snikt83 Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 Hey everyone..just wanted to introduce myself..my name is brandi...hiii..lol Anyway my mom and i moved into a new house, and in the basement i found a 2 canister setup. I'm new to RO and such. The 2 canisters are on a metal plate together with a gauge type box at the top. It reads (clears throat) "NSA 3000HM High Density Water Filter". Then across the top of one canister it says "high density Media Bed" and the other "Activated Carbon canister". Didnt know if it was good for anything. I do know the man that lived here before us had several fish tanks. (note: opened canisters and they appear to be unused) Also I am currently setting up a 29g "nano" reef, and am trying to decide on lighting. Link to comment
maroonclown Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 Ok, first, welcome to Nano-reef.com. Second, it sounds like a Reverse Osmosis filter, and if it is, you lucked out. They are really expensive, and you need an R/O or DI water system. You can focus on spending the $150-$300 dollars onother things (if it is an R/O system). As for lighting, you should throw-out the "3-5 watts per gallon" rule. Nanos need a ton of light, especially for the light-loving SPS corals and Tridacna clams. The major influence on your light system will be what you plan on keeping. If you want a Fish only with liverock (FOWLR), you will need at least 2-3 watts of light per gallon. In a 29, this would be a single 65 watt PC tube. This light will be suitable for mushrooms. If you want zoos, Xenias, LPS, and most soft corals, bump the lights up to 3- 55 watt PC bulbs. That is about 5.5 watts per gallon, and soft corals will thrive under that. Also, most SPS corals will survive, but their colors will fade to grey or brown with out the proper light intensity, and they will show poor growth. Now we get into the reef building SPS corals; beautiful, fast growing (if conditions are perfect, and fast growth is generally slow compared to soft corals), brightly colored, and "delicate". They need the most amount of light you can provide. This light comes from Metal Halide (MH). Also, the Tridacna clams expirence the best survival, health, and color under MH as well. MH isn't cheap, mind you. Expect a good system to set you back $150-$450. This is alot of money, but it MIGHT cost less in the long run. Obviously, the ones that are sold for $30 a bulb at Home Depot aren't suitable for anything aquarium. Also, MH has a few down falls. They get HOT!!!! They will turn your tank into fish'n'coral stew if you aren't careful. They should be mounted a MINIMUM of 4" above the surface of the water, possibly more. If you put them in a closed canopy, you WILL NEED VENTALATION FANS (aka muffin fans). Also, they (MH) have certain safety concerns. Because the bulbs are so hot, you might get burned. If water splashes on them, they could crack or even explode (this should be much of a concern if your tank is properly covered). MH also releases UV light, but you should only be worried about this if you sit and stare for hours at the bulb. Also, some UV is called PAR, which stands for Photosyntheticly Active Radiation. This stuff makes corals produce protective pigments in order to protect their symbiotic algae (their food), resulting in amazing color. The best choice light system, if you can afford it, is a combination of a 175-400 watt MH bulb in the 6,500k-20000k range (lower rating= more red/yellow light, higher [10000k] is "crisp white" light, 20000k is very blue light), combined with 2-65 watt PC actinics or 2-75 watt VHO actinic flouresents. Now that I have bored you with more than you asked for, good luck, and welcome to Nano-Reef.com! Link to comment
maroonclown Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 P.S., I'm a fan of the older Berlin Method, which calls for strong lighting and protein skimming. Use liverock as you bio-filter, it is all you need, but keep a SMALL fish population (my 20 only has 2 fish, and I'm stopping at 3, I've learned my lesson the hard way.) Also, the more water movement, the more healthy your fish and corals will be. Link to comment
onthefly Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 Jeez Maroon Clown! I think you just scared her into making a deepwater/no light/tube worm tank!!!! Welcome Brandi!! Do some searches in the members tank section and look at the types of lighting and what people are having success keeping under those conditions. MH are sweet! If you can afford it....go for it! If not, look into some PC lighting. Like Maroon said, with PC's you won't be able to keep anything you want, but you can keep a sweet ass tank with MH's!!!! Do me a favor!!!! Don't ever post a thread that states "I have 96W power quad...what can I keep?" or "What can I keep under ____W of light?" It will save you from getting flamed...... Don't rush.....take your time and you'll have a really nice tank! Link to comment
maroonclown Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 Yeah, also, along the lines of going slowly, don't worry about your mistakes. If your trying to survive, the quickest way to die is to panic. The quickest way to fail in reefing is to panic when you make a big mistake. Go slowly, and push a few more limits very slowly when you get more comfortable. And always follow this philosiphy: "Only bad things happen quickly in a reef aquarium." P.S., Sorry if the lighting info scared/confused you, I just wanted to let you know what your best options are. I;m just running PC lights right now, and I'm getting a 250watt MH in the near future, don't screw up and buy a lower power or quality light system. It might cost more to replace or upgrade your equipment than it would to start with the expensive stuff. I wasted maybe $400+ on cheaper equpment that I had to upgrade. I just have to ask, are you paying for this, or is your mom? Link to comment
snikt83 Posted November 12, 2003 Author Share Posted November 12, 2003 thank you guys soo much for the info. I am trying to figure out how to post pics..almost there..lol.. just need 5 more minutes spare time school, work, research, actually setting up my reef. Seems like i didnt save enough money to start..lol oh well. Again thanks so much, and i wont ever post anything thinking it is cooler than anyone elses...i am not a "one upper" (i dislike those people) love to you all Brandi lynn Link to comment
snikt83 Posted November 12, 2003 Author Share Posted November 12, 2003 didnt catch your last question on the end there maroon. I am paying for the most part. I am a college student living with my mother. My parents are in the process of getting a divorce(found out 2 weeks ago) Then Last week I moved in with my mom. Im ok with it tho i guess. It is the only way my dad agreed to pay for my housing....so it was with mom in a house..or in a 12by12 dorm room(again)...HOUSE!! I work and save money..help mom out when i can. Although she may be buying me some stuff for christmas. Maybe that could include lights...I prob wont be keeping clams. They are nice though. My local LFS has a huge tank (not sure of the size) and in it is a clam that is about a foot long..maybe more. Great coral too...get this....they don't frag, and their stock sucks! haha oh well love to all BraniLynn Link to comment
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