New Member crashing in! :)

[GoldStripeMaroon]

Hello Everyone! I have to say, the member nanos here are so beautiful and inspiring, its very intimidating to ask questions in a forum where members have such results . . .

 

Having said that, I have kept larger saltwater FOWLR systems, and would like to explore the realm of keeping a Nano tank on my desktop! I have already started by exploring the articles and members pages, and here's what I am already theorizing as a good start, followed by a few short questions, so any constructive criticism is VERY WELCOMED!

 

My proposed setup

 

Either the AGA minibow 7 with a 32W retrofit kit and minfan

OR an eclipse system 6 with a 32W smartlite retrofit kit.

7-9 lbs Brazil LR

2-3 inch DSB (probably FL keys collected)

small 201 powerhead

Yellow Colony polyp

toadstool mushroom coral

1 nassarius snail

1 margarita snail

 

1. Yep, thats it, only 2 corals, that I have fallen in love with, but will there be a need of more frequent water changes if I have to add phyto to feed the colony polyp?

2. I was thinking of 1 gallon water changes every 2 weeks or so due to the light bioload and corals will get majority of food from photosyn? Right?

3. Any better coral suggestions that will cause very little bioimpacct/water quality stress that move in current?

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH. HUMBLED AND HAPPY TO BE HERE!

[2manytanks]

Welcome to the wunnerful world of nanos...

Don't worry, at one point we all had questions....hell, still do.. ! !

 

suggestions:

 

increase your snails to at least 7...might add a couple of Astreas. They're real good at cleaning the glass of the inevitable algae...

 

10% water change weekly, IMO. It's the only way you have of exporting nitrates.

 

good/easy coral that moves is Xenia....grows like a weed though.

 

Take it slow, have patience, read, ask questions.

 

You'll do fine....

[darwin604]

Might want to stick with photosynthetic corals if its your first nano and just focus on getting some good lighting. Other easy to care for softies are any kind of mushrooms and, (even though they grow like weeds) green star polyps. I'm about half a year into my first nano and I've had more fun keeping easy corals and watching them thrive than keeping harder specimens and going nuts trying to keep them alive.

 

I'd rather have a giant colony of shrooms than a dead flowerpot

 

Thats just my two bits worth of course and being a bit of a newbie myself thats just my opinion . .

 

have fun with your new nano!

 

d.

[Dingo]

You don't need to feed either mushrooms or yellow polyps. The yellows do enjoy eating flake food and will spread faster if fed, they DO NOT EAT phyto. Most mushrooms will not take food even if you try, particularly smooth ones.

 

Those two are ideal for the tank setup you mentioned.

 

Don't bother adding phyto to that tank. A waste of money for those corals, and will just cause you problems easily avoided.

[darwin604]

Oops, I was thinking sun polyps not yellow polyps. I was scoping them out at my LFS the other day but apparently their not an easy keeper and rely on trapping food. My lfs was calling them 'yellow polyps' but then I figured out that yellow polyps are a soft coral and sun polyps are a stony. Damn misinformation at the LFS is drivin me nuts!

 

d.

[Carl_in_Florida]

I have an Eclipse 6 that I got for free and do not plan to swap out. But, if I had my way, I would have the minibow. The plastic that they use in the Eclipse is real soft.

[Crakeur]

minibow and get the 36 watt instead of the 32. go with a 50/50 bulb and you can keep just about any coral in there (yes, even some acropora if they are high up in the tank).