NEW TANK

[jasonc1]

first of all can i say hi to everyone,my name is jay im 34 and i live in warrington uk,im thinking of setting up a nano tank the equipment will be

1xaqua one tank
live rock and sand
1xtunze nano filter
the light will be upgraded for the tank,dont no wot kind as cant remember but my lfs is sorting it out,the tank will be both fish and coral,has anyone got any advice??thanks

 

[drty811]

welcome to nanotank

only advise i can give you is be patient and do your research

 

[jasonc1]

this is the equipment my lfs told me and i trust them as there lfs is faultless,was just wondering if this setup is ok

 

[reefer73]

I have a 3 gal. pico and I upgraded the lighting to a Current USA Satellite 1x18w 12". Paid 40 bucks and it works great.
-Mike

 

[jasonc1]

the lfs said the light will be a 8watt white that will be perfect for the tank as he has 1 at home for his fish+coral nano tank

 

[reefer73]

It really depends on what you want to put in the tank. I'm kind of new at this, but from what I've read you won't be able to keep much with the 8w. Check out posts from skipm, edgray, jennie, mikeguererro and others (Sorry if I forgot anyone) for more info. They know what they're talking about and they've helped me a lot. Here's my thread with the 18w (towards the end of the thread).
http://www.nanotank.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3443
-Mike

 

[jasonc1]

there will only be the clean up crew,a couple of shrimp,a couple of fish 1 will be a royal gramma and the coral will be softies

 

[reefer73]

If your tank is 48 liters (roughly 12 gallons) I would recommend a lot more than 8 w. Like I said, I new at this, but I don't think 8w is enough to support much life. I believe the lighting rule of thumb is 3-5w per gallon. So you would need somewhere around 36-70 watts. Check out the Current USA PCs at marinedepot.com. Someone else back me up here...
-Mike

 

[jasonc1]

the lfs said that is the bulb to go for i think the tank is 48ltr,thats the bulb he recomended,and he said it was perfect for softies,just need to add some moonlights

 

[AlexfromSATX]

If the tank is roughly 12 gallons, that is like my tank and I have 64watts over mine, and mine is all softies excpet for one leather. Besides if you go with the better light now, down the road when that cool HI - MED Light requirement coral sticks out at you, you can buy it and watch it live healthily in the tank!

 

[jasonc1]

the tanks and lights you have there you cant get them over here as i live in the uk

 

[reefer73]

the tanks and lights you have there you cant get them over here as i live in the uk

Jason,
There are plenty of online dealers that will ship to the UK. Check out www.marinedepot.com. I don't know how much they charge for international shipping but I do know that they will ship to the UK.
-Mike

 

[reefer73]

I know I've said that you should support your local LFS and not buy online, but if you can't get what you need in the UK an online retailer is your best bet. Or, talk to LFS owner and see if he/she can order what you need. A good shop owner should be able to accomodate you.
-Mike

 

[TimSchmidt]

8 watts is a bit low for anything other than fish IMO.

 

[jasonc1]

ok will have a look on there

 

[AlexfromSATX]

In the long run you'll be happier that you found a better light, and your corals will thank you!

 

[JeffDubya]

I was actually told 10 watts per gallon, seems really REALLY low. And as far as moonlights go, they're really just for show... for YOU.

 

[TimSchmidt]

Watts per gallon is a very rough estimate, depth of tank and type of light is better to go on for our smaller tanks.

 

[skipm]

Watts per gallon was a good rule of thumb when almost all reef lighting was NO fluorescent, since there are so many different types of lighting available now each with its own characteristics PAR is a much better guide to use for lighting.

 

[little urchin]

hi jason...i'm from the uk too...

the aquaone tanks are good, and you will get away with low light corals with the 8w (polyps mushrooms etc), but to give the brighter corals the light they need to thrive and look their best you will have to upgrade (it's my next job too...i have a 16 gallon with 15w, but would like to increase it at least threefold (i have brown orange and green polyps/green star polyps and a green ric mushroom))

if i were you...i'd set up as you are...get the fish and clean up established, then add a few low light corals, then upgrade the lights when it's all nice and established and you are ready for more corals....just what i would do!

nick