What would I need for a nano?

[saltygirl21]

I'm not sure that that would be a good idea because you need to cure all the rock and if you just keep putting more in then it would be like cycling your tank every time you put more in and you'd have amonia spikes. But I'm not sure.

 

[daniodude]

I am putting in my live rock at about 6-9 pound intervals, I have had one or two ammonia spikes with the first two batches. I did what the LFS to me to do, and he's been doing salt for 15 years and doing it for a living for 10yrs. you could buy uncured LR and cure it and save like $2-$3 per pound.

DanioDude

 

[Adrinal]

The nano cubes look cool... but I dont see the point if you are doing this on the cheep.

20g L will be your best bet if you have a spot to put it on.

Only 25 bucks and the better shape.

I use a work shop hood (4 bucks) and a 6500 spectrum light from Home Depot

("Commercial Electric 19w=75w Daylight" comes in a blue clamshell and you know its the right one because the back side says 120volt -19watt 6500k).

around 8-9 bucks.

I use one of these in my sump, but if I was doing it on a main tank I would put 2 perhaps 3 on a long tank. Nice crisp white light.


HTH

 

[Danno]

Well I just called up Drs Foster and smith and they said that the 24 watt bulb is ok because it is only about 13 inches away from the bottom of the tank. Also they are selling a special of 30 pounds of live fiji rock for 20 DOLLARS!!

I really need to get that quick becuase the offer ends!

 

[Danno]

BTW, Would one jawfish (cant remember the name but it is the one that ghas a co partner of a piston shirmp and burows in the sand) and 1 clownfish be ok in the 12 nano tank?

 

[impur]

But the way you want to do it is like 400 dollars in equipment and im only 17 with a dishwashing job. I can't go buck wild with all these equipment things

10 gal AGA = $9
96w PC quad = $100
AC500 HOB filter moded to fuge = $35
1 minjet = $10
15 lbs LR ~ $50
10 lbs LS ~ $20

Total = $224


I don't see how you get $400, but this is by far the cheapest way to go. Plus you can keep pretty much anything.

If you want to be successful you will have to spend some money. If you have some small PHs laying around and an old HOB filter like i did, its that much cheaper. Also you could check over at nano-reef.com or reefcentral.com for the PC quad used, probably save you another 20-50 bucks.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Danno]

Wow this might be alot cheaper then I though it was going to be . Thanks for all your copperation (deffinatly impur! THANKS ) The only thing is, I have a limited amout of space....ill go measure brb...well...its will be tight and I already have a small room to begin with. Ill have questions about this mmoreo later?

What wring with the nano tank though?

 

[daniodude]

I would love to be able to reach 20x my volume )

I have 20x. I have a 164gph, a 125gph, a 125gph. in a 20g long. that's 414 gph, 20 7/10x volume, and I'm getting another PH. will that be TOO much?

 

[Adrinal]

will that be TOO much?

Your critters will let you know. And if you place your rocks right, you can still have high and med zones.

 

[daniodude]

Ok, I don't have fish yet, My tank has been up about 9 weeks. I'm probably going to get another 125 PH, and maybe a power filter with a bigger space to turn into a fuge. right now, I just have a bio-wheel 125(w/o the wheel) with LR in it, its a pretty tight space, i want to get the tetratec PF300, Lots of space, but it has a "living Chamber" that fills and emptys with water, i have to find out what's going on with that.

It will be 539gphin my 20g when I get my new PH


Daniodude

 

[Navarre]

now thats a flow rate!

as has been mentioned, if teh rocks are structured well you can still achieve medium flow area and quieter spots for fish to rest etc

 

[impur]

It will be 539gphin my 20g when I get my new PH


Daniodude

Nice, that'll keep those darn diatoms at bay! In my 29 i'm setting up i'll have around 800 gph of flow. Now i just gotta see if the sand will stay put or i'll have to go bare bottom

 

[3fsh]

I agree that it would be better (and cheaper) to buy all of the pieces and then put them together than buying a "ready made" nano tank. Plus, 4w per gallon is not near enough light for corals. Here is an even cheaper way to set up your tank:

1. Buy the tank second-hand. I bought a 10g for $5 at a thrift store and it had ZERO leaks. Just make sure (if you buy it from a thrift store) to test it for copper because it is deadly to invertebrates.

2. Buy 1/2 cured LR and 1/2 uncured LR and let it cycle itself. (I got my uncured LR for $3.99 a lb and my cured for $4.99 a lb!!!) Also, since it's a nano tank, they might give it to you cheaper if you ask for the small "rubble" pieces that no one else wants.

3. Don't buy a filter. Buy a small HOB skimmer/filter. The LR, and the LS will do the filtration for you and the skimmer will remove stuff before it turns into ammonia and help filter the water.

4. Use crushed coral substrate. It is a little more pricey than "play sand" but it will keep your tank at a constant pH of 8-8.2, unlike play sand.

So, with my modifications it would come to:

Second-hand tank: $5
96w PC: $100
Uncured LR: 24$
Cured LR: $30
Crushed Coral (15lbs): $12
Skimmer/Filter (See link below): $36 (Pumps 250gph!!! Eliminates the need for a power head.)

http/www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...&Np=1&N=0&Nty=1

= $207

While this is not a HUGE difference, every dollar counts IMO! You could also buy the lighting second-hand, which would lower the cost significantly. Good luck!

 

[Fishy411]

Crushed coral is bad for invertabrates and bottom feeders. it makes it hard for them to burrow.

 

[3fsh]

It's better than play sand, which will encourage algae blooms and a buildup of ammonia as the water cannot circulate properly through it, and it has absolutely no buffering capabilities. A bag of reef sand is only $2 bucks more than crushed coral... I was just giving the best "cheap" option.