New to the Nano reef

Status
Not open for further replies.
Ok,

Now I am getting a really good idea in my head about how to start this thing.

This may sound weird, but I feel like a little kid at x-mas. I am so excited about starting this up. as a side note, before I got into law part way through college, I was on my way to becoming a marine biologist. In a way, this cube has been many years coming. I almost can't believe I will have a little bit of the sea to call my own.

Much thanks for the info...and I'll probably think of 12 more questions before the day is up. Oops, just thought of one. How much is this sucker gonna weigh when filled (estimate 30lb of LR)?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8828121#post8828121 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Hopeful Reefer
Is this the same thing though? If you are talking about pillow stuffing, I would be afraid something, some chemical or compound would leach out in to the tank water...I would be leary of this until someone can show me it is reef safe...
Click to expand...

I had the same concern. A lot of posters at nano-reef.com use it. I asked them and they said it was safe. Some of been using it for a couple of years. I've used it the last 2 months in my AP12 with no ill effects. Morning Glory Premium Polyester Fiberfil is the brand they ( and I ) use.
 
The weight of water is 8.something lbs per gallon...I don't know why I remember this from fire fighting school, cause all the other non-important facts I forgot a long time ago!! :lmao:

Anyway, figure how many pounds of sand you put in the bottom...plus the rock...then, figure how many gallons of water you put in AFTER the sand and rock are accounted for...so, for a 24g cube probably gonna end up with about 15g of water...so, the water is about 120lbs give or take...so, take that estimate to about 130 to be safe...130 (water) + 30 (live rock) + 3 (estimate on how much sand) and you have about 163lbs...add in weight of stand, any other equipment, etc...say maybe around 175lbs when it is all said and done...
 
The Watchman would be a good starter fish. I got my clown first, then waited a month before adding him. If you go with the pistol shrimp/YWG combo make sure your aquascaping and rockwork is sturdy, pistol shrimp will burrow under the sand and could cause a rockslide. Also see if your LFS already has a mated pair, I've heard of them not automatically hooking up.


Stocking wise I think you can get away with more fish but it depends on what the fish do. The YWG is a burrower and bottom dweller so you don't want to get another fish that will invade his turf. My pseudochromis is a great fish, the most peaceful one towards other fish but he will kill any shrimp (cleaner, peppermint). I have a blue assesor, same family as the Royal Gramma (Basslet) which is another good choice.
And of course the firefish might be the best Nano fish out there.

With corals you can do a nice mix of LPS and softies, just have to give everything enough room. Things like Hammer, Frogspawn and Torch all have swepper tentacles that can come out at night and attack close by corals.
I have the following coral:

Softies-
Kenya Tree
Florida Ricordia Mushrooms
Regular Green Mushrooms
Zoa's (20+ types)
Xenia
Star Polyps

LPS
Acan's (Both Lords and Enchinatia)
Candycane/Trumpet
Blasto Welsi's (5 types/variations)

Had some purple torch in there and it did great. One of the best corals, my clown loved it, got to get some room for another.
 
Wow, thats pretty heavy. 175lbs. So I defintely need to choose a place for it permanently since there is going to be no moving it. Have any of you guys ever had to move a tank...like if you moved form one apartment to another?

Great look out on the nano stars, Colinadam. As soon as the tank is ready for them (couple of months I am guessing...not sure how established a tank has to be for starfish) I will add them in. Thanks.

Also, where did you get your livestock from, mainly the 20+ Zoa's? They really intrigue me. And you said that your clowns hang out in purple torch coral? so an anemone isn't necessary for the clowns to have to hang in?

Finally, how do you know where and how far to away to put livestock from each other in your tank? Like, do some things like sand more than the LR, etc.?
 
What are your thoughts on the pre-mixed salt water? I was just at a PetCo and they had 5g for $6. I thought, maybe for the initial fill, I would use the pre-mix. Then for all the partial changes, mix my own. I would probably buy the water, bring it home and put it in a bucket just to circulate it a bit and heat it to the proper temp.

Let me know your thoughts...
 
I buy salt water pre-mixed as I stated above...my LFS (salt water store only btw) sells $1 a gallon for salt water (initial fill & water changes) and $0.50 a gallon for fresh water (top offs)...I trust what my store is mixing, I know it is RO/DI...many people don't have an issue with the boxed water that PetCo and the like sell...personal preference/use own judgement really... :)
 
What do you mean by using fresh water to top off? Won't that throw off the balance of the salt water? How much fresh water should be used to top off?

Do you find it easier to just buy the water already mixed? I bought some salt mix thinking I would mix my own, but maybe I should just use store bought.
 
You use fresh water to replace water that has evaporated...it won't through off the parameters, just the opposite...when water evaporates, the salt stays behind...so, think of a 1:1 ratio...you have 2g of water and 2 parts of salt...1g of water evaporates and you now have 1g of water and 2 parts of salt...to bring it back in line you have to add fresh water, because adding salt water would add more salt to water that already has too much salt...to top off, you use the same amount of fresh water that has evaporated...some people make marks on the take with a marker...your display tank will stay normal and the evaporation will happen in your rear compartment with the pump...put tape or something in the back corner and mark the normal water level...then you can top off up to that mark...

For me, I'm in the LFS quite often so it is easy for me to get replacement water there...plus, right now I don't have an RO/DI unit yet and this is a way to avoid using tap water... :) As for mixing your own, if you have an RO/DI unit that is the better way to go...
 
Gotcha. I didn't even think about the salt left behind from evaporation.

I think you are right about the LFS water. I will keep the salt mix I bought and, when I get an RO/DI unit, I will start to mix my own. But for now, I will buy the store salt water.
 
My favorite place to get zoa's is www.purecaptive.com. He's in FL and has some amazing pieces.
When I first started out in the hobby I also hit the Coral Selling Forum here, spent a lot, got burned a few times but overall got some nice stuff.

After your cycle I would get a cleanup crew, wait 2 weeks, get the clown, wait 2 weeks then go for the starfish. That way it has a chance to stake out it's own turf, plus you can get some Florida Ricordia Mushrooms as your first coral. Very cool coral and easy to take care of.
 
At what point am I able to start putting in Ricordia and Zoa's? Also, tried the purecaptive link, but it doesn't connect to any page.
 
Purecaptive link works now...he had a period at the end of the first link which threw it off... :D

I agree with everything that's been said so far...especially about when to add the livestock and corals...definitely let the cleanup crew take care of the diatom bloom first...
 
Any suggestions on where to get the LR? I just saw that the place online with the 30/lb for $90 is only doing local sales. So I am a bit bummed. I was just going to get 20lb of live sand from the LFS down the street (the fiji pink or bimini pink). Any suggestions on live sand also(type/amount/place to get it)?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

C
RSM Max Nano XL Plan / Build
2
Replies
21
Views
2K
griss
griss
DjPhato
LifeRock dry CaribSea or MarcoRock coralline?
2
Replies
30
Views
2K
shred5
shred5
P
Cycling Questions
Replies
7
Views
905
SantaMonica
S
Brian60077
1 and a half month old nano reef update
Replies
1
Views
298
Brian60077
Brian60077
D
What's the basics to know with setting up a nano reef tank?
Replies
4
Views
528
wvned
wvned
Back
Top