MrDumass Posted March 18, 2004 Share Posted March 18, 2004 Hey everyone, I'm new here, but I already feel at home. I have been researching Marine Aquaria for years but never started a tank for numerous reasons, like *lack of bling* Well, here at nano-reef.com I find that my dream has come true for almost everyone here....a small scale reef. Now I want to start my nano but I'm not too familiar with the equipment for a nano, This is where you guys come in. I want to do it right the first time, Suggestions? I like the JBJ Nano-cube and would like to start there....I'm not apposed to Altering it....I'm pretty handy. Powerheads,Skimmer,Heater,top off? What about the livestock...LS...LR...Janitors? Your opinions are appreciated.... Link to comment
drewmd. Posted March 18, 2004 Share Posted March 18, 2004 well you should first you wanna get the tank. (duh) and with the jbj i have found that the lighting isn't very effecient. you want a light that will mimmick what the sun does for the ocean inhabitants. usually in a tank that size you can go with a wattage of 18-27w and a kelvin rating of 5500(no less)-6500. along with an actinic light maybe around the 8000-10000 range to give you a deep water effect which many sps corals and some lps corals live in. there are many retrofit kits that will give you the correct lighting. go with a 50/50 mixture. then you want a good filtration system. whisper makes good units along with emperor, zoo med, aquarium systems,(not their visi jet skimmer though) just to name a few. i prefer a unit utilyzing the bio wheel as it is beneficial in many ways than not. promotes bio spira. but can sometimes lead to an unwanted level of nitrates. with proper maintenance you really wont have to worry about that. then theres your skimmers. like i stated earlier don't use the visi jet skimmer from aquarium systems it's useless. they do make a better model teh seaclone which i found to be quite good for a small reef set up. or you can go with the prizm or my favorite is the remora c skimmer. the cost is pretty up there for this one though. you could use the cpr bak pak skimmers as well. either one of these are good. as far as your livestock goes i would first and always recommend you let your tank fully cycle before adding inhabitants to your tank. i know you want to speed up the cycling process but there are other ways of doing it. it is always good to purchase live sand. they contain elements that will for one speed up your cycling time and also provide your tank with the proper bacteria needed. i have always been fond of fiji live rock. just my preference. and as you add live rock you will soon see that you have some interesting critters that came with them. i have always used instant ocean salt and stand by it. there are other companies out there and it's really up to you who you choose. remember to always use ro/di water and not tap. usually half a cup of salt per gallon of water will give you the right sg. when all said and done you wanna get a good test kit. one that tests ph, nitrites,nitrates, amm, iodine adn sg. these are the fundementals. then you have kits that test copper,alkalinity,boron,magnesium, and a whole bunch of other things that once your tank is stable and running you really only need to test the nitrates unless something weird goes on. and i would strongly suggest a qt tank. it will save you time and money in the long run. any more questions you have i will be glad to answer. Link to comment
drewmd. Posted March 18, 2004 Share Posted March 18, 2004 also when all is up and running your tank should cycle anywhere between 3-4 weeks. or if you really want to speed it up you can add a very little amount of pure ammonia.(usually you can purchase this at any pharmacy or store.) don't use ammonia that contains any other ingredients or perfumes. just pure. and you will know it's pure because when you shake it up in the container it will not foam up. when adding live rock you wanna add about 2-3 lbs per gallon. Link to comment
drewmd. Posted March 18, 2004 Share Posted March 18, 2004 and also one more thing you want good water movement in your tank. for your tank set up i would recommend the zoo med power sweep 212. it's very good for water movement. Link to comment
MrDumass Posted March 18, 2004 Author Share Posted March 18, 2004 Well from what I have read, JBJ does supply a "reef ready" nano-cube which offers a 50/50 27 watt bulb. Shouldn't this be sufficient enough for less complex animals? I would consider retrofitting regardless, just curious about the stock "reef ready" lighting. Don't take this the wrong way Drewmd, but I am very familiar with keeping a reef. so the basics and fundamentals, I'm pretty comfortable with. Let's just say that I'm theoretically well studied on these topics, but never put them in motion....just curious about the Nano-cube and the equip that can be used to improve on it....as far as the bio filtration, I'm just curious about your preferances. Regardless, I do appreciate your input. Please keep it coming. Again, just re-establishing my needs..... Link to comment
MrDumass Posted March 19, 2004 Author Share Posted March 19, 2004 Anyone else? I'm hungry for opinions.... Link to comment
kalawai Posted March 19, 2004 Share Posted March 19, 2004 Hi MrDumbass.........sorry, I couldn't help myself LOLLOLOLOLMAO Well, I just started a NanoCube as a reef using critters that don't really need the high powered lighting as our other members do. So, far so good---I'm not using a skimmer --just doing very small water changes. I'm not sure what you intend to keep in your NanoCube. I'm keeping it simple for now. Link to comment
MrDumass Posted March 19, 2004 Author Share Posted March 19, 2004 Hi Kalawai, I'm planning on keeping some softies some zoo's, maybe a stony or two...definately a fish or two ( Percula or other) If I'm really lucky, Maybe an Anemone as a host....seems like a long list for a Nano. I guess I'm optimistic. Good luck with your nano... Link to comment
kalawai Posted March 19, 2004 Share Posted March 19, 2004 I have softies and some zoo's, Percula and a few hermits. Good Luck with your nano too......... Link to comment
MrDumass Posted March 19, 2004 Author Share Posted March 19, 2004 Thanks Kalawai...... Anyone else have any opinions on equipment? Link to comment
drewmd. Posted March 19, 2004 Share Posted March 19, 2004 if the tank comes with the correct lighting as i suggested than your on your way. and always without a doubt as i stated earlier i would always use a skimmer. but if you don't want to then you can just do frequent water changes as you probably already know. as far as filtration i only stick with what works for me. and those are the ones that i listed earlier. well good luck with your tank. p.s. by the way whats up with the name. lol, just wondering. Link to comment
MrDumass Posted March 19, 2004 Author Share Posted March 19, 2004 Well I was considering using a reverse flow skimmer, something small like a lee's or something. (haven't decided ,hence this thread) regarding the light, the reef-ready lights that come with the JBJ are 27 watts 50/50 pc.....what do you think of that drew? Link to comment
MrDumass Posted March 19, 2004 Author Share Posted March 19, 2004 About the name....Just been a nickname for a while...I'm not really a dumb-ass Sounds funny...lol Link to comment
MrDumass Posted March 21, 2004 Author Share Posted March 21, 2004 Wow, so many people here and only two willing to help... Link to comment
WhiteRat Posted March 21, 2004 Share Posted March 21, 2004 Give it more than 24 hours, more people will chime in. I don't own a nano-cube, but DrewMD is on the right track when he discusses lighting. Lighting and flow will dictate what you can and cannot keep. My advice to you would be to look through the members' galleries and eyeball what other people have done with nano-cubes and what they've been able to keep alive in them. Zoos are easy and can be kept pretty well under standard fluoros, but any kind of stony coral will require a more high intensity lighting. I'm a firm believer in metal halides, and if you do a search for those, you will find quite a few nano reefs set up with them and doing quite well. Using someone else's tank as an overall template for equipment and livestock, then modifying it a bit for livestock you want that the other fellow hasn't got, is a pretty safe bet. Just eyeball what folks who are keeping the stuff you want to keep have in the way of equipment, and what feeding they have to do. Ratty Ratty's Reef Link to comment
MrDumass Posted March 22, 2004 Author Share Posted March 22, 2004 Hey WhitRat... I love your pictures documenting your Office Tank...Very nice work. As far as your your input...I was looking for some folks input on their personla experiances with the equipment they used along with the Nano-Cube from JBJ. Link to comment
WhiteRat Posted March 22, 2004 Share Posted March 22, 2004 Glad you liked the tank photos. I understand that's what you're looking for, that's why I suggested you look in the member's galleries and look for people who are using the Nano-Cube from JBJ and see what equipment they have used for what livestock. Your livestock will dictate your equipment when it comes to lighting and flow. I highly recommend that if you haven't done it yet, you do a search for 'nano-cube' in the forum search, and explore what turns up there, see what various people are keeping in their nano-cubes and what equipment they are using. This thread is a good example. So you can probably learn a lot of good answers to your questions, be able to compare a lot of different JBJ nano cube setups and occupants using Search, and by looking at the System Setups and Nano-Reefs galleries and browsing them for other members who have JBJ nano cubes. I'm not trying to brush you off or say 'go read the FAQ', but a lot of folks have already written out the information you're asking about in these places, and many of them probably won't feel up to typing it in again every time someone asks, so it is often best to look for where it is already posted. Good luck, and we look forward to seeing how your cube turns out! Ratty Ratty's Reef Link to comment
MrDumass Posted March 22, 2004 Author Share Posted March 22, 2004 I understand what your suggesting...I guess I can tell you that I've already seen what's out there...I was just looking for the owner's feedback...Folks aren't all the willing to help...funny how the only responces I've gotten back are from guys who don't even run a Nano-Cube.... SORRY, Kalawai has a Nano...he was one of the BRAVE...lol Link to comment
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