akhilennium Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Hi All.... Im Akhil....finally decided to start-up a marine tank.... From past 2 year, i have been keeping all kinds of freshwater cichlid species.....currently i have a 120 gallon planted discus tank.... I got inspired by marine tanks when i visited an aqua plant supplier (he's been keeping marine tanks since 8 years), last month. So, after a long research (if i can keep a marine tank) I finaly decided to start it up.....but as i already have a monster tank in the living room, i decided to keep a nano reef tank on my desktop table (which may bring up some show in my room).... Ok, here are the pics of the tank i just bought today... The tank dimentions are 17.5" length, 12" depth and 15" height. I researched on HOB filters for this small tank but the better option i found is Eheim 2213 external filter. i will be getting live rocks and live sand.....im still researching on live rocks but im bit confused with sand....the LFS guy said that crushed coral sand is much better than Argonite sand......he said that it gives quick results once i start keeping corals.....i researched about that on internet and found that argonite sand has much positive response than crushed coral sand.....other guy on internet adviced that i shud keep crushed coral sand as one layer and cover it with argonite sand......now which one shall i go for???? Please help as im going to get live rocks this weekend..... --Akhil Link to comment
rdahlke1105 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 You may want to remove the towel from underneath the tank. Its going to get wet and might possibly ruin your desk. Link to comment
akhilennium Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 You may want to remove the towel from underneath the tank. Its going to get wet and might possibly ruin your desk. oh no thats not the towel....its a very tick cloth which takes a long time to soak the water...in short its a water resistant cloth....hehehe --Akhil Link to comment
nibor Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 1 inch of aragonite sand. No crushed coral. Use distilled or RODI water and a quality salt. No tapwater. Set the rocks on the base of the tank and add sand around them so your rocks don't move around. Only run chemical media and or filter floss in the canister, no biomedia. You will need to clean it at least weekly. You are going to need something for more flow like Koralia powerheads and a heater of course. What do you want to keep in this tank? Plans for lighting? Where in the UK are you? Link to comment
jojoe972 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 +1 to nibor No crushed shells!!!! I think you could do more than 1 inch on the bottom if you want. Link to comment
akhilennium Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 1 inch of aragonite sand. No crushed coral. Use distilled or RODI water and a quality salt. No tapwater. Set the rocks on the base of the tank and add sand around them so your rocks don't move around. Only run chemical media and or filter floss in the canister, no biomedia. You will need to clean it at least weekly. You are going to need something for more flow like Koralia powerheads and a heater of course. What do you want to keep in this tank? Plans for lighting? Where in the UK are you? Hey thanks for the advice.....sure im getting all the gadgets and other water testing kits that are required for a marine tank..... As this is a very small tank, i wud be keeping very limited bio load.....planning to put a pair of P. clowns and other possible inverts.....but first i have to arrange the tank and leave to complete its cycle....then if the water params are good... ill slowing add the inverts first and then come the fish.... BTW im fom India... --Akhil +1 to nibor No crushed shells!!!! I think you could do more than 1 inch on the bottom if you want. I'll copy paste that on my memory.....sure ill go for that...thanks --Akhil Link to comment
nibor Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 BTW im fom India... I was just going off the plug sockets. Link to comment
akhilennium Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 Oh also the water i get here is a natural rock water.....it does not contain any chemicals....rocking natural water with pH 6.5 (absolutly suitable for my discus tank) Link to comment
rdahlke1105 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Are you talking about True Percula Clownfish? If so every where I have looked states that they need a minimum of 30 gallons. Now the Ocellaris Clownfish the minimum gallons is 20. Link to comment
akhilennium Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 Are you talking about True Percula Clownfish? If so every where I have looked states that they need a minimum of 30 gallons. Now the Ocellaris Clownfish the minimum gallons is 20. Well frankly speaking....as i still have a lot of time to add fish.....i did'nt acctually researched on it......but yes...im fasinated with NEMO...so i wud be adding it in my tank.....which one????? i have to research on it... --Akhil and yeah im talking abt the Percula clown....but i have to check if its true or the false one.....I found Ocellaris are more attractive thant Percula...wat say??? I was just going off the plug sockets. LOLZ HEY.... Link to comment
MikeTR Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 a pH of 6.5 is almost 20 times too acidic for a marine tank.. tho i'm sure your discus love it. Link to comment
akhilennium Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 a pH of 6.5 is almost 20 times too acidic for a marine tank.. tho i'm sure your discus love it. Yeah.....i will have to work on it once i start pouring the sea salt..... and yea...the water is a discus paradise And hey wat do you guys think abt Eheim 2213????? Link to comment
rdahlke1105 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 If I remember correctly Nemo was an Ocellaris Clownfish. Do they have RO/DI water there in India? If so, it is much better to use in marine tanks. Link to comment
Deano Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 to N/R. I to am a old Cichlid keeper. I have 55 gal that has been up and running since Jan 1996. All it has left in its a very large cross between a Nimbochromis venustus and Polystigma, which was born and raised in this tank late 1996 along with a Synodontis Multipunctatus add early 1996. I had several other cichids in there as well but since the Nimbo has gotten so big when the others died I just left it where it is. Plus I have been bitten hard by the reef bug since 1998, I hardly spend any time with the Cichlid tank. Once these 2 fish pass I will take the tank down but the rate it is going it could be several years. My all time favorite Cichlid was my gray Steatocranus casuarius, RIP. Link to comment
akhilennium Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 If I remember correctly Nemo was an Ocellaris Clownfish. Do they have RO/DI water there in India? If so, it is much better to use in marine tanks. Oh sure we have them here in India.....so i have to spend a day for it if u suggest it..... --Akhil Link to comment
rdahlke1105 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Most recommend RO/DI water or at a minimum of RO. I know right now I have RO water in mine. Link to comment
akhilennium Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 to N/R. I to am a old Cichlid keeper. I have 55 gal that has been up and running since Jan 1996. All it has left in its a very large cross between a Nimbochromis venustus and Polystigma, which was born and raised in this tank late 1996 along with a Synodontis Multipunctatus add early 1996. I had several other cichids in there as well but since the Nimbo has gotten so big when the others died I just left it where it is. Plus I have been bitten hard by the reef bug since 1998, I hardly spend any time with the Cichlid tank. Once these 2 fish pass I will take the tank down but the rate it is going it could be several years. My all time favorite Cichlid was my gray Steatocranus casuarius, RIP. Sorry abt your cichlid loss......but hey....even i got bitten by the same marine bug......and i dont think i'll loose my attention from my beautiful discus tank even after i start my thesis on marine tank ....anyways i have to do a weekly water changes for the discus otherwise ill have pay a very expensive loss Link to comment
Deano Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 And hey wat do you guys think abt Eheim 2213????? Most people in the US seem to have a issue with canister filters and marine tanks, they are more into natural filtration using LR, LS and a refugium with some macro algae like Chaetomorpha. They claim canisters cause high nitrates. Myself I have used one on my BC29 forever with no problems. They are just like any other filter system in the fact if you don't clean'em then you are going to have problems. I see no reason you could not use the Eheim Canister. Link to comment
akhilennium Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 Most recommend RO/DI water or at a minimum of RO. I know right now I have RO water in mine. Copy, pasted Most people in the US seem to have a issue with canister filters and marine tanks, they are more into natural filtration using LR, LS and a refugium with some macro algae like Chaetomorpha. They claim canisters cause high nitrates. Myself I have used one on my BC29 forever with no problems. They are just like any other filter system in the fact if you don't clean'em then you are going to have problems. I see no reason you could not use the Eheim Canister. Agree with that.....anyways i got addicted with weekly water changes...so i can clean the filter every week... --Akhil Link to comment
rdahlke1105 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Most people in the US seem to have a issue with canister filters and marine tanks, they are more into natural filtration using LR, LS and a refugium with some macro algae like Chaetomorpha. They claim canisters cause high nitrates. Myself I have used one on my BC29 forever with no problems. They are just like any other filter system in the fact if you don't clean'em then you are going to have problems. I see no reason you could not use the Eheim Canister. I think its because a lot of us are time challenged, so we don't have the time to throughly clean the canisters on a weekly basis. Link to comment
akhilennium Posted January 11, 2011 Author Share Posted January 11, 2011 I think its because a lot of us are time challenged, so we don't have the time to throughly clean the canisters on a weekly basis. yeah....even that depends.... Link to comment
akhilennium Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 Alright.....I spoke to the marine stuff supplier guy and he said that he will provide me the Live rock from his existing tank (cured Live rock).....so shall i expect the cycle when the place them in my new tank???? Shall i ask him to give me an unused uncured live rock???? please advice.... Link to comment
rdahlke1105 Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Its possible you will only see a soft cycle or no cycle. It depends on how much die off you get with the rock. I ran into this as well, right now I am trying to force my tank into a cycle. You can do this by putting in a table shrimp (i.e. one you would eat at dinner). T Link to comment
akhilennium Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 Its possible you will only see a soft cycle or no cycle. It depends on how much die off you get with the rock. I ran into this as well, right now I am trying to force my tank into a cycle. You can do this by putting in a table shrimp (i.e. one you would eat at dinner). T I eat fresh water shrimp if thats wat dont mean.....will i get it from the LFS? Link to comment
rdahlke1105 Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 I am thinking of any food quality shrimp should do it. But you may not need to even do this. It really depends on how your cycle goes. I am only doing it in mine because I used fully cured live rock that never had a chance to dry out and I wasn't reading anything on tests after a few days and I had a large amount of base rock compared to my live rock. So in essence I am forcing it to cycle. Link to comment
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