10 gallon Nano-reef

[Sean_Buckley]

Well, ever since I saw a members 10 gallon (or so, I think) nano-reef on here, I've been thinking, "hey, that'd be kinda cool, and a little more challenging." So, since my LFS started stocking a limited amount of marine fish, I've decided to try and make a nano-reef. I know basically nothing about marine fish, but am going to start reading the Reef forums regularly. Basically, I need a list of equipment and stuff that I'm going to need to get it running, in good working order, and then I can worry about fish and invertabrates. I want to know I can keep it clean, and the salt levels (SG?) right to support life. Sorry about the long post. Thanks!
Sean

 

[parker313]

Tank
Filter (you can put live rock in it instead of filter media)
heater
lights
thermometer
hydrometer

That's really about it that you *need*. I'd also recommend a timer for lights, but it's not necessary.

A lot of the specifics depend on what kind of tank you want. In addition to reading here, I'd recommend the forums at www.nano-reef.com - they specialize in the nanos and there's a TON of information about what you can do to maximize your success

 

[FrAnK3333]

I would read the pinned articles and nano reef journals, reefcentral.com is a great place to start too.

 

[phishphood]

Hi, I don't know anything about marine fish, but having read the pinned articles, I would suggest you don't start with a nano reef as the articles say these are only recommended for the experienced marine keeper and not the beginner

 

[Sean_Buckley]

I've read the pinned articles, and I know many people say a Nano-reef should be a No-no-reef for beginners, but I've seen many people with only a Nano-reef, no big huge, 100 gallon tank. And I think that the smaller the tank, the lower the stocking levels, the less fish at risk if a mistake is made.
Sean

 

[FrAnK3333]

As long as you take it slow and plan things out, you will be fine.

 

[Sean_Buckley]

Thanks! I hope it'll work out. And I will take it slow, I don't want to put any fish's or inverts life in danger.
Sean

 

[Sean_Buckley]

I've thought of some specific questions. Which is better to start out with, cured or uncured live rock? If you just get regular aragonite sand, will the live rock culture it? How many WPG are low, medium, and high light requirements? What are the best color temperatures for soft corals? And lastly, can you use a regular hang-on-back heater, or should it be a submersible?
Sean
EDIT1: How many pounds per gallon of live rock and live sand? Arrghh! So many questions!

 

[FrAnK3333]

Genral rule is 1-1.5 pounds of live rock per gallon, as for live sand, depending on the tank Id go for 1 pound per gallon. Soft corals rquire about 4 watts per gallon, but as the saying goes the more the better. A hangon filter will be just fine. And I believe cured rock is the better live rock.

 

[Sean_Buckley]

Thanks! I was thinking about 1.5 pounds live rock per gallon, same for sand, thanks for clearing that up. I already have 4 WPG on my other 10 gallon, it shouldn't be too hard to get the same for this one. I will aim for about 5 or 6 though, as more is better. I already knew about the hang-on-back filter, I was asking about a hang-on-back heater. I would think that a submersible would be better, correct me if I'm wrong, please, someone. And I re-read the pinned article on LR, and see now that cured LR is the best. The following questions still remain: 1: If I get crushed aragonite, will the LR culture it?
2: Whats the best color temperature for soft corals?
3: A new question. Does the term "soft coral" also refer to polyps, zo(o)anthids, and that sort of thing?
Thanks!
Sean
EDIT: O, and the SG should be at 1.019, is that right?

 

[canyoubelieveit]

Go with the submersible heater!
Also, try for an SG of 1.022-1.023 (but...this also depends on what you are keeping)

 

[andywg]

I seem to recall that the SG should be in the region of 1.022.

Also, I wouldn't get hung up on WPG when doing SW. WPG is pretty misleading as a hang up for FW plants and with reefs it's more the type of lighting that's important. I wouldn't think you'd be going for any hard corals or anemones (anemoni? anemonub? ) in a tank that small so Halides may not be important. However, If I was setting up a reef tank I'd always try and get halides as they provide the best light and if you ever want to move into harder corals then you can.

If you can't get halides then on a tank like this you could do well with some power compacts or maybe even some HO T5 tubes.

With regards to the Live Rock/Aragonite I don't think that the organisms will cross over. I know that if you plan on live sand then you can just buy mostly "dead" sand and then purchase a small amount of live sand and it will seed the rest of the sand (you can do the same with LR by using base rock, just means it takes a while before your tank reaches its full potential- and you need to be nothing if not patient with a reef).

HIH

Andy

 

[Aquascaper]

I've read the pinned articles, and I know many people say a Nano-reef should be a No-no-reef for beginners, but I've seen many people with only a Nano-reef, no big huge, 100 gallon tank. And I think that the smaller the tank, the lower the stocking levels, the less fish at risk if a mistake is made.
Sean

It's not just fish that are in a Nano-reef tank

The smaller the tank the faster problems occur and can decimate your whole ecosystem. The reason experienced marine people say don't start with Nano's is simple - you do not have the hands-on experience with which to spot a problem occuring in time to correct it. This ranges from being able to judge water quality by the look of the corals or how the fish & inverts are acting right through to algae build up, etc.

There should be no risk at all for the fish because you should know enough before taking on a Nano (or any other live animal, etc.) to eliminate all but the unforseen problems, lack of experience is no excuse for killing fish, inverts or corals.

Ideal SG range: 1.022 to 1.026
Live Rock: Buy cured and get about 1.5lb per gallon
Live Sand: Don't bother, your cured live rock will seed this within a short space of time
Lighting: On a Nano T5's are really the only way to go, T8's are too big and bulky and produce rubbish wattage for their size, Metal Halides will fry your tank and cause temperature fluctuations of catastrophic proportions. Depending on what you want to keep on the coral side of things, 4wpg is a good standard - more is better As for types of lights a mixture of Actinic blue and Marine white will provide a broad spectrum of light for most SPS & LPS corals, inverts and fish.

HTH

 

[Sean_Buckley]

Thanks, this all helped a lot. Aquascaper, I know Nano-reefs are not just fish. There is also soft corals, polyps, zo(o)anthids, although I think that those two are included in the term soft coral. I think I'm on the right track so far, thanks to all the great people on here! Thanks!
Sean

 

[FrAnK3333]

Dont forget inverts, your going to need a cleanup crew.