Questions, tips, help.

[LTJRTW]

Hi, I'm a beginner when it comes to reef. I have a friend who's been really into it for a while and eventually turned me onto it. I've been looking around the net trying to plan out my tank, and I've realized there are many different schools of thought when it comes to reefs. It seems as though the science of nano reefs, if you'd like to call it a science, is more like an arrangement of popular opinion and superstition based on facts that we do know an previous experiences. So, to get more to the point, I'm looking to do either and 11 or 18 gal tank, probably glass. I'd like for anyone reading to this to post some kind of comment. I know I'm leaving this open ended, but please, pick something you feel is important, whether it be your favorite type of coral, a lesson you learned the hard way, a tip on lighting, filtration method, or really anything else you feel is pertinent or feel a beginner would benefit from knowing early on. So I'll continue my research and I

ll check back and hopefully some of you will have some cool ideas. Thanks.

[Spencerx]

may i ask, where are you going to get a 11 or 18 gallon tank?? ive never seen these sizes before. are you custom making it??

[Crakeur]

Start out by planning in advance for the critters you want to keep. If you want to house acroporas, get the best lighting that you can afford. I have found that two frags from the same colony can have drastically different results when placed in the tank. They can be hit or miss. Some sps corals are much easier to keep and reguire much less stringent lighting requirements. Figure out what you want to keep, then figure out what equipment to buy. When it comes to ordering the corals, you can go to a lfs and buy a healthy specimen and pay thru the nose or you can go to hobbyists like monoghan's reef and purchase high quality frags that come in excellent sizes. I had two successes out of 5 with his frags. One death was for no appareny reason. The others were a combination of algae issues and my meat hooks banging into them.

 

Montipora frags will grow like wild. Some pocillipora frags willalso thrive in any condition. Sites like Patrick Monoghan's allow you to pick what you want and he sends sizes that are right for your tank size.

 

Knowing what you want in advance is a major issue. Also, the small size of these tanks makes it difficult to care for the tank without bumping the frags at times. Also, when they grow, you will need to frag them to keep them from getting out of control. I haven't had this problem yet but I am looking forward to the day that I have to clip some pieces off.

[LTJRTW]

"may i ask, where are you going to get a 11 or 18 gallon tank?? ive never seen these sizes before. are you custom making it??" -SpencerX

 

I went shopping at a reef store in Boca Raton, FL and I saw them there. The 11 gallon is about half of the width of a standard rectangular 10 gal, but it's twice as high. It has rounded corners, and comes with lighting, for about $110. The coral in the tank currently looks quite healthy and I talked to a good friend of mine who works there and he said that they legitemately grew it in the tank. The 18 gallon is a similar shape, with the two front rounded corners, also comes with lighting, but is around $150. I really like them because of the round corners and because I like the look of a tall skinny tank. Plus, I figure if I decide to use Live rock and Live sand as natural filtration like I've been thinking about, I'll have more space in the taller tanks due to having to use less sand in the taller tank.

[Crakeur]

sounds like they are via aqua tanks.

[Hinecken]

Welcome to the board LTJRTW Fo' Shizzle

[LTJRTW]

Crakeur, I asked Hinecken, and the tanks are in fact made by Via Aqua.

[Crakeur]

I like the way they look but I think they are acryllic and personally, I don't think acryllic is a good idea in a small tank. Too much risk of scratching the surface.

 

Not sure how good the lights are but again, that dpeends on what you plan on keeping in the tank. I know via aqua makes retro fit kits to upgrade their lights but I don't think they offer metal halides as an option so that might limit your livestock selection.

[LTJRTW]

good point Crakeur, although I haven't really gotten to that point yet. I haven't really thought much about what I'm going to want to put into the tank, although I assure you I will do that before I go buying anything. As for the tank, I really like the size, especially the rounded corners, which is why I've been leaning towards acrylic, if you know of any other nice tanks that you think are better for a similar size, I'd appreciate the info. Thanks.

[Hinecken]

Via Aqua Tanks are NOT acrylic. I too thought this for quite a while, but I was corrected by the owner of my store and I read the packaging the tanks came in shortly there after. Via Aqua tanks are 100% glass.