c-o-m-p-l-e-t-e newbie here

[chinaboy1021]

i've been browsing these forums for months now. i have experience with fresh water. i've read too many posts and now im confused.

 

anyways, i know what it takes to "care" for a nano reef. but i still have no idea about the basics that it takes to set-up a nano.

 

i just got some very basic questions that might be considered obvious, but here goes:

 

1) is it possible to do a FOWLR nano?

2) are the fishless cycling procedures same as Fresh water?

3) what fish can i keep in a 10 gallon except clown fish (clowns must have anomene to host right)

4) what kind of chemical additives do i have to add to R/O water?

5) is there such thing as KH, GH with SW? what do they need to be at. also how do i maintain a ph for 8.5 (right?)

 

these questions might lead to other questions, is there a basic guide on setting up a nano somewhere on the web?

 

my shopping list consists of (i must have left out something):

5-10 gallon

lighting

heater

hydrometer

AC 300 (already have, good for refuge and current?)

salt mix.

r/o water

LR

DSB (what kind?)

 

thanks a lot for reading.

[Orange Crush]

you will find answers to all of your questions here

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/articles/

 

short version:

yes. no. there are many; no. none. yes. ~8.4, not 8.5

[caja]

Don't forget saltwater test kits - pH ammonia, nitrite and nitrate to start with.

[tinyreef]

you're a not-so-complete newbie

 

a lot of the FW stuff can be translated here. i learned the FW from my bro and now that nemo and his own daughter have worn him down, i'm going to re-teach him SW. i'm gonna ease him into it with the FOWLR.

 

the only thing i would add (subtract) to/from your list is the DSB. unless you're going for a 15H or 20XH the DSB takes away a lot of viewing area. there's a lot of debate on that subject in general but that's for research and another thread.

[chinaboy1021]

i was thinking of a 15 gallon.

 

it's a 20Lx18Hx12W tank.

 

what else should i use as substrate other than DSB? the problem is that my LFS dont carry LS

[tinyreef]

that's the 15H. my new office nano is the same. my bro really likes it because it has the smallness of a nano but the viewing of a big tank.

 

you can use dry sand or even nothing (just LR). shallow sandbed (ssb) or a medium sandbed (msb) are fine imo. i go with the least aesthetically possible but that's just me (very shallow sandbed, sneeze and you're looking at glass). i think it's processing just as well. caribsea dry sand is perfectly fine. you can get the really fine oolithic or the 1mm range. whatever you like aesthetically.

[chinaboy1021]

as i read those articles on this site,

 

i understand that cycling a sw tank bascially involves only live rock. as to my understanding, some of the "life" on the LR dies and creates ammonia. then nitrite strikes and so on. my english is bad so did i understand that the right way?

 

1) also anyone else here got a FOWLR tank?

2) what salt mix should i use? what brand salt should i use?

3) can i keep clowns in a FOWLR?

4) i really like peppermint shrimp and gobies. compatable with my setup?

5) can i use any kind of sand? will some affect my water parameters?

6) do i need to add Kent's R/O right

7) is distilled water same as R/O?

8) how would i be able to raise the ph

sorry about all the questions.

thanks

[Chamkeeper]

Depending on where you live, you can get a bag of Southdown Sand for about $4. You can use a small piece of locally purchased live rock to seed some dead rock and the sand bed. The lighting wont be such a big deal in a FOWLR, but you'll eventually want to upgrade it. Salt is somewhat personal preference. RO is better than distilled but either will work. The salt mix will buffer the pH up to the right level, just make sure you let it mix for 24 hours before adding it. Additives depend on what you have in the tank, without a large amount of coral, you might not need any additives. Pepps and some Gobies will be ok. Just dont overload the tank or you will create problems.

[Paramedic]

First off, your English is just fine!

 

As for the gobies, I'd be extremely careful about adding any fish until the cycle is complete. Quite often it's recommended for a tank to establish for several months prior to adding fish. The smaller the tank, the more critical the delay. Ammonia spikes will take out many fish.

 

There are some that recommend adding a single hardy fish to help produce wastes and speed the cycling process, but this can be a rather risky (and potentially cruel) way to handle cycling. Live rock will get your tank cycling quickly.

 

I'm pretty new to the realm, but with mine, I picked up three blue legged hermits at the same time as the initial rock and sand. Two died but the third is a happy resident. I also not long after added two peppermint shrimp and a green brittle star. After about a month I lost one of the pepps. Although tradition points to the star, he seems quite peaceful with the other pepp (they sleep together, think of the babies???) and I'd really chalk his loss up to a rather aggressive and territorial brother pepp. Plus which, the star is hand fed frequently and didn't appear "full" the morning that I discovered the shrimp missing.

 

So, for someone else only a few months in and with a good chunk of FW experience, welcome. Just remember that SW is more of a waiting game :x

[chinaboy1021]

i know i posted this a while back. but just want to say thanks a lot guys, im starting to get the hang of it.

 

whats the smallest size for 1 clown. not sure the species, but the smaller the better. i like nano.

[Xanareef]

I use Argonite Sand in my tank, about an inch to an inch and a half in places.

 

You could always add a sump/refugium with a DSB.

[Orange Crush]

Originally posted by chinaboy1021

whats the smallest size for 1 clown. not sure the species, but the smaller the better. i like nano.

 

I have my clown in a 7 gallon bowfront. I wouldn't put him in anything smaller than that.