is my tank big enuf!!? :)

rodger

rodger

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Jul 14, 2005
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roderblog.blogspot.com
so i wud love to get me a marine/reef tank...
is the tank i have too small?
60cm x 32cm x 41cm... so thats prob about 70 litres...
not sure how many gallons...
there is not really an option of getting a bigger tank...
If it is do-able...any advice?

Thanks this forum rocks

o, here is a pic...
tank.jpg
 
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Really depends on what you want to keep and what you filtration is like thats around 18 gallons

Smaller tanks are much harder to stabalise and therefore require a greater deal of maintainance. run it as a fish only at first and get used to the maintaininace, then in six months or so you can upgrade the lights and look to keep low maintainiance corals

What are your plans for this?
 
ok.
well at the moment i have an aquaclear 200 hang on the back filter thingy...
i just want to put something interesting in there... not really sure what yet...
1 or 2 interesting fish might do it...
 
70 litres = aprox 18.5 gallons. I have a 10 gallon SW. My signature has everything I keep in it. It's 9 months old. Chemistry changes are quick, so it is true you have to monitor frequently to keep water quality parameters. I have managed to get corals to grow and multiply, and snails to reproduce. I am getting a lot of coralline algae on the back, and many, many worms, tiny shrimplike animals, etc. have multiplied. Wait until the tank is established (some say a year, I waited about three or four months) to introduce corals, and do it after upgrading your lighting to SW lights (mine is a 65W fluorescent dual tube - daylight and actinic, with moonlight). Here are some photos:

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My "dirty" reef (dirty because I can't get rid of the hair algae, so I accept it)

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curlycue anemonae and candy cane coral

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My fish, Li'l B. (yellow-tailed blue damsel), his pencil urchin, saddle corals and zooanthids. Li'l B is short for his true name, Little B*st*rd (he is very territorial).
 
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wow...cool! thx man.
i'll prob go for something like that eventually... Think i'll start off with just a fish or two. And maybe try some coral much later...
Just out of interest its probably not very easy to move a tank like that if u ever had to? hehe
Also... i spose the first thing i need to do is put some live sand in? then add water and fish...
:read:
 
I had to move mine not too long ago... I put the rock and the fish in a big pitcher, drained most of the water, and carried it. Wasn't TOO bad. Moving my 75 freshwater tank was MUCH more of a PITA (you'd be amazed at how good fish can get at hiding when the sand gets stirred up real good and you can't see)
 
rodger said:
i spose the first thing i need to do is put some live sand in? then add water and fish...
:read:
Click to expand...

Sand and rocks, heater (78F) and water movement. I am a believer in seeding the tank with Bio-Spira to get a jump start on cycling. Also put in some fish food and let it decompose to feed the beneficial bacteria and help it set up shop. Monitor nitrate levels daily until they peak and go down, This means that the bacteria are established and taking care of the dead stuff that came from LR and LS (live rock, live sand). Then add fish and cuc (clean up crew). I put my damsel in relatively fast, but delicate fish must wait until the tank has finished cycling. Do a 10% water change every week. You may need R/O water for your saltwater mix (can be bottled drinking water - read the labels) if your local tap water is too hard or contains phosphates. That's an advantage of small tanks; a 10% change in a 100 gal tank requires 10 gallons of store water vs. a 10 gal needing only one!

Fot cuc I like astrea snails (algae eaters) and nassarius snails (sand sifting detritus eaters. Hermit crabs can be lazy and require a supply of shells of sizes they can use as they grow, and probably supplemental feedings, but are more fun to watch than snails. My urchin and emerald mithrax crab are probably overkill, but they eat a lot of algae. Don't get bumblebee snails; they eat small sessile animals that will start coming out of your LR, like small feather dusters and worms. Some sites say they are beneficial cleaners: don't believe it.

Plants are great nitrate removers and everyone says they limit what nutrients are available to pest plants like green hair algae. Mine have not, but I like having them, as they add a "natural" feel to my tank.

Good luck!

ragc
 
cool stuff
thx!

Ok... can i put the water and live rock in at the same time. Or should i put the water in first and elave it for a while? Does it matter? Would there be stuff in the tap water which might kill stuff on the live rock?

What fish to put in? Ive heard mostly a damsel or 2 clowns?? Any other options that might work?

Sorry for all da q's but i wana get this sorted out before i go ahead! shotttt!

:dog:
 
You should mix your declorinated water to the right salinity (use a hydrometer to measure) in a separate container. Get your sand in place, and the LR, and then slowly pour the water in over a plate on the rock. If you pour it on the sand or pour the sand into the full tank you will have a sandstorm lasting one or two days! There will be some deaths in the sand and LR...that's what cycling is about. You want to build up bacteria that will eat the microscopic dead bodies so their rotting in the water will not pollute it... (a more graphic description). You can tell when the process is over by measuring your nitrates daily with a testing kit. The Nitrates will go up, spike, and come down after some time. After they come down it is ok to put fish in. In time you will see tons of survivors crawl out of the rock.

Damsels are very tolerant of changing water conditions, so they are a good first SW fish. They are also pretty inexpensive. Be aware that they are very territorial and will not get along well with other fish. You may be able to have two or three fish in your tank size. They like to have a rock with some crevice to sleep in, and they defend it fiercely. Clowns are more peaceful, but somewhat less hardy.
 
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