Jump to content
Coral Vue Hydros

Smash's 5.5 gallon AIO


ash71089

Recommended Posts

REBUILD STARTS ON PAGE 10 :P

 

DSC08825.jpg

 

Like many others on here, my inspiration for this tank was from Sandeep ( http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=132714 ).

 

I set this tank up about 2 years ago and then moved away to bham to go to college. I was unable to take it with me and had to rely on my mom to do the top offs... that didn't go as well as planned. I also got tired of fighting the aipstasia.

 

Now I am starting it up again. Since I just got into nursing school close to home, I will be here for atleast another 2 years.. so no worries :D

 

 

Things I will do different this time:

1. Paint the sides of the refugium

2. DIY ATO

3. DIY Aquarium Stand

4. Possible DIY LED fixture later on

 

 

Equipment:

Maxi-jet 400

Finnex 50W Heater

Current Nova Extreme 2 18W T-5 HO

Chemi-Pure Elite

 

 

Planned...

Livestock:

1 Emerald Crab

3 Blue Legged Hermits

2 Cerith Snails

2 Nassarius Snails

 

Corals:

Ricordea

Zoanthids

Link to comment
  • Replies 219
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Like many others on here, my inspiration for this tank is from Sandeep ( http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=132714 ).

 

I will be following pretty much exactly what he has done with equipment and the layout of the tank. I wanted to go ahead and make a thread on here to see what everyone thought about the livestock and equipment that I am planning to have. The reason for this tank is so I can take it to college. I am going to the Univeristy of Alabama at Birmingham for nursing school this summer.

 

Equipment:

Maxi-jet 400

Finnex 50W Heater

Current Nova Extreme 2 18W T-5 HO

 

Livestock:

1 Female Emerald Crab

1 Shrimp (Not sure which yet, maybe a skunk cleaner or spotted anemone)

3 Blue Legged Hermits

1 fish (Also not sure, my ideas are either clown goby, strawberry pseudochromis, or royal gramma).

 

Would it be too much to have a clown goby that perches and a fish that is an active swimmer?

Also considering another fancy crab, but I have not yet found one that I like. Suggestions?

 

Corals:

Ricordia

Zoanthids

Neon Green Star Polyps

 

Also maybe down the line some Dendros? Thoughts about that would be appreciated. :)

 

 

Filtration:

I plan to have a simple tank. So for filtration I will have live rock, live sand, and Chaeto. I will also use Chemi-pure.

 

 

So far I have purchased the tank, heater, and I already had the Maxi-jet 400 lying around. I still need to purchase the lighting, acrylic for sump/refugium, and glass for the top.

 

After that, the fun begins! :) Enjoy!

 

:welcome: and good luck.

 

Might consider some snails in your CUC as well.

Link to comment

I don't think you should have any fish but the tiniest of Gobies, like a Clown Goby, Greenbanded Goby, or maybe a Redheaded Goby.

It might even be too much to put a Goby in there with the amount of shrimp you want to have.

And yes,you need snails.

Link to comment

the snail that is the most resistant to a hermit crab attack is the turbo snail. hermits have to pop them off the rocks or the glass to kill them and its not an easy task.

Link to comment
I don't think you should have any fish but the tiniest of Gobies, like a Clown Goby, Greenbanded Goby, or maybe a Redheaded Goby.

It might even be too much to put a Goby in there with the amount of shrimp you want to have.

And yes,you need snails.

 

yeah, i know i need snails but i was wondering what kind.

 

I will probably go with a clown goby for the fish.

 

And about the shrimp, i dont know if i made a misunderstanding in the way i typed it but i only have 1 shrimp on the list, just not sure which one i want yet.

 

the snail that is the most resistant to a hermit crab attack is the turbo snail. hermits have to pop them off the rocks or the glass to kill them and its not an easy task.

 

Thanks!

Link to comment

is the maxijet 400 the only flow you will have, because thats what i have and it is not enough

I have been thinking of using a T and changing it for a 600

 

or adding a small aquaclear

 

also as for the royal gramma, thats what I have in my 5.5 and it looks amazing in there

but i think it will out grow the tank and have to be moved

Link to comment
is the maxijet 400 the only flow you will have, because thats what i have and it is not enough

I have been thinking of using a T and changing it for a 600

 

or adding a small aquaclear

 

also as for the royal gramma, thats what I have in my 5.5 and it looks amazing in there

but i think it will out grow the tank and have to be moved

 

you don't think that the 600 would be too much?

 

since you have one up and running already, is there anything else you would change about your set up?

Link to comment

I think the 600 would be to much if it is not T'ed

 

and i really like the idea of a place for filter floss it really cleans the water nice, but has to be changed very often

Link to comment
I think the 600 would be to much if it is not T'ed

 

and i really like the idea of a place for filter floss it really cleans the water nice, but has to be changed very often

 

 

That's definitely something to think about. I do want enough flow, but i think it would be an eye sore to have something ted off in the display part.

 

Maybe i can come up with a way of ting it off in the sump part and having two holes drilled in the acrylic.

 

I hope I'm understanding you right, if not correct me. lol

 

 

And about the filter floss, I was actually thinking about that. What is a good way to incorporate it into the refugium?

Link to comment
just put some floss ontop of the egg creat

sorry about the bad picks

 

oh, i see. Thanks for your help.

 

I saw your thread by the way and your tank is beautiful!

Link to comment
yeah, i know i need snails but i was wondering what kind.

I've had good luck with Nerite and Nassaius snails together with blue leg and scarlet hermits. I tried astrea snails but they fall over and are vulnerable to the crabs. Turbos are like bulldozers and eat themselves out of food quickly.

Link to comment
I've had good luck with Nerite and Nassaius snails together with blue leg and scarlet hermits. I tried astrea snails but they fall over and are vulnerable to the crabs. Turbos are like bulldozers and eat themselves out of food quickly.

 

thanks, how many would you recommend of each for such a small tank?

Link to comment

Was looking into getting a Coralife Blue-Moon light, I was wondering, do you keep them on all night or just before lights come on and right after lights go out?

Link to comment

moon lights are just for visual..you keep them on whenever you want

 

 

 

i just checked your stocking plans...it wud be better to integrate a moonlight into that fixture if you want one..not sure if that one has one in it..you just buy a piece and put it inside the fixture.

 

are you planning on doing a fuge? or just a AIO type thing..or no fuge or system

 

do not overstock...really, you set up is for 1 fish...some people say otherwise but jsut think how big fish end up growing and how you would feel cramped up in there..and since u are not using a fuge or skimmer and are new to this, it would be best you stick to one fish for now.

Link to comment
moon lights are just for visual..you keep them on whenever you want

 

 

 

i just checked your stocking plans...it wud be better to integrate a moonlight into that fixture if you want one..not sure if that one has one in it..you just buy a piece and put it inside the fixture.

 

are you planning on doing a fuge? or just a AIO type thing..or no fuge or system

 

do not overstock...really, you set up is for 1 fish...some people say otherwise but jsut think how big fish end up growing and how you would feel cramped up in there..and since u are not using a fuge or skimmer and are new to this, it would be best you stick to one fish for now.

 

I saw the clip on ones by coralife, are those the ones you are talking about?

http://www.aquacave.com/34-watt-lunar-blue...ralife-944.html

 

or these?

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...mp;pcatid=12760

 

I did have a 37 gallon running for about a year before I started planning this one, but took it down about a month ago.

 

My plan is to have just one clown goby but I don't see me having one until I have had the tank running for at least 3 months or longer, I'll just have to see how it goes.

 

As for the fuge, I am going to section off a part of the tank to have a fuge and sump like sandeep.

Link to comment

I have everything in now that I need except for the light and it should be in by next Thursday. If I get the acrylic done by the time the light comes in, then I will plan to go to the lfs next weekend and start the cycle. If not then it will be the next weekend, because the lfs I go to is only open thursday, friday and sunday.I will post pics when the acrylic is done. :)

Link to comment

DSC04748.jpg

 

This is everything I have so far. The only things left that I need to get before water goes in, is the light which I've already ordered and the acrylic and glass top. After that its go time.

 

This is what I have spent so far.

 

$15 - Tank

$25 - Heater

$6 - (2) 2 gallon buckets

$60 - light (Current Nova Extreme 18" T5-HO)

$6 - Chemi pure elite

$13 - Nimble Nano

$3 - Filter floss

$ 35 - Acrylic and Glass

 

The maxi-jet was free, since I already had it lying around.

 

But the Total so far is about $163

 

 

Right now the plan is to have water in the tank by next weekend.

Link to comment

Well I went and got the glass and acrylic cut today and they didn't do one piece like I told them to. So I'm going to go back again tomorrow. It's so frustrating because I explained it to the lady, brought a picture for her, and of course it was wrong. <_<

 

what is the best thing to bind acrylic and glass? Weld on #4?

Link to comment

oh ok. i thought i had heard that it wasnt a great bond between glass and acrylic if you used silicone. But i probably just remembered that wrong. thanks

Link to comment

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recommended Discussions


×
×
  • Create New...