General Nano Rules For Newbs

[Siamese Fighter05]

Hi everyone

Im a complete newb to SW and still have alot to learn in FW although i know the basic rules there.
Is there any WPG rules for lighting to show you what you can grow and what you can't?
Is there a general rule of thumb for protein skimmers? Like what size you need for each tank. e.g like twice the tanks capacity or something?
I'm really sorry if i sound dumb but i have no clue with SW although it really interests me.

Thanks Dan

I'm not sure if i missed a pinned topic or something but i think all the basic rules combined in a topic would be great for us newbies to take in the basics. e.g Sand, LR and all that

 

[steelhealr]

Hi Siamese....always good to see another potential nano-er out there. Similar to FW, there are rules of thumb out there with regards to lighting, but, they are only rough guidelines and each system varies...similar to the inch/gallon thing.

Many people go by watts/gallon, but, there are so many variables that could either make your w/g ratio better or worse. Eg, many sources with regards to nanos would say under 3watts/ gallon is low, 3-5 moderate and over 5 high. But....you could have low lighting with excellent parabolic mirror reflector, shallow tank and good bulbs and do fine for many corals.

No general rules for skimmers with regards to ratings...just feedback about which ones work well and then finding one to meet your tank size and needs.

As far as pinning topics, I agree that we need to get a few up there. It's up to the mods at present. Welcome aboard..when you're ready....we'll help you get up and running. SH

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Hi and thanks for your reply SH

I have been considering a nano alot lately although im always skint
I was supposed to be using christmas money to get a planted tank going but that idea is kind of falling apart due to my increasing interest in SW
I was thinking of using my rekord 60 as a nano reef after my fry have grown up, which is a good 8months away but still it gives me all the time i need to buy everything i would need.
My dad is going to give me £200 for christmas so i may even be able to buy most of the basics i need with that and then just buy or save up for everything else with all the time i have
I'll have to start pestering you with questions when it gets nearer to the time but thanks for your reply
Thanks Dan
Ps: SH for nano reef mod!!

 

[steelhealr]

Thanks Siamese..just trying to help out. I started with FW a year ago and still keep my tank (and still read a lot of FW posts). I"m glad I added a nano reef...it's a lot of work but well worth it when you sit back and see the tank. Having both types I think makes one a well rounded 'aquarist' IMO and gives you keen eye on doing what we really do as aquarium keepers, ie, manage water.

The new nano section is small but has some really great people here. You shouldn't have a problem getting a tank started (just warn dad that corals arent' cheap.....LOLOL...but, you can always stick with FOWLR, fish only with live rock until ready to start a reef). "Cheers". SH

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Hi again SH
I've had a bit more good news!
I still have £85 to come from my mum and £20 from my nan
O and i forgot, my birthday is 2days after christmas and my mum said i can have £150 for that
which leaves me somewhere over the £400 mark (too lazy for maths now).
The only thing i need to do now is try and get hold of another cheap 15g for the fry.
My dad knows how much it is to get a marine tank going... He had a 6ft tank years ago which looking back now seemed really unsucceful although he would pump in more money each week that would just get wasted as he obviously didn't know what he doing
Thanks for your reply i am enjoying reading everyone's new tank diary and i am reading in marine chit chat just to get a bit of basic knowledge behind me
Thanks again!

 

[steelhealr]

Sure..by the way....how much is that in dollars? lol Sounds like you got a good dad. SH

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

I'd guess something like $500 or more, I really don't know
Not a good dad really You could call it 8 years missed Xmas's and B day presents so if you split 200 by 8 you'd probably come up with a not so good dad
I know that it is a long time away but i have a few question that need to be answered as they have been naggling at, here goes:
The tank i will be using is a rekord 60 which using online calculators makes it 60 litres and just under 15 gallons.
What size powerhead would i need? I was thinking something that puts out 600 litres/h or is that wrong?
Are there any good skimmers you could reccomend for this size tank?
And what lights would i need for LR, fish and soft corals? I can only fit two lights in there if that is enough?
Sorry for questions so early but im eager and maybe i can start collecting now.
Thanks Dan

 

[steelhealr]

I'll hang in there with you siamese...help me out with keeping up with the US equivalents.

Circulation is important, more so if you plan to keep corals. How much is often debatable...'accepted' guidelines are 10X good, 15X better, 20 or greater best (FOR reef tanks). With a 15G US, I would think that between 150 to 300 GPH would do fine (600 litres per gallon would be 10X flow and is adequate for fish only and corals that don't require high flow).

Deltec is supposed to be a very popular skimmer brand there over in the UK, however, you could definitely do well with just water changes to start off. 10% weekly and you should be OK if you don't want to skim for now.

Lighting is more complicated....Chac and Navarre might be able to better make recs on this for UK brands. Over here, a Coralife 96 watt fixture would give you plenty of light to support clams and SPS corals if you wanted to go that route. SH

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Hi everyone

I had a job interview last night so hopefully i'll get the job which would bring in abit more money. With christmas nearly here any money that i do get goes out on pressies for everyone so i've had nothing spare lately apart from the odd pound here and there for food for my FW fish and so on. I have been pricing up bits and pieces while ive been down the LFS and browsing online. I have a list of some of the things that i know i need although i'm sure there is so much more i will need. Here is the list i have drawn up so far including prices that i've seen:
Things I have already:
14.8 US gallon tank (61cm x 31cm x 36cm) £0
2 x 75w Heater £0 ( Use one for preparing fresh salt water for water changes and so on)
400 litre powerhead i could use to mix fresh SW

Things i will need (Please recommend any products that you have had a good experience with):

Carribsea live arog sand £21.99 from LFS i'm not sure how big the big is though. 1lb of sand per gallon?
refractometer £44 incl P&P
Maxijet 1200 powerhead £29.99
Skimmer - should i skim or not? any good models for this size tank?
Live Rock - 15lb? £?
Lights - These REALLY confuse me and Compact t5's are not avaiable at my LFS so i'd have to order online. I'd also like an atnic blue bulb because they look cool
Salt - Can anyone reccomend a good brand please i have lots avaiable online. How long would about £30 ($40 i'd guess) worth of sand cost?
A container to mix Sw in £5
Miscs (Nets cleaners etc.) £50
Please add anything else i will need

Question time

I know this is miles away but this is one of those questions that just bugs at you so ill fire away!
When my tank is fully ready the diatoms have bloomed and my cleaner crew have been added can i just steadily add corals instead of fish because i'd rather get my tank looking nice then add fish...
Baring in mind i won't be starting this product until after christmas and i will also be paying fo driving lessons i'm in no rush i'd just like everything written down so add anything you can and thanks in advance for help that is given

 

[steelhealr]

You're doing well with your research from what I can see from your list. Comments:

-15lbs of sand should be fine
-I'd save money and hold off on the skimmer and use it for other things. Under 20 gallons, IMO, water changes should do fine. You could add it later
-15 lbs LR is adequate, a couple more lbs would be wonderful
-salt...I've used Oceanic, Tropic Marin and Reef Crystals. I'm staying with RC. Seems to buffer better than Oceanic. TM is a good salt too
-need a thermometer; look at Coralife digitial and you could stick on a $2 LCD for backup
-need a source of pure water
-lighting fixtures are confusing for everyone. You're UK buddies could recommend a place. Look at a fixture that has PC 50/50 actinic, 10,000 K or so and something in the 64-72 watt range if you are not going for clams and SPS. If you want to play with the big boys, you'll need a 96 watt or metal halide fixture.

SH

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Thanks alot for your reply again SH

10% weekly water changes sounds fine by me, the only reason i was thinking of a skimmer was that ive read they help keep hair algae back which would be great as im not planning on going down the R.o Unit....Well not yet anyway
i could bump up the LR to 17lb easily or even more if you'd reccomend it
I will have a look online for reef crystals and use them for the tank
Pure water - meaning clean water from a tap im hoping? I also have to purchase a master test so that i can check what the water directly out of my tap is like.
I took some of the tank water down to the LFS the other day one day after i'd done a water change and the readings camu up with all 0 apart from 5 nitrate so i'd guess that the water out of the tap is very low in nitrates which is diffently a good sign although i'll have to doublecheck this myself.
With lighting, i'd pretty much like to go down to the LFS say ' O that's nice' and then come home do some research to make sure it's fine for a nano and then go down a get it. So i will need the 96w
Is the 96w pc50/50 (meaning 50% octnic blue?) or would i have to purchase a different tube for that?
Thanks for your reply again, i'm sure i will have a few more questions in a few days
Thanks Dan
Ps: Just though of some questions )
How long can you store Sea salt the reef crystals brand?
How long can you store the carribsea arog live sand?
Thanks again

 

[steelhealr]

You've done pretty well with prep..but...I will still caution you about using tap. Remember...water evaporates, not minerals/ions per se. Adding 5ppm of nitrates with each 10% water change is not really a good plan...you may go thru all this work just to shoot yourself in the foot. Tap water can contain phosphates (did you check your tap levels), heavy metals, copper, iron....all toxic. Do you have copper pipes in your home?

The PC bulbs usually come one half white, the other actinic...they add a nice color to the tank and also provide a spectrum of light that zooxanthellae use at depth.

I assume you mean premixed SW..it can be stored for several weeks in a clean container in a cool area.

The prebagged Caribbsea unopened can store for awhile...I think the bag says on it one year. SH

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Thanks for your reply again SH

I will make the Master kit the beggining of my nano (Although i really should've had one for FW) and then i will post the results up here to see if you can make any sense of them ) The water conditioner i use says it treats heavy metals also so i hope this will remove that problem?
I don't know what to do if they are useless for marine though because an R.O unit would take away 40% of my budget straight away
My LFS sells R.O water so i'd have to look into that if my tap water is no good but on your tank diary i read your R.O calcualtion and t doesn't seem logical to buy R.0 water so i'd have to try and save up while using their water.

Everything feels like it's all about to happen tommorow which is a shame but i'm glad i can save up and get everything i need.

Thanks for your reply yet again SH
I'm sure i will be bugging you again soon

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Just a few more questions if you don't mind

When you do a water change, how do you bring the PH up to the same level as the tank. My tap water PH is at 7 in the tank the live aronite would bring this up to 8.1 or so? is that correct?
If so how would i do this in the bucket where there is no arog? Would i have to use chemicals or could i just use some of the extra sand i'd have left from my carribsea bag to use in the water storage container?

2. I've looked everywhere for the coral-life 96w 10k you mentioned i just can't find it anywhere for the UK
However i came across across some interpet compact t5 p/c 55w that are 22'' i could fit two of these fixtures inside my hood quite comfortably so i was wondering if they would be okay?
The two daylight tubes would both be at 6500k which is lower than the 10k you recommened but if i have two that come in at 13000k if it works like that? And then i would also get my blue actnics
Here is the link to them just incase Here

While on that site i priced up a few things i would need and probably get from there...
2x interpet compact t5 pc50/50 56w 6500k lights (wow what a mouthful!)
2x starter controls for both fixtures
8kg bag of reef crystals (how long would 8kg last a 15g tank?)
1200 maxijet powerhead
refractometer
Complete master kit
Total: £228 Incl Delivery A good deal? ( maybe something liek just under $300 I dont know)

Not a bad price really, i haven't been rung up for the job so i guess that's a no-no
I'll have to wait until i get the rest of my money from my mum, my dad has done a dissapearing act now christmas is near surprise surprise but i have a bit of birthday and christmas money to combine so i should be able to buy everything on that list and have another 100 or so for other things, then i'll have to just spend £60 a month afterwards because the other half goes to phone bill and driving lessons
I badly needed that job O well keep looking i guess...
Thanks again and i hope all of these questions are answering other peoples questions also otherwise i guess it's just gettin annoying now!
Thanks Again Dan

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Sorry to double post but i thought i'd add some extra info on what i think my total cost would be without fish and corals.

List above: £228.80
Things i need elsewhere:
Carribsea 20lb - £21.99
8kg/17.lbs LR - 65.00 About the going rate?
I was down the LFS again yesterday and i checked out their R.O prices just incase my Tap water comes out as useless! 10p per litre (45p per gallon)
So to fill my 15gallon with R.O water i would spend £6.75
I would do a 10-15% weekly water change (1.5-2.25gallons) = 67p-92p at a rough guess
Miscs (New nets, water holders, water conditioners and so on...) £50
Total: £143.74

So £228.80 + £143.74 = £372.54

A weekly cost with fish would be the 92p water change and then about 30p of top ups and then whatever foods i'd feed the fish...
With corals i'd guess i'd have to add additives and foods to help them grow and thrive i'll leave that out for now because one i'm already miles ahead of myself and two I don't have a clue what i'm talking about without all of SH's help