Planning a Nanoreef, Plenty of Q's

[teefers]

Hi guys! I just got an all glass 7.5g that I want to turn into a nanoreef. Here are my plans, please tell me if there are any problems i'll run into. This is my first time with saltwater, so bear with me

http://store.seacorals.net/aqadhatamome.html
coralife aqualight 150W metal halide 20000K
does anyone have one of these? if so, how high will the light raise above the tank? from the photo it looks like its about 6in when its flat, and the arm looks like it can add another 8in of height, but its hard to tell.

definitely stocking:
a solitary captive bred true percula clown

would like to stock if it will fit:
(please let me know if any of these have feelers that are inappropriate for a 7.5g)
crocea clam
bubble anemone for the percula
frogspawn
bubble coral

n00b questions:
- how many lbs of live rock?
- what kind of filter? i'm thinking an easily modifiable HOB to fit the heater, chaeto and a small skimmer. anyone have a favorite to recommend?
- will stingers on the anemone become a problem?

i'm aware that the maxima has different care requirements from the other 3, softer bubbly looking stuff i want to keep. with that being said, i'm going to attempt to create high flow in one area of the tank for the clam and lesser flow in the other area, probably through the positioning of my liverock and whatever SPS coral I decide on.

i'm also afraid the lighting required for the maxima will be too much for the frogspawn and other similar livestock. the clamp on light i chose has an arm that can raise the light -- does it look like it can rise to enough of a height where all livestock will be comfortable?

if not, my other idea was to frost one half of the lid to make it more opaque but still allow alot of light through. probably with the cheap adhesive stuff, i won't actually get it sandblasted.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[jedimike]

Use approximately 1lb of rock per one gallon water. Of course not all rock is created equal... get some good porous rock. No boulders. Aquascaping can be tricky in a nano so make sure you also pick for shape.

I think your lighting will cook everything in your tank... no need for metal halides on a 7.5g. Especially for your stocking list. You could easily go with an inexpensive 48W power compact fixture.

Definitely invest in a skimmer (personally, I like the Aqua Remora nano's) and a HOB refugium is a great idea if you can find room.

Heat will be a thorn in your side... the smaller the tank, the hotter they get. If you want to get all crazy with the halides and multiple pumps (skimmer and HOB fuge) then you might as well start looking at chillers.

 

[teefers]

thanks for the reply jedimike!

i just thought clams and SPS needed metal halides to thrive. the one i picked out has fans built into the light, still too hot for a small tank? the research i've done says a MH is the best option for keeping a large variety of coral, but its good to hear a nice PC will take care of my proposed stocking...

now how are T5s versus PCs? they were listed as the next best thing to a MH. i was having problems finding T5's that are no bigger than 16".

 

[teefers]

I am now considering this light instead:
http://store.seacorals.net/cuusa2070wsu.html
16.5" 70w Sunpod MH 14k

Still a MH with enclosed fan because the stuff i want to keep mostly seem to prefer it, but only 70w so it shouldn't cook my tank. its also a hundred dollars cheaper

 

[Reefergeorge]

I think they also make a coralife 70 watt clip on.
As far as a skimmer I would skip on one and just keep up on your wcs.

I am now considering this light instead:
http://store.seacorals.net/cuusa2070wsu.html
16.5" 70w Sunpod MH 14k

Still a MH with enclosed fan because the stuff i want to keep mostly seem to prefer it, but only 70w so it shouldn't cook my tank. its also a hundred dollars cheaper

 

[jamiehill]

A 70W halide should be plenty for a tank that size. I am running a 70W on my 3g pico and it is a little overkill, but keeps the SPS and clam happy.

JediMike is spot on with the heat issues. That is the one thing that is a constant battle for me. I have a fan blowing across the top of the tank while the halides are on and the tank stays pretty stable between 80 & 82. The tank is in my office so it gets AC 5 days a week. On hot weekend days, I turn the fan on 24/7 and it stays cool enough. The tank has made it through 2 summers now with no casualties.

For my tank, I modified an AquaClear filter into a refugium where I keep the heater, some chaeto and a small airstone skimmer. The filter is close to the same size as the tank though.

For your stocking everything you have listed should be fine, but I would wait at least 6 months before adding a clam or anemone in order to let the tank mature and get any kinks worked out. Just because the tank has cycled does not mean it is ready for more delicate animals. Clams and anemones require very clean, stable environments and don't really thrive in newer tanks. I'm not trying to discourage you at all. I have a small crocea in my 3g, but I waited more than a year before adding it.

I am probably going to upgrade to a 12 cube soon in order to try to mitigate some of the heat issues and also have room for a fish and more corals. The tank is pretty full right now. The tank setup thread is in my signature if you want to take a look.

Jamie

 

[jamiehill]

Also, an auto top off system is a must. You can build one yourself or buy a preconstructed one, but with the evaporation you are going to be getting from a metal halide light you will want to stay on top of it so you don't get salinity swings. My 3g loses about a liter of water every other day.

 

[OmarD]

12 Gallon Nano with only 24W.

 

[jedimike]

I am now considering this light instead:
http://store.seacorals.net/cuusa2070wsu.html
16.5" 70w Sunpod MH 14k

Still a MH with enclosed fan because the stuff i want to keep mostly seem to prefer it, but only 70w so it shouldn't cook my tank. its also a hundred dollars cheaper

Much better option. Most people get halides for clams and SPS because it is the easiest way to get through 2 feet of water. Lots of light in a small space. It also provides a single source of light, so you get the cool shimmering effects. However, when your tank is only 12" deep you don't need as much power to reach your light sensitive corals. You can kind of use a watt per gallon measurement to figure out what you need. A 70W halide will give you approximately 10W per gallon of lighting... plenty of light to keep any coral you want. But you also have to have great water quality and stable parameters.

Those 2 can be tricky with nanos. Specific gravity can swing heavily with evaporation, water changes, and top-offs. A skimmer will help with nitrates as well as oxygenate the water. A refugium is also helpful... increases water volume and helps stabalize the system. Like jamiehill said, wait until you know how your tank responds to it's environment and your care before adding any sensitive creatures.

I don't forsee any problems, but it sucks to kill something because of being impatient or doing something stupid.

 

[teefers]

Thanks for the replies guys! Your comments have all been uber-helpful. I'll be sure to wait a long while before getting a clam. I'm definitely trying to minimize my losses as much as possible and NOT learn through livestock fatalities.

The thing I hate the most about SW is definitely how long it takes to actually stock your tank. So different from freshwater bio-spira overnight cycling where you can stock right away.. so much more patience required for SW but also so much more rewarding in the end.

so no one has had any problems with sweepers from the things i mentioned in a nano? like anemone or frogspawn.. that seemed to be the biggest issue when i was researching my stocking options. everything that looked interesting to me had tentacle this and sweeper that.. although my friend has never even seen the sweepers come out of his frogspawn *shrug* (yeah i know they come out at night but still.)

Omar, goooorrrgeous tank. Its comforting to see what you've done with only 24W in a larger tank than mine. thanks for sharing!

 

[theJ]

teefers welcome!!!

 

[teefers]

teefers welcome!!!

thanks j! <3

 

[joshinjosh]

I personally wouldn't purchase the 70w halides because frankly they arent worth it or cost effective. I don't think the 150w would provide too much of a temperature problem if raised higher enough above the tank. I had 250w halides of a 20l before. If you're into the blue color of lights, a 150w 14k+ light fixtures should suffice. Also you have the option of upgrading to a larger tank if you had the 150w fixture, since corals do grow.

btw, what are the dimensions for your 7.5g and where can I purchase one?

josh

 

[teefers]

I personally wouldn't purchase the 70w halides because frankly they arent worth it or cost effective. I don't think the 150w would provide too much of a temperature problem if raised higher enough above the tank. I had 250w halides of a 20l before. If you're into the blue color of lights, a 150w 14k+ light fixtures should suffice. Also you have the option of upgrading to a larger tank if you had the 150w fixture, since corals do grow.

btw, what are the dimensions for your 7.5g and where can I purchase one?

josh

well my other reason for the 70 is that i have an empty 40g that i'm also turning into a saltwater tank. any light i get for my 7.5g will not be sufficient to light the 40, so the light i get will most likely stay on the 7.5. the 40 will get its own phat light

why do you say its not worth it or cost effective for the 70s? does the light sound pricey for what i'm getting, or do you mean it won't be enough light for corals? pls elaborate i'm interested.

my tank measurements: 16Lx9.5Wx11H
It's all glass, with the two front corners curved, but not a bowfront like the pico tanks. It's made by Huey Hung Aquarium Equipment.. I bought it at my LFS because it was cheaper than anything I found online.. I looked and can't even seem to find this exact tank online.. sorry If you live in Cali I can tell you where to get it..

 

[Skimmy]

I think they also make a coralife 70 watt clip on.
As far as a skimmer I would skip on one and just keep up on your wcs.

keeping to my namesake, imo, that is definately false...
with nano reefs, there is no buffering capacity because of lack of water volume. so because of this, things happen very fast in a nano with chemical build up, nutrient build up, doc's, etc.
imo, with a scenario like that, your protein skimmer is your first line of defense. for a tank that small i would look at the hang on rio skimmer, it's like $30 and no pump in the tank. (also, it's a needle wheel skimmer that could be modified with a mesh impellar)
also, oxygenation is the other big benifit to having a skimmer.

i agree that the 150 mh fixture should be fine, as long as you have it up some, away from the tank (at least 6").

does this tank have a fake back wall with filter compartment, or just a regular tank? i ask because i agree that an auto top off would be a great thing to have, and hopefully you could hide it someplace as opposed to looking at a bunch of gear in the tank.
also, they make some great clip fans now,
http://cgi.ebay.com/Metal-Halide-Aq...8634460QQihZ013QQcategoryZ46314QQcmdZViewItem
that would be great for keeping your tank cool w/ m.h. if needed.

also, i dont think an anemone will do very well in a 7.5, just because it's so damn small, you'd be better off doing lps, zoanthids, and ricordea mushroom frags in a tank that size. the anemone will easily out grow a tank that size for sure...the clam? it might make it with enough light and calcium.
you might want to look at an all in one refugium/skimmer unit for that tank too like this:
http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=292

then buy a maxijet 900 powerhead and do this mod to it:
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28372

something like that would be the perfect combo filtration for your tank.

 

[teefers]

thanks for taking the time to peep this thread, skimer!

the tank doesn't have a fake back wall but the auto-topoff something i can always try to mod in the future. the tank will be running with a glass lid so hopefully that will minimize my evap enough? part of the reason i was considering the 70 is so there's less evap as well.

thanks SO much for the product suggestions! those will help immensely. another trusted friend also recommended the rio. i'll definitely look around my lfs's for similar fuges to the one you suggested as well.

so even if i just use the 7.5 as a temporary grow out for frags to be moved to the 40, would you still not put a small anemone in there? marinecenter.com sells ones that are only 1"-2".. please bear with my n00bness, but in a tank thats 16" long, that doesn't seem like much of a footprint.. how much will they expand and contract and is that the issue, or is it the sweepers? or both?

either way, clowns can survive without them so they'll be fine. its just that i won't get to watch mine rub up on it. they're so cute when they do that

also, how important is that powerhead mod? could i get away without doing it? i don't mind doing it if i need to, but honestly i'm not much of a DIYer. i don't mind paying a little extra if there's a better product that doesn't need modding.

 

[Skimmy]

well, for 7g i think the rio skimmer will be fine, mesh modded or not.
what kind of anemone are they selling that is 1.5", an actual bubble anemone?
i guess if you were to chance any of the anemones, the best one would be a rose bubble.

 

[theJ]

Hey Teef, if you are set on the clown hosting something, I would put money on them hosting the frogspawn if you plan on stocking one still. It took our clown about 2 mins before hosting the frogspawn. They will also host zoos, mushrooms, ricordia, etc. They aren't as picky as they are made out to be

 

[teefers]

well, for 7g i think the rio skimmer will be fine, mesh modded or not.
what kind of anemone are they selling that is 1.5", an actual bubble anemone?
i guess if you were to chance any of the anemones, the best one would be a rose bubble.

yep, bubble anemone. i was also considering the rose one. i'm looking on marinecenter.com. when i was doing more research on anemone care it said this about purchasing small anemones:

"Avoid too-small specimens, as these can fall irreversibly into poor health easily. Often folks consider that theirs is "really growing", not realizing that it is simply the expansion with water that accounts for grander appearance. Do NOT buy small (under 3" if wild-collected) specimens is my point here. Something has gone wrong with these... if new, likely tearing... If they've been on hand days to weeks or more, perhaps beating by host fishes or poor conditions are at play."

so that also discourages me. i wanted my clown to host something, but j says it'll host in the frogspawn so i'll just save the anemone for the big tank, when i can get one of a decent size without putting my other livestock at risk

 

[jamiehill]

My clowns host in a frogspawn in my 120 also. They would also host in the torch that I had for a while.