Current project 4 me --> working on SW nano environment...

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TryinFishOut

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Alright hey all... recently I was checkin out http://www.nano-reef.com and was pretty inspired by the Nano-reefs. Although (personally) I hate corals, the concept of a small self-suficient biotope intrigued me. Thus, here's my try at making a 'Reefless Nano reef'

The Tank

I wanna keep it small, so I'm either gonna get a 5 Gallon tank (probably Minibow 5.) This tank setup comes with a hood, is acryllic, and pretty inexpensive.

Filtration

I want to keep an all natural method of filtration, consisting of live rock, live sand, and a large cleaner crew selection. I'm going to put X pounds of live rock, where X is the amount of gallons in the tank. I'm also going to put about 2" worth of live sand.

Equipment

For heating, a 25 watt miniheater is going to be OK for me. I'm going to have a small powerhead for water circulation. Since I'm not using corals, lighting won't be that important (still gonna use flourescent because makes less heat than incandescent)

Inhabitants

Although it's going to be mostly invertebrates, I'm planning to have a Firefish (Nemateleotris magnifica) once properly cycled.

Cleanup Crew

I'm going to have to use Astrea snails to control the algae. Cleaner shrimp will be the primary guys who scavenge. Personally, I'm not a fan of hermit crabs (dont know why) so I'm not gunna use em.

Water Quality

Unfortunetly, I dont have access to Reverse osmosis or the such, so conditioned tap water is the way for me. From what I hear, tap water also contains minerals like iodine, which the shrimp need to molt properly. Water temp. is going to be around 80ish, and SG at 1.023. My natural tap pH is around 8.0 so I'm guessing it's alright...

Aight, this is the project overview of what I'm going to try to do... However, before I actually start workin on it, anyone got any comments, suggestions, or recomendations on which I can work on?

Thanks :)
 
If space is not an issue, I would go with a 10 gallon--if this is your first SW tank, those additional gallons of water will make the tank just a bit more stable (less problems with evaporation, as well). I have a 10, with a 15 gallon sump, and am adding about 1 quart of freshwater daily to prevent salinity spikes.

The firefish tend to be very sensitive IME, so plan on waiting until the tank has been up and stable for at least 6 months before adding it. Firefish tend to be jumpers, so make sure the tank is completely covered. Personally, I'd go for a fish that prefers to hang out on/in the rocks instead of something that wants open water. There are a number of smaller gobies that will be fine in a smaller setup--you could easily get one of the shrimp gobies and a pistol shrimp, for a very cool symbiotic relationship.

I'd encourage a mix of snails--nassarius and cerith are my favorites, and they will work on the sand for you as well as general cleanup. I avoid hermits--they are snail killers in smaller tanks, IME. I had a few in my 10, but they were evicted after killing 3 astreas.

Test your tapwater for nitrates and phosphates--these will be important, as they can contribute significantly to algae issues. Otherwise, I use filtered tapwater--no nitrates, low phosphates. No problems in my setup.

You might want to consider using an incandescent hood, with the compact fluorescent lights. Gives you more options--you can get 50/50 bulbs, and this will support the coralline algaes and a few low light corals easily. I have them, and they don't heat the tank up, and the incandescent hoods are much easier to find and cheaper.
 
I'm leery of recommending that anyone start out with a tank that small, but the plan is feasible with a few reservations.

The firefish won't work in a 5 gallon tank. Way too much biomass, and it will barely fit. I'd avoid fish in such a tiny tank.

You might think of using an aquaclear for circulation, rather than a powerhead. It will give you more room in the tank, and you can put live rock in the main chamber.

Depending on your water supply, you may not need RO, especially if you're not keeping corals. With a tank that small, you could simply buy RO water at the supermarket, though. I wouldn't worry about iodine. The connection to molting is tenuous at best, and there is a lot going in when you feed.
 
Alright...

First off, space IS an issue... I only have a tiny drawer stand left... I also have a FW 10g tank, and I'ver tried to put it on that stand but was a bit too big. A 5g tank, (or a cube shaped tank, if they even make those) would fit just about right.

Second off, yeah i guess having a fish isn't that big of a deal to me, but just outta curiosity, don't firefish just stay near their dartholes? And they're not that active of swimmers, so I assumed they could do well in small, rocky settings.... anyways, what other types of gobies are there that would work well in 5 gallons?

Third off, If Im not going to have any fish, would something along these lines work: about 3 snails or so, 2-3 cleaner shrimp, and a larger species of crab (i.e. sally lightfoot or emerald crab)

Thanks again guys for the help.
 
Firefish spend a lot of time in the water column--they only go into the rockwork when startled or harrassed.

I wouldn't put a sally in a 5--I have one in my 10, and she looks huge in there. She's actually smaller than the one in the 120, but doesn't look it. In a five, she would barely be able to turn around, and would end up knocking things over all the time--mine will knock small rocks around when she's excited and feeding.

There are some cubes that are marketed for SW setups--think the smallest is 6 gallons. If you won't be able to check the tank twice daily, I wouldn't do it. I love my little tank, but caring for it is a royal pain. Almost as much work as the 120's! Honest! The 120's, everything is setup so water changes/topoff is easy, no buckets. With the little tank, you have to have smaller equipment, little things cause huge changes, and it really can't go for more than a day without the salinity needing checking, etc.

Also--keep in mind that the folks at many of the nano sites are not just starting off. They like to push the boundaries, and while this might be fun, it is not easy, and it doesn't always work out well for the animals involved.
 
My 20 gallon nano's been running for 6 weeks and other than a red algae bloom (which I was able to eliminate) I have had no problems. I have an emerald crab, a decorator crab, an arrow crab, a coral banded shrimp, two peppermint shrimp, 8 hermit crabs, a horseshoe crab, 6 bumblebee snails and two turbo snails. Everyone gets along fine and all of the shrimp have molted already so they are more likely than not healthy. In terms of critters all the more I would consider adding would be one more shrimp (either a skunk cleaner or another peppermint) and acouple more hermits. If I were to get any fish I'd get one clownfish, and I'd only do that if I were to go against everyone here's advise and get an anenomie. I am considering getting a Pengiun Mini to aid in biofiltration, it costs about the same as 3 pounds of liverock.

The total tank cost me about $250, but it was worth it.
 
Have you got anyplace planned for when that horseshoe when it starts to starve or get gets closer to full size, QCppg? They get to be up to two feet long and some can go for up to a year without eating much of anything in the way of food. Also, they are a temperate species, so some die from the heat of tropical tanks anyway. Their hardiness is part of why it usually takes them months to die in a small tank.

They need about 10 square feet of deep live sand per crab to live in the long run, and they live 10+ years in the wild. Anything less than that generally = goldfish bowl. They should be fed tubifex worms and/or finely minced clams.

Read up:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/horseshoecrabfaqs.htm

My wife wanted one until she found out about what a poor match they are with our aquarium.
 
I think I might know of a fish that would be good in a tank of this size. Try a Court Jester Goby otherwise known as Rainford's Goby. They eat small amounts of algae which would allow for a few less snails and they also sift through the sand for food. Mine spends most of its time near a little cave it made under a rock. The fish is not an active swimmer and grows 3" max(very narrow body) so I think it would work in a 5 gal tank.

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At the moment space is the primary concern with upgrading the SW aquarium, but it may eventually get moved into a 50 or 55 gallon. Feeding it fresh seafood isn't that big of a deal now that I know that I should, my brother eats that crap more often than I would like...
 
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