lighting and filter questions

[wrs]

I have two tanks that are all set up for FW and cycled. In one there was a betta, but he died. It is a 5.5 gallon tank.

The other has a few tiny guppies, like 6, and it is a waste of space for them.

i would like to make one of them a SW tank. I would like a clown fish, but basically want to have just some crabs.

i was wondering, what would be a good filter fort the tanks. i have a basic hang on back filter in the 5, and as well in the 20 for the fresh water.

i am not sure if live rock needs alot of lighting, because I dont really have that much. i do NOT want any of those plant like things though, or anemones. So would I need alot of light still. I, though, dont know if the clown fish would need an anemone if i did make the 20 SW, or if they even need alot of light. I am going to do some resurch on those kind of things. But as for the light the 5.5 has an 8 watt, and the 20 has, I think 20, though I might have put the wrong light on it and it may have more watts.

 

[steelhealr]

Hi WRS...check out the thread I"ve been working on with regards to starting up a nano reef. A 5 gallon is not impossible to do...some call it a 'pico reef'. It DOES require intense care since this is an extremely small marine system. That tank would need a minimum of 3-5 watts per gallon to support corals. You would NEVER put an anemone in a tank that size and clowns can live without anemones. The 20 would not need a filter per se, but a powerhead. Some people add a HOB AquaClear and make it into a refugium. What would be interesting is if you set up the 20 gallon as a nano and made the 5 gallon into a sump for it. You can start to gather info at http/www.nano-reef.com. Here is my link:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=84931&hl=

Good luck. SH

 

[wrs]

the lfs said that for the 5.5 gallon, that a bio wheel would be good.

So, here is what I am thinking of doing.

4 lbs of live sand. # lbs of live rock, only because there would probebly only 3 gallons f water actually in the tank with the rocks and sand. And the bio wheel. A penguin 100, or would a power head be better?

1 hermit crab, and 3 snails.

now, I am still not 100 percent sure of this yet. But I need the full set up idea to tell my dad, so that I can see if I can get it.

Also the lfs said a clown fish would be good for that size. A true percula. That is what I have wanted. Though I am not sure at all how I would go about cycling etc.

 

[chkltcow]

Bio Wheel = nitrate factory. In nano tanks, it is largely accepted that your live rock provides your biological filtration, and you must stock VERY carefully in order to not overload it. If you're dead set on using the 5.5g tank, I'd get something like a Fluval 204/304 to greatly increase your overall water volume, and help keep the tank a bit more stable.

Doing a 5g tank isn't impossible (I say that because I personally have one), but it does require a lot of maintainance to make sure you keep it topped off daily (salinity can change a lot due to evaporation if you only have 3-4 gallons of actual water).... and you have to keep an eye on it to make sure your nitrates don't ever start climbing.

Consider doing the 20g tank.

 

[wrs]

if live rock wasnt so expensive i would have done SW along time ago. But its $9 per lb. so that would be $180, which I dont have. (well actually I do, but not for rocks, lol)

But is live rock nessecary. Cant there be an actuall filter instead? I dont want any of those anemones or corals, just crabs and a clown fish.

 

[andywg]

Live Rock isn't necessary but it is a fantastic tool that really helps complete the Nitrogen cycle. Just think how useful it would be in FW if you could get the nitrates out of the water. The need to do such regular water changes would disappear.

You can start off with similar filters to FW but they create a lot of nitrates. In FW this isn't so bad because you can water change easily, however with the cost of salt this can get costly for Salty setups.

If you look around the threads (I think it is the "Doing some before time research") I have copied Navarre's guidance on creating homemade Live Rock. A good setup would be like 1/3 bought LR (i.e. $60) and the other two thirds home made. It will work just as well and you can then create the shapes you want.

I don't blame you for not wanting anemones as they are extremely difficult to keep correctly needing massive light and care and attention and still normally lasting a fraction of the time they do in the wild.

With some quite cheap lighting solutions you can keep some of the coral like polyps but I wouldn't burn bridges just yet.

On a final note, I'd definately advocate using the smaller tank as a sump. It increases surface area for gas exchange, allows you to hide heaters and gives you extra volume and as such buffering for mishaps on the main tank (and a "detention" area for less than genteel fish ).

HIH

Andy

 

[wrs]

now how would you use a sump?

 

[sammydee]

5.5 gallon is too small for fish. However, a twenty gallon is perfectly adequate room to keep two or three smaller fish like clowns.

I would highly reccomend the 20 gallon over the 5 gallon. Much stabler and easier to care for and you can have clowns in it. If you can get the 5 gallon as a sump, even better and maybe get a ten gallon for the guppies?

Also, I agree with andy, live rock is easy and cheap to make yourself out of cement and oystershell/aragonite sand.

 

[sammydee]

Sorry didnt see your latest post. A sump is like a separate tank inline with your main one. Picture it as a very larger external filter which you can fill with whatever you want. Your main tank drains down into the sump and then you have a powerhead pumping water back up into the tank.

It is not essential as I am setting up a twenty gallon without a sump due to space constraints, but it certainly will be useful.

 

[wrs]

I dont have room for one of those.

I was thinking about maybe a plenum, or how ever you spell it, system for my 20 long w/out live rock. How would that be?

I can get like 2 lbs of the rock, and maybe make some from hand though.

 

[andywg]

Do you not have room underneath the tank then? That is where you would normally site the sump (though it is always possible to site it to one side).

 

[wrs]

nope, the tank is like 4 inches from the floor. It is on a two tank stand for my 55 gallon.

 

[parker313]

It sounds like you're trying all the financial shortcuts you can think of... I highly recommend against that. If you don't have the money to set up an appropriate system now, save your money and go for it in the future.

If you want a clown, you have to use your 20, not the 5.5.

If you want either to be a successful SW tank, you're going to need the full stock of live rock. If you skimp and just get a couple of pounds for your 20, you're going to be in for far more headache than if you just pony up the cash and get the rock in the first place. For the 20, you need at least 20, preferrably 25-30lbs of live rock.

You do not need a sump for a 20 and you don't need a skimmer for a 20, but you do need live rock. Live rock is by far the best filtration you can get for any SW tank, and with a small SW tank, you *need* all the help you can get to maintain stable water parameters.

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but it's pretty imperative to make sure you can make the financial committment to a SW tank and not try to find all the shortcuts possible

 

[wrs]

I am going to try to make the live rock my self, as others have done it.

 

[chkltcow]

I am going to try to make the live rock my self, as others have done it.

Making live rock isn't a whole lot cheaper than buying it, if you want the honest truth. To do a 20g tank, you could get a 40lb bag (probably about $50) of aragonite sand and split it... half for sand, half to make live rock with. Then you still have to buy the concrete and based on some things I've read, plastic shavings (coraline LOVES plastic). You also need some real live rock in order to seed the homemade rock.

Like parker said, if you're looking to cut that many corners, you don't need to set up a saltwater aquarium. They're a money pit