Starting an Eclipse 12

[Primeval]

first of all this is for my girlfriend so bare with me here. A lot of this stuff I wouldnt consider but you know girls: it has to be cute before it can be efficient.

 

Here are the plans so far. I work at a LFS so I am getting everything pretty cheap already.

 

-Eclipse 12 - $30

 

-Thermometer - $1

 

-Hydrometer - $5

 

-10 pounds Estes' Ultra Reef Sand (blue) - $8

 

-10 pounds Fiji Live Rock - $25

 

-2 False Percs (Ocelaris) - $15

 

-1 Yellow Clown Goby - $5

 

-10 Blue Leg Hermits - $5

 

-1 Cleaner Shrimp - $15

 

I am guessing this reef sand is probably going to provide no buffering whatsoever for this tank. For reference on what this sand looks like, goto http://www.strictlypetsupplies.com/product...p?category=4314

 

Is the Live Rock going to be sufficient for the bio-load? I plan on keeping the stock lighting since it will be a FOWLR tank. What are the exact specs under the stock lighting? What is the wattage and is it 50/50 or just a standard flourescent tube? Am I over doing it with two percs?

 

Thanks

[yoshiod9]

you work at a lfs and can't answer these questions on your own?? that is frightening, sir.

 

personally, i would put in about 2lbs of rock per gallon (24 lbs or so). i would recommend only ONE clownfish and maybe a goby after 4 or 5 months. as for the sand...why blue? that doesn't look the least bit natural. lol. tell your gf that she needs to buy regular old aragonite sand for buffering purposes(ignore the fact that the blue sand will probably help buffer as well...according to the bag, at least)...and tell her it will look more natural anyway. as for the lighting, it depends on how new or old the eclipse 12 is. i had a version that had a NO fluorescent...nowadays they come with a 13w powercompact style bulb. i believe that the NO bulb was 13w as well...but i can't remember. since you're doing fowlr does it really matter what lighting you have?

 

goodluck...

[Primeval]

let me rephrase, I work at a pet store that does not carry saltwater fish; only freshwater so my knowledge on SW is still limited other than my experience in my own home. And I am pretty sure this eclipse is new. like a few months on the shelf. And she likes the blue, I really dont know what to say other than that. plus that aragonite sand comes in huge-ass bags-not small 10pound bags. waste of money if u ask me

 

and can you imagine 25 pounds of LR in an eclipse 12? its like filling up your bathtub with rocks and then telling ya to get in

 

and the lighting question was there because i am curious if 13W or whatever it has is enough for the LR to flourish

[yoshiod9]

this is about 30 pounds of rock in my 12 and about 20lbs of ls...easy fit. http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...ic=35832&st=160

 

sucks that she likes the blue...tell her that it isn't natural and that she would appreciate the more natural look if she is already going with liverock. i mean...why put liverock on blue sand?? that would look funny. as for the sand, why not shop at another store where you can actually buy aragonite sand in pound sizes you need?

 

also, i don't think i've ever heard anyone ask if they have enough light for live rock to flourish. i suppose you mean you want the coralline to flourish (as there isn't anything on lr that really requires light to flourish)...if so, yes 13w should be more than enough. i've found that coralline grows best for me when i keep up with my water changes and all the levels (strontium, mag, cal, etc.) are where they need to be.

 

other than that...goodluck!!

[Primeval]

couldnt see any of your pics there. And I've never seen anything less than 20-25 pounds for that stuff

[yoshiod9]

you couldn't see them? hm. go to page nine of that link and scroll down to post #169 (there are a bunch of pics)...if you can't see them...i dunno what to tell you.

[yoshiod9]

here's the pic...30 lbs of rock and 20lbs of sand. it is possible.

[Primeval]

must be some pretty dense rock. I have about 15 pounds in my 10 and its packed to the gills. and is that a neon? i love those guys

[One Eyed Bunny]

The density of the rock is what'll ultimately determine how much live rock per pound will fit into a 12gal. tank. 10lbs of Fiji rock is certainly different than 10lbs of honeycomb when it comes to the volume of the rock.

 

The standard rule for live rock to gallons is: 1 / 1.5lbs per gal.

 

Although 2lbs. per gal. is very nice it would be overkill considering he's only planning to keep 1 - 3 fish. The bio-load in my opinion will be extremely small once the sand starts to seed and the tank cycles.

 

The color of the sand doesn't really matter, nor does its need to buffer the water. You're keeping at most 3 fish, that is a 12gal.'s limit, and that's considering they'll be relatively small.

 

Lighting isn't a huge issue. A low-Watt 50/50 will due your tank well. The fish don't really need any kind of light except to tell'em day from night, however, some of your algae and other organsims would benefit from photosynthesis. 13 Watts is low, but than again, you didn't say you were keepin' coral. So I'd say 13 Watts is fine. If you decide to start adding coral you'll need to go by at least 3 Watts per gallon.

 

Next, 10 Blue-legged Hermits is overkill. 1 or 2 will be more than enough for the tank. With 10 all you'll have is an aggressive war for food and 8 of them will certainly starve or be killed.

[Primeval]

Thanks for the response. In my experience I always have tons of algae for blue legs to feast on in my tanks =) and yes, I likely only want to keep a clown and a goby in there. doubt I will pair the clown

[One Eyed Bunny]

Sounds like a plan than. Best of luck to you!

[Primeval]

and how is density more important than surface area? I thought the surface area of the rock is what ultimately controlled the bio load of a tank, not just because a rock was dense or not

[One Eyed Bunny]

Yes, what I mean is density determines the weight of an object. A pound of marshmellows doesn't take up the same amount of room as a pound of cement. Get my point? The density of a rock, how porous it is, will determine how much you can place into a tank.

 

Second, you are correct that surface area is the key. The more surface area the more beneficial bacteria can possibly grow.

[neanderthalman]

Rock that is less dense is likely to have more voids and than more dense rock. More voids results in increased surface area for bacteria.

 

Blue sand? If you go for it, please post pics.

[Primeval]

so you can laugh at me? lol

[CHUCK-D]

Wow you got an Eclipse for $30. That must be one heck of a discount. I paid like $130 a year ago. I wish I never had, I dont want to mod it but I want to keep corals n stuff. Anyways good luck with the blue sand.......Thats gonna be kickass.

[yoshiod9]

yes, it is/was a neon dottyback. gorgeous fish...very evil. i have had a few different species of dotties and that one was the most evil i had owned. as for the rock, i always shoot for 2lbs per gallon (as porous as possible) just cuz i like to have a lot of rock and a lot of sand. what can i say...i hate doing water changes.

 

goodluck on the tank!!

[neanderthalman]

Not so much that I can laugh at you, as I don't know if it'll be funny. For all I know, it'll look pretty sweet. I'll bet the first guy to think of painting the back of his tank blue thought it might be a stupid idea......

[Primeval]

I work at a pet store so I get everything for cost from our bulk supplier

[Primeval]

anyone want a cheap eclipse or tank just lemme know =)