The other night, completely unprovoked, my wife said the 5 favorite words of every tankless reefer- "œWe should get fish again""¦ Of course I said I thought this was a fantastic idea, but had to admit that I had already been planning a tank for a while. And that I was comparing powerhead specs on my tablet when she brought it up"¦
I was hoping to get some input on that plan, which is to run a BTA & GSM clown species tank. I've kept BTA's in past tanks with varying degrees of success, but have learned a lot along the way and want another try at keeping two of my favorite SW species. I'd like to keep the tank as far toward the simple and low maintenance end of the spectrum as possible, at least within reason. Here are the factors that I am weighing as high priorities to get sorted, thoughts on any of them would be appreciated-
Stocking plan-
Essentially a pair of gold stripe maroons and every interesting BTA I can get my hands on. Other fish and inverts would be kept to a minimum in an effort to maintain water quality, and because I'd like the BTA's to be the main focus of the tank.
The tank itself-
The space is along a wall in the living room and would be good for something as big as a standard 55. However lately I've been thinking that the 55 is too tall, and that something like a 40 breeder or 40 long (current favorite) would be easier to light and look better in the room. The sump and an ATO reservoir need to fit in the stand and everything will need to be well laid out to avoid the clutter that usually develops under my tanks.
Rock-
I want use nothing but artificial base rock to build the structure mostly because I'd like to limit the amount of nuisance things that can come along with live rock, but also because I'd have time to shape the rock & scape how I wanted it. I know BTA's like crevices to hide their foot and of course the more surface area the better, does anyone know if one supplier or another might be better for this? Also I plan on cooking it for a while to make sure it's nice and clean, but would prefer not to have to deal with rock that is leaching something into the water or otherwise takes an extended period of time just to get ready to go in the tank.
Flow-
I'm all over the place on this one. I know BTA's don't need the turbulence that other species demand, but I'd still like to be able to produce a variable flow that reaches into all the dark corners of the tank.
Option 1- Closed loop possibly powered by a Vectra M1. More holes in the structure of the tank which could be bad, but less ugly stuff in the display which I know is good. Intake locations would have to be in a spot that would minimize the chances of contact with a wandering nem, but also still have access for maintenance. Less efficient than powerheads less flexible, etc. At least the Vectra could give me a more dynamic flow than just switching a standard pump on and off.
Option 2- Suck it up and put powerheads in the tank. Better flow but presumably a higher chance of anemone soup along with more visible equipment in the tank. I had mp10's in an older tank and wasn't thrilled with them. Noisy, finicky, and even though the motor and cord aren't actually in the tank they aren't really hidden either. Gyre? Not sure it would be the right thing for a long, shallow tank though I like it in principle.
Option 3- Figure out a way to push enough water through the overflow & sump to avoid either of the above and just run a single return pump to multiple nozzles. High volume overflows are fine, but I don't know how well it would work with a varying flow rate. Sump would have to be well designed to handle a large volume in that small a space without a lot of noise.
Those are the big ones for me right now. I've still got things to work out in the lighting and filtration categories, but I figure those can wait until I've got a better idea on these. Appreciate the help.
I was hoping to get some input on that plan, which is to run a BTA & GSM clown species tank. I've kept BTA's in past tanks with varying degrees of success, but have learned a lot along the way and want another try at keeping two of my favorite SW species. I'd like to keep the tank as far toward the simple and low maintenance end of the spectrum as possible, at least within reason. Here are the factors that I am weighing as high priorities to get sorted, thoughts on any of them would be appreciated-
Stocking plan-
Essentially a pair of gold stripe maroons and every interesting BTA I can get my hands on. Other fish and inverts would be kept to a minimum in an effort to maintain water quality, and because I'd like the BTA's to be the main focus of the tank.
The tank itself-
The space is along a wall in the living room and would be good for something as big as a standard 55. However lately I've been thinking that the 55 is too tall, and that something like a 40 breeder or 40 long (current favorite) would be easier to light and look better in the room. The sump and an ATO reservoir need to fit in the stand and everything will need to be well laid out to avoid the clutter that usually develops under my tanks.
Rock-
I want use nothing but artificial base rock to build the structure mostly because I'd like to limit the amount of nuisance things that can come along with live rock, but also because I'd have time to shape the rock & scape how I wanted it. I know BTA's like crevices to hide their foot and of course the more surface area the better, does anyone know if one supplier or another might be better for this? Also I plan on cooking it for a while to make sure it's nice and clean, but would prefer not to have to deal with rock that is leaching something into the water or otherwise takes an extended period of time just to get ready to go in the tank.
Flow-
I'm all over the place on this one. I know BTA's don't need the turbulence that other species demand, but I'd still like to be able to produce a variable flow that reaches into all the dark corners of the tank.
Option 1- Closed loop possibly powered by a Vectra M1. More holes in the structure of the tank which could be bad, but less ugly stuff in the display which I know is good. Intake locations would have to be in a spot that would minimize the chances of contact with a wandering nem, but also still have access for maintenance. Less efficient than powerheads less flexible, etc. At least the Vectra could give me a more dynamic flow than just switching a standard pump on and off.
Option 2- Suck it up and put powerheads in the tank. Better flow but presumably a higher chance of anemone soup along with more visible equipment in the tank. I had mp10's in an older tank and wasn't thrilled with them. Noisy, finicky, and even though the motor and cord aren't actually in the tank they aren't really hidden either. Gyre? Not sure it would be the right thing for a long, shallow tank though I like it in principle.
Option 3- Figure out a way to push enough water through the overflow & sump to avoid either of the above and just run a single return pump to multiple nozzles. High volume overflows are fine, but I don't know how well it would work with a varying flow rate. Sump would have to be well designed to handle a large volume in that small a space without a lot of noise.
Those are the big ones for me right now. I've still got things to work out in the lighting and filtration categories, but I figure those can wait until I've got a better idea on these. Appreciate the help.
