AbsentTK421
New member
Hello all!
I'm Alex, and as the title suggests, I have a 6g nano, and this is my first saltwater tank. This will be my progress thread, so if you enjoy it, check back for regular updates.
Before I dive in, here is a current tank picture, and some about me:
Started 12/31/2014
Image as of 1/18/2015
<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7568/16312669405_51696a8dbd_k.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="Untitled">
Build:
Eheim 6g aquastyle Nano
LED full spectrum light
small hanging filter
Eshopps Overflow
10g Custom sump w/ Bubble chamber, Fuge, and equipment chamber:
Digital thermo/ heater
surface skimmer
Eshopps nano skimmer
Hydor 240 powerhead for constant stirring
Mag 5 return pump
Flora/Fauna:
5x assorted snails
2x bumblebee snails
2x Nassarius snails
3x peppermint shrimp
1x Emerald crab
1x Tiger banded brittle star
So about me:
My professional background is in engineering. Specifically motorsports engineering. I build and tune race cars and karts. I also drive them, and coach other drivers. It naturally follows that I'm an adventure sports person. This being said I balance this with plenty of art and a healthy amount of interaction with the natural world. I got my scuba certification several years ago in Hawaii, and ever since then I have been obsessed with reefs and the diversity of life they contain.
In terms of aquarium experience, I have been all over the freshwater map, from nanos with betas to large discus tanks. Even though these tanks were interesting and demanding, they simply can't compare to the beauty and chemical complexity of a saltwater reef. I've been researching reef tank set-ups for several years now, trying to decide what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. I know that nanos are considered the most challenging because of the difficulty in maintaining good water chemistry. So why did I choose a nano tank for my first saltwater experiment?
-The initial investment is substantially lower than a large tank (I have a 55 gallon lying around). Given that I am expecting some bumps in the road I decided it would be better not to put a wheelbarrow of money at risk over my inexperience.
-My space is somewhat limited at the moment, so a smaller tank is a plus in that regard. A smaller tank has also allowed me to use some space for a full sump system which I will show later.
-I realize that a smaller system is much more sensitive to water condition changes, but that is something I am willing to live with because I am in this hobby to learn, and there is no better way than to shoot for high standards!
On to the tank. This update will cover start till' now:
12/31/2014
Setup day was a day several years in the making. I'm using a stand meant for a 55g as a table, with the sump underneath. The tank has overflow and return, Plus a small hanging filter/ LED light combo. Sand is Fiji Pink, 7lbs live rock, a mix of Tonga branch and Caribbean shelf rock. I made sure to get a nice amount of rock and sand to provide as much space for beneficial organisms as possible.
The unique challenges of fitting large amounts of goods into a small car are ever present.
<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7497/16125089568_045df83a85_c.jpg" width="800" height="600" alt="Untitled">
Here is the tank with a good look at the above-table items. I used a large Eshopps overflow modified with an Eshopps nano trough to reduce the space taken up in tank without decreasing flow rate out of the tank. Large turnover is a goal of mine to help dampen the challenges of a small system.
<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7513/16311769012_f4e83968e9_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt=" ">
My sump pictured below was a DIY project of mine after much research. The first chamber is set up with the drain, and a baffle that is designed to produce bubbles , and create oxygenation. The water then spills over the top into the second chamber which has a 2.5" sandbed and another 5bl live rock. This is my refugium, and (now) contains a ball of macro-algae. I have had people suggest miracle mud for this. Thoughts?
Over the top and into the third chamber, part one, through some filter padding to keep anything big making it from the 'fuge to the return chamber, then some matrix to add even MORE space for bio filtration. This is also a place I can put some bags of chem filtration, carbon or otherwise. Last chamber contains a Hydor 240 for constant water stirring, a surface skimmer, heater, Eshopps nano protein skimmer, and Mag 5 return pump.
I did hear that sometimes skimmers can kill beneficial organisms from the 'fuge, but I have also heard testimony from people who have said that they have organisms thriving IN their skimmers. Again, thoughts?
<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7563/16126789277_9afd4946b2_c.jpg" width="800" height="600" alt=" ">
1/4/2015
Five days in and you can see the cycle is progressing, the algae is growing. I jump started the cycle by adding a pinch or two of food pellets to get the ammonia going. Believe it or not, at only five days in, this was the ammonia spike day and since then it has been 0ppm with a couple of .25ppm days. At this point I was not running my protein skimmer.
<img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8576/16125263650_4393ae4b4e_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt=" ">
1/7/2015
This was maximum algae and diatom day. I have been astounded with how fast this tank has cycled. This was also the nitrite spike day.
<img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8639/16286708086_d5bb0323ea_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt=" ">
1/12/2015
With everything moving along nicely and no Ammonia or nitrites to be seen for a few days, I went to the LFS to get my clean up crew to start working on the algae. It consisted of:
5x assorted snails
2x Bumblebee snails
3X Peppermint Shrimp
1x Emerald crab (easily the hardest working cleaner in my tank atm)
1x Tiger Banded (I think) brittle star.
Since then I have also added two Nassarius snails to be my sand vacuums. They are quite active both day and night, and are the only ones I have not yet had to flip back over.
Emerald crab and a Bumblebee
<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7583/16126803707_b55cbb6e6b_z.jpg" width="480" height="640" alt=" ">
Here is the brittle star, originally preferred a space behind the small in tank filter, but I built him a dark little cave in the back of the tank, and now he is there all the time, and comes out at night to find food.
<img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8569/16126499629_197108c045_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt=" ">
Here is a Peppermint (sorry for the terrible iPhone pics, a photographer I am not).
<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7511/15692788093_774af1a7e9_z.jpg" width="480" height="640" alt=" ">
And that brings us up to date (the 18th). Some things I have since changed or learned:
-I had a rockwork collapse that fortunately did not injure any of my inhabitants., I removed the inhabitants carefully to the 'Fuge, and then re-arranged the rocks in a more stable configuration, again careful to make the brittle star a little crevice specifically for his daytime pleasure, which he is thankful for. So a word to those who would consider keeping these creatures, you can see them a lot more if you build a place for them to reside that is dark enough for them but also in a position that you have a view of them. It is cool to watch him during the day sticking his arms all over sensing his environment, and sometimes I even see him reach out and pull in a piece of food.
-I am feeding a small piece (just a bit smaller than pinkey nail size) thawed mysis shrimp, morning and then just before I turn the lights out at night. I'm interested to hear other people's thoughts on weather this is too much food or not?
-A handy aspect of how I set up the system is that if the power to the pump cuts out the tank level only drops about an inch and a half, and this isn't low enough to go below the intake of the small in-tank filter, so even when I shut the main pump off for water changes or maintenance the tank still gets basic filtration and water movement.
-I only plan to have three or four fish in the tank so I was thinking of adding another crustacean like this dwarf lobster:
<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7525/15692790243_217acce65c_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt=" ">
does anyone have experience with these guys?
-Finally, I do eventually plan to grow basic corals in here, and will add a second blue LED when I am ready for that. By my calculation I am turning over the tank about every 5-6 minutes (feel free to check me on that). I think this should be enough flow for some basic corals, but being that I come from the freshwater world, coral growth is the subject I know least about.
Thanks for reading! Updates coming soon, feel free to comment or critique and hope you enjoyed!!
I'm Alex, and as the title suggests, I have a 6g nano, and this is my first saltwater tank. This will be my progress thread, so if you enjoy it, check back for regular updates.
Before I dive in, here is a current tank picture, and some about me:
Started 12/31/2014
Image as of 1/18/2015
<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7568/16312669405_51696a8dbd_k.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="Untitled">
Build:
Eheim 6g aquastyle Nano
LED full spectrum light
small hanging filter
Eshopps Overflow
10g Custom sump w/ Bubble chamber, Fuge, and equipment chamber:
Digital thermo/ heater
surface skimmer
Eshopps nano skimmer
Hydor 240 powerhead for constant stirring
Mag 5 return pump
Flora/Fauna:
5x assorted snails
2x bumblebee snails
2x Nassarius snails
3x peppermint shrimp
1x Emerald crab
1x Tiger banded brittle star
So about me:
My professional background is in engineering. Specifically motorsports engineering. I build and tune race cars and karts. I also drive them, and coach other drivers. It naturally follows that I'm an adventure sports person. This being said I balance this with plenty of art and a healthy amount of interaction with the natural world. I got my scuba certification several years ago in Hawaii, and ever since then I have been obsessed with reefs and the diversity of life they contain.
In terms of aquarium experience, I have been all over the freshwater map, from nanos with betas to large discus tanks. Even though these tanks were interesting and demanding, they simply can't compare to the beauty and chemical complexity of a saltwater reef. I've been researching reef tank set-ups for several years now, trying to decide what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. I know that nanos are considered the most challenging because of the difficulty in maintaining good water chemistry. So why did I choose a nano tank for my first saltwater experiment?
-The initial investment is substantially lower than a large tank (I have a 55 gallon lying around). Given that I am expecting some bumps in the road I decided it would be better not to put a wheelbarrow of money at risk over my inexperience.
-My space is somewhat limited at the moment, so a smaller tank is a plus in that regard. A smaller tank has also allowed me to use some space for a full sump system which I will show later.
-I realize that a smaller system is much more sensitive to water condition changes, but that is something I am willing to live with because I am in this hobby to learn, and there is no better way than to shoot for high standards!
On to the tank. This update will cover start till' now:
12/31/2014
Setup day was a day several years in the making. I'm using a stand meant for a 55g as a table, with the sump underneath. The tank has overflow and return, Plus a small hanging filter/ LED light combo. Sand is Fiji Pink, 7lbs live rock, a mix of Tonga branch and Caribbean shelf rock. I made sure to get a nice amount of rock and sand to provide as much space for beneficial organisms as possible.
The unique challenges of fitting large amounts of goods into a small car are ever present.
<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7497/16125089568_045df83a85_c.jpg" width="800" height="600" alt="Untitled">
Here is the tank with a good look at the above-table items. I used a large Eshopps overflow modified with an Eshopps nano trough to reduce the space taken up in tank without decreasing flow rate out of the tank. Large turnover is a goal of mine to help dampen the challenges of a small system.
<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7513/16311769012_f4e83968e9_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt=" ">
My sump pictured below was a DIY project of mine after much research. The first chamber is set up with the drain, and a baffle that is designed to produce bubbles , and create oxygenation. The water then spills over the top into the second chamber which has a 2.5" sandbed and another 5bl live rock. This is my refugium, and (now) contains a ball of macro-algae. I have had people suggest miracle mud for this. Thoughts?
Over the top and into the third chamber, part one, through some filter padding to keep anything big making it from the 'fuge to the return chamber, then some matrix to add even MORE space for bio filtration. This is also a place I can put some bags of chem filtration, carbon or otherwise. Last chamber contains a Hydor 240 for constant water stirring, a surface skimmer, heater, Eshopps nano protein skimmer, and Mag 5 return pump.
I did hear that sometimes skimmers can kill beneficial organisms from the 'fuge, but I have also heard testimony from people who have said that they have organisms thriving IN their skimmers. Again, thoughts?
<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7563/16126789277_9afd4946b2_c.jpg" width="800" height="600" alt=" ">
1/4/2015
Five days in and you can see the cycle is progressing, the algae is growing. I jump started the cycle by adding a pinch or two of food pellets to get the ammonia going. Believe it or not, at only five days in, this was the ammonia spike day and since then it has been 0ppm with a couple of .25ppm days. At this point I was not running my protein skimmer.
<img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8576/16125263650_4393ae4b4e_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt=" ">
1/7/2015
This was maximum algae and diatom day. I have been astounded with how fast this tank has cycled. This was also the nitrite spike day.
<img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8639/16286708086_d5bb0323ea_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt=" ">
1/12/2015
With everything moving along nicely and no Ammonia or nitrites to be seen for a few days, I went to the LFS to get my clean up crew to start working on the algae. It consisted of:
5x assorted snails
2x Bumblebee snails
3X Peppermint Shrimp
1x Emerald crab (easily the hardest working cleaner in my tank atm)
1x Tiger Banded (I think) brittle star.
Since then I have also added two Nassarius snails to be my sand vacuums. They are quite active both day and night, and are the only ones I have not yet had to flip back over.
Emerald crab and a Bumblebee
<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7583/16126803707_b55cbb6e6b_z.jpg" width="480" height="640" alt=" ">
Here is the brittle star, originally preferred a space behind the small in tank filter, but I built him a dark little cave in the back of the tank, and now he is there all the time, and comes out at night to find food.
<img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8569/16126499629_197108c045_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt=" ">
Here is a Peppermint (sorry for the terrible iPhone pics, a photographer I am not).
<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7511/15692788093_774af1a7e9_z.jpg" width="480" height="640" alt=" ">
And that brings us up to date (the 18th). Some things I have since changed or learned:
-I had a rockwork collapse that fortunately did not injure any of my inhabitants., I removed the inhabitants carefully to the 'Fuge, and then re-arranged the rocks in a more stable configuration, again careful to make the brittle star a little crevice specifically for his daytime pleasure, which he is thankful for. So a word to those who would consider keeping these creatures, you can see them a lot more if you build a place for them to reside that is dark enough for them but also in a position that you have a view of them. It is cool to watch him during the day sticking his arms all over sensing his environment, and sometimes I even see him reach out and pull in a piece of food.
-I am feeding a small piece (just a bit smaller than pinkey nail size) thawed mysis shrimp, morning and then just before I turn the lights out at night. I'm interested to hear other people's thoughts on weather this is too much food or not?
-A handy aspect of how I set up the system is that if the power to the pump cuts out the tank level only drops about an inch and a half, and this isn't low enough to go below the intake of the small in-tank filter, so even when I shut the main pump off for water changes or maintenance the tank still gets basic filtration and water movement.
-I only plan to have three or four fish in the tank so I was thinking of adding another crustacean like this dwarf lobster:
<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7525/15692790243_217acce65c_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt=" ">
does anyone have experience with these guys?
-Finally, I do eventually plan to grow basic corals in here, and will add a second blue LED when I am ready for that. By my calculation I am turning over the tank about every 5-6 minutes (feel free to check me on that). I think this should be enough flow for some basic corals, but being that I come from the freshwater world, coral growth is the subject I know least about.
Thanks for reading! Updates coming soon, feel free to comment or critique and hope you enjoyed!!
