Stepping up to a SW Nano.

[deeplove]

Hi guys.

I've been lurking around the forum and I'm very impressed my the wisdom and talent from some of you guys. I myself has been keeping FW tanks for about 1 - 2 years now and I'm ready to take the dive into the SW experience.

I need some help figuring out on what I need and what I can use from my current setups.

I have a couple of 10G tanks and 2.5G tanks.

I know that starting off with the bigger amount of G per tank is a better approach than starting off with the minimal amount of G per tank. But it's all I have for now till I can get something bigger.

So enough of that and here is some of the questions I need answered....

1. I do want to start off with a 2.5G nano. My 10G's have plants in them still. So I'm waiting to sell them off before I can use them. SO my question is, how much LS and LR do I need for a All-Zoas tank?

I want to maximize the filtration as much as I can without too much equipment. I have 2-20 Whisper HOBs and 1-Red Sea Nano fiter.

2. As for the lighting, since it's a All-Zoas tank, how much do I really need? I have a 18W Coralife fixture with 2-6500K bulbs. I will change them to a 10K and a Actinic or what not.

3. What other pieces of equipment do I need? I want to keep this as simple as possible. I'm not going to any other corals other than the Zoas at the moment because I want to get used to the whole SW thing before I can start off a bigger project.

I might add a cleaning crew but other than that, I want a semi-maintenance free tank.

But my main goal with this 2.5G tank is to go All-Zoas and to keep it as simple as possible.

Thanks guys for helping out in advance.



Oh, and what's the "Best" place to get the LR and LS online? Also, which brand and what type do you guys recommend?

Thanks again.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

I know that starting off with the bigger amount of G per tank is a better approach than starting off with the minimal amount of G per tank. But it's all I have for now till I can get something bigger.

ya true...but if you just do the needed work on the tank its not hard.

1. I do want to start off with a 2.5G nano. My 10G's have plants in them still. So I'm waiting to sell them off before I can use them. SO my question is, how much LS and LR do I need for a All-Zoas tank?

as with any tank, 1-2 lbs of live rock for your filtration. I'd say you can get by with like 2-5 lbs of sand. But for the rock, since you're just gonna have coral, you may be fine with just a little less than 1 lb per gallon. So if you were to just get 2 lbs i'd think thats fine. However i've got a 2.5 w/about 3-4 lbs of rock, and i think that its just enough rock, because i am able to have it actually build up along the back instead of just having plain open water. Plus i've got more places for corals.

I want to maximize the filtration as much as I can without too much equipment. I have 2-20 Whisper HOBs and 1-Red Sea Nano fiter.

again, live rock is your filtration so you dont really need any other "filter" so to speak. You do however, need flow. I currently am running that exact filter, the whisper 20, on my 2.5 nano and i think its perfect. Just turn it up to full blast and its good imo. Just run it emty (filter medias will cause nitrates) or if you want you can put some carbon in there, or do like i did and jsut throw in rock rubble.

2. As for the lighting, since it's a All-Zoas tank, how much do I really need? I have a 18W Coralife fixture with 2-6500K bulbs. I will change them to a 10K and a Actinic or what not.

right now, i've just got a 10w coralife mini compact fluorescent (the kind that screw into any lamp...its just a clamp lamp for reptiles that i got for 15 bucks) and its a 50/50 bulb. half is actinic (blue) the other half is 10K (white). So far everything is living, but i wish i'd have gone ahead and got the 20w bulb because its not really light enough and the stuff just isnt taking off like it does normally (xenia). So i'd definately get that 20w bulb if you go w/that.

you dont really need anything other than that stuff tho...

I might add a cleaning crew but other than that, I want a semi-maintenance free tank.

All i got for a cleanup crew is like 4 astrea snails that are really small, and 2 hermit crabs. So far they've been pretty good and theres been no deaths in a couple/few months (thats how long its been set up). Theres no diatom algae (brown rusty stuff) or any other algae besides coraline (purple stuff thats good) for that matter.

Oh, and i've also got a zoa in mine too. So far i got the zoa, xenia, and a button polyp frag (this was just thrown together to be a frag tank...altho its turning out to be more of a display tank)

Its too small for fish tho, so i may get a mantis shrimp so i can get back at those hermit crabs for killing half my snails in my 55

 

[deeplove]

Dude: do you have any pics of your setup? I would really like to see them.

As for the HOB, I'm set then. Lights, I'll be upgrading them. I might just do a DIY canopy and I'll see what I'll use for lighting.

Will I need any other piece of equipment for my All-Zoas nano?

 

[duec22]

I've been thinking about setting up a zoa-only 2.5gal for my office at work...I've already have the tank, and an AC-mini..other than that I was thinking a small heater maybe a small rio for increased circulation, 2-3lb's of tonga branch for LR, and a small used PC setup...I think I could do it really cheap....

 

[deeplove]

I've been getting lots of info on the Nanos I've been seeing around here and I'm so hyped up to start ASAP.

I have a couple of questions.

1. For a 2.5G, how much live sand should I add? I'm trying to keep it a Zoas Only tank with the typical cleaning crew. Oh, and I'll probably go with 4-5 lbs of LR.

2. How much light should I use for the Zoas Only tank? Can I go PC only or how much MH can I use?

3. As far as coming into contact with Zoas, what can and can't be touched? Can their skirts be touched? Will they sting?

4. If I do want to plumb in a sump for extra volume? Can I do it with out drilling any holes in the tank? I also have a Mag pump that I want to use. Can I get a simple drawing on how I should setup a sump.

How big of a HOB fuge can I use? I'm planing on getting a AC HOB to mod. Which is recommended for my Zoas Only tank?

Just a couple of questions on the 2.5G nanos I'm going to be starting soon. Also...

I'm going to start cleaning out my 10G tanks. Are those steel stands for the 10G tanks any good? Will they hold up all the weight?