I Need A Little Help

[Discus]

Hi I am currently in the process of setting up a nano tank , What do you think of this one? its the Orca RA03 Mini Aquarium http/www.atlantisaquatics.co.uk/acatalog...iums.html#a1411 Priced at only 57 pounds I will have a lot of money left for modifications/upgrades.

Also can you over skim a tank?

I have all ready bought a skimmer but Didn't think ! Its designed to go up to 450L

Many Thanks

Oliver

 

[black molly3]

if i were you i would take the skimmer back as it would be pointless. i have a simala sized tank and i have been told that wekly water changes will do just fine. correct me if i am wrong. here is my tank and it is fine without a skimmer

sorry i love my tank haha
first of all you will havr to let it cycle for about 3 weeks in thisprocess i think you can add live rock (correct me if i am wrong) then after about 3 weeks i think you can start adding a CUC (clean up crew) for example snails hermits shrimp etc. but dont rely on my information as i ay be wrong as i am only new to the whole marine world also
good luck

 

[Discus]

Hi your tank looks fantastic . The skimmer only cost me a tenner so I might just keep it , it cant do any damage can it ?

Many thanks

Oliver

p.s. any other help would be welcome

Oh i meant to ask how much live rock do you have in that tank and whats your routine for general maintenance?

 

[leecara]

whats your tank size
and a skimmer is quality they work great but you dont really need a skimemr until you go to 30 or so gallons but if you have one its worth using
-what make is the skimmer as some skimmers are bollocks they can be cheap and wont work,you want something like a tmc skimmer or something but as you are nano and you dont need lone you can jsut use the you have got( are you with me ? lol)


and like i said whats your tanks size/volume in gallons/liters
what filters you got? are you using live rock, clean up crew or are you going fish only?etc...

as for cyling add live rock then when in tank it will cause an ammonia spike(due to die off in transportation) then wait till all stats are 0 (nitrate might be about 5ish but thats ok ) this ccould be anywhere from 1 week to 2 months
then add your c.u.c slowly ,after you have got your c.u.c add your fish very slowly(you want hardy but least terroital fish 1st then the most territol fish last) then when your tank has all your c.u.c and fish and your tank has been runnig a good5/6 months all stats are perfectly 0 you can start adding corals

(this is the longest reply i wrote in ages lol anyway hope this helps)

try moving this topic to the nano section as they can help you more than us as they have nano tanks lol any way good luck

 

[SkiFletch]

to the salty side of life.

I'll agree that skimming is not necessary on a tank that small. Using one is pointless, and it will just clutter your tank... You're better off not bothering

 

[Discus]

whats your tank size
and a skimmer is quality they work great but you dont really need a skimemr until you go to 30 or so gallons but if you have one its worth using
-what make is the skimmer as some skimmers are bollocks they can be cheap and wont work,you want something like a tmc skimmer or something but as you are nano and you dont need lone you can jsut use the you have got( are you with me ? lol)


and like i said whats your tanks size/volume in gallons/liters
what filters you got? are you using live rock, clean up crew or are you going fish only?etc...

as for cyling add live rock then when in tank it will cause an ammonia spike(due to die off in transportation) then wait till all stats are 0 (nitrate might be about 5ish but thats ok ) this ccould be anywhere from 1 week to 2 months
then add your c.u.c slowly ,after you have got your c.u.c add your fish very slowly(you want hardy but least terroital fish 1st then the most territol fish last) then when your tank has all your c.u.c and fish and your tank has been runnig a good5/6 months all stats are perfectly 0 you can start adding corals

(this is the longest reply i wrote in ages lol anyway hope this helps)

try moving this topic to the nano section as they can help you more than us as they have nano tanks lol any way good luck

Thanks leecara this has been very helpful, the skimmer I've got is a Aquarium Systems Seaclone, having done more research it sounds as if this is a pretty bad skimmer but sounds like I don't need one but I will probably fit it any way.

The tank is a 24G. As for the filtration it is the standard filtration, one of the build in ones, is there any way of upgrading the filter media? and what media would you recommend?

The set-up is going to have LR a CUC and fish/corals eventually, being on a fairly tight budget I'm just doing this slowly, and there is no way you can rush a marine tank any way.

Thanks

Oliver

 

[AndyS]

Well for filteration i would remove all of the sponges and bio balls etc, as they will most likely harbour nitrates which is never good.

Your live rock will provide all the biological filteration you need, but you will need to provide water movement in order for the live rock to be effective. This is usually done by powerheads so you may choose to upgrade the pump in the tank to provide more water movement, aim for 20 - 30x turnover an hour.

If you have a built in refugium you can add live rock rubble/Chaetomorphia (will need lighting though)/phosphate removers etc. On my tank my back section has: Heater, temp probe for thermometer, live rock rubble in a bag (vaccumed weekly), a bag of RowaPhos and a bag of Purigen (for additional nitrate removal.

On a tank that size a bad skimmer will do more harm than good, and you really dont need it if you keep up with 10% weekly water changes.

If you intend on keeping corals you will probably need to upgrade your lighting, i would recommend a 70w metal halide lamp, these can either be store bought (expensive) or built from basic components, there are a few guides on this site somewhere. This will mean you wont have to worry about lighting issues for pretty much any coral in that tank.

Andy