artc Posted July 18, 2004 Share Posted July 18, 2004 After following many threads on this site for the past two months (great feedbacks from the experts), I finally cave in and decided to start my Nano Reef tank!! Basic configuration: 20G tank 40+ lb of Live Sand (not sure what kind of live sand I have) 40-50 lb of live rocks (can we say -> TOO MUCH)? ļ 300 W pro-heat IC Titanium heater AquaC Remora w/ Maxi-jet 1200 Whisper HOB 20 g filter -> soon to be removed -> too noisy.. 2x65W Coralife LUNAR Aqualight Plenum filtration -> http://www.seahorse-nw.com/Aquarium_Setup.html Here come the pictures Link to comment
artc Posted July 18, 2004 Author Share Posted July 18, 2004 here are my rocks..... (can we say -> Addicted to Nano?) Link to comment
artc Posted July 18, 2004 Author Share Posted July 18, 2004 should have read more on how to minimize the cloud..... Link to comment
artc Posted July 18, 2004 Author Share Posted July 18, 2004 Hate to see them go... but Daddy got a new hobby and I will find them a new home :-) Link to comment
phergus_25 Posted July 18, 2004 Share Posted July 18, 2004 i would take it down to many 2 or 3 inches, it will not et sturred up with it htat dep and not really filter but for the first 2 inches Link to comment
artc Posted July 18, 2004 Author Share Posted July 18, 2004 I was hoping for the cloud clears before putting in the Live rocks; however, I ran out of places to put my live rocks and had to insert my rocks before the cloud is settled... Are there any harm by inserting the Live Rocks while the mist of sand is still floating around? thx Art Link to comment
artc Posted July 18, 2004 Author Share Posted July 18, 2004 in my 24x12 tank, i need help to determine the best flow pattern.. please see below for my current thinking.... thx Link to comment
Turk Posted July 18, 2004 Share Posted July 18, 2004 That flow pattern will eliminate dead spots, but it won't be very random. Some corals won't be happy with a constant flow in one direction. That pattern seems to have a circular flow to it. Maybe a smaller PH aimed at the 3-way? This would create random current patterns Link to comment
Turk Posted July 18, 2004 Share Posted July 18, 2004 Thats assuming the maxi is on the bottom pushing across the back of the tank and the other is at the top of the tank? Link to comment
EnderG60 Posted July 18, 2004 Share Posted July 18, 2004 you can NEVER have to much live rock. Sand on the other hand..yeah thats a bit much, 2-3" would be alot better. As far as the flow pattern, power sweeps SUCK. your better off getting a wave maker and two or more smaller powerheads. or hell wait for the new oceans motion nano version! other then that looks real good...post some more pics when it settles out! Link to comment
szesteve Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 That's a great looking setup u have. Don't worry about the cloudy water and LR mixture. It'll clear up and settle. As for the flow pattern, I would recommend that there be more or less flow all around the tank. No dead spots in the tank. BUT, that doesn't necessarily mean having constant flow in a circular motion. What I did was have 2 powerheads, one aimed behind and a little a the LRs in my tank and the other aimed slightly towards the water surface. Surprisingly, I've got pretty good flow in my tank. You just have to see which way works best for your. Link to comment
Vash_The_Stampede Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 I'm no expert, but I don't think you have the right kind of sand for a plenum system. The sand grains should be in the range of 2-4mm in size. I would bet that a good portion of that sand went through into the plenum. Eather you go with a plenum system with a depth of 4" and aragonite sand, a deep sand bed of finer sand and around 4-6" (not something I would want to do with a nano, takes up too much room IMO), or a shallow bed with a mix of fine sand and aragonite sand at around 1-3". Just my two-cents though. Link to comment
artc Posted July 21, 2004 Author Share Posted July 21, 2004 The cloud has finally cleared a bit (not completely) -> is there something wrong with my sand or setup? What do you guys think about the rocks layout? Improvements? Link to comment
artc Posted July 21, 2004 Author Share Posted July 21, 2004 Originally posted by Vash_The_Stampede I'm no expert, but I don't think you have the right kind of sand for a plenum system. The sand grains should be in the range of 2-4mm in size. I would bet that a good portion of that sand went through into the plenum. Eather you go with a plenum system with a depth of 4" and aragonite sand, a deep sand bed of finer sand and around 4-6" (not something I would want to do with a nano, takes up too much room IMO), or a shallow bed with a mix of fine sand and aragonite sand at around 1-3". Just my two-cents though. Ahhh.... good point... I just got the sand without checking the size.. Oh well. I think it's probably too much work to take it out now. I don't think it will hurt to leave it in there. true? thanks for the feedbacks.. any suggestions on the placement of the powerheads? thx Art Link to comment
artc Posted July 21, 2004 Author Share Posted July 21, 2004 I finally set up my 20g tank and trying to figure out the types of coral I can have... I have 65W 10K + 65W Actinic... Planning to use a Maxijet 1200 + Maxijet 900 and a Maxijet 600 to cover the random flow (Using the Natural Wavemaker device).. Please let me know your recommendation on the types of corals I will be able to raise successfully in this tank environment.. Thanks!!! Link to comment
artc Posted July 30, 2004 Author Share Posted July 30, 2004 GUYS!!! Help!! My beautiful Live rocks turned brown!! Is this normal? Link to comment
artc Posted July 30, 2004 Author Share Posted July 30, 2004 I think the sand should turn brown right? Link to comment
Wolf Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 Sorry, can't answer your last question because I'm still new to the hobby myself, but if I may make a small suggestion... I think it'll be difficult to clean the sides of the tank if the rock is leaning against the glass. I'm just starting one myself after roughly four months of research, and it seems as if people who have started any saltwater tank and leaned the rocks against the glass, eventually move them closer towards the center to give enough room for a magnetic cleaner to maneuver along the sides and the front, but not so much the back. Just a thought. Wolf Link to comment
Turk Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 the brown on the rock is diatom algae. perfectly normal phase of a new tank cycle. It'll eventually turn the sand brown too. Yuor clean-up crew should be able to take care of it all. just let it run its course Link to comment
artc Posted July 30, 2004 Author Share Posted July 30, 2004 Originally posted by Wolf Sorry, can't answer your last question because I'm still new to the hobby myself, but if I may make a small suggestion... I think it'll be difficult to clean the sides of the tank if the rock is leaning against the glass. I'm just starting one myself after roughly four months of research, and it seems as if people who have started any saltwater tank and leaned the rocks against the glass, eventually move them closer towards the center to give enough room for a magnetic cleaner to maneuver along the sides and the front, but not so much the back. Just a thought. Wolf Hi Wolf, Thanks for the good advice. I will move the rocks aways from the side. Art Link to comment
artc Posted July 30, 2004 Author Share Posted July 30, 2004 Originally posted by Turk the brown on the rock is diatom algae. perfectly normal phase of a new tank cycle. It'll eventually turn the sand brown too. Yuor clean-up crew should be able to take care of it all. just let it run its course Hi Turk, I assume this is a good time to introduce cleaning crew? Turbo snails? Crabs? Thx Art Link to comment
3gEclipseGuy Posted July 30, 2004 Share Posted July 30, 2004 yeah! I would get lots of snails for that tank. Link to comment
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