The "Mini" World! PIX!(rimless 10g build)

[animalmaster6]

Starfire is much nicer. If you keep glass clean though then glass is fine.

[Mini-Dude]

O Ok I will see about it. Any other recommendations?

[Oceanus]

nope...that's about it

[Mini-Dude]

I need advise and I am seeking irt!

[Oceanus]

Just get regular and keep it clean.

[Mini-Dude]

Crap, Bitts is gonna see that and yell at me again

[Oceanus]

Orly?

[Mini-Dude]

What does that mean?

[bitts]

yep.

[Mini-Dude]

yep.

please dont, lol I just made my first web page

[bitts]

I still don't see why you'd use starfire if your painting it. You haven't said anything about DIYing the tank your self. is that what your thinking.

[Mini-Dude]

Yeah Im going to paint it. I will be DIYing the tank with my dad and the help of my LFS.

[bitts]

Oh & go read AJ's thread he was nice enough to come help in yours. You should be polite & at least check he's out. you don't have to post in it or any thing, but if you do make sure its a ? about his build. AKA stay on topic.

 

the hole tank or will you start with a regular tank & add the walls.

[Oceanus]

hola, Bitts. :waves:

[Mini-Dude]

I was just about to go check it out.

 

I will be starting out with a regular 23 long and adding the glass walls as the chambers.

[Mini-Dude]

As I was starting to think more in depth about this I just figured out my first obstical. Lighting.... I was planing on doing a FNI 24" T5 fixture but then I realized that I only have one lip to mount it from on the tank....the side.... I coulnt mount it to the filtration chambers cause it wouldnt go on. Sooooo now I'm thinking of going LED. Do you think 1 Par 30 bulb would work for a 24"x12 5/8x 13" tank? I'm trying to fid the most cost effisant and effective lighting source. Any ideas?

[bitts]

Time out. Didn't AJ just make the point that you should figure out the stuff you want. then figure out the compatibility. Then tailor the build to you stocking.

 

Damn it let me go find the thread.

[bitts]

Here read what AJ has to say on the topic.

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...t=0&start=0

[Oceanus]

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

 

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[Mini-Dude]

Here read what AJ has to say on the topic.

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...t=0&start=0

He is talking about stocking there. I want to know about equipment and lighting. I already have a stock list in my head.

[bitts]

read it again. your missing the important part. its even underlined.

Well, far from a "veteran" reefer, I do have a decent amount of experience.

 

First thing, there is no single theory, rule, or formula to estimate a good bio-load for a tank. But, I believe there is a proper method to figure it out during the tank planning/conception stages.

 

1) You need to decide on what type of tank you want (reef, FOWLR, FO, etc...).

2) Then you need to decide on the amount of time you're willing to devote to the tank, including potential vacations, power outages, etc. Also consider who else in your house is capable/willing to help out.

3) Draft a list of compatible livestock, obviously this will probably be larger than what will eventually inhabit the tank.

4) Once you begin to know what livestock you want, then you need to figure out how to provide the best conditions for that livestock. The best tanks IME are designed around the livestock.. At this point you'll continue to narrow down the choices based on:

 

A) the capacity of your bio-filter. The more rock and the more flow you have, the more livestock you can safely support (in theory). Having a sump allows you to "cheat" in a sense by having more rock and more water volume. Keep reading though as this isn't a free pass.

 

your maintenance routine. Will you be doing 10%, 20%, 50%, or some other % water changes every week? Larger water changes mean you'll be removing more waste and so theoretically you can support a higher bio-load. Remember that this is only as long as the water changes are consistent and sufficient. Thinking you can have a high bio-load by doing 50% weekly water changes and skipping it even once could potentially cause a crash. I would call this living on the edge. If you're going to play the overstocking game you need to know your stuff and have a QT set up at all times as well as take proper precautions and have a thorough understanding of the biology of your tank. There are people who get away with this for years though because of their skill and understanding. Filtration, such as a protein skimmer, can help as well but IMO shouldn't be relied upon as a means to achieve a higher stocking level. Skimmers fail, and what then? Unless you have an extra humongous skimmer lying around it doesn't sound like a good idea. Actually this goes for all equipment. Try not to be too reliant on your equipment. If you keep a lighter bio-load you'll survive equipment failures much better (in most cases).

 

C) the requirements of livestock. Ultimately this is what limits us the most IMO. Most marine species are territorial. As the amount of territory diminishes in a tank the aggression rises. As the aggression rises (doesn't even have to be to the point of causing physical harm) the stress rises. As the stress rises fish get weaker and susceptible to disease, and so on. Also remember that you need to feed the fish. The majority of marine fish do best when fed small amounts multiple times per day. We nano-reefers tend to err on the side of feeding too little in an attempt to keep the available nutrients in the water to a minimum. Yet numerous studies have shown that the healthiest fish are fed multiple times per day and this creates a lot of potential waste. Some fish need a lot of rock for foraging. Others need a lot of open water to swim. We as aquarists need to be aware of the natural behaviors of our fish because when we create the proper environment the fish are healthiest and behave naturally.

 

What about corals? Many corals have a small margin of water quality tolerances. Finally there is your CUC. You need a sufficient CUC for your bio-load.

 

In conclusion, people on the forums usually give recommendations to beginners that limit the # of fish they put in their tank. Truth is that this is mostly so the beginner can get a "feel" for the hobby and learn how to react quickly. The survival rates of our animals really needs to increase. We need to get rid of the mentality that we can accomplish whatever goals, dreams, or ambitions we have and get back to understanding the biology of the marine ecosystems we try to recreate. We really don't need to know the max bio-load a tank can support. Sorry this probably isn't the answer you wanted to hear, but it's what I've learned through my own trials as well as those of others who share on the forum.

 

It seems like there aren't very many good discussions on here anymore on the biological aspects of the hobby. We're enthralled in all the new fancy equipment we can buy, or the increased selection of fish that are available, or how LED's look on a tank, etc...

 

 

aka. you can either build the system to meet the ecosystem, or the ecosystem to meet the system.

 

look at how your doing it. which is it. have you learned enough to understand the ecosystem your creating to build a system around it. if not then stop building the system & go research.

[Mini-Dude]

I want to build the ecosystem around the system...is this good or bad?

[herranton]

MD,

 

I haven't caught up entirely on the thread, but are you still doing the 20L with a false wall?

 

I see all this talk of cutting glass for the tank. If the glass is for the divider between the display area and the filtration/fuge, I would go with acrylic, not glass. Acrylic is much easier to work with and you will be able to drill it and cut it without fear of breaking it. Imo, black acrylic would look much better than painted glass.

[Mini-Dude]

Yeah Im gonna do a 23 long with a false wall. the 23 is 36in and the 20 is 30 So the longer the better!

 

Omg I just realized that that last phrase sounds really gross....its sig worthy

[herranton]

Yeah Im gonna do a 23 long with a false wall. the 23 is 36in and the 20 is 30 So the longer the better!

Are you building the tank from scratch? I have never seen a 23L before.