New Nano Help

[kcbonsai_matt]

Ok, I'm finally doing it.

I just cleaned up my son's 15g tank with an Eclipse hood and I want to start out my first saltwater tank. I've been doing lots of reading, but want to ask some questions of you experienced nano reefers.

1) Using an Eclipse hood, should I keep the bio wheel in it or just use the pump to create water movement?
2) I'm on a budget (I'm planning a 'big' tank in about 8 months to a year) and want to hear suggestions about live rock sources. Can I just get reef rubble for this size tank?
3) Can I use white play sand from Wal-Mart for most of my sand bed and then seed it with some sand from the LFS?

I welcome any and all suggestions as I want to do this well even if I can't do it all.

BTW, I'm hoping to do live rock with some mushrooms and such, nothing fancy and maybe one fish (dartfish maybe). Just enough to satisfy my thirst until next Spring!

Thanks!

 

[dendro982]

Can't help with Eclipse hood - don't have one, but from what I had seen in LFS it's rather hall narrow tank. It may require more light, than the usual $10 rectangular glass tank of the same volume. For 15g I would estimate 75 Watts PC light.

Biowheel - it should be kept relatively clean, as any filtration media. If nott - better remove it. Will water flow be enough for this size of tank - around 200-300 gph total (that would be my choice, your may differ )?

Budget and reefkeeping - believe me, I'm on a budget too, it will be much more expensive, than one can imagine! Try to have minimal bioload, small fish, corals, that don't require heavy feeding or high light, if you can.

LR rubble: in my area it's at the same price, as any LR. Anyway, you should target 1-1.5 Lb/gal, this could be:
- 3-4 big pieces of LR and the rubble, or
- rubble, glued or zip-tied together (cost of epoxy!);
- Caribsea Reef Bones are twice cheaper, than LR even on sale, but I received the large boulders in the box,

and much more hard, that any LR I have - almost impossible to make the smaller pieces (+cost of tools, that will be irreparably damaged in the process). You may be lucky, and receive a good set.

Sand: I didn't tried that, but you will get the brand names of good and bad play sand by search on reef playsand tank.

Then will be salt, refractometer, test kits, filtration media, corals (frags will cost less)...
Welcome to the reefkeeping!