Nuby with questions on Coral setups.

[jasno999]

I have a 10Gallon that I want to convert to a SW setup and do the NANo type deal.

 

I am lookign for al lthe goodies still and planing things out. I wanted to get 110-130W of lighting but I may only be able to get 96W for my tank cause I cna nto find a good 20" light setup that worrks and give me 110W or more.

 

What I was wnondering was what would b a good mix of corals to place in my tank to start it off and be the base of the tank. I want things that are goign to do well btu I want corals that do have soem nice color and are nice to look at.

 

 

Also whne you puirchase coral an bring it home how do you get it to attach to your live rock?

 

Can somebody walk me through the process?

[Kogut]

This is probably the best walkthrough I've ever seen. It's ungodly long, but it is full of invaluable information. I think you would be well off if after you got it going, you bought some zooanthids and maybe some soft corals. Mushrooms are the easiest types of coral to care for and require hardly any light. I don't know much about the retro game because I do Metal Halide (very very powerful lighting) and an open top tank. You're doing the right thing by asking questions. Just stick to zoos and shrooms, then move to softies. You'll do fine. Just do it slow. Patience is the most important skill in this hobby. Good luck.

 

~Connor

[jasno999]

Can you point out specificly where in that article they talk about the stuff I am looking for infromation on???

[Bikelock]

Kogut nice link for the newbies

 

Jasno999 Kogut gave you the answer now read. If you do not want to research properly then maybe this is not for you.

 

BTW those long threads have so much good info and will answer questions you have not yet thought of yet.

[FAC_WNY]

Ahhh...Bikelock.....it makes me happy to hear sentiments like that...makes my heart glad..lol.

 

 

:)

 

 

Cheers,

Fred

[c_hemmerich]

you could always get a MH pendant and then you would have all the lighting that you need for the size of tank that you want and then you will also be able to put most corals in your tank. this is the way that you can have the most flexibility with what you want to put in your tank and if you want to get serious with this awesome hobby, you will regret not getting the MH at first (like me)

[c_hemmerich]

ya bikelock it was just a question settle down there big fella

[FAC_WNY]

Lest my post be misinterpreted as sarcasm...I completely agree with Bikelock.

 

Cheers,

Fred

[Bikelock]

FAC_WNY I know what you meant. Maybe people should read more posts. I read your posts.

 

And the rest of you:

 

I have found the answer to every question I have had by SEARCHING. Not just here but many other sites, I just enjoy this site more so I post here, plus I have a nano.

 

c_hemmerich now I was not flaming just pointing out laziness.

 

jasno999 said:

 

Can you point out specificly where in that article they talk about the stuff I am looking for infromation on.

 

Come on now if you have the money I am sure someone in your area will come set up and take of your tank for a large fee.

[jasno999]

The post you lead me to has like 15 pages of stuff. I started at the begining but it had nothign about the questions I was asking. So I thought you could point me to the correct page.

 

 

I don't get why people are so crazy about searching and not helping people out. I guess the way I see it is that this board is a place to talk about your commont interest and to ask questions and get information. I see no reason why I can't post a question. I have done some research but thught I could get a driect answer if I jsut asked and it would save me a lot of time and effort.

 

IF you or anybody feels that I am lazy and I am not searching then fine you don't have to read, nevermind answer, my questions that I post. Just pass it by.

 

There might be somebody else out there that is a bit nicer and will answer the question directly.

 

Really guys I am not being a jerk I am just tryign to find out information. At least I am doign the best I can to knwo th most that I can before I dive into this hobby.

[FAC_WNY]

The reason we are so crazy about it is because this hobby requires a LOT of effort, and can be a VERY trying experience if you aren't willing to DO THE WORK.

 

And if you aren't doing your own research, then you aren't "doign the best I can to knwo th most that I can before I dive into this hobby."

 

 

Cheers,

Fred

[jasno999]

I am doing research don't you get it. I do look around this board and I do searches. But sometimes I want a more direct route to gettign and answer so I ask a direct questions. If I get answers then great that is fantastic. But if not then fine I have to ask someplace else or keep looking.

 

If you or others don't want to answer my questions then done but please don't harp on about me not doing searches and not looking hard enough. SOmetimes the answers are burried in posts and are difficult to find. Jsut because I am nto patient with readign over tons of old posts does not mean I will not be good at this hobbie.

 

I am still in the phase of decidign if I want to do it or nt at this point. But I want to know as much as I can so I don't make the wrong decision.

 

I thank you guys who offer your help. I appreciate it and I am always in need of more. If you want to share your experiences and your knowadge then I would love to absorb it. IF not that is fine and I am in no way hurt or upset but the fact that you don't have the time or do not want to share with me.

 

I am jsut tired of hearing about how I am not any good cause I did not search every post before I asked a question.

[Withers]

The problem with just asking questions on a board like this is that you'll get some of the most retarded answers, and being new to the hobby you may not see the utter stupidity in them.

 

For instance, if you asked what a good fish would be for your 10 gallon tank, or 20 gallon tank, or 30 gallon tank, and I listed any of 10 different types of tangs, you may not see that the answer is wrong, even though it most certainly is. I've seen a LOT of people give answers like that...

 

Kogut, Fred, and Bikelock are 100% correct, reading is the second best type of knowledge that you can gain in this hobby (second to having first hand experience). By reading articles in magazines, and books, you can rest assured that the person who wrote the article is a professional, and has a lot of experience, and is speaking from his first-hand experience.

 

 

Now, on to your question. Good corals to keep under Power compact flourescent lights would be zoanthids, ricordeas, and various leather corals. All 3 of these types of corals come in literally any color, or combination of colors, that you could think of, and they're incredibly easy to take care of.

 

Some corals to stay away from until you have a good bit of experience would be SPS, LPS, clams, and gorgonians (or other non-photosynthetic corals), as they are much more demanding. By doing a search, even on these forums, you'll find lots and lots of threads about this, as the topic comes up a lot, to put it lightly.

 

I think a lot of people just get tired of saying the exact same thing over and over again. Anyway, hope that helps, good luck.

[Kogut]

Okay. I'm bored. Here goes. First, we aren't trying to be mean. It's just that the initial research is nothing compared to maintaining a tank. The patience in searching through every thread is just like sitting w/ a tank full of water, sand, and rock but not being able to buy anything for a month or so. I gave you a list of good corals, so that answers your first thing. I still maintain that you should shell out $200 and buy a 150watt MH and hang it. If you don't want to do that, maybe someone will point you in the direction of a good DIY thread. When you bring home corals. They will usually be mounted on small pieces of live rock. Your best bet is trying to wedge it into a place that it's firmly held down. Otherwise, underwater epoxy (gel kind of super glue) is great. That's what I use to glue down frags of SPS (hard coral that's beautiful, yet a ***** to take care of). Then your coral will stay exactly where you put it. If you take this route, though, you had better be pretty damn happy w/ the placement. I hated doing searches at first, but so many threads sink into the archives that people forget about them. I think you should check out that thread I pointed you at and then read it as you have time. Bookmark it and read when you get a chance. I read that whole bloody thing when I started and it really paid off. It explains that there will be a lot of weird things that can scare a FW jockey away from the hobby forever. Things will appear in your tank that you didn't put there and some will even reak havoc w/ the other inhabitants. You will be attacked by legions of diatoms and hair algae. But the whole point is patience. Just like you can't expect everything to come to you in this hobby. While it doesn't hurt to ask, few will post information as helpful as that which can be found in threads like waterkeeper's. Keeping a photo journal of your progress is also good because you get direct feedback. Good luck.

 

~Connor

[jasno999]

Thank you

[jasno999]

I had another stroke of brillance. I have a 1.5 or 2 gallnon small hex tank that is nto beinng used at this time. It is small and it has no filter. I hav a small heater for it but it does nto have a setpoint but the thermoter remains at around 80degrees when I have it turned on. And it is set up for an undergravle filter with a air tube and stone to create bubbles and flow through the under gravel filter.

 

I was thinking I could get some sand and 2lbs of small live rock and start my SW reef tank in a small little tank like this. It would keep things cheap and alllow me to learn as I go but not have as big an investment to lose.

 

My only worry is that the little tank has no lights but I do have a desk light that has a small halogen bulb in it. WOudl that work or would I have to get some special lighting for this little tank?

[FAC_WNY]

A tank that small is newbie suicide. You won't be able to control parameters at all in a tank with that little water volume ("The solution to pollution is dilution."). And Halogens don't work as reef lighting..you're still going to need to DIY something out of PC's for a tank that size. The best advice for newbies is to go with the largest tank you can afford to do right, I'd say with a minimum of 10gal.

 

Cheers,

Fred

[NCNBilly]

Yup. Look up the DIY 70 or 150W pendants, the DIY Aquaclear 500 Fuge, and the DIY UTR skimmer. When you have spent all the time needed to build these, you will be ready to buy your tank.

 

[Kogut]

I'm w/ Fred. Something that small can take itself down in a day if the params go wacko on you... I'd say go w/ something like a 20gal. It's enough water volume for you to play around w/ your bioload and you can get pretty much anything you want in it (within reason!). I'm a perfect example. 20L full of SPS, a crocia, some rics, an anemone, 2 clowns, and a pygmy angel. You don't need to spend a lot of money, though to have a nice tank. Try looking up Chris w/ nanocustoms and get yourself a nano cube for < $200. Good size, still compact, enough light if you pay for it, and a wide variety of options. Great way to learn the hobby, IMHO.

[jasno999]

I am doing it with a 10 gallon tank. My only issue right now is that the 20" Coralife Aqualight Deluxe Series that UI purchased does not fit right on my 10 galloon tank and I have no idea what to do. It is just a 1/4" to small it seems. I don't know if I should modify the rim on top of the tank to make it work or if I should return the light for an orbit 2

X40 bulb setup???

 

I need help.

[psam]

get the mounting brackets for $10. That will give you some leeway.

[jasno999]

Thanks guys