Hi

I'm new to the forum and I'm new to nano reef keeping.

I have researched nano reefing for months and I have used this site more than anything else in order to make sure I was ready for the cross over from freshwater. So firstly, thanks for the great site and all the help!

Unfortunately none of my friends have any nano reef/saltwater experience so I thought it would be a good idea to post a few pics of my new set up (2 weeks old).

So here come the questions :

I know about brown algae during the cycling stage however as you can see I have green algae (I haven't seen any brown algae). Is this normal? Do I need to do anything?

As you can see from another picture - I have white spider like creatures on my glass - does anyone know what these are?

Finally, does my set up look ok? Is there anything else you would recommend?


Thanks

What size tank is that?

sand sifting star fish i believe! They were a neat hitchhiker in my tank. try to scrub rocks with a clean brush to get off all algae. yes you want it but not in till you have a clean up crew.

tank looks good man!

Hi nanoreef-R

It's a 60 litre aqua one tank.

?

they're hydroids.

Here:

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...t&p=2072039

beautiful tank. is that acrylic? the little creatures are a good sign

edit; cool size, about 15 gallons , you know why I like that

I like the rimless look (obviously)

Welcome to Nano.

Try listing a little more detail about your system and stocking plans.

Looking at the pics, seems your plans are for a FOWLR (Fish Only With Live Rock).

Hi DHaut

Thanks for the ID.

Are hydroids a good or bad hitchhiker?

+1 for hydroids. So go ahead and eradicate them.

If you have mounting legs for the light use them to hold the unit and remove the glass lid. Or at least a part of it to allow better gas exchange. Otherwise it looks just dandy.

Hi cruiZe

Thank you. I like your tank too! Will defo use your tank link for further info!

It's a glass tank by aqua one

Hi,
It looks like you are off to a great start. One thing I did notice was that on the lid of your tank you have alot of condensation. Lids are always a great idea, as alot of fish go carpet surfing, jump, but you want the light going into your tank to have as little obstruction as possible if you are planning on keeping any marine inhabitants that require light.

I like your aquascape, it is nice and simple, and it looks like you have the need for extra flow under control.

Green algae will come and go as your tank ages, if it does become a problem there are alot of remedies. A new tank is expected to have a algae bloom within the first month or so.

Monitor your parameters frequently and when ammonia is 0, after you have an ammonia spike, do a water change and you can start on your CUC.

Good Luck.

Hi Aquanist

So I guess from your post that these guy's aren't good.

How do I kill them (will a glass magnet cleaner do the trick?)

Glass magnet, but they aren't going to cause any issues on the glass for now. They come and go in almost every tank, so no big deal.

Thanks Mojorizn

My future plans are to keep a CUC, two clown fish and I was hope to keep some "noob friendly" zoa's.

What would I need to do in order to keep corals in my tank (i.e is it my lights)?

Lee

What light is that? If those are T5HO bulbs, you're golden for zoas.

Hi Cheryl Jordan

Thanks for your thoughts! I'm glad that it seems as though I am off to a good start (thanks to reading this site).

I will have a look at what I can do about the lid - I think I might need to get more powerful lights because I want some basic corals (eventually)

Hydroids aren't evil as such but I rather not have them around.

As for the light. If I understood correctly it's 4x24W T5 fixture? If so, you can keep pretty much everything as far as lighting goes. Some nice'n hardy montipora in 2-3 months should be fine. Some zoas and maybe some nice LPS such as blastos etc..

I'm not sure whether it is T5 - when I look at the light bulb it has two tubes which are attached together which seem to be the same size as a T5. Have you ever heard of a light bulb like this?

The unit has T4 on the sticker - does it have a brand name?

Looks like an aqua one T4 unit. I don't know about T4 lighting and corals.

Aww. My bad. Seems its just 1x24W fixture. But still ok for some zoas snd other softies.

You might want to look into more powerful light in near future though. Where are you located? Not in USA at least as you (too) use metric system for your tank volume.

Hi

Sorry for the delay!

It's an aqua one T4 unit. I had never heard of T4's before I bought the unit.

Should I upgrade the unit to T5's or LEDs?





Hi

Sorry for the delay!

Yes you guessed right - I'm not in the USA, I'm in London in the UK.

What light unit would you suggest? (BTW thanks for all your help so far).

to nano-reef.com

Chances are your "T4" is some type of power compact fluorescent (a double tube). The "T" stands for tubular (usually relating to only single tube fluorescents), while the "4" would mean 4/8ths of an inch diameter. T5HO fluorescents (in the hobby shortened to just T5) are a good choice for corals. LEDs are more expensive but just as good, depending on what you get. Go to the the lighting forum for the two "important topics" on each type of lighting for more info on what fixtures and bulbs to choose.