New To Marines.

[mutantbigman2000]

Hi my name is adam and i'm on the cusp of buying my first marine tank.

I am going down the nano route and have decided to get the d and d 24g nano cube.

I have a few little questions regarding that tank to ask.

1. I have been reading up a lot about these and many people suggest swapping out the standard powerhead for a maxijet 1200. Would the standard powerhead be ok if i implemented it with another such as the koralia nano?

2. I'm also a bit stuck on substrates too. is crushed coral the same as coral sand? I have read a lot about buying live sand but seems a bit pointless to buy it live when the live rock i intend to buy will surely seed it soon enough?

3. Is 10kg of live rock sufficient for a tank of this size?

Thanks in advance for your assistance, and hello again from me!

 

[kj23502]

to the forum!!

1.Don't know that one

2. Yes, I believe it's the same. Only difference is the size of the particles.

3.Yes, that's enough. You could put in more if you wanted, depending on your style and if you wanted to fill it in a bit more...that parts up to you. Just remember as you add more to suit your style, your fish will have less and less swimming room.

 

[SkiFletch]

1. Yes, that would be fine and even a better idea than the Maxijet since the Koralia uses much less electricity.

2. Correct, same stuff, just different particle size. Keeping a sand is much easier than smaller pebble sized particles, trust me . And you're right about live stand, complete gimmick.

3. Yup, plenty of rock

to the forum

 

[Nalaundi]

welcome welcome!

 

[mutantbigman2000]

thanks for the replies.

A further develpopment.

I was going to get the d and nanocube 24 gallon. (£135)

But i have been offered an aqua medic chromis with halide and sump plus a load of extras. for £140 which would be the preferable one?

I like the all in one aspect of the nano cube but worry that once the bug has me in its grip that i will want a larger tank. this is where the chromis wins

 

[@ombomb]

the only downside of the halide lighting is the heat it generates, if you can control that, there's no reason not to go for the second option

good luck!

 

[SkiFletch]

Agree with @ombomb. If you have AC in the room that the tank is in, then you can go with the Chromis, otherwise, it might be smarter to go with the D&D

 

[mutantbigman2000]

No AC but i do live in britain!

I was all set for the nanocube but the chromis has really got me thinking.

I seem to get a lot for my money with the chromis. £140 for everything albeit 2nd hand.

 

[SkiFletch]

Does seem like a fantastic deal. Those Aquamedic tanks are NOT cheap new

 

[mutantbigman2000]

I've decided to go for the am chromis.

Too good an opportunity to miss.

I now have a new set of questions for you guys.

1. How do i set up a sump?

2. I will need a return pump from sump to tank any recommendations?

3. What quantity of substrate will be enough for this tank?

 

[SkiFletch]

Well it might not be necessary to setup a sump with a tank like the Chromis. They're supposed to come with a "false back" compartment which houses skimmer, heaters, etc similar to the way a nano cube does things, just larger scale.

Substrate, oh maybe ~10kg of sand would prolly be enough. Perhaps 20, but you don't want to go too deep with your sand bed, it gets unruly and potential for bad things. ~1" is a good depth for a beginner.

 

[mutantbigman2000]

No false back.

 

[SkiFletch]

Huh, that's different. Anyways, first steps in designing a sump are to figure out where the sump tank will be physically located, then decide where you want to drill (bottom or back), pick your flowrate, choose bulkheads, choose a return pump, then buy all the stuff and set it up. Simple right?

 

[mutantbigman2000]

everything except the return pump is included.

I guess its just a case of wait until it arrives to then work out the flow rate etc?

 

[SkiFletch]