Help setting up nps coral tank

2

240z

New member
Hello all,

i am looking for some advice on how to correctly setup a nps tank. This is going to be an office desktop tank so no lighting other than the standard office light will be used.

So far this is what i have:

12g nano tank
aes euro nano skimmer
nano heater
hydro 1150 300gph water pump with hydro flo deflector
another 160gph powerhead

any quick tips or links would be very helpful. I do understand this type of tank needs constant feeding but just not sure what the best route would be. Or best food for this matter. I have been using marine snow for my electric scallop.
 
What are you looking to keep? For an office tank I would do something low maintenance, easy feeders like dendrophyllia, balanos, rhizos, etc over something that needs constant feeding and massive filtration.
 
Agreed. A simple sun coral tank could be quite nice and you could just drop some food in a few times a week or once a day as opposed to gorgs and the likes that need multiples per day.

I wouldn't worry about a heater unless your office runs really cold on the weekends.
 
Should be a good setup for a dendro or sun corals. The dendros are more likely to open during the day, making feeding easier. I would plan on doing 50% water changes weekly, in a tank that size, which shouldn't be too hard, given the size. The nitrates could spike pretty quickly due to the small water volume you're working with. May want to throw a few small blue leg hermit crabs in, to help clean up what the corals don't catch

Should be a nice looking piece for an office!
 
You'll definitely want to do the weekly water changes with that. I've been doing about 150% monthly, in water changes due to the finer food my Terrazoas and gorgonians require. It's too fine for the massive cleanup crew to effectively remove and even heavy skimming, a hang on filter in the sump and filter socks on the drains doesn't catch it all! The inside of my skimmer cup is coated the first night after being cleaned! A lot of work to maintain but ultimately worth it, in my opinion. Easily one of the most fascinating branches of this hobby!
 
You'll definitely want to do the weekly water changes with that. I've been doing about 150% monthly, in water changes due to the finer food my Terrazoas and gorgonians require. It's too fine for the massive cleanup crew to effectively remove and even heavy skimming, a hang on filter in the sump and filter socks on the drains doesn't catch it all! The inside of my skimmer cup is coated the first night after being cleaned! A lot of work to maintain but ultimately worth it, in my opinion. Easily one of the most fascinating branches of this hobby!
 
Could i use Tom Aquatics Aqua-Lifter Dosing Pump to feed my 12G nano tank?
How often should i feed my tank? I plan on doing 5G water changes weekly.
 
Marinesniper has an awesome nps tank. He can elaborate, but he uses several types of food. Cyclops and mysids are a staple for my nps corals.

I would agree with the "larger" nps (balans, suns, dendros, rhizos) being "easier" in that you can feed them 2-3 times a week and they will be ok. I would coincide your water changes with those feedings to ensure you vacuum most of the uneaten food.
 
Does anyone know how long it normally take for liquid food to start to decay/turn in to Ammonia/Nitrate...? days/hours/minutes?
 
Days, at the most

Even with a nps dedicated tank, I arrange my feeding around my water change schedule to limit the waste in the system. I feed lighter on the 2 preceding days and heavier the night before changing. It's amazing how quickly it can degrade your water quality. I feed the larger nps the equivalent of approximately 4 mysis cubes a night and the system can process that amount with no rise in Nh or No3 yet the finer foods required by my gorgonian spiked my nitrates to 40, within a week. Quickly readjusted my feeding schedule, again, to compensate!
 
No, I don't; sorry. I don't usually do build threads as everything I do, is done so slowly, people would surely die of boredom!

My nps tank is the 75 I purchased when I got back into the hobby. I then purchased a 135g and decided to keep it up for the few non photos I had at the time. I added more, here and there and it is, easily, my favorite tank. A lot more time and effort than my reef; daily feedings, what totals 100% monthly water changes, far more testing and constant monitoring...and worth all of the effort, imo!
 
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