Help me plan my mix and match nano.

[BlennyBabe]

I have several empty tanks that would make for some cool nanos. I also have some different lighting and filtration options too. You guys help me pick the right combo of things I have lying around, and Ill post pictures and updates as I go.

Ok here are my tank choices:
20 gallon (standard)
10 gallon (standard)
7 gallon 16x8x12 (I think, I dont have a measuring device, so I just put a 8 1/2x 11 piece of paper and estimated)
and a 6 gallon eclipse.

As far as lighting goes, I have:
-175 metal halide 10k bulb
-1 coralife aqua minilight with 2 9watt bulbs, one true actinic and the other 10k
the standard 13 wqtt (I think) light hood that comes with my eclipse

For filtration I have:
-an emperor 400 (only fits on the 10 and 20 gallon)
several whisper 60s
standard eclipse filter (only works on the eclipse tank.)


I plan on using a lot of live rock. I would like to keep a wide variety of corals, sps lps and softies (mushrooms and zoas)

I would have one or two of the following:
-midas blenny
-honeycomb damsel
-shrimp goby pair with pistol shrimp
-assorted shrimp and crabs (sexy shrimp, bumble bee shrimp, porcelian crabs, boxer/pompom crabs)
-or a A pictus frogfish. (I kept one in the eclipse 6 for over a year.)


So there are your choices. I have been playing this over and over in my mind and I just cant decide. So give me your opinions.
Also, Im not opposed to going out and buying something new, but I figured since I already have all this stuff, I might as well use it.
Thanks

 

[HumblePie]

As a fellow NanoReefer, I can say that no matter which siz tank you go for, getting the metal halide bulb will not only give you excellent results but will also heat up your tank. In my case, I have a 29g with a 250W IceCap and it heats up the tank quite substantially. I eventually broke down and bought a chiller and Medusa off a gentleman on this forum and my tank has never ben happier.

Concerning your setup, remember a couple thing. The smaller you go, the faster the fluctuations (whether it be temperature, chemicals, etc.). Stability is your friend. Make changes gradually and ensure that you have proper lighting, water flow, and organic compound removal\filtration and you should be fine.

 

[BlennyBabe]

Thanks for the advice. I had a nano set up with the 10 gallon and the metal halide and I found I was topping off about 3/4 a gallon a day. I never had any heat problems though. I have free DI water from my school, I just have to haul it around.