Nano Pros

[ben1234]

Hey guys, ive now started a 10 gallon nano. I only have LR in it right now. I need to know a couple common questions that i know you pros can answer.
1. Do i need a refugium?
2. How do i know if i have copepods (SP?)
3. Are bristle worms good or bad (seems like ive heard both)
4.how much gph?
5.A good mixed variety cleaning crew, that will deal with everything eg.hair algea bubble algea diatoms detrius
6. when the time comes good starter corals that can deal with only 36 watt pc 50/50 and without supplements (calcium, iodide) except regular feeding



Sorry for all the questions but reading all these forums i know you guys could easily tell me
Thanks ~Ben

 

[fish_keeper2]

hey im on my way up there too........

1. NO, i dont. you can if you want.
2. i dont know that one
3. they are generally good. they eat uneaten food and detris. if you touch them they pack a nasty punch.
4. you will want atleast 20o gph for a 10 gal. i have 255 gph in my 10 gal, provided by 1 175gph powerhead and a filter with chemi pure in it that provides 80 gph. my skimmer also provides some but i dont know how much.
5. here is my cleaning crew: 3 hermits(eat everything basicly), 3 nassarious snails(eat detris), 3 astraea snails(eat algea), 1 cleaner shrimp(eats uneaten food)
6. cant help much with the corals. im still learning this my self. one suggestion: try to upgrade your lighting a bit to provide about 5 watts/gal if you want soft corals and higher for lps and sps corals.

 

[ben1234]

alright thanks for your info, anyone else with useful info appreciated. i want lots of opinions and if i up my lighting to 65 watt what are some good beginner corals.
Also i have a 50 gallon hang-on-back penguin bio wheel filter. I was wondering if maybe i could cut the back of it and expand it to make it into something like a small refugium with some live rock and macro algea. What you think?
Lastly ive heard from SH that sea stars are not good for beginners and if they die, they nuke the tank, so if i get one as a hitch hiker eg. brittle star should i remove?
What about a emerald crab?? good for nano or bad
Thanks

 

[steelhealr]

You're making me blush.....here's my take on it:

1) Is a refugium absolutely necessary? No, but, you will need to be more 'expert' at your water husbandry. Refugiums provide a haven for copepods which are a good source of food. However, macroalgae can take up nitrates, ie, is a nutrient exporter and can really help to keep the water condtions better.

2) Copepods are the little 'white things' that you'll see crawling around the glass or whipping by in the current if they get loose.

3) Bristleworms got a bad rap in the past, however, current marine thinking is that they are good detritivores. There are some unusual species which can be negative, however, for the most part, you can leave them be.

4) If you are going to keep a reef tank, flow is more important than if you were FOWLR or FO. Rough rule of thumb, 10X good, 15X better, 20X best (remember, this is not always appropriate for EVERYONE'S setup). In a ten gallon, that means minimum of 100gph. If you are going to keep a reef tank, you would be best served with 150-200gph.

5) Not a big fan of hermits....I think they are WAY overrated and many can get hostile. If you want them, stick with scarlets. I think astreas are the backbone and excellent cleaners. Here is a thought:

3 astrea
3 nassarius
3 cerith
1 trochus
one skunk cleaner

I have 2 emeralds, some don't like them. They ate my bubble algae.

6) Stick with mushrooms (actinodiscus or discosomia), zoanthids, leathers (they can get big). I love ricordeas...they have nice color. Yumas are good...not that cheap. You could even keep an organ pipe (tubipora musica)..most people don't realize that it is a softie.

Hope this helped. SH

PS...I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of Borneman's book on corals and also Fenners Conscientious Marine Aquarist. SH

 

[bunjiweb]

1. Do i need a refugium?
2. How do i know if i have copepods (SP?)
3. Are bristle worms good or bad (seems like ive heard both)
4.how much gph?
5.A good mixed variety cleaning crew, that will deal with everything eg.hair algea bubble algea diatoms detrius
6. when the time comes good starter corals that can deal with only 36 watt pc 50/50 and without supplements (calcium, iodide) except regular feeding

Seeing as you asked so nicely i figured i may aswell add my 2pence aswell!

1. I wouldnt have thought so, although it can be very beneficial on smaller tanks for removing nitrates and for macro algae filtration (culurpae etc.)

2. You almost deffinately have coepods in your tank, all good live rock harbours them and they will usually breed within the liverock. They are good food for alot of fish and crustaceans such as hermits and shrimps and are certainly no harm to the tank.

3. Theres conflicting opinions on bristle worms but the basic matter is there are many types, some are good at sifting gravel and eating debris that other cleanup-crew won't get to, although there are other types that can grow to 7feet and will attack fish and cleanup-crew.

4. You want at least 10x turnover per-hour, although alot of people aim for twice that. In a 10 Gallon you should be aiming for 500L/ph minimum.

5. In a 10 Gallon 4 hermits, 3 turbo snails & 3 sand sifting snails would be plenty, you could substitute a couple of the hermits for a cleaner shrimp or a couple of sexy shrimps. I disagree with steelhealr about the hermits, i would have at least 2 to control hair algae etc.

6. 36W light is plenty for a 10G, you will be able to keep a wide variety in there without problems, certainly all the polyps, mushrooms, other soft corals and some harder corals. After your tank has cycled fully you can start adding suppliments for corals, there are various products that are "All In One" suppliments of calcium, iodine, magnesium, boron and whatever else. You may also want a coral food such as plankton or coral-food mixes which a lot of companies produce these days.

Hope that adds to the already good replies! And remember take your time and ask as many questions as you need to, although remember to use the search facility to look over previous posts to see what people have done.

Ben