New Nano!

ChicoRaton

ChicoRaton

Se?or Member
Jun 5, 2004
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Idaho, USA
www.hazy8.com
:D yay finally after months of research I'm finally putting a nano reef together.

here's the final plan:

5.5gal AGA main tank, with DIY overflow (btw can one drill a 1.75 inch hole safely into a 5.5gal tank? I want to run the return tube inside of the drain tube, and would need 1 inch tubing to do this. This way, there's nothing but corals and inverts in the tank, no heaters, tubes, nothing.

20X-high for sump/fuge, with protien skimmer in sump. What is the best bang for the buck skimmer-wise?

Lighting: would 3x13w 50/50 PC lights be ok? or should I go for 4?

heater: tronic 150w

Return pump: small mag-drive, about 100gph through several nozzles placed around the top perimiter of the tank

anything else i'm missing? Any advice is appreciated greatly, especially choices for protien skimmers.

Thanks!
 
Excellent plan. Really. For that size tank, I think the CPR bakpak 2R is the best balance of quality to price.

Will we get a series of pix as you get it running?
 
You will get pics:) I'll put them in this thread. just bought the 5.5 today. Actually it isn't all glass it's a perfecto but oh well, same thing. anyway I'll take it to the glass shop and have them drill it and pick up some acrylic to build the overflow tomorrow. This is gonna be cool :D
 
well it seems nobody except AGA has heard of a 20XH. it's listed on all-glass.com but none of the LFSs I am willing to do business with had heard of it nor could they order it :P

Looks like I'll be going with a 15H for the sump. same dimensions but shorter. 18" vs 24. I will probably be going in to get the 5.5g drilled and get some acrylic to make the overflow box. then make the overflow box and paint the back black.

What do you think? clear or smoked acrylic for the overflow? I'm leaning towards smoked, since I'm painting the back of the aquarium black.
 
er, well I could only find clear locally so that's what I got. Tuesday after I get paid I'm going to go get the 15H (10x20x18) for the sump. not a 20HX but hey I will save on water changes :)

Now, I'm still ocnfused about the shole skimmer thing. I'm having trouble finding the one dave mentioned. Is the red sea prizm any good? Also, I read in a few places a skimmer isn't neccesary if you're doing 10-15% weekly water changes. Any other skimmer suggestions?

Also there are these little blocks called Sea-lab Automatic replenishers that my saltwater enthusiast coworker swears by. They resemble vacation feeders, which for some reason immediately instilled skepticism for me :P They have trace elements and nutrients and stuff that dissolve into water over time. Anybody else use these? He says he just keeps one in his sump and adds kent liquid reactor and doesn't do anything else besides water changes and topoff.

That's all my questions I can think of right now. As soon as I get my overflow and hood built I'll post pictures of them.
 
the red sea skimmer is going to be too big i think. they make a surface skimmer for nanos which is around 10 bucks. im trying to figure out the name of it myself though. i just know that it is outthere.
 
Is the red sea prizm any good?
Click to expand...
Fiddly piece of junk. You can get the bakpak online at Premium Aquatics. I am a strong believer in skimmers. You can get away without one, but I saw a real difference in water quality on the small tank when the skimmer wasn't running.
Also there are these little blocks called Sea-lab Automatic replenishers that my saltwater enthusiast coworker swears by.
Click to expand...
Never used anything like it. I only dose things I test for. Traces should be replenished by water changes, and things like calcium will need to be added only if they are being depleted.
 
alright. looks like the bakpak is the thing to go with. I can't tell from the picture... would I be able to place it inside the sump or does the part that is normally outside the tank have to remain dry?

Also how much noise does this make? I'm trying to keep things as quiet as possible at night since this is going to be in my bedroom, about 10 feet from where my head is when I sleep.

If it is, in fact, noisy, would it be ok to put it on a timer with the lights or a seperate timer so it only comes on after I've been asleep for a few hours? I know if there is a major "skimmable event" like an inhabitant dying, I'm SOL if the skimmer is off, but are there any other reprocussions of not having the skimmer running 24/7? This is, of course, only if I do find it too noisy.

Otherwise, everything else is coming along nicely. I have to wait until tomorrow to get the glass drilled on my 5.5, and payday(wednsday) I can pick up the 15H tank for the sump, unless I can order a 20X-H at work. I got the pvc adapters and o-rings to make a 3/4" bulkhead fitting today for only $2! :D This means I'm going to have to run the return line seperately from the drain line, but I can live with that.

To clarify how I plant to make the return, er, this is how I'm going to do it: Run a piece of 1/2" clear tubing around the tank, with several "T" fittings in it. The T's serve as nozzles, except for one which connects the loop of tubing to the mag-drive 2 pump below. That make sense? I plan to have 2 nozzles on the front and back sides, and one on each end, all pointing toward the center to produce a really turbulent flow. Think it'll work ok? I figure once you add in all the restriction it'll be at least 100gph. Is that enough, spread across 6 nozzles, or should I go for the mag-drive 3 pump and boost that up a little?

Thanks so much for your advice!:D
 
Well, I've got a ViaAqua Multiskimmer in my nano, and it is a noisy son of a beach. The tank is also in my bedroom, and I did exactly what you are saying for the first few months. I would shut the thing off at night and let it come back on while I was asleep. Nothing bad ever happened, and lately I've been able to fall asleep with the thing on. And no, you can't place it in the sump; that part is normally on the outside.

Good luck
 
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