Low Budget 10 Gallon Nano

As far as I know, you will be unable to remove the copper from your system. It will become deposited on everything in your tank and whatever filtration equipment you use, and is not good at all to have if you plan on having any invertebrates or corals eventually.

I have never used them, but I know that some copper absorbing medias do exist. I think CupriSorb is the name of one. Again, I don't know how well they work since I've never used them in my systems.

How will you know when your system is at the "never needing to be tested point" if you never test it? IMO, investing in test kits is imperative.
 
kjbrat said:
As far as I know, you will be unable to remove the copper from your system. It will become deposited on everything in your tank and whatever filtration equipment you use, and is not good at all to have if you plan on having any invertebrates or corals eventually.

I have never used them, but I know that some copper absorbing medias do exist. I think CupriSorb is the name of one. Again, I don't know how well they work since I've never used them in my systems.

How will you know when your system is at the "never needing to be tested point" if you never test it? IMO, investing in test kits is imperative.
Click to expand...

CupriSorb is quite an effective way to remove copper from the water column..Some also use an absorbtion media like a poly filter as you can see the colour change when its absorbed copper..

Niko
 
Neat, thanks for the info Niko. Hopefully I won't ever have to use any of that stuff but good to know! :)
 
@Grins
Makes sense. I'll have to think about it a bit. And the powerhead I got yesterday is actually rated at 211 GPH. The same guy gave me another powerhead today rated at 170 GPH. I think the 211 GPH + my 90 GPH from the filter have me reef ready in the sense of circulation. I'll probably use the 170 GPH powerhead to make a DIY CO2 diffuser for my freshwater.

@kjbrat
All right well I'll be testing the water for copper hopefully tomorrow. Hopefully I'll find a place that can test for copper. Or at least has the copper tests for sale.

@atnixon
Thanks for the info on cuprisorb. I was thinking of running phosban in my filter. I think adding the cuprisorb will benefit me a good deal as well. Although with such costs I might as well start using RO/DI.
 
Im not a newbe at this hobby, but I am new to this forum. I noticed that intr4ncewetrust is not using RO water or at least not from the beginning, which is fine as long as his water that he is receiving from is clean safe water. All tap water is not the same just like Grins has stated.
I have had my tank up for 3.5 if not 4 years now and when I stated out I was using tap water. I was a newbe at the time and did not know much about anything. One day when I thought that the tank was done cycling I ended up with phosphates. I did a search on every way I can get rid of green hair alge and also went to the lfs to have my water tested. Turns out that my tap water carried phosphates. It wasnt much I think .5ppm but after continuously adding my tap water those phosphates added up. I then have been using RO water ever since. Every thing else however in my tap is fine because I tested it after I found out that my tap water may contain phosphates. So depedning on where you live does depend on your water and what is in it.
Another thing, I would recommend getting a test kit just to be on the safe side. Every tank has its up's and downs. Even mine and after a hard long year I finally got every thing established pretty good. From my experience it takes a tank at least a year to fully establish a good chemistry.
I will also tell you this, that my tank has been running for almost 4 years now and the only time that I have ever had to do a water change is when I had that phosphate spike. Other than that I only add RO water and salt when I need it. I think that my tank is one of those "natural reef tanks" that you talk about. I have a 55gal with about 150lbs of live rock, a 1.5" sand bed, and a protien skimmer with two power heads. I dont have anything else in my tank. Some people swear up and down that you need this and you need that, but if you do your h.w. you have a proper test kit to make sure everything is where it is suposto be, and you treat your tank properly (meaning you just keep up on maintenance) then you can have a very well self sustained tank with very little work, or equipment to keep it running.
Thats just my 2cents, and experience.
 
Thanks for the advice. I will definitely be switching to RO/DI water if my water tests show poor conditions. I should be getting it tested on Wednesday (store is out of phosphate test kits). Glad to see a natural reef tank. Surprising you can get away with no water changes yet maintain good parameters.

PS: Silvia is KING. Unless of course your name is an incredible coincidence : P
 
UPDATE:
I'm bumping up my budget on this project. I'll be going to the LFS tomorrow for a water test and to pick up a hydrometer. If the water shows bad I'm ready to put up some cash for some RO/DI water. I'm also searching for a cheap test kit online. Maybe even the LFS price is cheap. We'll see tomorrow.

I thought about repairing my current powerhead and realized it'd be like 5 bucks to seal up the wires with some GE silicone. Then I'd have to make up some suction cups and a duckbill diffuser. So I thought I'd buy one that's complete. Found a used aquaclear (174 GPH) for 10 bucks shipped. Figured I wanted coral later so I'd need two. Total came to 15 shipped. Then I came across a Koralia Nano that supposedly was used once. $22 shipped ^_^

I'll also be upgrading my lights via DIY. Goal is 72 watts right now.

Lastly I noticed a tiny worm in the tank. Tiny, brown, and with a single black spot. Since I don't have any hosts in the tank besides a single 1/2" hermit crab I don't think it'll find a host any time soon (if it's parasitic). And so I'm hoping it (along with any other potential hazards) will be dead by the time I get my cycle done and livestock in.
 
LFS was only able to test for the normal stuff. So I'm still unsure about my phosphates and copper for water quality. But they did check my ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. Tank is cycled. Bought a glass hydrometer for 7 dollars. They don't have a refractometer for their own use so I'm never going back there again. Except maybe for some RO/DI water later on. Currently looking for some cleanup crew. LFS wants to charge me 8 bucks for an emerald shrimp and 1.50 for snails : / I think I found a better place that I'll be checking out later today or tomorrow. Lady on the phone says 5 dollars for emerald crabs, a dollar for hermits, and cleaner shrimp for 19. I may be able to get my full cleaner crew for under 30 bucks.
 
As long as you're bumping up your budget, I'd suggest looking for a refractometer. It's pricey I know, especially when you're trying to do this on the cheap, but it can save you a LOT of trouble as compared to a hydrometer, since many are so inaccurate. Case in point: I was working last weekend and someone came in wanting a water test. Their hydrometer was reading 1.025 but when SG was checked with a refracto we found that it was actually 1.030!:( My refracto was one of the best purchases I have made for my nano reef- IMO it is essential for a nano because SG can change so rapidly due to evap, especially one that is open-top (not sure if yours is or not).

Good luck!
 
I just got a letter about my water here (about 20 miles west of Pittsburgh in a high pollution, steel area) saying it did not pass laws of regulation for consumption but online and other reports said all things were fine. It also said people with weakened immune systems could file reports blahblahblah. Reason #1 I will never in my life use tap water for myself or my cats, let alone a fish tank (whose importance surpasses all people I do not know and are equal to all those I do know, they are the only children I will probably ever have).
 
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