Nano dairy

[thekid55]

Hello i have a 120 gallon reef but it only has about 300 watts of light i have alot of soft corals and LPS. i just got into some SPS corals last mounth and bought a good bit of them. some do okay and others not so well. i could trade them but dont want to. so i am going to set up a nano to keep them under high lighting. It will be a 10 gallon with about 15 pounds of rock. That is all i have planed so far, i wanted to ask for your advice on equipment before i start it. I want to start in about a week or two. As soon as i start buying stuff i will post pics weekly. but for now i would like your help on the setup, any advice is appreciated.

thanks matt

[vaderbanger]

just curious but you allready have a reef tank dont you know allready what to buy?
ill give you an example of my 10 gallon nano
2x40 pc lighting
20 lbs live sand
16 pounds live rock
power head
skilter but i just use the filter part not the skimmer
i do 10% weekly water changes and my nitrates are zero
inhabitants
red mushrooms, hairy mushrooms, watermelon mushrooms, star polyps, zoa's,
toadstool, dwarf white feather duster, yellow polyps, candycane coral, favia brain coral
false clown, black clown, peppermint shrimp, cleaner shrimp, turbo snail, margerita snail, 2 scarlet reef hermit crabs, nassuris snail
heres a recent pic, i changed the carbon before the pic so the star polyps, yellow polyps and feather duster went into hiding lol, they came out the next day :)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/ewyourpoor/100_1222.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/ewyourpoor/100_1200.jpg

[thekid55]

just curious but you allready have a reef tank dont you know allready what to buy?

i have heard that nanos are alot harder because of there size. For example i can go a day or two without toping off my water on my 120 on nanos thats to much of a salinty change, i dont want to spend money on a top off system and toping off every day gets annoying so i want to know if others with nanos buy things to solve this problem.your pics look great

[vaderbanger]

yeah tops offs can get rediculous
i top off with 2 cups per day, i forgot to mention i only use RO water
but i got used to it. i seemed to work it in with my daily routine lol
i usually top off twice a day, one cup in the morning and one cup at night this way things stay sorta steady
my salinity has remained stable this way
im in the process of setting up a 55 reef, im kinda sorry i started now lol...reef tanks are way too much work and very time consuming. with summer coming i usually slack off
but guess when i peek in and see all the hidden life its worth it :)

oh btw...i keep things really simple, i dont use sumps, skimmers, chillers etc
i found through the years you can have a just as healthy and thriving tank without spending a fortune....just keep up with the water changes and test like crazy
:girl:

[thekid55]

I have a 3 stage RO so that wont be a problem and i would like to do a skimmer of some kind i heard of this new nano skimmer called the fisson any one have experince with this skimmer


thanks

[vaderbanger]

fission skimmers made by current, i read many reviews all say its garbage
its really hard to find a hob skimmer for a nano which is why i remain skimmerless. the main problem with nano skimmers or hob skimmers is bubble return, they flood a small tank with bubbles. you can modify some or turn down the spray but that often leads to less and inoficient skimming
your best bet is to get a sump and a remora

[thekid55]

Where did you get your lighting

[vaderbanger]

dr fosters and smith seems to have the best prices
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/NavResults.cfm?N=0&Np=1&Ntt=power%20compact&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=All&Nty=1&pc=1

and that pet place is good too
http://www.thatpetplace.com/MainPro/IndexFishLight.aspx

i got the current satellite pc at that pet place and for the 55g i got the orbit pc light from dr fosters and smith

[mooman]

When I first set up my nano, I had it open topped and was getting a salinity shift from .021 to .024 in a 24 hr period. I put a solid glass top on, and now i only need to top off once every three or four days.

Any disadvantage to using a tight fitting top for salt tanks? Seems like everyone keeps them open. I know heat can be a problem with halides, but my temp is pretty stable whether the light is on or off.

BTW I've been keeping this 2.5g going for several months with no problems. I love it. Polyps and even soft corals are spreading. Very fun to tinker with. It's got a single 20w 50/50. I recently got a tiny hammer frag. I've got enough light for it right?

[vaderbanger]

ive always kept open tops for sw
alot of people say its best to have open for gas exchange and so the tank doesnt get too hot
but if your tank is doing fine then leave it
sometimes ya cant go by what everyone says and ya just have to do whats best for you :)

[thekid55]

i think i have done enough reading. so im going to order my stuff today. it includes

10 gallon
glass top
micro jet power head
20 inch 1x40

[Blinky]

I'd get a 2 x 40W light, for the difference in price it's really worth it.

I have a 5.5g pico with an 80W Satellite fixture, it's open top and I agree topoffs are a bit of a PITA. I have my own little ghetto setup, it works well so no laughing - I take a 1L water bottle, dril a small hole in the cap and then use a pin to create a tiny hole beside that one (this is so air can get in as water goes out, so the bottle doesn't collapse in on itself). Then pull a piece of miniature airline tubing through the larger hole, attach an IV thumbwheel to the airline outside the bottle, and voila: a topoff that drips a steady stream of RO (or RO + any supplement) into the tank all day long, keeping the water level steady. It took me a while to set the drip rate, and it needs adjusting depending on the weather, but it definitely works better than dumping water in once a day.
Here's a pic of the setup on my 30g. If you don't have a thumbwheel, you can just tie a knot, but I like the precision the wheel gives me. Next time you or someone you know is in the hospital, when their IV comes out ask the nurse for the wheel - it's going into the garbage anyway, why not? :D

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a21/ACBlinky/Misc/topoff2.jpg

[dorkfish]

get a glass bottle, some airline tubing, something to hold the botte upside down and aquarium silicone. using a nail and hammer, putt a wole in the lid just big enough for the airline to fit in. place a length of airline tubing into the whole and silicone it in. silicone the other end of the tubing so the end is where you want the water level to be. set your tank up so the water level is at the end of the airline tubing. fill bottle with top off water. screw cap onto bottle. place bottle upside down in whatever your using to hold it that way and then place this above the water level of the aquarium.

This works because water does not expand easily and the only way for water to get out of the bottle is if something takes it's place (air), and the only way for that to happen is if the water level in the tank is lower than the opening of the airline tubing.

[thekid55]

those top off ideas are great i will use that. i ordered my stuff monday and i expect it next monday. i already ordered so that upgrading in lighting wont be possible for a while but i will keep it in my log book for the tank. i think i jumped the gun when i started this thread i am going to buy some live rock this week and dont know how long it will be untill its cured. for my last tank it took 2 weeks and then a week long cycle. if the price is right i will go ahead and get some cured rock. anyway i decide to go it will take a long 2 to 3 weeks. if you want to see the boring start up pics let me know and i will post them.

thanks matt


can some one tell me how to put a poll in the thread.