New to Nano's with some questions...

[SubZero]

First off let me start by saying thank you to Mr. Marks, this is an awesome site.

 

I would like to tell you a little about my self before I get to my questions. I have been looking at starting a reef tank now for a few years. Mostly I have been reading information posted on the web. I gave up the idea because for the longest time the idea was that you needed a large tank and it was quite expensive to get a reef up and running. I recently started looking into a tank again and came across this site. WOW is all I can say, I am hooked. I already read pretty much the entire beginners section and more. I determined that it is still expensive, but it doesn’t have to be big.

I live in Anchorage Alaska, so you can imagine that I don’t have a variety of LFS’s to choose from. In fact I think we a down to one, which is a pet store that sells fish stuff (including LR/LS and reef dwellers). I have looked at their LR and it does not look anywhere near as impressive as what I have seen in the member’s section here. I don’t really want to buy from them, but I feel it’s my only choice. Anchorage does have the 2nd largest Fed Ex hub in the world here, but I fear that if I order online by the time my LR shows up it will be dead or left frozen on my doorstep.

I don’t have anything setup yet, but I do already own an Eclipse Six that has nothing in it. I know I need to upgrade the lights, add a heater and something to move the water around more. I am looking for opinions on those.

What I want to build up to is a nice reef with some simple corals, a fish and the appropriate cleaning crew. So I can go to the reef anytime I want, like in January when its –30F outside . Something that I can maintain with a small water change on a weekly basis.

 

My main question is this…. How slow can you start?

 

Simply asked, can I setup up my tank and accessories, add the salt water, some nice sand (aragonite), base rock, get it all circulating and up to temperature. Then introduce a small amount of live sand, a few pieces of live rock and expect the inhabitants to multiply and spread out to the rest of the tank? Over time, I would add the cleanup crew then fish…you get the idea. Of course I would monitor the appropriate parameters ( ammonia, PH, salinity and so on) I am not in a hurry to have a spectacular reef set up overnight, I know better than that, but can I have a controlled setup that progresses slowly?

 

Please excuse my ignorance, I did search and read before I asked the question. Most people seem to get their setup going and add the LR/LS in the appropriate quantities right from the start. With limited options on the sources of the components, I want to go slow so I can do it right.

 

One of these days, I would like to be able to post pictures of my reef, but for now I will enjoy yours…Thanks

 

Mark

[ross76053]

Mark,

 

First of all, welcome to the site! Sounds like you're already hooked - you'll fit in nicely here.

 

My main question is this…. How slow can you start?

As slow as you want. The process you mentioned...water, sand, base rock w/ a little live sand will work nicely. And it'll be fun to watch everything come alive. You'll probably need to add some of your cleanup crew when your tank's about a month old - when the algae really sets in. X)

 

I am not in a hurry to have a spectacular reef set up overnight.

 

Great - the first six months will probably be an algae battle, so going very slowly is perfect.

 

For live rock, be sure to look into having it shipped into your Fedex hub. Many people in this forum have purchased LR online with great results. Do a search on "live rock" for some suggestions (or PM me).

 

Good luck & have fun...

 

Ross

[Caesar]

I'm no expert but I just found out that one can make his/her own LR. All one needs is a nice small peace of LR, Base Rock, good lighting, good water movement, and time. The only draw back is time. It takes about 2 or 3 months, maybe more. Basically you put all of your rocks in your tank and place the LR in front of a PH, this will help spread the bacteria and coralline algae. Then you wait a couple of months and your base rock should be LR. You can also add Coral-Vital or Reef Vital DNA to speed up the process but like you said your in no rush. I haven’t done anything like this before but I have been reading about it. Check out this site http://www.athiel.com/infobase.htm or do a search on DIY Live Rock

[printerdown01]

I don't think you show ANY signs of ignorance!! All of your qestions showed a strong understanding of knowledge (especially for someone who hasn't had a reef tank before!!!)!!! Ok, let me start of with a simple welcome.... By the way, where in Anchorage do you live, I have cousins that live there ?

 

On to your questions (sorry if I miss one or two, just ask them again if I do, or send me a PM!)... Yes, it is not only possible to slowly set-up a reef, it is often the best way to go. In reference to your ordering LR on-line, call one of the manufactures... I would bet that they could toss heat packs into the package (this is normally what they do for colder climate shipping). Livestock is also normally shipped inside a thermo-insolated containers ! I would talk to an on-line supplier and see what they say about the climate issue. For a heater try using either a 50W or 75W Tronic or Ebo-Jagger (both are very reliable!)... I really don't know what lights can be crammed into the Eclipse 6. I can tell you that if you go with something the size of a 27W (50/50 spectrum) or more you will have NO problems, in terms of lighting, keeping softies, SPS corals, and even squamosa clams!

 

How slow can you start: Accumulate the equipment (no rush)... Pumps (I would suggest an additional Rio-50 or something of this size), lights, tank, aragonite, heater, test kits ect. You can even have everything set-up in the tank W/O water (equipment all ready to go, no LS and no LR), and a bag of salt ready by the tank side . Once you add the water I would suggest being able to add LR within a day or two, and a "small"* clean-up crew within a week to a week and a half. If you don't have a clean-up crew you are going to wish you never started the tank, LOL. For, the tank will be green, brown, and nasty. From here, you can go as slowly as you want. The reason that people add (and I suggest adding) the proper amounts of LR to the tank (or at least close to) is because LR, when introduced to a tank will have die-off, it will also bring with it a new platform for denitrifying bacteria to live on (not to mention the bacteria itself). This is essentially like changing the filter structure of the tank. The tank will then be a little "off balance" until it figures out how to use this "new filter" and is able to ballance it out with the rest of the tank. Sometimes you will not even notice a blip on the parameters, other times it can be a drastic change! Hope this helps! But seriously, none of your questions seemed even remotely ignorent... you come across as someone who is VERY well researched!!! I am VERY VERY impressed (you weren't kidding when you said that you had been reading up for quite a while). Most people jump into reefing knowing less (unfortunately). Good on 'ya, mate!

 

*small clean-up crew a few astrea snails and a couple of hermits (if hermits are not availible, you will just have to deal with brown sand).

[SubZero]

Thanks for the swift replies!!

 

So much for slow……I went to the LFS and picked up my heater, extra pump, salt and aragonite. It’s now all in the tank, up to temperature with the proper salinity. This is going to be very addicting, not to mention expensive. Especially up here, I could have saved quite a bit of money ordering online, but then I would have had to wait. I need to find a place to order the CSL retro kit for the Eclipse…If I remember right it’s the “SmartLite” 32W. I went to their website and clicked on the dealers link, it asks me to enter my area code and of course there are no dealers in my area. So if someone has experience with this retro fit kit and can recommend an online distributor, please post it.

 

After looking at the rock again in the LFS, I decided that since I need only a small amount I will get some of theirs that isn’t so populated with one that it covered and go that route. I will probably get some tomorrow after I make sure that my water parameters are in line.

 

I did get a little carried away with the sand. I was going for a bed of about 2 inches. After I washed it and started putting in the tank, it didn’t look like enough. After I put the water in, I ended up with about 2.5 inches. That’s not much, but in a small tank it looks like a lot.

 

Printerdown01, I had to laugh when you asked where in Anchorage I lived. Anchorage is a city of 250,000 people, but it’s built in a bowl (surrounded by water on one side and mountains on the other). I can drive across town (without traffic) in about 10 minutes. But to answer your question, I live near Sand Lake on the west side of town, near the airport.

 

That’s it for now , I keep you posted on my progress…and thanks again for the help.

 

Mark