tank setup questions

[dainiusiva]

Hello all fellow NPS reefers,

I am interested in doing a nps nano. I currently have 72 (approx 20 gallons) liters long aquarium setup with cichlids,that i am willing to convert. What equipment would i need to successfully sustain nps corals in it? I know that lightning is not important,so lets focus on the dosing pumps, skimmers, food reactors as aquabacs and uhuru have and other requirements for conversion.

Thank you all for input in advance,

Dainius

 

[Aquabacs]

Hello Dainius


As you are considering converting over your 72 liter cichlids aquarium to a non-photosynthetic aquarium...I have a couple of questions for you...
1. Have you kept any non-photosynthetic corals before? or what types of corals have you kept?
2. Budget for aquarium set up and budget for on going maintenance?
3. Time to dedicate to the aquarium?
4. What corals are you considering to keep?
These are just a few factors to take into consideration before partaking in your journey into keeping a non-photosynthetic aquarium. As each person works with a different budget, time constraints (school,work,family), and skill level.




Mike

 

[dainiusiva]

thank you Mike.

First of all,this will be my first saltwater aquarium.i know that nps might not be a good starting point,but after seeing your tank and that of uhuru's i just cant help it i believe that setting up a tank as you guys did (continuous feeding with reactors) makes possible a newbie to keep nps.as for time for maintenance,i have plenty of that. But for budget i really havent set me one,could you give me some clues how much i must muster to be able to setup a decent tank? I plan on using fauna marin ant tropic marin production

 

[Aquabacs]

thank you Mike.

First of all,this will be my first saltwater aquarium.i know that nps might not be a good starting point,but after seeing your tank and that of uhuru's i just cant help it i believe that setting up a tank as you guys did (continuous feeding with reactors) makes possible a newbie to keep nps.as for time for maintenance,i have plenty of that. But for budget i really havent set me one,could you give me some clues how much i must muster to be able to setup a decent tank? I plan on using fauna marin ant tropic marin production

Dainius it is very ambitious of you wanting to start your first saltwater aquarium as a non-photosynthetic aquarium. I honestly would first start up a basic saltwater aquarium, get your husbandry for keeping a marine aquarium in tune prior to keeping a non-photosynthetic aquarium. We can give you suggestions and recommendations of what to use and how to keep them but the basics need to be in place first.

Mike

 

[dainiusiva]

thank you mike.so basicaly some soft low light requiring corals would be ideal for a start,because later on it could be converted to nps?also could you give the hardware requirements list for my tank (what hardware i need to keep the nps tank successfuly)?

 

[uhuru]

I'm not sure anyone can give you a concrete list of hardware needed to keep an nps tank with success. First of all, that is too broad of a question. Second, these are definitely not plug and play systems. Everything is very dynamic and you have to adapt and adjust all the time. You should first concentrate on your basic husbandry skills like Mike suggested above. You need to understand the concept of nutrient import vs. nutrient export, especially with these types of tanks. I strongly suggest starting with a photosynthetic tank first until you get the hang of everything, and then start with some of the easier NPS corals. Even just keeping a few fish that you have to feed every day you may find challenging when trying to keep water parameters in check for a reef tank.

 

[dainiusiva]

Thank you very much for your answers guys