NPS tank start up

[labinc98]

I'm starting an NPS tank and have just a few questions about the set up.

I was going to do a mix of NPS and cyphastrea with rock shelves to shield the NPS from light in a 24 gal cube. But as I understand it, I don't need to worry about the light most NPS aren't bothered by light, its the competition from the photosynthetic corals that is the issue.

I'm planning on starting with Sun corals and then adding Dendro. Once I get the Dendro is that when I'll need to start continuous feeding? For those with nano's how are you handling continuous feeding? I tried inserting a skimmer in the back chamber but there's not enough clearance for the skimmer to sit as high as it needs to. Are you depending on daily w/c?

 

[calk me Q]

From my own expierence, i dont think the conti-feed necessary if you only keep stony Azoos. They can be feed every three days and get very good result.

If about gorgonians or other filter feeders, it is a must to feed continuously (As i said this is continuous not periodically) to keep the water content a constant concentration of food to entice them to open and prey. Therefore, the food amount shoud match with your Display tank volume, and the food should have a place to be in to be diluted such as in the sump ..(which is necessary for good water quality) .Since you only have a back side sump(which is quite small generally) this is not a recommended tank for NPS. But you may try. The basic water quality contral method is by lanthanum(PO4 reduction) and several small water changes throughtout the day (NO3 reduction).
You may contact UHURU for more details as he is one of the guy successfully keeping NPS for a length of time.(over a year bench mark)

 

[Reef Frog]

Personally I think it's a good idea to keep Dendros & Sun corals shaded if you can. I've found that unless nutrients are controlled down to very low levels, these corals seem to be especially prone to having algae grow on the skeletons when kept in strong lighting that you find in most reef tanks.

 

[noy]

You don't need to worry about shading you NPS corals - focus more on putting your corals in places where you can easily feed all the polyps.

No sure what you mean by a dendro as that usually means something in the dendrophyllia genus. If you are referring to dendronephya / carnation corals - I would say continuous feeding isn't absolutely necessary - its more the right foods several times a day which can be accomplished w/o continuous feeding.

 

[Newstead]

Ditto to what Noy said. My sun doesn't mind light but to feed each head I have to keep it near the front of the tank with enough space for my baster to go around it.