DECIDED TO WAIT ON A FOWLR UNTIL I CAN AFFORD A 90-125 GALLON. I'VE BEEN RESEARCHING NANOS ON NANO-REEF.COM AND OTHER FORUMS. CHRISTOPHER MARKS FROM NANO-REEF.COM GIVES THE FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS AND I WOULD LIKE YOUR FEELINGS ON THEM...
"The natural method of filtration consists of only liverock and livesand. No protein skimmers are used and no additives are dosed. The nutrient export is provided by frequent partial water changes of 10-15% about every week. Trace elements are replenished through water changes.
With this natural method, no protein skimmers or dosing is used. Studies of skimmers have shown that they remove various trace elements, along with pods and plankton. When people run protein skimmers, they dose trace elements to replenish them after their corals and skimmers use them. Because the skimmer removes most of the elements, such as iodine, it is dosed back in causing almost an endless cycle. The main problem this holds in nano reefing is that many of the trace elements cannot be easily tested for, so no one ever knows where their level is. This can lead to overdosing which will crash a nano reef in a matter of hours. The skimmer also begins to starve your corals by removing their food source. It's simply too risky.
Protein skimmers are beneficial however, because they remove excess nutrients from the water, but this advantage is out weighed by the disadvantages. To remove the excess nutrients from this system you do a partial water change. The water change also doubles to replenish your trace elements, which are in your synthetic sea salt. Nitrates are removed, dissolved organic compounds are removed, and your trace elements are replaced. Your nitrates will always be at or near zero, and the elements will stay at a constant level. Use a powerhead or two to give you a flow rate of about 7-10 times the tank's total water volume. I encourage everyone to try this method for their nano reef. It is uncommon to not use a protein skimmer, but nano reef keeping isn't the same as a traditional sized reef (though this method also works great on larger tanks). It's simple, it's cheap, and there is no equipment to worry about. As I always say, the less 'toys' you have on your reef, the less there is to go wrong."
"Powercompact retrofit kits and canopies are highly recommended. These powercompact lamps will provide your nano reef with plenty of light for many types of corals. For the heater, we only recommend using a 50w or 75w Ebo Jager heater, as these are the only heater we have had success with in such a small aquarium. Lastly, you will need a small powerhead pump for circulation. We have found Marineland's Penguin powerhead 550 to be quiet and reliable, but all other similarly sized pumps will work."
SO, I AM THINKING OF A 20L WITH LIVE ROCK AND LIVE SAND. NO PROTEIN SKIMMER, IT SEEMS??? WHAT IS INTEGRATED FILTRATION? I SEE THAT TENECOR AND OTHERS HAVE FALSE BACK WITH FILTRATION BEHIND, WITH DIFFERENT MEDIA. CAN THE MEDIA BE TAKEN OUT AND USE LR INSTEAD... DOES THIS FALSE BACK ACT AS A SUMP, BY GIVING MORE VOLUME AND FOR HIDING THINGS. WHERE COULD I HIDE A POWERHEAD? I WOULD LIKE NOT TO SEE THE "EXTRAS" IN THE TANK AND ALSO AVOID THINGS HANGING OUT OF THE BACK. HOWEVER, OVERFLOW TANKS DON'T COME IN 20 GALLON I THINK. GETTING CONFUSED.
ALSO, HE RECOMENDS COMPACT FLUORESCENT FOR A NANO.
I WOULD LIKE LR, SOME INVERTEBRATES, AND SOFTIES... DEFINITELY PERCULA CLOWNS... HOW MANY COULD I FIT? CAN YOU PUT MORE THAN 2 IN A TANK? ALSO, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUMP AND FUGE? I WOULD LIKE NOT TO PUT ONE UNDER MAIN TANK B/C THE STAND DOESN'T HAVE ROOM.
ALL SUGGESTIONS ARE APPRECIATED AS I SEE THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO GO ABOUT THIS. I AM NOT A DIY PERSON AND WOULD LIKE SOMETHING SIMPLE... I MISS HAVING A TANK AND AM GOING THROUGH WITHDRAWAL!
HERE ARE TWO EXAMPLES OF THE FALSE BACK AQUARIUMS...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4325871940&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT
IT ALSO SAYS: Reef enthusiast please email for info on an OPTIONAL Venturi Skimmer system that fits inside the media chamber.
Remove trhe bioballs/driptrays and slide in a state of the art, high capacity venturi skimmer /pump.
A perfect mini-reef setup for the Reef enthusiast.
http://www.tropicalfishstore.com/simplicity.htm
"The natural method of filtration consists of only liverock and livesand. No protein skimmers are used and no additives are dosed. The nutrient export is provided by frequent partial water changes of 10-15% about every week. Trace elements are replenished through water changes.
With this natural method, no protein skimmers or dosing is used. Studies of skimmers have shown that they remove various trace elements, along with pods and plankton. When people run protein skimmers, they dose trace elements to replenish them after their corals and skimmers use them. Because the skimmer removes most of the elements, such as iodine, it is dosed back in causing almost an endless cycle. The main problem this holds in nano reefing is that many of the trace elements cannot be easily tested for, so no one ever knows where their level is. This can lead to overdosing which will crash a nano reef in a matter of hours. The skimmer also begins to starve your corals by removing their food source. It's simply too risky.
Protein skimmers are beneficial however, because they remove excess nutrients from the water, but this advantage is out weighed by the disadvantages. To remove the excess nutrients from this system you do a partial water change. The water change also doubles to replenish your trace elements, which are in your synthetic sea salt. Nitrates are removed, dissolved organic compounds are removed, and your trace elements are replaced. Your nitrates will always be at or near zero, and the elements will stay at a constant level. Use a powerhead or two to give you a flow rate of about 7-10 times the tank's total water volume. I encourage everyone to try this method for their nano reef. It is uncommon to not use a protein skimmer, but nano reef keeping isn't the same as a traditional sized reef (though this method also works great on larger tanks). It's simple, it's cheap, and there is no equipment to worry about. As I always say, the less 'toys' you have on your reef, the less there is to go wrong."
"Powercompact retrofit kits and canopies are highly recommended. These powercompact lamps will provide your nano reef with plenty of light for many types of corals. For the heater, we only recommend using a 50w or 75w Ebo Jager heater, as these are the only heater we have had success with in such a small aquarium. Lastly, you will need a small powerhead pump for circulation. We have found Marineland's Penguin powerhead 550 to be quiet and reliable, but all other similarly sized pumps will work."
SO, I AM THINKING OF A 20L WITH LIVE ROCK AND LIVE SAND. NO PROTEIN SKIMMER, IT SEEMS??? WHAT IS INTEGRATED FILTRATION? I SEE THAT TENECOR AND OTHERS HAVE FALSE BACK WITH FILTRATION BEHIND, WITH DIFFERENT MEDIA. CAN THE MEDIA BE TAKEN OUT AND USE LR INSTEAD... DOES THIS FALSE BACK ACT AS A SUMP, BY GIVING MORE VOLUME AND FOR HIDING THINGS. WHERE COULD I HIDE A POWERHEAD? I WOULD LIKE NOT TO SEE THE "EXTRAS" IN THE TANK AND ALSO AVOID THINGS HANGING OUT OF THE BACK. HOWEVER, OVERFLOW TANKS DON'T COME IN 20 GALLON I THINK. GETTING CONFUSED.
ALSO, HE RECOMENDS COMPACT FLUORESCENT FOR A NANO. I WOULD LIKE LR, SOME INVERTEBRATES, AND SOFTIES... DEFINITELY PERCULA CLOWNS... HOW MANY COULD I FIT? CAN YOU PUT MORE THAN 2 IN A TANK? ALSO, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUMP AND FUGE? I WOULD LIKE NOT TO PUT ONE UNDER MAIN TANK B/C THE STAND DOESN'T HAVE ROOM.
ALL SUGGESTIONS ARE APPRECIATED AS I SEE THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO GO ABOUT THIS. I AM NOT A DIY PERSON AND WOULD LIKE SOMETHING SIMPLE...
I MISS HAVING A TANK AND AM GOING THROUGH WITHDRAWAL!HERE ARE TWO EXAMPLES OF THE FALSE BACK AQUARIUMS...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4325871940&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT
IT ALSO SAYS: Reef enthusiast please email for info on an OPTIONAL Venturi Skimmer system that fits inside the media chamber.
Remove trhe bioballs/driptrays and slide in a state of the art, high capacity venturi skimmer /pump.
A perfect mini-reef setup for the Reef enthusiast.
http://www.tropicalfishstore.com/simplicity.htm
