My first nano, 12 g or 24 g... coral suggestions/opinions?

[rmanecke]

Hi there. Great websight! I kept SW fish back in the 80s with undergravel and sumps, eels/triggers/angles, big tanks etc... when I was in highschool. Left the hobby when I went mobile through college, gradschool, yada yada...

I need some suggestions to help with planning a nano reef.

Here is what I want to keep.

Fish: 2 tiny Ocellaris clowns and 1-3 golden wrasses.

Inverts: 3 peppermint shrimp (or one larger shrimp), 1 small hermit crab, 3 feather dusters, 3 star shell snails = cleanup crew (right?)

Here is where I am stuck!

First question... tank size?: can I do the fish and inverts (plus LR) in a 12 g and still have some room for corals?

If I should consider a 24 g, is it true that the JBJ 24 s crack? Any other "all in one" substitute in the 24 g size?

Second ?: what lighting? I am happy to mod up to a 96 W setup (for a 12 g), is this worth it? Is a clam feasible with 96 W in a 12g? In a 24 g?

Third: I know it is mostly opinion, but, any suggestions for some other neat corals to which I might aspire? I want an anenome substitute for the clowns and would really like opinions on the COOLEST soft coral for them. I would also like to pursue the ultimate goal of putting in a clam in a year or two. Is this folly? What setup would this require?

Thanks in advance for just reading this far!

 

[Anonymous]

hi
your going to get a lot of opinions when you leave it so open ended, I think you should search the pic archives on this site and look for something you like - there are infinite possibilities. The only comment I would have to get you started is just skip the JBJ nanos, and buy yourself a 20 long or tall (my fav) without a hood or light (they are cheaper that way and those parts are unneccessary anyway). Then after seaching this sight and kinda getting an idea of the corals you like, start to look at lights. PC fixtures (80, 96, 130 Watt??? whatever) are really economical these days and would allow you to keep most corals and maybe clams????. But if clams are your true goal maybe you'll want to look into a MH pendent 150W HQI would be a good choice. Have fun and welcome back to this great hobby!

 

[sadielynn]

ocienic has a 30 gallon cube that may be a possibility
as John said there are infinite possibilites
as for the 20 long /tall that is personal prefrence if I had to set up again I would go with the 30 gallon cube by ocienic as for the JBJ some have had thier problems with cracking and others swear by them all I can say is caveat emptor if you feel safe with them well I personally would not buy thier junk ( I had a harsh experience with them so I am personally soured by them ) (others have had great experiences with them we have not ) we have a pc on our 7 gallon that has helped with all our corals and have benifited them

 

[shaggydoo541]

With the bio-load that you want a 12G is definitely not going to cut it. Definitely go with a bigger tank. I'm not a fan of the JBJ's and have read a lot of people who have problems with them. I personally started with just a basic glass tank from petsmart and then bought the lighting etc that I wanted to keep the corals I liked. Starting with the JBJ only to upgrade basically everything it comes with seems pretty silly to me. Just my .02. Good luck with your tank.

 

[rmanecke]

Wow! Thanks. I suspected that this would be the advice I might get.

OK, this helps shape my planning.

 

[Jennie]

Once you decide on how big/small of a tank you are going to get, the other questions will be easier to answer. I agree with Shaggy though, the bioload listed for the 12 is too much for the limited space that a 12 has. Might even be pushing it for the 24, just my opinion again. As to an alternate anemone for the clowns, if I were you I would stick with getting some softies to start with, many clowns host a number of things (mine host the powerheads :roll: ) You just might find that they like something of their own verses something you want them to like. Again, just my .02 . Keep us posted!

 

[incysor]

I'd go with a 30g cube before I'd go with a 24g nanocube. But that's just me.

My clowns have hosted frogspawn, torch, mushrooms, and lately have been trying to host my featherduster.

A clam might be doable under a 96w powerquad, but you'd be pushing it, and probably need to replace the bulb every 6 months or so.

I say might, because it depends on how large a tank, what kind of clam, where you place them in the tank, etc...

B