New to Nanotank!

[tigerbarb420]

Hey all! I am new here. I am tigerbarb420, member of the fishindex.com forum. I have been sucessful at keeping FW fish for a little over a year now. I have made a few trips to the local SW specialty stores and have decided I am going to set up a 10g nanoreef tank. I have read countless time it is much easier to maintain a larger tank than a smaller tank but I am up for the challenge. I have chose to go with the 10g for budget purposes.. as it would be much easier to put several thousands of dollars into a 100 gal reef tank than it would be a 10g. I have a good idea of what I am going to need but I still have many questions to ask. I am not planning on having any fish.. and if I do.. just one. So here we go!

What type of lightbulbs do I want.. Metal Halide?

I am under the impression hard corals need more light than soft corals.. pls correct me if im wrong..

How may watts/gallon do i need to keep soft corals and how many for hard corals?

Can hard/soft corals coexist?

Can anemones and corals coexist?

Do I need to feed corals/anemones?

How sensitive are corals/anemones to nitrAtes?

What do I need for substrate?... Just live sand?

How many lbs live rock do I want.. 1 lb/gallon? or more?

What type of filter do I want?

Do I want a protein skimmer? And what exactly is a protein skimmer?

I also assume I will be doing bi-weekly water changes. Those are all of the questions I can think of off the top of my head... I'm sure I will come up with some more. =P

 

[incysor]

What type of lightbulbs do I want.. Metal Halide?

Depends on what kind of coral you want to keep. If you want SPS and/or clams, the accepted guideline is that MH would be best. However I keep a crocea at the top of my tank under 130w pc lamps and it's perfectly happy, shows growth etc..

I am under the impression hard corals need more light than soft corals.. pls correct me if im wrong..

Yep, with a very few exceptions, this is correct.

How may watts/gallon do i need to keep soft corals and how many for hard corals?

I don't have a hard rule for this. I'd check over on Reef Central, post the question in a couple places, SPS forums, LPS, forum, general forum and see what folks say. I have several LPS, and lots of mushrooms under my 130w pc lights....It's just over 2w per gallon in my 55g. I also have the same kinds of corals doing fine under less lighting in my 40g, under approx 65w pc lights. So it would be less than 2w per gallon.

Can hard/soft corals coexist?

Yes if your aquasculpting is done well. Softies generall like less light, and softies and LPS require gentler currents than SPS like. I think it would be difficult to do in a 10g tank, but I have seen some nice mixed-reef tanks that are considerably larger. It just makes it easier to have slower flow, and shadier areas when you have 180g, than when you have a 10g.

Can anemones and corals coexist?

Yep, but be careful some anemones have very powerful stings, and will wander around the tank until they find the correct combination of flow and lights that it likes and can sting several corals in the process. I have a green bubble tip anemone and a rose bubble tip anemone in my 55g. The BTA's as a whole seem to have less of a sting, they've wandered around, but none of my corals seemed to be bothered by them. I also have two tube anemones in my 40g. I've made sure to keep the corals away from them, because they're sting is much more potent. A friend had a good sized tube anemone that got caught in the current and drifted down one side of his 180, and he lost nearly 5 corals because it stung everything as it drifted.

Do I need to feed corals/anemones?

Definitely. Different corals feed on different diets. Research them before you buy them if at all possible. Some feed on phytoplankton, like DT's or bioplankton, some prefer meatier diets, like mysis, brine, etc.. Anemones pretty much universally need to be fed meatier diets, and if you can soak their food with a little bit of selcon it will help immensly. Again, research is the key.

How sensitive are corals/anemones to nitrAtes?

Everything is somewhat sensitive to nitrates/nitrites. However keeping them in an acceptable range is pretty easy with regular water changes and a decent filtration system. Of course if you're doing a reef tank, having 1-3lbs of liverock in your system, and at least a semi-deep sand bed helps immensely.

What do I need for substrate?... Just live sand?

This is pretty much personal preference. Do some research, some prefer the very fine-grade sand, some prefer crushed coral, some like mixed, some don't even have a sand bed at all. Do a seach for bare bottom tanks on Reef Central.

How many lbs live rock do I want.. 1 lb/gallon? or more?

The numbers I've continually run across suggest 1-3lbs of LR per gallon of water...So for a 10g tank you'd want 10-30lbs of LR. LR acts as part of your filtration system, if you are going to have a small bioload 1lb per gallon is probably sufficient. I'd personally start with 1-1.5lb/gal, because many of the corals you purchase are likely to come attached to pieces of rock. It adds up quickly, before you know it you'll need to sell off some rock because your new coral won't fit.

What type of filter do I want?

There are lots of types of filter choices for that size tank. I prefer wet/dry systems myself, but I've got 2 smaller tanks that have small hang-on-back types with skimmers. I probably wouldn't bother doing a refugium or a wet/dry for a 10g tank.

Do I want a protein skimmer? And what exactly is a protein skimmer?

Depends on your bioload. Probably a good idea if you're going to try to keep anemones, as you'll need to feed heavier than if your not trying to keep them.

I also assume I will be doing bi-weekly water changes. Those are all of the questions I can think of off the top of my head... I'm sure I will come up with some more. =P[/quote]

You may not need to change the water that often, especially if you have a decent filtration system. On my big tanks I try to do a 10-20% water change once every couple months and everything seems happy. I change it more frequently if I have something die in the tank, or for some reason my other balances get off. On the smaller systems, I usually change about 10% every 2 weeks or so, again, unless I see some reason to do it more frequently for a short period of time.

Hope this points you in the right direction. Reseach and patience are pretty much the key's to this hobby. Oh, and a hefty budget. :lol:

Brian

 

[tigerbarb420]

Thank you for your information Brian.. It is very helpful but I am still a bit lost. I assume I will not be able to keep a wide range of inhabitants since the tank will be soo small... Will i kinda have to go all hard or all soft corals?What do the following abbreviations mean?

What are SPS?

What is a crocea?

What are LPS?

What is a dangerous level of NitrAtes in a SW reef tank?... In FW i think over 30 ppm are dangerous.

What are the pro's and cons of different types of substrate?

I am unfamiliar with the wet/dry system... Is this a sump?

If so I am also unfamiliar with a sump and its full purpose...

Will I want a small HOB filter and a skimmer since I am probly gonna go w/ a 10 g?

I am leaning away from the anemones for now cuz I am such a newbie.. I think I will stick with corals and maybe 1 fish.... How heavy of bioload do corals have?

As we both know and you have already stated, research and patience is the key to success.. I do not plan on actually setting up this tank or even buying any of its components for a couple months... I am merely at the research stage right now. It would be much appreciated if you could refer me to a couple really good research websites for a newbie like me...

 

[incysor]

Thank you for your information Brian.. It is very helpful but I am still a bit lost. I assume I will not be able to keep a wide range of inhabitants since the tank will be soo small... Will i kinda have to go all hard or all soft corals?What do the following abbreviations mean?

I think that in a 10 gal you'll probably need to choose between SPS, or a combination of LPS, softies, and polyps. When people say softies they generally mean mushrooms, leathers, anthelia, xenia, etc.. polyps are button polyps, star polyps, zoos, etc...

What are SPS?

Small Polyp Stony corals. There are many different varieties, Acropora and Montipora being a couple of the main types you'll see in the stores. They all pretty much require lots of light and lots of flow.

What is a crocea?

A crocea is a type of clam. The types gennerally kept are crocea, squamosa, derasa, and maxima. There might be some others, but I'm not any kind of expert on them. Most clams require high lighting because they use a combination of siphoning phytoplankton and photosynthesis for energy, this is my understanding anyway. Some require more light than others, croceas seem to need the least amount of light. Most people that are really into clams will tell you that they all need MH lights to thrive. While my experience leads me to disagree with this statement it's not a strong disagreement, I do think that MOST of them really do better under MH lights, but some can do ok under PC lights as long as you spot feed them regularly with phyto. As new as you are to saltwater I'd stay away from them altogether for many, many months, they're not the easiest critters to keep. I mentioned them because if you're excited by the idea of keeping clams then MH may be the way to go for your tank.

What are LPS?

Large Polyp Stony corals. Again many varieties. Frogspawn, hammer, torch, open brains, bubble corals. These are all LPS, and generally they require less intense lighting and much lower flow rates than SPS.

What is a dangerous level of NitrAtes in a SW reef tank?... In FW i think over 30 ppm are dangerous.

I haven't kept FW tanks, so I don't know how to compare them. You want to shoot for 0ppm. 5-10ppm on the tests is probably acceptable. Over that and a water change will be a good idea soon. This goes for nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia. You also need to keep a close eye on your salinity in a tank that small, evaporation will cause the salinity to rise very quickly if you don't top-off your water pretty regularly.

What are the pro's and cons of different types of substrate?

For a reef tank a deep sand bed helps your filtration by housing anaerobic bacteria that process nitrites to nitrates I believe. As far as I can tell different types of substrate are generally an aesthetic issue. Some like the look of really fine grade sand, others like the crushed coral. As long as it's aragonite it also helps to stabilize your PH levels. This is my understanding anyway.

I am unfamiliar with the wet/dry system... Is this a sump?

Yep it's a sump.

If so I am also unfamiliar with a sump and its full purpose...

Sumps are used so that you can get all your filtration stuff under the stand and out of sight. There are several different ways to set them up, with skimmers, w/o skimmers, with filter socks, bio-balls, refugium, carbon, etc...

Will I want a small HOB filter and a skimmer since I am probly gonna go w/ a 10 g?

That's probably what I'd go with. Life will be easier if you have a filter and skimmer that are overrated for your size tank.

I am leaning away from the anemones for now cuz I am such a newbie.. I think I will stick with corals and maybe 1 fish.... How heavy of bioload do corals have?

Corals are the smallest bio load from what I can tell. Generally when people talk about bioload, they're not even considering corals....Just critters. Fish tend to be the largest bioload contributer, although when thinking bioload you do need to take into consideration what you need to feed to keep them happy. Not all fish are the same. A lionfish or any other predatory type fish counts more heavily than a goby. Anenomes are sometimes overlooked, but with the amount that some of them eat they should probably be counted as at least a medium sized fish, in my opinion, but thats just my opinion.

As we both know and you have already stated, research and patience is the key to success.. I do not plan on actually setting up this tank or even buying any of its components for a couple months... I am merely at the research stage right now. It would be much appreciated if you could refer me to a couple really good research websites for a newbie like me...

Another thing to consider is that there is a cycle that has to be gone through when you set up a new tank. This can ususally take 2 weeks to a month before you want to introduce fish, some corals don't seem to mind, but I just waited a month with nothing in the tank except liverock and sand. You can certainly get your tank set up with liverock, sand and your filter/skimmer, while you're still researching. Leave the lights off for at least 2-3 weeks, to avoid algea blooms. This will do one of two things. It'll have the tank ready for you when you feel confident enough to start putting corals and critters in it, or it'll cause you to be very impatient to start putting stuff in it. Just depends on the person. I actually felt both ways when I set up my system.

Go to a used-book dealer, they usually have some decent aquarium books fairly cheap look at the published date, and try to stick with newer books. The hobby has changed with technology pretty drastically in the last 5-6yrs, much less if you go back a decade. I actually bought a book that had good info on how to build a tank that was written in the mid 70's that stated that live corals couldn't be kept in the home aquarium. :wink:

The biggest online source of info is probably www.reefcentral.com
they have some good newbie forums, and tons of articles. They also have forums dedicated to nano tank specific issues. Another good place for nano specific issues is this board and www.nano-reef.com

Other good sites that are less specific are:

http://garf.org/
http://reefs.org/

A couple commercial sites that I found useful when I started because they had pictures of corals and critters that I saw discussed on the boards are:

marinedepot.com
fishsupply.com
marinecenter.com

Brian

 

[tigerbarb420]

Thanks again, Brian. Your information is great... and much appreciated... but I still have a few more questions.

Yes, I know of the cycle. I assume live rock and live sand is the main biobed in the tank? Correct me if I'm wrong pls.

Is Aragonite live sand? And can I use 100% aragonite?

I am really liking the idea of a sump right now. I don't want all kinds of ugly tubes sticking into the tank... a 10g is too small for that. Would a 5 gal tank be a good size for the sump? And do you know of any DIY instructions of making a sump setup for a Nanoreef?

Is my HOB filter going to be used purely for biological filtration?

And the Protein skimmer for removing impurities?

Would you recommend going with an aquaclear or biowheel?

I do not plan on rushing anything this time.... as I kind of did when I setup my FW tank.... but now I am more experienced and knowedgeable.. besides that I read/research for several hours a day =P.

 

[incysor]

I'm unsure what you mean by biobed. If you mean the main area that the bacteria live that break down your ammonia to nitrites, and nitrites to nitrates, then yes. However if you use a wet dry then the area with bioballs perform the same function, providing area for the bacteria to live. A refugium is simply more of a deep sand bed, plus more live rock, and macro algae that convert the nitrites to nitrates.

Is Aragonite live sand? And can I use 100% aragonite?

No. Any sand that you buy dry, is not live sand. However any dry sand you buy can be 'seeded' with a couple cupfuls of live sand from an established tank. Live sand is simply sand that has healty bacteria cultures living in it. The advantage to aragonite sand is that it also helps to stablize your ph/alk/calcium swings, mainly because it's crushed limestone. Volcanic sand won't perform this function. Volcanic sand will once again 'become' live sand if seeded with live sand taken from an established sandbed.

I am really liking the idea of a sump right now. I don't want all kinds of ugly tubes sticking into the tank... a 10g is too small for that. Would a 5 gal tank be a good size for the sump? And do you know of any DIY instructions of making a sump setup for a Nanoreef?

Nope it's not too small to use a sump. Most people that I have seen that run a sump on a 10 gal, simply use another 10gal. There are two reasons for this. 10 gal tanks are cheap, and they're relatively easy to glue baffles in for a sump/refugium. A 5 gal tank, will only save you a couple dollars, and it's more cramped to work in.

Is my HOB filter going to be used purely for biological filtration?

Depends on what kind it is. Most of the decent ones have some kind of biowheel, or other surface for bacteria to live on, as well as some kind of removable filter media that acts as a mechanical filter. If you go the sump route you shouldn't need a HOB filter.

And the Protein skimmer for removing impurities?

Yep. I know that lots of people run skimmerless. I don't think there's anything wrong with doing so, if you've done lots of research, and keep a pretty small bioload of fish. I'm relatively new to the hobby, (less than 2yrs), and would have a hard time judging if I had enough other filtration to be able to do without a skimmer. I also really like fish in my reef tanks, so I tend to have a fairly high bioload, so all my tanks have skimmers.

Would you recommend going with an aquaclear or biowheel?

I really don't know. The 2 small filters I've run have both been penguins with the biowheel. I mainly made my choice on the availiblity of filters here in Houston. It's just easier to find filter pads, and replacement parts for penguins than it is for aquaclear filters. Or at least it seemed that way to me. In your area it might be opposite. I'm not sure if one is better than the other. Checking for feedback on both of them on RC.

I do not plan on rushing anything this time.... as I kind of did when I setup my FW tank.... but now I am more experienced and knowedgeable.. besides that I read/research for several hours a day =P.[/quote]

 

[djconn]

Welcome to Nanotank Tigerbarb420! Looks like you're doing your research and incysor certainly has been filling you in.

A 10 gal would be a perfect size tank to start up a nano reef. Originally I was going to do a 10 gal. then a friend gave me his 20 and since then I've started up a 5.5 and 2.5 mainly for the challenge. The 10 is actually used for a quaratine tank when needed. Keep us updated with your decisions, etc.

Your FW tank is pretty neat. Maybe is need to get into FW :lol:

 

[djconn]

Oh yeah, you might find the following link helpful when we start using acronyms http://www.nanotank.com/viewtopic.php?t=23.

Its called Reef and web related abbrevations.

 

[tigerbarb420]

Awesome... Your guys information has proven very useful and much appreciated. I was wondering which 2 species of corals would be good to start with.. and what type of lighting to go with?

 

[djconn]

I would start with a few mushrooms, green star polyps, xenia and maybe a small finger leather. These are all relatively easy corals to take care of and seem pretty hardy in my opinion.

I would take the PC lighting route just b/c its a little cheaper but that is just my opinion as well. If you think that at some point in time that you'll be wanting lots of clams or hard corals, then I would invest in MH. Hope this helps...keep us updated with your decisions/progress. Let the fun begin :rockon: