpg

[tigerarmy40]

red sea prizm or via aqua multi skimmer!

[ChrisMan123]

yeah how much was it? i found one on dr. foster and smith's for 40$ its made for a 10g aquarium.

[Cutiewitbooty]

How much was what the stand or the skimmer?

[ChrisMan123]

the stand

[smy168]

I ran a 7 mini on the following filtration and it was affordable and worked great..

Aquafuge (small 90.00)
Lee's CounterCurrent Skimmer(15.00)
Corallife mini 18watts (30.00)
MiniJet 400 (15.00)
MicroJet 606 (12.00)

I went heavy on the sandbed with about 3.5 - 4 inches and liverock.

Just what I did....good luck

[ChrisMan123]

yeah... i just dont want to use powerheads b/c when i had my first tank they'd always fall and blow the sand everywhere and I don't want him to have to deal with that if it ever happens.. plus its going to be only 10 gallons..and i want him to have slightly more lighting than that... but im going to use your list of components to compare.

[Cutiewitbooty]

the stand is only $27 at wlamart :D

[ChrisMan123]

ooo i found one for 40$ and i found another for 20 at walmart.com but its just a little wooden one.. yours is metal or w/e