My First Nano

[berkeleyfishboi]

I finally did it! I set up a Nano. An Extreme Nano in fact. I know many of you will probably frown that my first Nano is only a 2.5 g but it's doing well after 3 days. I also have a 60 g with SPS and LPS and have been into saltwater tanks for almost 3 years now.

 

I didn't spend a single dollar setting up my tank. I had the 2.5 g sitting around. I had a skilter 250 sitting around that a friend gave me, an ebo jager 100W heater, an old NO lighting for my old 20g, maybe 2 lbs of LS, and 5 lbs of LR. So this is my set-up.

 

So I put everything in and took water from my 20g sump and about 2 lbs of LS from the sump. I also put a 3 different types of macro algae into the tank. The skilter sits in back. I have a green chromis, a small blue hermit, a small astrea snail, some anthelia, a colony of pulsing xenia, and a small frag of candy coral. Everything came from my 60g.

 

So these are my questions:

 

1. I was thinking of maybe taking a penguin 170 I have and emptying the media and using that instead of the skilter (what do you guys think?

 

2. I was going to buy a JBJ 18W Clamp Light. It has one PC bulb is a combo 7100K acinitic blue and 10000K superdaylight. What do you guys think about this light?

 

3. How's my set-up?

 

Thanks for any advice in advance anyone offers.

[rhinoivory]

That heater sounds a bit overpowering for a 2.5 gallon, try a 25watt heater instead........ IMO Ebo Jagger's are the best heater brand on the market atm.

 

I assume that you have some reefing knowledge, therefor, after three days of set-up why would you put such a large bioload on such a smalltank without adequate cycling? Also, putting a green chromis, no matter how much of a sonuvabiatch it may be into such a small volume of water is really unfair. You may be able to keep him in there, but think of his well-being.........

 

That clip-on light sounds REALLY good, I would purchase it. Val or "mermaid"(nick) has a 3/4 gallon with this lighting and it seems to work well.

 

I would ditch the penguin and the skilter also, and opt for something like a mini-jet. Penguins still have a bio-wheel that creates nitrates, and the skilter, unless modified has prooved to be a really crap skimmer.

 

If I were you, I would take the inhabitants out now, put them in your 60 gallon, and buy some nice live rock, and wait for it all to cycle. Then put in the astrea and hermit once again, and start adding more invertabraes............

 

Hope this helps

[berkeleyfishboi]

Thanks for the advice. I was going to turn the penguin into a refugium. I'm going to buy a new heater soon but for now I'm keeping the 10O W one because it's all I have around. Better a heater than none, right?

 

I know about cycling tanks but I used the LR and LS from my main tank and the water came from my main tank. I really don't think there's a need to cycle. I have transfered tank many times and have never cycled. My 60G is about 2 months old. I never cycled it. I just took everythign from my 40 and moved it into my 60. It's doing really, really well. It's a full reef set-up. i just bought 30 lbs more of LR and 60 lbs of LS and put it in the new 60. I know there are no right and wrongs in this hobby as everyone has an opinion. I thank you for your reply. .

[rhinoivory]

Thats cool, so are you going to take the damsel out?

 

If you want a good refufium get a standard cheap 10gallon, make a gravity fed overflow and a pump that pumps water from the nano to the refugium and fill it up with some nice caulerpa. Penguins are too small IMO, and its going to be hard putting a light source over a penguin and putting, say, two shrimps in that will reproduce for photoplankton and the such.

 

Its kind of hard to say if you need a heater or not, but I would reccomend it, if your going with the ten gallon refugium, you could put 2 25 watt ebo's in there.

[tinyreef]

i'd keep the skilter as the refugium. it's got a larger capacity than the penguin. you just have to choke off the venturi intake. the flow is a bit high on the skilter too but if you jury rig a baffle/by pass you can have a nice little area.

 

i'm assuming the goal is to microsize everything so going the 10g defeats that purpose. it's the challenge to miniaturize! honey, i shrunk the reef, again!