Aqua One 500 Nano Reef!

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Well I've got the okay from my parents so have begun the planning stages in the hope by the time school holidays come (just a week away) I'll be ready to convert the tank. This also seemed to be a good way to avoid thinking about the exams that are this week LOL.

So at the moment I have a planted FW Betta tank, but am not happy with it, the left hand PC light crackles and makes a vibrating sound when turned on and since I can't work out what's wrong, theres no way to fix it, so the plants aren't happy, and since the plants aren't happy algae has taken over, and I've decided ditching the project might be better LOL, and just move the plants to my 55 along with the betta.

Which leaves me with an Aqua One 500 tank, which looks fairly nice and has a single working 11w light, which is perfectly decent for a FO tank. I don't want to use much LR, if any as it is extremely difficult transporting any amount of LR home, as it has to be bagged in water otherwise the die off is way to much to even bother getting LR since the advantages of hitchhikers just aren't there because of the length of time it has to remain out of water to get it home.

So I'm gonna try a FO tank, which should make an interesting contrast to my Reef tank. Livestock plans are very very vague LOL, snails, hermit crabs, maybe an urchin (haven't done research yet) 2-3 small inch long fish or a single 2 inch long fish... As I said Vague LOL.

As for equipment Once my new order comes from the Online store I'll have
Aqua 500 65l tank
950/lph internal power filter
Small no brand Skimmer run by a 1.4l/pm airpump
Approx 2kg of an unbranded unnamed sand, which should still serve it's purpose
1.5 kg LR taken from my reef tank...
50w Heater

I Don't think I've forgotten anything but if I have please let me know, so thats about it, as I said I won't be using much LR I want to have an open space, though I do also plan to grow some macro in the tank.

This is what it is at the moment...

So the next stage will be actually tearing the tank down and redoing it. I'll empty all the current water out, move plants and betta across to the 55, remove the current filter. Then I'll get the sand out and scrub the hell out of it to remove any left over junk and also boil it a few times to get it clean. Then reset the whole tank up, move the LR across and add a raw shrimp to start the cycle, which I'm sure will be fairly long and painful since I won't have LR.

 

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Hmmm I'm beginning to slowly work out stocking plans but it's hard LOL, I'm considering having a centrepiece non photosynthetic coral/anemone as a kind of show piece in the tank as well... Either by getting a waratah anemone, which is a small blood red anemone native to Australia which is not photosynthetic and only grows to 2 inches, or moving my sun coral to the smaller tank which will allow me better access to feed it . I think I will probably jsut move my sun coral across as it's quite hard to reach in the two foot tall tank.

For fish I'm thinking
A yellow tailed Blue Damsel
OR
2 yellow clown gobies
OR
A Black and white occelaris clownfish

For Inverts
2-3 Hermit Crabs
5 Snails
and hopefully
a Decorator Urchin, also known as pin cushion urchin or a tuxedo urchin, there purple and orange

But still need to work out details etc

Any advice would be great.

 

[SkiFletch]

If you do move your sun coral across, don't have hermits in the nano... Eventually they'll learn that they can get food out of the sun coral's polyps and will do so.

 

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Yah if I move the sun coral all inverts but the snails are out, hence why I'm hesitating LOL.

Hmmm starting o think I might skip having any sort of coral/corallimorph creature at all, just stick to inverts and fish.

Still waiting for my skimmer and filter to arrive, have to say I'm getting kinda bored waiting LOL. I'm fiddling with the lights at the moment, as the right hand ballast won't stop buzzing, I think I may have fixed it, but it takes an hour or so for the buzzing to start so am waiting rather impatiently LOL.

I've done a few mods to the hood, I've removed the hinges so it can be lifted straight of the tank and it also has a flap in the back which I'm guessing is for a HOB, have removed that also so I can fit the skimmer in.

I still need to empty the tank and scrub it, but the fish and plants have been moved out and sand has been washed and boiled within an inch of its life.

Mum wants me to get a tunicate for the tank, but since I know nothing about them will be doing plenty of research before deciding, though one would make an extremely interesting centrepiece.

 

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Just a quick question...

Would a pair if clowns be comfortable in this tank? I'm either getting a pair for this tank or the reef tank, and am just debating where I want them LOL.

 

[SkiFletch]

Sure would be

 

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Hmph, biiiig change of plan. My new things arrived and they seem to have come from giant land, there absolutely, totally, massive. Theres no way they'll fit in the little 65l tank, soooo have changed tanks LOL. I'm going to chose my 75cm long 35g tank, and just put the Aqua one 500 hood on top, which is kind of annoying, but can't see what else I can do...

Edit- Huh! Never mind, I switched the 500 hood with a clip on light and everything fits nicely now!

 

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Well I've got it all set up... A tad worried bout the filter though, it's making a literal whirlpool in the tank, should I swap it with my HOB AquaClear 50? Or are marine critters fine with whirlpools?

Pics...

So the equipment list is now
13w PC clip on Jebo light
Skimmer, powered by 45l/pm airpump (Store sent me the wrong one... I aint complaining LOl)
950l/ph filter, currently with just standard sponge and filter floss
50w heater
65l bowfront tank

 

[SkiFletch]

Go doving on a natural reef and you'll probably see way more water movement than in your little tank . They should be fine

 

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Yah I know theres plenty of water movement, I'm just worried about the fact it makes a whirlpool.... When we go snorkeling theres heaps of movement but it's more directional, doesn't spin in a cicle

 

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Sand and LR in, and now the equipments playing up blah LOL.

The Heater mysteriously decvided not to work last night, so I'm gonna pick up a new one ASAP, I ahve 300w heaters and 25w heaters spare, but no 50 or 100w heaters.

And the skimmer went nuts as soon as the sand went in, I'm just leaving it for now, as it's just pulling water out, I've got it up as far as it can go and it was working fine before the sand went in, I've lowered the water level but it hasn't helped.

Tank

Skimmer

I also will be adding a backing to the tank, I just haven't found the one I want yet, I want a plain deep blue which fades out at the top, apparently LFS only sells ones with plants and corals on them.

 

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Replaced heater with a apir of 25w heaters, so at least if one fails the tank'll still have a heater.

I"think" I've fixed the skimmer by changing the settings on the airpump, it''s now running at 30l/pm

 

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Would a blue chromis, a yellow clown goby and an occelaris clown work? or is that way to much? What about a yellowtailed damsel and a yellow clown goby? Or would the damsel bully the clown?

 

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Since theres far too many things I like, am just gonna compile a list of what I like, then pick from it what I'll stock the tank with... If theres any problems with fish in the list, please let me know!

Twinspot Goby
Yellow Clown Goby
Green Clown Goby
Occelaris clownfish
Sixline Wrasse
Ýellow Tailed Blue Damsel
Citrinis Clown Goby
Falco Hawkfish

 

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Still reading LOL, and the list has been cut down to...

Yellow Clown Goby
Green Clown Goby
Occelaris clownfish
Ýellow Tailed Blue Damsel
Citrinis Clown Goby

Could a goby live peacefully with a yellow tail blue damsel? The stock I'd really like to have is an occelaris clownfish, yellow tail blue damsel and a goby, but don't think thats possible... So any comments? could I fit a clown pair and a goby in? or will that not worK? Would just two fish be better?

Oh and I've been browsing a few Online sites looking for lighting for big reef tank, but noticed this, would this be any good for this tank? as would like to put an actinic over it...
http/www.guppysaquariumproducts.com.au/f...t/prod_133.html