help me plan a classroom nano

gholtmeyer

New member
I am thinking of setting up a nano for a classroom tank for next year. I teach third grade. I want to start planning it now, get it set up and let it run all summer to cycle through so its ready to go next August. The tank will be 20wx18dx24t -I think. I am thinking of hanging a MH pendant over it. I want this tank to be as hassle free as possible. ( I know what I just said, what with my luck and the nature of saltwater, lol) I am thinking of having a shallow sand bed -about one inch. I have been doing some reading about rdsb in a five gallon bucket where you seal the bucket, have a line going into the bucket from the tank and a line coming out of the bucket back to the tank -sort of a closed loop thing. The rdsb would be for nitrate reduction, etc. I want to do some live rock in a bonsai/pillar form. I want to stock it with zoo's, rics, blue shrooms, 3-4 fish, shrimp or two, snails, etc. and a few sps. I would plan on doing multiple smaller water changes each week. What suggestions do you have to make this as stable and hassle free as possible? Closed loop or just put some form of powerhead/tunze, etc in it? Will need surface skimming. Put a overflow in it to go to the rdsb bucket? The less parts the better I am thinking. Les parts to leak, heat the water, stop working, etc.
 
sounds good but i would be worried about the mh getting really hot and then little kids getting too close. i might just be worrying more than is necessary but it doesn't hurt to consider it. t5s are great too, don't get as hot and don't use as much electricity.
 
I thought of going t-5's but the tank is only 20" long and the smallest t-5 is 24" long or is there some fixture I have not seen? Also, would four 24w t-5's be 'equal' to a 175w mh?
 
If you aren't going to keep any high-light demanding coral, then you can go with PC lighting. Current makes a 20-inch, 80 watt Satellite fixture which would work well for zoas, shrooms, and other softies.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14776826#post14776826 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Stray32
If you aren't going to keep any high-light demanding coral, then you can go with PC lighting. Current makes a 20-inch, 80 watt Satellite fixture which would work well for zoas, shrooms, and other softies.

I want to keep a monti cap ( I know it will have to be trimmed, and maybe a blue tort or so. The PC wont support those will it? I have a spare IceCap 660 ballast at home so the t-5 idea would save some money and I could build my own canapy, its just that the canapy will over hang the tank.
 
current usa makes a 20" t5 fixutre, it's called nova extreme. it's 2x18w, they have it on marinedepot.com
 
I didn't see the 20" 2x18w fixture, but I did see the 20" 6x18w fixture. Thats 108 watts of light. My concern is that the tank is 24" deep. Will the t-5's reach the corals on the bottom? The corals on the floor would be a lobo or some such brain, a fungia, zoo's. Would that be enough light for them? Or would a 175w mh pendent work better, might need to put a fan on it?

Other than lights, what other suggestions do you pro's have on circulation, etc?
 
Yes the current will do just fine for those corals on the bottom. I wouldnt put sps down there though. get the new vortech mp10 thats comeing out in the next month. Its my next buy for sure.
 
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