New Nano Reef - lots of beginner questions

[Mike Maddox]

Nano questions:

 

I'm looking to make a 10 gallon nano-cube. I'm interested in Zooanthids, Xenia, and

 

maybe some polyps and candy coral.

 

I'll order my questions becuase I have a lot of them (been out of the hobby a while, sorry if these are redundant)

 

2. How much lighting do I need? Can I get away with just flourescent? What kind of wattage for a 10 gallon? Can I buy ready made hoods online, or at a pet store chain - any links?

 

3. I read about Creef making a refugium out of an aquaclear HOT filter and using it for the sole circulation. What exactly is a refugium? Do I need one? I'd like to use the AC filter as my sole circulation if possible, I don't like putter pumps in an aquarium so small if I can help it.

 

4. What kind of 'clean up crew' do I need? I'd like to keep my nano reef naturally free of excessive algal growth, etc. I take it I need astrea snails, but what about peppermint and other types of shrimp, hermit crabs, or blennys?

 

5. Do I need to dose any sort of additives? Do I need to drip kalkwasser?

 

6. Do I need to run carbon or any other sort of chemical filtration?

 

7. I had planned on using Instant Ocean salt or Reef Crystals...is this a good choice? I've only ever used Instant Ocean in fish only tanks and had good results.

 

 

Thanks a bunch to anyone willing to tackle my extensive list of questions :]

[madness]

My advice to you (and I won't be the last to tell you this) is to use the search function. ALL of these questions can be answered that way.

[Aiptasia]

1) Lighting. There is never too much as long as you can maintain temperatures. Generally, it's going to depend on the species of corals you want to keep (deep water, mid range, top water). Zooanthids can tolerate low light, xenia usually likes mid to top water light (bright). Most polyps are low to mid light, as well as your candycane coral. With a 10 gallon tank, look around for 96 watt Compact Flourescent hoods, or a 75 watt 6,500k metal halide hood with a supplimental 7,100k actinic reef compact flourescnt tube. Coralife makes some great hoods that should fit your needs. Check out the sponsors, or go to www.thatfishplace.com or www.drsfostersmith.com. Sometimes LFS's will carry them. For your tank, make sure you use 50/50 bulbs (50% daylight, 50% actinic) or a combination of daylight tubes (6,500k or 10,000k) and actinic tubes (7,100k) at a 1:1 ratio. If the light only has one bulb, go for a 50/50 tube, or the 10,000k tube. I would say 80-100 watts of C.F. light should be enough, and you can always error on more than less.

 

I have a Magnum HOT filter on a freshwater tank, and I can tell you now that there are better choices for a refugium. CPR, the company that makes the bakpack skimmers, makes a great line of refugiums that hang on the back of a tank or sump. They even make an internal tank model, but you'll have to measure the dimensions of the nano-cube to see if they'll fit on the back. Here's a link:

http://www.cpraquatic.com/products/citr.html#AquaFuge

 

The idea is to put in some macro-algae and let the algaes grow free of predation. As the algaes grow, they remove nitrates and other DOC (dissolved organic compounds) and can be pruned back and thrown away, thus removing wastes from your tank. You can also fill the refugium with a layer of miracle mud (mud filter) or 3" or more of sand as a denitrifying layer. Provided you go slowly with your tank setup, allow the nitrogen cycle to establish and your reef rock to cure for four to six weeks before adding your first coral, a refugium would be a welcome way to reduce nitrates as they begin to build. I'd set up the tank with liverock, let it cycle out and monitor it for rising nitrates. Once the nitrates rise above 10 ppm, you can add the refugium with a sand layer and 2-3 different kinds of algae (Grape, blade or mexican caulerpa, ulva undulata) and let the refugium mature. This also takes some time, and the algae needs light, so it's a good idea to put a strip light over the refugium as well. All kinds of copepods and amphipods will migrate from the reef rock to the refugium. It's a safe haven for them from predacious corals and fish, and if they multiply and are swept back into the main tank via the powerheads, you'll have a constant zooplankton food supply for your corals. Since most corals also feed on zooplankton at night, this is a good thing.

 

The ultimate goal of the refugium is to reduce your nitrates. Your live rock and a deep sand bed/plenum will accomplish this task provided you have enough LR and the sand bed is 3"-5" and has matured. Still, the additional benefit of nitrate reduction from the DOC loving algaes and additional mud/substrate filter the refugium can provide, are only more beneficial in my mind.

 

HOWEVER: You're still going to need to perform water changes, at about 10-15% of the tank volume every week. Let the tank cycle and the LR cure for four to six weeks before the first water change (prevents "stalling" the nitrogen cycle) then test it out for ammonia/nitrite/nitrate. You should have zero ammonia/nitrite, and the nitrate should be at or below 5 ppm, before you consider adding corals. It's all about balance and patience. Once the nitrites have been reduced to zero, you can add the refugium, to help reduce the nitrates. Harvest your algaes by pinching off new growth every other day (depends how fast it grows) and keep the algaes well lit.

 

4) Clean up crews: A combination of reef safe snails and true mexican red legged hermits are the best. I like the janitor packs from GARF (www.garf.org) because they sell four different kinds of small, longer lived snail species and the true mexican hermits (really little guys). Call them and tell them what size tank you have and they'll fedex them to you overnight. You should add them very shortly after setting up the tank to help manage your tank during the cycling process. Chances are, as the LR cures, your tank will have blooms of diatom/green/red slime algaes and having the janitors in place right away really helps keep your tank clean. They'll also provide a nitrogen source for your tank to keep cycling, so you don't need a damselfish.

 

5) Additives: Yes. You'll need a good basic two part additive (b-ionic, c-balance, seachem's reef essentials) which is comprised of one container of liquid calcium/magnesium/strontium suppliment and one container of sodium bicarbonate alkalinity booster (to keep your pH up to 8.3). Use them per instructions and your corraline algae (pink,purple,red) will really take off. You'll also need a good coral vitamin/trace element suppliment (seachem, kent marine's coral-vital) for both your algae in the refugium and corals when you begin to add them. They deplete trace elements and vitamins (iron, iodide, etc.) through normal metabolic processes and you'll need to suppliment them back.

 

Corals also don't strictly get their energy from their photosynthetic zooxanthellae, they also get food from feeding. When you get corals, you should establish a regimen of feeding them every week with a pipette (thin straight tube, ask your LFS). Kent marine, two little fishies and DT's makes good phytoplankton products you can feed to corals. I also like reef snow made by two little fishies. You fill the pipette with food, and place it right in front (without touching) the exposed coral polyps, and let a little of it drift out and over the polyps, like trapping soda in a straw with your finger and letting it drip out drop by drop. I don't like broadcast feeding (putting a capful into the tank) because 95% of it will end up wasted and will raise your nitrates.

 

As far as dripping kalkwasser, you probably won't need to do it with this little tank. Just add your two part calcium suppliment to your evaporation water (RO, RO/DI or distilled water only please) before you add it back to the tank, you should be ok. Also, you're going to need to do 10-15% water changes on the tank (after it's fully cycled) each week, and that's going to replenish a lot of calcium and alkalinity.

 

6) Chemical filtration: Probably not unless nitrates get out of whack or if an invert dies. Properly cycled, you won't need any chemical filtration. However, if corals sting each other and release turpenoids, or if your algaes (god forbid) go sexual and toxic (fail to trim them back and this will happen in caulerpa), you will need to use a good grade of reef carbon that won't leach phosphates or silicates back into the water. You can also try using nitrate scavenging adsorbers, such as seachem's purigen, to remove nitrates. I'd only use that if you have a dying coral and/or the nitrates are through the roof. If your water looks a little yellowish, use some carbon to clear it up. Until then, you probably won't need it.

 

7) Instant ocean is great and it's usually cheaper than reef crystals, but either is a good choice. Water is important, as most tap water isn't pure enough for reefs. Tap water can contain metals, nitrates, phosphates and silicates which are pefectly safe for human consumption, but not good for reef animals. I'd use steam distilled water, RO (reverse osmosis) water or RO/DI (deionized reverse osmosis) water for your reef exclusively. You can buy it off the shelf at your grocery store, or buy an inexpensive RO system for $80-$250 (depending on it's complexity and brand name) and have it installed in your home, or hook it up to a garden hose (some have garden hose fittings) and make your own pure water. They even make steam distillers for the home, but they run hot and should be kept in a garage and will require a plumber to hook up correctly.

 

A lot of info, huh? Hehe. The most crucial thing is to remember to do your water changes. Also, you might want to consider a new way to change water if you have a problematic nitrate problem. In an emergency, you can perform a multi-step water change. It works beautifully. Save this link because it could save your tank in an emergency: http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/nitrateco.../l/aa091901.htm

 

Just look at the animated GIF if you have any questions.

[Mike Maddox]

Wow Aiptasia, that's helped more than you know. Infinite thanks man

 

My final question is: Do I need a refugium? Should I have one? Thanks.

[AnthonyNguyen]

dood, you from North Houston right?, where actually? I-45?? i have a good place to shop for SW, and i have 3 - 10 G that i dont used, and some equiment. i might give it for you cheap. i have a builted Top for 10 G light, with 110 W, i lived in NW area, near 290 and W liltle York, email me at ChetViYeuEm@aol.com. i being shop at City Pet, i dont know that u know this, but i got it from Donny, he gave away things for a very cheap price. so just drop me an email. i see what i can do. later dood!

[PetPeople]

We started out 10g aquarium a couple of weeks ago. If you like visit us at www.crookshideaway.com as I am posting our experiences as we go.

[Arson]

Aiptasia's knowledge is amazing.

[joekr]

wow. So much helpful information...

 

Thank you!