what else do i need for a reef?

[aquaman22]

http://www.petco.com/Shop/Product.aspx?R=3...familyID=13172&

 

this is the tank i have what else do i need to start a reef?? besides the sand and live stock? like a beter filter? what bulbs? how long will it take before i can put live rock and corals in there if i use sparlettes water

[aquadrone100377]

if you can I would get two of those light fixtures and put these bulbs 50/50

 

and for a filter I would go with the aqua clear 20

 

and then there is all the little miscellaneous stuff like test kits, hydrometers, thermometers and glass cleaners

[Bluelegs]

what is sparlette's water? One gal, to me, is a little small because you won't be able to have any fish if you want corals. When you get the tank, go ahead and put the sand and live rock in, and after about 1.5-2 months when the cycle is over coral can be added. Calcium is a must for this, though!

[aquaman22]

i have heard of people that have a very small goby in there one gals and they were fine along with lr and coral sparklettes water is a water company in california it might be different where you live also should i get rid of the filter it comes with??

[brent-konieczny]

What other tanks have you kept before?

[aquadrone100377]

definately ditch the stock filter, and a small goby like a neon or a clown goby or even a red headed goby should be fine in your tank. in my 1.8 gallon hex that i'm setting up I will have a neno goby, a cleaner shrimp or a couple sexy shrimp and one or two scarlet reef hermits and a banded torchus snail and for corals just some shrooms and zoas so I'm bacicaly copying this guy's stocking plan oh, and about the water get either ro (reverse osmosis) or di (distiled) (<sp?) it's like 50-80 cents a gallon

[aquadrone100377]

or for lighting you could go this way: link

which I think would probably be better IMO

[Garf]

Lets see, to start with a less than 1g reef tank, you should have an established, larger reef tank.

 

Not to say you can't do it, but it is way easier to take LR, some sand (for decoration only, not a deep bed) and water from a larger, established tank to put in a small tank like this.

 

As you cycle your tank, it WILL get diatoms, then algae. Imagine cleaning this small tank, moving stuff around to get your hand in there. As this is an acrylic tank, you need to be careful as it is easy to scratch. Then the cycle will be a nightmare. And wth is sparlettes water? Is that the supermarket RO stuff? Are you mixing your own salt?

 

Well, you asked what you need, so here it is:

 

1. NSW, use Real Ocean water from Catalina, get it at Petco in a 5g box (9 bucks)

 

2. Double up the light. I dont know what the bulb params are, but I have a similar tank setup,and it has a 7w 6500k PC pulb. Buy two of the tanks you have shown, as the light itself probably sells for like $2 less. (30 bucks)

 

3. LR and a small amount of sand from an established reef tank. The LR should NOT be shipped, should be completely covered in water during transport (like the 3/4 hr trip from whoever you bought it from). Premium, coraline algea covered LR rubble pieces from a local reefer would be best, or maybe you can get lucky and a LFS would sell you a piece FROM AN ESTABLISHED TANK, did I mention that? 1-1.5 lbs (15-20 bucks)

 

4. Refractometer. A MUST for acurate specific gravity checks. Salinity can easily jump all over in a < 1g tank, as there is a lot of evap. No way you will ever fill a hydrometer out of that small tank, and I would not trust the floating bulb type in such a small volume. (45 bucks)

 

5. Test kits, heck, just use the jungle dipstrips (15 bucks).

 

6. Two snails, one hermit crab, after the tank settles in and it tests fine (6-9 bucks)

 

7. Patience. (Priceless)

 

So you are at like $140 in mtrls for your 1g tank, why not go with a larger tank, say 6g min? If you are still with this, then here are some tips.

 

Keep the tank at ambient temperature.

 

Use RO/DI water for makeup, with an open top, there will be a lot of evap.

 

Even if you measure and mark the water levels at start and each and every water change, exactly measuring takeout water and makeup water, the salinity will fluctuate (salt creep on the HOB filter). That is why a refractometer is so necessary for this setup.

 

Do twice weekly water changes of 20% or more, heck its like 16oz of water.

 

Buy your own filter mtrls, just buy the course, porous black pad, and a similar white filter fiber pad and cut your own, do not waste money on the filter refils.

 

Add a mushroom (and yes I mean one) first then see how it does. Then slowly add other small corals like a Green star polyps, zoas, or xenia (one every few weeks).

 

Do not be afraid of doing a 90% or more water change if you notice things going south (but hey, if you have no experience with a reef tank, how will you know things are going south?)

 

Not to discourage you from this endeavor, but small does not mean easy. I am speaking from experience here, as I have a 1g Red Sea aquavase in my cube at work.

[aquadrone100377]

garf is telling the truth when he says small doesn't=easy, in fact the larger your tank the more wiggle room it gives you with your water parameters. it's very hard to maintain stable water quality in a tank that is under 20 gallons IMO