Help/Recommendations for new 12gal. nano reef?

[kertong]

Hey everyone,

 

First off, let me introduce myself. My name is Kyung Park - although I have been surfing this board for a bit, I decided to register after stopping by Aquarium Concepts in Hayward, CA and meeting Mike (strife?) - he told me he was a member here.

 

Anyhow, I'm not exactly a newbie to the saltwater hobby - I've had a pretty successful tank established for about 1 year - a 30 gallon glass tank with 115watts of powercompacts (10000K daytime/actinic blue combo), a seaclone skimmer, abiomatrix carbon filter, and lots of live rock. Basically, I was using the berlin method, with the carbon filter added to keep the water clean. I had a false perc. clown, engineer goby, a yellowtailed damsel, and a mated pair of firefish in the tank, as well as bubble tip anemone / bubble coral / red mushrooms and button polyps.

 

So yesterday, I decided to start a 12 gallon nano-reef. I bought a flat-back hex truvu tank, with a prism skimmer, and I plan on using the berlin method again - with just the skimmer and a lot of live rock. I don't have the money or time to go for a sump setup . I also have 1 32watt custom sea life smartlite setup on it - it has the daytime/actinic combo as well, but in about a week, I will be buying one more 32watt csl light for a total of 64 watts.

 

With that kind of lighting/skimming available, what would you guys suggest on reef livestock? i definitley want to have an anemone/clown, of course. I will also be supplying calcium, trace elements, live phytoplankton to the water.

 

Any suggestions on the type of anemone (I don't really want another bubble tip), or any nice corals that would do well in that sort of environment?

 

Sorry for the long post. Any help and/or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance, and happy reefing

 

- Kyung

[tinyreef]

bump

 

no suggestions from me. you seem like you have enough reef experience to choose what you can or want to raise.

 

also the setting will depend upon how you aquascape. you're going without sand so i assume you're going heavy with rock but this can be set back (reef cliff) or layered (reef crest) or a hella rocks (or as i like to call it a rock tank with a little water, for a reef cave setting).

 

each different setting has its typical livestock or of course, you can force clowns to live in cave settings or something similar. up to you. hth

[zizmans]

from what I've been told your lighting should allow you to have pretty much anything, even clams. Although the Hex tanks I have seen have been pretty tall. As far as anenome's go, when I set up my live rock I tried to make it as multi layered as possible with the highest point being about 4-5 inches from the top so that any anenome can move high enough for light if it needs to. As far as fish go, there have been alot of small fish that I have wanted but can't get beacuse there is not enough rock for them to feed from (pygmy angel) If I'm wrong tell me, I want that fish for my nano.

[coralreeferkim]

zizmans, again, your pygmy depends upon the individual

but I truly believe that the "reef-safeness" (if that is a word)

of a fish mainly depends upon whether or not it is fed well.

Mine seems pretty happy, I feed San Fransico Brand

Emerald Entree as well as Marine Cuisine, (frozen, thaw

in a cup of tankwater) and about once a week, some freeze dried algae on a clip. Mine also loves some calurpa to munch on,

I buy a $5 bag about once a month, it keeps my urchin

delirious as well.