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Newbie 5.4g Nano Reef Build


pewpewkittah

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pewpewkittah

Hello :).

 

I am new the forums, so I guess I should give some background to my fish keeping. I kept a 70g saltwater tank that my father helped me take care of several years ago. Unfortunately, we had to sell it because of a move across the country. Recently, I took a dive into freshwater planted tanks. I have two flourishing high tech tanks, but I am looking for a little more of a challenge.

 

I have decided to dip my toes back into saltwater again and start with a 5.4g. As a college student and mom, I plan to keep this some what low budget. But I am aware this will take a future investment of time and money.

 

For the past few weeks I have been doing lots of research on filtration, lighting, etc.. Here are some of the stickies I am drawn too:

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/180570-el-fabs-simple-guide-to-pico-tanks/page-2#entry1981074

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/267432-gu10-led-build-thread-chinese-ebay-lights/

 

 

Here's the build so far:

 

Tank:
OR
Filtration/Circulation:
Aquaclear 50
Hydor Pico Evo-Mag
Live rock
Lighting:
DIY GU10 LED build?
Other Accessories:
15W heater
Refractometer
Livestock:
Goby OR young Percula Clown
Fire shrimp and snails for cleanup
Mushrooms, zoas, green star polyps, pulsing xenia, rock anemone
Mainly, I need a little guidance with my lighting and livestock plans. To begin with, I am not interested in purchasing a 100$+ fixture. I understand this may limit the corals I can keep.
I am really intrigued in building my own fixture using GU10 led cool white/blue bulbs. I've heard these lights can grow a variety of corals and gives me the opportunity to in the future. However, I am really a noob when it comes to electricity and wiring.. I tried looking for a detailed build for a small fixture that would suffice for my tank but I have come to a dead end.
OR I can go the lazy way and get a decent cheap fixture like the one's I listed above. They have pretty good reviews, but I don't like how blue they appear to be. I would rather have something around the color of the tank below. These appear to be PAR38 bulbs, but I cannot find a similar fixture to hold the bulbs.
nano-reef-aquarium-spotlight-mangrove-ma
I am appreciative of any other tips or advice.
Thank you in advance :).
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For your lighting, one possibility is to use one of the PAR30 or PAR38 bulbs from Coral Compulsion. Many of us have used these bulbs successfully with many corals including SPS. On a 5g tank, you would be fine with a PAR30 bulb which would cost well under $100. Buy a cheap desktop lamp fixture to fit your taste and decor from any big box store, and you'll be all set. However, as you've noted, you can't control the color of these cheaper lights, so if you don't like blue, you can't adjust it. However, bear in mind that many corals are grow better and are more attractive under more bluish light. It's a big change from freshwater lighting...

 

As far as beginner corals go, ricordea florida mushrooms and zoas are good starter corals and won't get ugly or too invasive over time. Other options that are commonly recommended include green star polyps (GSP), kenya tree, and pusling xenia. However, while these are easy to keep and will grow fast, they will spread rapidly and can take over a tank. Just search for "beginner coral" here on NR and you'l find lots of ideas :)

 

Good luck, and keep us posted!

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pewpewkittah

For your lighting, one possibility is to use one of the PAR30 or PAR38 bulbs from Coral Compulsion. Many of us have used these bulbs successfully with many corals including SPS. On a 5g tank, you would be fine with a PAR30 bulb which would cost well under $100. Buy a cheap desktop lamp fixture to fit your taste and decor from any big box store, and you'll be all set. However, as you've noted, you can't control the color of these cheaper lights, so if you don't like blue, you can't adjust it. However, bear in mind that many corals are grow better and are more attractive under more bluish light. It's a big change from freshwater lighting...

 

As far as beginner corals go, ricordea florida mushrooms and zoas are good starter corals and won't get ugly or too invasive over time. Other options that are commonly recommended include green star polyps (GSP), kenya tree, and pusling xenia. However, while these are easy to keep and will grow fast, they will spread rapidly and can take over a tank. Just search for "beginner coral" here on NR and you'l find lots of ideas :)

 

Good luck, and keep us posted!

Thanks so much for the quick reply.

 

I was looking into the coral compulsion bulbs. They seem a little pricy for a single bulb. I guess I am just cheap. LOL. They're are eBay equivalent ones, but I assume they aren't as nice?

 

I appreciate the blue colors! As you said it brings out the rich colors of the corals. However, I don't want something in the 22k range. Its pretty excessive IMO.

 

That sounds like a good variety of corals. I'll check out some more suggestions on the forums.

 

Questions:

Is "cheato" a necessity? Or can I just use chemipure with some filter floss in my HOB filter?

 

Should I dose nutrients for corals or just use the saltwater mix designed for coral growth?

 

Can I keep a small clownfish and a type of anemone in this tank? Not off the get go, but in the future. Of course I would rehome the fish once it got too large. I am seeing a lot of mixed answers with this.

 

 

Thanks :)

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Cencalfishguy56

Thanks so much for the quick reply.

 

I was looking into the coral compulsion bulbs. They seem a little pricy for a single bulb. I guess I am just cheap. LOL. They're are eBay equivalent ones, but I assume they aren't as nice?

 

I appreciate the blue colors! As you said it brings out the rich colors of the corals. However, I don't want something in the 22k range. Its pretty excessive IMO.

 

That sounds like a good variety of corals. I'll check out some more suggestions on the forums.

 

Questions:

Is "cheato" a necessity? Or can I just use chemipure with some filter floss in my HOB filter?

 

Should I dose nutrients for corals or just use the saltwater mix designed for coral growth?

 

Can I keep a small clownfish and a type of anemone in this tank? Not off the get go, but in the future. Of course I would rehome the fish once it got too large. I am seeing a lot of mixed answers with this.

 

 

Thanks :)

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Cencalfishguy56

I would go for the 16k range perfect coloration for corals and not too blue IMO, and you can get away with filter floss, chemipure elite, and I would also run phosguard but that's just me, you're also gonna wanna do a 20-25% water change a week for nutrient export, I know many people will bash you for a clown but I've seen many here keep a clown in a 5G with great success for anemone Id do a rock anemone down the road very colorful and stay somewhat small and pulsating Xenia wouldn't grow too bad if you secluded it on its own rock just a suggestion goodluck! And that tank in the picture looks severely overstocked lol could be real coral wise but with that many fish Id see it crashing

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pewpewkittah

I would go for the 16k range perfect coloration for corals and not too blue IMO, and you can get away with filter floss, chemipure elite, and I would also run phosguard but that's just me, you're also gonna wanna do a 20-25% water change a week for nutrient export, I know many people will bash you for a clown but I've seen many here keep a clown in a 5G with great success for anemone Id do a rock anemone down the road very colorful and stay somewhat small and pulsating Xenia wouldn't grow too bad if you secluded it on its own rock just a suggestion goodluck! And that tank in the picture looks severely overstocked lol could be real coral wise but with that many fish Id see it crashing

 

Yeah, I was thinking between 14-18k for the light. I will take your advice and get some phosguard as well :) . My plan is doing weekly water changes to keep up with proper maintenance. Thanks for the coral suggestions, those rock anemone are gorgeous! I don't have any experience with stocking SW tanks, but considering it is a 6g I would have to agree with you. Mainly I was just posting the picture because this is the bulb color I am looking for.

 

Thanks again!

 

 

As for buying the bulb, I found PAR30 bulbs for good prices on ebay. https://www.google.com/search?q=par30+reef+bulb&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=par30+reef+bulb&tbm=shop&spd=11512193841349651860

 

Does anyone have experience with these bulbs vs. Coral Compulsion bulbs? Obviously I will buy the Coral Compulsion bulbs if they are built with superior components, have a longer life and crisp LED's.

 

I also have picked out a lamp fixture. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20110903/

Shout out to edd29 for the idea! :happy:

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