Advice Needed, Set Up Aqua40 As Nano Reef

[wilchil64]

Hi,

Unfortunately my betta has died and I now have an empty Aqua40 tank, which I'm told holds 28 litres water.

I'd like to set it up as a nano reef. I've had a read around and know that bigger is better but that just isn't possible. But I would like to have a go at this, with a view to setting up the 180 or 125 as a marine tank some day when we no longer have the tropical fish in there.

So I have loads of questions as I've never done this before, but I guess my first question is what would I realistically be able to keep in there and what equipment do I need to buy extra? It has lighting, filter, heater. I know I need sand and live rock. I asked my lfs and was told if I did regular water changes I could get away without a skimmer in a tank of this size.

This is the tank:
(link <a href="http/www.rockbottomaquatics.co.uk/superf...-aquarium.html0" target="_blank">http/www.rockbottomaquatics.co.uk/superf...-aquarium.html0</a>

View attachment 58128

Thanks very much for any advice.

P.S. I've been reading through lots of threads here, but they seem very technical,sorry ifI'm being thick but I don't know what some of the equipment is, e.g. what does a powerhead do and why do I need one? I understand that I do not need a filter as the live rock will do the cycling.

What temperature should the tank be set to? How do I prepare the salt water? I think I read somewhere I need to prepare this a day or so in advance, is this true?

I am not able to change the lights on the tank, it has two tubes built in the lid, it says 220V 50Hz 11w x 1.

Would I be able to have maybe one or two coral, a cleaner shrimp and a small fish, I saw a pic of a cataline goby online, which is beautiful, it said it grows to 2", is this too big?

I don't mind if I can't have fish, just want to watch the rock develop and have a shot at a small marine tank. We would like to turn the 180 litre tank into a marine tank sometime in the future, but have many fish in there at the moment, so this would be a trial run.

P.S. Not sure if I understood my lfs correctly now, he said to google nano reef, but this may not be what I want! I would like to start a small (28 litre) marine tank, basically! What are my alternatives with this size? If I don't have corals etc can I have a couple of small fish? Do I have to have live rock? I'm really struggling to read through all the stuff here and find out what my options are.

Thanks again.

 

[jtnova13]

Hi,

Unfortunately my betta has died and I now have an empty Aqua40 tank, which I'm told holds 28 litres water.
Sorry to hear that

I'd like to set it up as a nano reef. I've had a read around and know that bigger is better but that just isn't possible. But I would like to have a go at this, with a view to setting up the 180 or 125 as a marine tank some day when we no longer have the tropical fish in there.

So I have loads of questions as I've never done this before, but I guess my first question is what would I realistically be able to keep in there and what equipment do I need to buy extra? It has lighting, filter, heater. I know I need sand and live rock. I asked my lfs and was told if I did regular water changes I could get away without a skimmer in a tank of this size.

I would take the filter out of the back and put live rock rubble, phosphate removing media if possible. You will also need a refractometer to measure salinity and some Reverse Osmosis water if you plan on keeping corals.

This is the tank:
(link <a href="http/www.rockbottomaquatics.co.uk/superf...-aquarium.html0" target="_blank">http/www.rockbottomaquatics.co.uk/superf...-aquarium.html0</a>

View attachment 58128

Thanks very much for any advice.

P.S. I've been reading through lots of threads here, but they seem very technical,sorry ifI'm being thick but I don't know what some of the equipment is, e.g. what does a powerhead do and why do I need one? I understand that I do not need a filter as the live rock will do the cycling.

A powerhead circulates water around your live rock acting as the filtration for your tank.

What temperature should the tank be set to? How do I prepare the salt water? I think I read somewhere I need to prepare this a day or so in advance, is this true?

tank should be set between 78 and 80F. To prepare the saltwater, just mix RO water with salt of your choice to a specific gravity of 1.023-1.026 (corals prefer 1.026). It is good to mix it a day in advance so the water is oxygenated, but I don't thnink that far in advance .

I am not able to change the lights on the tank, it has two tubes built in the lid, it says 220V 50Hz 11w x 1.

Would I be able to have maybe one or two coral, a cleaner shrimp and a small fish, I saw a pic of a cataline goby online, which is beautiful, it said it grows to 2", is this too big?

not sure about the goby, there are small fish you can put in there like a fire fish or a damsel of some sort.

I think you would need to upgrade your lights to a compact fluorescent at least, although you MAY be able to get away with a softie or two like mushrooms.

I don't mind if I can't have fish, just want to watch the rock develop and have a shot at a small marine tank. We would like to turn the 180 litre tank into a marine tank sometime in the future, but have many fish in there at the moment, so this would be a trial run.

Thanks again.

 

[wilchil64]

Thanks for your reply.

What is a refractor, what does it do and what do I lookout for when buying one?

Also what am I looking for when buying a powerhead, what sizes do they come in?

I'm useless at fahrenheit temperatures but will be able to work that one out. What is RO water and is there a particular salt that is better to mix with it? How do I measure the gravity?

I don't know how I would change the lights to a compact fluorescent, as they are all encased in the tank lid, but I will ask my husband to have a look, he's more technical than I am! lol

I looked up the fire fish and damsels, would I be able to keep something like this:
http/www.copyright-free-pictures.org.uk/...damsel-fish.htm

Also looking up mushrooms - are there a certain sort I should be lookingout for?

Sorry for all the questions. I've been reading lots of threads, but there seemsto be a lot of technical stuff I just don't understand (like the gravity measurements etc.). i'm sure i'll get to grips with it eventually and I can also ask my lfs for advice. We knew nothing about tropical fish when we started and now have 2 beautiful tanks.

Thanks very much for your help.

 

[jtnova13]

I use reef crystals salt because it has trace elements to help corals grow.

Refractometer measures specific gravity of your water, any cheap refractometer will work... i got mine off of ebay.

Yes you could keep that damsel, but they are very aggressive, so it wouldn't be able to be housed with peaceful tankmates.

Look at compact fluorescent or t5 retrofit kits for a biocube or nanocube... you might have to do some minor alteration to fit them or something.

Any color mushrooms or ricordia.

 

[wilchil64]

I use reef crystals salt because it has trace elements to help corals grow.

Refractometer measures specific gravity of your water, any cheap refractometer will work... i got mine off of ebay.

Yes you could keep that damsel, but they are very aggressive, so it wouldn't be able to be housed with peaceful tankmates.

Look at compact fluorescent or t5 retrofit kits for a biocube or nanocube... you might have to do some minor alteration to fit them or something.

Any color mushrooms or ricordia.

Thanks for your reply and explanations!

Probably the damsel being aggressive wouldn't be a problem as it's such a small tank I can't keep more fish, can I? Are they easy to get hold of, do you know?

I'll have a look at the light kits, but not sure how they will fit as the lid is attached to the tank.