Just wanted to say hi figured i have been lurking long enough and decided to post. I started this hobby back in may of this year by getting a 7 gallon nano and have been here on RC almost everyday just reading and soaking in the info. I will get some pics up of my bare tank here as soon as i can figure how to post them.
7 Gal nano
- Thread starter gatrzrule
- Start date
It will probably take some resizing of your pics to fit space requirements.
jmac4978
New member
This thread illustrates how to use "Photobucket" very well. They've recently made an upgrade to the site, but it minor and I'd think its still pretty much right on.
Cool i got to work. Well a little description of the tank. We purchased this as a complete tank back in May from a lfs and at first had nothing but problems and not much help form the lfs we bought it from. Since then we have found another lfs that we like and have been more helpful and informative, since then we havent had any issues with it.
At this time all thats in it is about 10 lbs of liverock and unfortunatly crushed coral i belive it is for the bed. 1 snail and 3 blue legged crabs. We are going to pick up a Fluva 1 for a filter and water mover as the filter thats in it doesnt really move any water and we cant seem to be able to find any replacement filters for it. The lighting is 18w 50/50 thats whats at least written on the fixture.
I am still very new to this and still learning so any input/suggestions would be much appreciated.
Shawn
At this time all thats in it is about 10 lbs of liverock and unfortunatly crushed coral i belive it is for the bed. 1 snail and 3 blue legged crabs. We are going to pick up a Fluva 1 for a filter and water mover as the filter thats in it doesnt really move any water and we cant seem to be able to find any replacement filters for it. The lighting is 18w 50/50 thats whats at least written on the fixture.
I am still very new to this and still learning so any input/suggestions would be much appreciated.
Shawn
WarEagleNR88
Premium Member
Any ideas on what you want to do with it? With 18W over a 7G, I'm not sure what type of corals--if you wanted to keep any--would work under it. Some zoanthids may work, but I bet they would stretch for the light and not grow too well. Mushrooms may be a better bet as some of them live in dim light.
What are your plans with the Fluval filter? A powerhead may be a better alternative for water movement, but I have no experience with cubes. Powerheads usually provide more bang for your buck in the water movement department. Personally I use the Maxijet brand of powerheads.
You might be able to try a single fish or a shrimp or two in there. A small one like a goby might work.
How long has it been set up again? If since May with Liverock, any cycling should be ready for a fish or a couple of corals. It's the light I'd be more concerned with at this point.
What are your plans with the Fluval filter? A powerhead may be a better alternative for water movement, but I have no experience with cubes. Powerheads usually provide more bang for your buck in the water movement department. Personally I use the Maxijet brand of powerheads.
You might be able to try a single fish or a shrimp or two in there. A small one like a goby might work.
How long has it been set up again? If since May with Liverock, any cycling should be ready for a fish or a couple of corals. It's the light I'd be more concerned with at this point.
Thanks for the reply wareagle. And yes its been setup since may and water has been stable for couple months now but i have not really decided yet as to what i want to put in it.
With the lighting being so low do i have any options on replacing it without losing the hood? If so guess it will give me more options when it comes to choosing coral.
And about the powerhead thats probably the second time i have heard about going that route so i may just ditch the filter and do that instead.
With the lighting being so low do i have any options on replacing it without losing the hood? If so guess it will give me more options when it comes to choosing coral.
And about the powerhead thats probably the second time i have heard about going that route so i may just ditch the filter and do that instead.
WarEagleNR88
Premium Member
A couple of more questions for you to think about. What type of water are you using to supply your tank? Do you buy high quality RO/DI water or do you have your own filter? What type of salt mix do you use or do you buy? Since you're new to the hobby, it will save you a lot of headaches brought on by algae if you're using pure RO/DI water and a good salt mix. Instant Ocean is what I use and I think many others here would agree it's a good brand.
How do you measure the salinity in your water? A hydrometer might be okay for temporary use, but I'd recommend a refractometer for more accurate salinity testing.
As far as lighting goes, I think for a nice lighting upgrade to keep more advanced animals, without retrofitting the hood with something, hang-on lighting seems to be fairly easy to do. Here are some options that I googled. I'm sure with a little research--unless someone else wants to pitch in--you could find a good deal on a metal halide or power compact light.
Coralife Advanced Series Hang on tank fixture
JBJ K-2 Viper HQI Clamp on Lamp Lighting Fixture
I hope this helps a little.
How do you measure the salinity in your water? A hydrometer might be okay for temporary use, but I'd recommend a refractometer for more accurate salinity testing.
As far as lighting goes, I think for a nice lighting upgrade to keep more advanced animals, without retrofitting the hood with something, hang-on lighting seems to be fairly easy to do. Here are some options that I googled. I'm sure with a little research--unless someone else wants to pitch in--you could find a good deal on a metal halide or power compact light.
Coralife Advanced Series Hang on tank fixture
JBJ K-2 Viper HQI Clamp on Lamp Lighting Fixture
I hope this helps a little.
Thanks for the info on the lighting wareagle. At this time for water, we purchase it from one of our lfs. We have discussed and decided once we get a larger tank for the living room we will buy our own RO/DI and salt to mix. But at this time we cant see spending that much into making water when we use less than a gallon for water changes and very minimal water for topoff.
For testing at this time i use a hydrometer and do plan on replacing it with a refractometer.
For the lighting i guess we are gonna have to ditch the hood and do something else. Im afraid if we were to just replace the fixture inside the hood that temps will get to be to high without having to hack the hood to install a fan.
For testing at this time i use a hydrometer and do plan on replacing it with a refractometer.
For the lighting i guess we are gonna have to ditch the hood and do something else. Im afraid if we were to just replace the fixture inside the hood that temps will get to be to high without having to hack the hood to install a fan.
WarEagleNR88
Premium Member
Think of it this way for a RO/DI filter. Buy a system to hook into your refrigerator and you can also drink that pure water, too! No more nasty chlorine taste! 
(Although you'll miss out on flourine and other nasties if you're into that)
If when you do decide to purchase one, look around on the net and/or ask your LFS if they could get you a dependable RO/DI, I'm sure a decent one could be found. I did the exact same thing and picked up a SpectraPure SpectraPlus 2000 5 stage RO/DI machine for $100 just for asking when my LFS decided to upgrade to a higher per day unit. Its filters are a little on the high side but I figure for a filter like that--which I can one day use for perfect drinking water or who knows what else--it's hard to not have one. Just some thoughts.
Also, I'm not sure if anyone has told you this yet, but just take your time and be patient. Good things in this hobby take a long time to happen but bad things always seem to happen real quick. And I know sometimes people try to force you to hurry up--LFS's seem to do this often as well as some RC posters--but just take it easy. The more I do in this hobby the more I realize that all of these animals we keep are very hardy, but very few seem tolerant to hasty changes.
I look forward to any progress. Please keep us posted.
(Although you'll miss out on flourine and other nasties if you're into that)If when you do decide to purchase one, look around on the net and/or ask your LFS if they could get you a dependable RO/DI, I'm sure a decent one could be found. I did the exact same thing and picked up a SpectraPure SpectraPlus 2000 5 stage RO/DI machine for $100 just for asking when my LFS decided to upgrade to a higher per day unit. Its filters are a little on the high side but I figure for a filter like that--which I can one day use for perfect drinking water or who knows what else--it's hard to not have one. Just some thoughts.
Also, I'm not sure if anyone has told you this yet, but just take your time and be patient. Good things in this hobby take a long time to happen but bad things always seem to happen real quick. And I know sometimes people try to force you to hurry up--LFS's seem to do this often as well as some RC posters--but just take it easy. The more I do in this hobby the more I realize that all of these animals we keep are very hardy, but very few seem tolerant to hasty changes.
I look forward to any progress. Please keep us posted.
