Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'newbie'.
-
Hello everyone! This will be my first reef tank ever, hopefully it helps that I've only had nano and pico tanks anyways. All my stuff is more or less still in the mail and most will arrive on the 10th Anyways, the important stuff: Tank: Lifegard Aquatics 3.8 gallon aio peninsula Substrate: Carib sea arag alive special grade Salt: Aquaforest Reef Salt Salinity measuring: Swing Arm Hydrometer Rock: roughly 3lbs dry rock Heater: 25w compact hygger Filter: 80gph adjustable pump Uniclife Media: filter floss for now Lights: Nicrew 30W Reef LED + more precise controller eventually Stock: I'm planning on softies and potentially lps (space allowing) Potentially a clown goby and/or some sort of shrimp
-
Does the refugium need to be on the same level as the sump?
LunaWolf98 posted a topic in Equipment Forum
I've been eyeing the Seamless Sump system available on customaquarium.com, and am quite in favor of the system called the 1200 low profile 40, which includes a single drain sock tub, media tray baffle tub with return pump chamber, and separate refugium box connected to the return pump chamber with bulkheads and tubing. However, any stand I'll be getting will be about 24"-30" wide, while the entire sump system is 40" wide. I want to know if it would work if I set the sump system, from the sock tub to the baffle tub including the return pump chamber, on a lower shelf in my stand and placing the refugium on a higher shelf. It might be a foot or a foot and a half of tubing to connect them at most, with the possibility of 1/2" tubing or 1-1/2" tubing to connect them. If I put them on separate levels like this, I would set my emergency drain line into the refugium, which I figure would drain into the rest of the sump system via the connected tubing. Is this a possible set up, or should I just stick with in-sump or hob refugium? I plan on adding a mandarin dragonet, so a refugium of some sort for 'pods is a must. -
What size sump set up should I use for a FOWLR tank?
LunaWolf98 posted a topic in General Discussion
I'm doing my research before setting up a FOWLR tank. I have a few different options in mind, but all would be using a sump tank in the stand as the primary filtration, and the live rock in the display tank as secondary form of filtration (which I'm not really counting on for much of anything, but know that it should help a little overall). The potential tank sizes I'm currently looking at are: 20g High / 29g / custom made 30g I want to know what the best, or most recommended, size tank would be for my sump. I've found several different kits that can be DIY installed into a tank and set up as I please, which I'm currently looking at. As well as the possibility of getting a ready made sump system like EShopps AR-100 Aqua-Fuge Refugium Sump, or like customaquarium.com's Seamless Sump system, specifically the low profile 23 sump system or the low profile 40 sump system, if I move the refugium to a different shelf in the stand. Fiji Cube makes DIY baffle kits for 20g long tanks as well as 29g tanks, and in theory I could fit either into my stand as I haven't chosen a stand yet. The tank would be moderately stocked, I believe. A pair of clownfish, a mandarin dragonet, very likely some kind of goby such as a sharknose goby or a watchman goby, and possibly hermit crabs and/or snails. I want to keep the system relatively simple, as this will be my first salt-water tank, but not my first aquarium or my largest aquarium ever. I am, however, very set on stocking options except for a clean-up crew such as crabs, snails, or gobies, and am happy to take recommendations there as well. There's a possibility of adding an anemone at some point, likely a bubble tip anemone, but I'd want to make sure my filtration can handle one. What would be my best potential set-up? -
Hi the Nano Reef Family, It's my first post here 😀 I'm Kevin and i'm French... So excuse me for my English spoken, even if google translate is my friend😅 About fifteen years ago, i hade a nano reef tank (Juwel Lido 120) I plan to build a Waterbox cube 20 with this setup : Waterbox 20 AI Prime 16HD (59W) / Ecotech Radion Xr15 G6 Pro (95W) / Reef Factory Reef Flare Pro S (80W) AI Nero 3 No Skimmer 100W Titanium Sicce 1.0 return pump I hesitate betwen three aquarium controler : Neptune Systems ApexEL / GHL ProfiLux mini wifi / Reef Factory Smart Reef (with Thermo Control, Level Keeper and pH meter) Which one is the most efficient for you ?
-
- 1
-
-
- build/setup
- nanoreef
- (and 1 more)
-
Just joining the group. I have a new EVO 13.5. I had a saltwater tank many years ago, since then mostly fresh water tanks. Right now I have 2 40 gallon breeder tanks. Planted community tanks. I may in the future think about converting one to a reef. But for now, just want to the get the EVO 13.5 going. The tank has about 1/2 to 1 inch of CaribSea Arag-Alive reef sand and Dry Rocks (red coat), using Brightwell reef salt. The tank ran about two weeks and then I did a round of Dr Tims (One and Only) for two weeks. And this week (week 5 since setup) I added 2 misbar caramel clowns and some clean up crew . So far so good, they seem to be calming down and exploring tank a bit more. I am doing weekly water changes, using Glacier water from Krogers and Brightwell salt, trying to keep salinity around 1.024/5. Using a mix of test kits for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates. I have used API reef tank kit for some, but not thrilled with accuracy of tests. I see others recommend Red Sea test kit, may switch to it. Modifications I have on EVO 13.5 are the IN_TANK for Chamber 1& 2, and Sicce 1.0 pump. I am using InTank filter floss, bio media and carbon from Fluval for now. Thinking of switching to ChemPure, instead of Fluval carbon. That’s about it for now. Would add pics but they look about the same as all the other startup pics I have seen!
-
Hi all! I am a new member to the forum. You can call me Scales! I have over 8 years experience with aquariums, the majority of that experience being with freshwater. I have two 5 gallon betta tanks and one 29 gallon planted community with an angelfish, a school of rainbowfish, and a school of false julii corydoras. My one true love is freshwater, but I'm excited to start my personal journey with saltwater tanks! I am a student in college and I am actually pursuing a degree in aquarium science at the University of New England. I am a research manager in the UNE Aquarium Science and Conservation Lab, where we breed clownfish and culture corals. I also have my own research project in the lab, where we are breeding betta splendens to study the marble gene and its link to cancer. I have worked in the lab for 3 years now so I have experience caring for saltwater systems, but I have never had a saltwater tank of my own. I will be converting an old 10 gallon tank to saltwater. It will be mostly FOWLR but I am going to add some green star polyp from my lab. Excited to be here!
-
Help/Advise Required - 30 Gallon Stocking Ideas For Newbie
OPL posted a topic in Beginners Discussion
Hi, I'm new to Saltwater/Reefing, historically i have kept tropical and finally convinced the wife to let me get another tank and try my hand at marine. I've set up and started cycling a Aquaone Nano 80 (approx 130 litre/30 gallon) with the rear sump, already familiar and comfortable with an AIO set-up and not needing to purchase another tank/cabinet with an in cabinet sump was a bonus. Long term i plan on adding corals once everything is established but i will be keeping it simple until everything is established, currently considering: - 1x Ocellarris/common Clownfish - 1x Royal Gramma - 1x Firefish - 1x Neon Goby - 1x Cleaner Shrimp - CUC: Hermit Crabs & Snails Already got some rock-work in and will be adding more prior to introducing any fish to minimize territorial aggression/provide hiding spots, would like to include all above fish but not sure if suitable with size of the tank? Previously considered a second Clownfish but I think the tank will be too small and lead to aggression as they get older, also considered a blenny but unsure on compatibility with the above? Open to suggestions/constructive criticism on all of the above, all advise much appreciated. Thanks in advance, -
Review - The product itself is amazing. The stand is sturdy, UV coated, sturdy hinges, great cutouts and just looks super modern. The tank itself also looks very sleek and very well built. Also for a great price. A few cons would be I wish they provided the white AI prime light with the plus version since their stands are white. Also, the stands do not come with directions and they don't have specific directions for the cube 20 stand so someone that isn't handy like me it took a long time. Also customer service are hard to get a hold of, for me both email and voicemail took days to get a reply and you can't get anyone to answer. With that being said I don't regret my purchase I love the product and can't wait to start filling it up with goodies. Build Thread/Stocking Ideas - This is my first fish tank ever, never even owned a beta lol. So i may have a bunch of failures. Rocks - 20lbs life rock shapes (aquascaped with marco cement) Return pump - stock pump (may upgrade to sicce 1.0 to try and get it very quiet) Flow - Koralia 425 Heater - 2 x 50 watt eheim jager inTank media basket (filter floss, seachem matrix, chemipure blue) Tunzee 3155 ATO (5G jug) DJ switch that is labeled. Big Temp monitor that will alert me if temp gets off. BRS 5 stage RODI Unit Stocking 1 clown fish 1 yellow spotted goby/candy pistol shrimp pair 1 purple fire fish Lots of rock flower Anemones Mixed reef Sexy shrimp/Porcelain crab and other cuc Tank has been cycling 1 week, hopefully can add a fish in a week or two. I'm probably in the wrong hobby since I don't have patience lol.
- 39 replies
-
- 6
-
-
- waterbox
- waterbox aquariums
- (and 4 more)
-
Hey everyone , I have setup a nano evo 13.5 saltwater tank and got a few pieces of live rock from a friend who has been doing reef tanks for years. (Can’t keep bugging him for advice) he doesn’t have a nano tank either. He also gave me water from his tank to help speed up the cycling process. He told me I could add a CUC and some corals as it is ready. So I decided to take that advice and buy some snails and hermit crabs. I also bought some zoas to get the corals started. All my parameters seemed to be in check and the CUC liked the tank ..... until some of the snails just stopped moving and died. The zoas closed up so tight and now are what I would consider to be goners. My refractometer was giving me a reading of 1.025 but when I decided that it was time to take water to the LFS for testing he was blown away by the level of salinity I had in the tank 1.040. So I have started slowly bringing down the level of Salinity using my RODI water but am having a huge hair algae problem but am wondering if it is due to the tank cycling or the parameters being way out of whack ? Should I just toss the corals and start over ? Or see if they will make a comeback? everything else was good with my other parameters nitrite and nitrates etc.. thanks for any help or guidance in advance.
-
Equipment Aquarium: Fluval Evo 13.5 Lighting: HIPARGERO Aqua Knight 30W LED Light Tide Plus M Flow: Stock pump ( GPH) and a Sicce Voyager Nano 1000 (270 GPH) Heating/Cooling: Aqueon 100W Heater Filter Media: First Chamber (in descending order): filter floss, purigen empty slot, some yellow sponge padding, and the included Fluval biological media. Second Chamber: 1L of Seachem Matrix in a media bag Salt: Instant Ocean Sea Salt Reef Crystals Reef Salt Hardscape: ~10-11 pounds of MarcoRocks Reef Saver Dry Rock; still have some leftover since I received around 14 pounds originally. ~1 pound of live rock from LFS for seeding the tank. Some (long dry) seashell fragments, sand dollar fragments, and snail shells for variety. Substrate: CaribSea Arag-Alive Special Grade (10 lb.) Stand: Secondhand metal university desk, but extremely stable; covered top with an Innovative Marine DIY self leveling mat. Maintenance Water change of ~4-5 gallons (weekly) Remove pump and powerhead; scrape off bulk of buildup and rinse pump internal filter (~3 weeks) Change filter floss whenever it looks dirty (typically every 3-4 days or after heavy feeding) Clean glass w/ razor blade scraper or mag-float if needed Feeding and Supplements: 10mL of OceanMagik (daily) pinch of crushed up Omega One Super Color NutriDiet Marine flakes (every other day) 3-4 spirulina and/or shrimp pellets (every other day) small portion of Hikari mysis shrimp (weekly) half quarter half a capful of FritzZyme 9 from an 8 oz. bottle (weekly) blend of coral foods (reef-roids, coralific delite, mysis shrimp leftovers, etc.) (~1.5 weeks) various foods to get the cycle going and test what fish/inverts like (i.e. spirulina pellets, tropical flakes, micro pellets, mysis shrimp, etc.) Stocking Fish Pink-Streaked (or Cryptic) Wrasse (Pseudocheilinops ataenia) BIOTA Court Jester (or Rainford's) Goby (Koumansetta rainfordi) MIA Orange Spotted Goby (Amblyeleotris guttata) Managed to leap out of tank through netting 😞 Motile Inverts (potentially two) Randall's Pistol Shrimp (Alpheus randalli) Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) Clean-Up Crew (CUC) 1 Scarlet Hermit Crab (Paguristes cadenati) 3 Blue Eyed(?) Hermit Crabs 3 Florida Ceriths (Cerithium sp.) Many Dwarf Ceriths (Cerithium sp.) 2 Zig Zag Periwinkles 1/2 Marginella Snails (Prunum apicinum) 1 Nassarius Vibex 3 Nerite Snails Sessile Inverts Coral/Sponge/Macroalgae Soft Green Star Polyps (Pachyclavularia sp.) Red Sea Pom Pom Xenia (Xenia sp.) 'Dipping Dots' Mushroom Coral (Actinodiscus sp.) Superman Mushroom Superman Rhodactis (Rhodactis sp.) Green Rhodactis (Rhodactis sp.) Orange Ricordea (Ricordea florida) LPS Red Australian Blastomussa Wellsi (Blastomussa wellsi) Neon Goniastrea (Goniastrea sp.) 'Rainbow Glitter' Favia (Favia sp.) ARC 'Allstar' Favia (Favia sp.) Purple Branching Hammer Coral (Euphyllia ancora) Green Tip Branching Hammer Coral (Euphyllia sp.) Gold Branching Hammer Coral (Euphyllia sp.) 'Orange Juice' Echinata () ARC 'Bottom Dweller' Echinata Acan () ARC 'Agent Orange' Acan (Micromussa lordhowensis) SPS Blue Pocillopora/Bird's Nest Coral? (Seriatopora hystrix) Sponge Photosynthetic Red Plating Sponge (Collospongia sp.) Photosynthetic Blue Plating Sponge (Collospongia sp.) MIA Macroalgae Chaeto (Chaetomorpha linum) (These are planned to be stocked in the future and are thus tentative at best; 1 is while the tank is fairly young, 2 is for a more settled in tank, and 3 is for an established tank) Motile Inverts Porcelain Anemone Crab (2) (Neopetrolisthes ohshimai) Sessile Inverts Crocea Clam (3) (Tridacna crocea) Feather Duster(s) (2) Coral/Sponge/Macroalgae Pipe Organ Coral (2) Candy Cane Coral (branching) (2) A Species of Photosynthetic Gorgonian (1-2) Blue Hypnea Macroalgae (1-2) (Hypnea pannosa) Less likely, but maybe... Duncans (2-3) I've been wanting to get into nano reefs for quite awhile now at this point (earliest evidence I can find is a Google doc with livestock back from 2015, with one of the choices being a flaming prawn goby 😅). However, because of money, time, and probably what would have become a lack of commitment, I never got into the hobby. Fast forward to 2 years ago, when I got randomly re-interested in the nano reef hobby, my attention was redirected in another direction: the nano planted tank hobby. Ultimately, this was probably a step in the right direction given that I got to learn the cycling process, stocking limits, and other basic concepts in a more forgiving setup. After 2 years, four tanks (a Fluval Spec V, Fluval Spec III, Dennerle 2.5 gallon "pond", and now Fluval Flex 9 this past January; I still run all four tanks, with the addition of the Fluval Evo 13.5 now being welcomed to the family), a number of different successes and failures (plants melting, finally creating a stable colony of carbon rili shrimp, blue-green algae problems, trying and succeeding/failing at aquascapes to varying degrees, etc.), the pandemic, and some drifting thoughts at finals lead me to reconvene on the idea of making a nano reef tank. Now, the Fluval Evo 13.5 provides me with what I hope to be my first branch off into the reef-keeping hobby. I'm currently dubbing this tank "A Young Interstice" for its prominent gap in the rock work, an interstice just being "an intervening space, especially a very small one." Hoping to (eventually) upgrade this title to "A Mature Interstice" and then "An Old Interstice", but those are both a long ways off. 😉 Start Date: 6/14/2020 More updates to come.
- 25 replies
-
- 1
-
-
- fluval evo 13.5
- fluval evo xii 13.5 gal
- (and 3 more)
-
Hello everyone! Newbie here entering the 365 day challenge. This is going to be a 16g coralife biocube I just received from marineandreef. They had an amazing sell, and I just could not pass it up. I currently have a 54g corner tank in my living room, which was my first saltwater tank and was established 07/2019. I'm still a newbie and am hoping for the best. Even if I am not considered a finalist later, I'm hoping to meet some awesome people and gain some great advice! Reef on, my friends!
- 63 replies
-
- 3
-
-
- 365 day challenge
- 365 day aio challenge
- (and 9 more)
-
Hello, I am a newbie to the hobby of saltwater aquarium keeping, but I do have experience with freshwater aquariums even though I know the two are very different. I recently bought a 15 gallon aqueon column tank which is going to be a reef aquarium with corals, live rock, and fish. I have the live sand and dry rock and I spiked the ammonia around 2 weeks ago with raw shrimp (very smelly and I don't ever recommend). I am leaving for a 2 week vacation in 4 weeks so I'm hoping by the time I come back the take will be ready for fish. I am hoping to get 2 clownish for this setup but please let me know what you think about that. Also i will be adding my clean up crew before I leave for vacation. I have an aquaclear 50 HOB filter, a 50 watt heater, and 240gph power head. Once I start with the corals in a couple of months (I want to take this slow as I know patience is key). I am using rodi water with instant ocean sea salt. I would like to know your thoughts on my livestock plans, my equipment in general, lighting recommendations for the corals (I am looking for a low budget option that will allow me to keep the aquarium hood on as I believe it helps with the evaporaton. Any advise helps as I am a newbie and this is my first tank ever. Thanks!
-
Hello and sorry to post this, I'm sure it's been posted many times, but can someone tell me if this is Coraline? Tank has been up since July of 2019. I know I've had a slight nitrate problem in the past, but all my other levels are consistent and where they should be. Thanks in advance!
-
Hi everyone ?️! My name is Jammie. I've been out of the saltwater hobby for to many years to admit. When I had a tank it was a 55gal FOWLR, it crashed when I impulsively bought a fish at my lfs. I always wanted to try again. Anyway I've been researching the hobby again, because so many things have changed. I have decided to start again with a 32 gallon LED biocube. Just this week I put together the stand and wanted to share. I'll share the other equipment and modifications I plan to make soon. In advance thanks to everyone for helping me!
-
I'm new to the hobby but have been following for a while, and am in the process of setting up a 1.4 gallon pico tank. As far as equipment goes, there's a sort of built in Sump in the back with a sponge and extra compartment - I just put some extra live rubble in there from what didn't fit in the display. There's also a 25w heater and mini wavemaker on its way, along with a bulb (specs below). My plan is to get Dr. Tim's live culture and then wait a week or two before adding GSP - after that I'm not sure (probably frogspawn and CUC as needed). Is there anything I'm missing?  (I'm planning on eighty percent water changes a week just because of the small size)
-
Hi there, 3 days ago I bought a small tank bred Clown and a small six line wrasse and added them to my two week old tank (after cycling) which already featured a healthy yellow Coralgoby (who only eats frozen food(note: i haven't tried pellets)). So far i have only managed to feed the clown flake food which he will eat happily along with frozen foods, however he constantly swims from one side of the tank to the other really fast, whilst bumping into the each side of the glass and does this whilst swimming next to the front glass panel of the tank and occasionally stops at each corner swimming up and down slowly. My question is, is the clownfish healthy or stressed and is there something i should do? note : he is the only clownfish in the tank and is very small. Also my small six line wrasse that i got has been hiding in a cave in the rock and rarely comes out. When he does come out, he swims close to the sand bed and its usually first thing in the morning before the light comes on but the natural light coming through the windows is present. When he is in the cave he doesn't move much but still moves his fins, and occasionally pecks at the glass next to him. Also during my first day of having him i couldn't find him in the tank, and it turned out he was stuck in the gap between the HOB filter and the glass, i moved the filter and at first i thought he was dead but he slowly swam into the cave which is at the other side of the tank. I haven't managed to feed him yet as he swims away from the coral feeder with frozen food in it. My parameters are stable and i have nitrates at 2 ppm with ammonia and nitrite at 0 ppm. My second question is, is the six line wrasse OK and if not what should i do about it? note: when I bought the two fish from the LFS, they were both swimming around, looking healthy, but the wrasse did occasionally hide in the rock. Also when i looked at the wrasse in the bag (during acclimation) he had a white floating bit attached to the fins on the top of his body, but it has now gone. To give you an idea about the tank and the cave, the tank is 20 gallons and the cave is just rock leaning against the back corner of the tank so i can see inside and so know what the wrasse is doing whilst in there. Thanks, John.
-
Hey everyone! Newbie here looking to grow my knowledge of all things saltwater. My husband loves his large reef tank and he just surprised me with this nano tank to peak my interest. The details: we added the aragonite sand, live rock, and premix yesterday. I tested today and my ph is 8.0, ammonia is about .135ppm, nitrites 0 ppm, and nitrates 0 ppm! My husband says he thinks it takes about to weeks to break the skimmer in. So far it’s mostly filling up with water instead of bubbles. Even with nothing moving around in there, I find myself staring. I’m so excited just dreaming about all the possibilities of this tank! I think I love the fact that it’s my own responsibility and reward. Im ready to do the work!
-
8 days ago I put live sand, live rock, and a premixed saltwater into my 24 gallon tank. It has a built in sump in the back with various media and a skimmer. I have been regularly testing salinity, ph, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and alkalinity. PH always reading between 7.8 and 8.0 ammonia hasn’t budged from .25ppm nitrate and nitrite are both 0 alkalinity at 180 I noticed my salinity was low which surprised me since the water came from my local fish store. I played around, taking about half a gallon out and adding more concentrated mix of Red Sea salt and regular RO water. It’s at 1.0235 Per the advice of someone at the fish store I added chemi pure elite to my filtration media tonight. What am I missing here? Should I put a piece of raw shrimp in there? Am I just being impatient? I didn’t expect my tank to be cycled already, just some noticeable changes in ammonia at least. Any suggestions?
-
I used to have a 150 G Fresh water aquarium back home and that one is now my mom's. Since I moved I've always wanted to start a new one and was a little scared about the salt water aquariums. After a couple of months researching, reading and watching a lot of videos I decided to start a Fluval 13.5 Evo Nano Reef Aquarium and I'm really excited to make it grow. I started my Aquarium just 5 days ago and I have done 3 testings so far. I have dry rock and Arag-alive Pink Fiji Sand. I used Dr Timm's Chloride Ammonia as indicated in the product and Fluval's Biological Enhancer to start the cycle. I've been reading online and Dr Timm's Cycle guide and it says that you shouldn't let the Ammonia levels go higher than 5.0 so I did a partial water change on my 3rd day of the cycle. These are my current testing readings I did them with the API Test Kit: I'm just wondering if the process is going right or If I should do something. I'm in no rush to finish the cycle but wanted to know if I should keep the lights on or off and if I should add more Bio enhancer or not. Thanks a lot! ---------- This is my setup so far:
-
Hello! I'm Mariah (Rye). This is my first dive (pun intended) into reef keeping. I live in a small apartment and wanted as little equipment to keep it as natural as possible and after doing lots of research came across a reef group of FB (although TBH there are a lot of arsehole's on that page...it's a huge deterrent from posting questions on there haha). Then I found Nano-Reef! Huzzuh! This seemed like the right place for support and advice! Brandon's and Nathalie's tanks have inspired me to stick to basic biology rather than relying on copious testing and products. This is my tank (and hamburger phone): I have so far: Innovative Marine 4gal Nuvo AIO Filtration: AOI came with but probably won't use (I plan on having live rock and live sand how deep should my sandbed be in a 15L?) Acrylic Filter Wall w/ Overflow Media Basket Mechanical Sponge Activated Carbon Sponge Phosphate Sponge Flare Nozzle Lighting: 4 watt SKKYE Light Clamp LED Am considering getting the Maxspect Celestial 35W: worth the upgrade? All my research has suggested that the SKKYE's do ok for softies and mushrooms but this is a really low wattage, hey? probably only supposed to be used for a freshwater. Alternatively, I'm considering buying a better LED light and just installing into a regular lamp fixture. Suggestions? I have purchased: Tetra Whisper 10Gal AirPump + airstone H-B Enviro-Safe General Purpose Liquid-In-Glass Thermometer + Another thermometer to compare Cobalt Aquatics Flat Neo-Therm Heater with Adjustable Thermostat (Fully-Submersible, Shatterproof Design) 25W I will custom build an acrylic lid to minimise evaporation because the current lid won't prevent evaporation for shit. I'm planning on using Natural SW because I live near clean SW and can keep a 60L drum downstairs in the garage (cool, dark, stable temp!) and will enjoy the drive to the beach to collect every 2-3 weeks. In terms of what I'd like to keep my vision is zoas, rics, mushrooms, finger coral and maybe an open brain coral and some clams. I'm still not sure about which and how many CUC, I'd love a fire shrimp and my husband (who is not in charge of this) requested a fish (coloured me surprised) however I'm obviously really hesitant because this is such a small tank and I know having even one fish would make taking care of this much harder. What do you think? I am already so appreciative of this community and all the advice available on here already. P.s This will probably be the slowest pico ever built. I really take my time with things and want to be as knowledgable and prepared as possible so thank you in advance for your patience. I will try to update this when I can but I have a young son and a busy family so we'll see. Ta and cheers from Aus! P.p.s thinking about putting Chaeto in the overflow. Does anyone is Sydney have some?? THANK YOU!
-
I am hoping to get into the saltwater side of things in the near future after doing freshwater for quite a while. Unfortunately, I am limited to the small Fluval Evo 5 gallon for the foreseeable future, so I came here to try and make the most of it. I really have my heart set on a shrimp/goby pair and I would like to look into what else would be a good addition (shrimp, crabs, snails, corals?). Are there any modifications I should make to my tank before starting? What else should I know about a nano tank that isn't obvious? (parameter fluctuations, topping off) Thanks in advance! 🙂
-
Hey everyone, so the inevitable happened and we found a 25g tank with stand that was low enough for me to be able to perform tasks without extra stools and ladders (I’m pretty short, and we had the tank on one of our highest countertops.) Our current tank is 13.5 gallons. I’m not sure how fast or slow I should be transfering livestock over once I have the tank in the right spot, cords contained & ensured everything is how I want it before livestock. We will not be adding any additional licestock at this time to try to minimize the risk. Currently livestock: -two clown fish -cleaner shrimp -6 crabs (hermit and regular) -6 snails - 1 ricordea rock - a montipora cap - one acapora - one stag - one torch - one xenia - 6 zoa mini colonies of different colors. Some Fragged I want to use the live rock that is currently in the 13.5 tank plus more as necessary (which will probably go in the refugium). I bought new sand to use as well. Any suggestions on how to best approach this? I am also thinking maybe going sandless but not sure. I like the look of the sand much more then the glass bottom.
-
Hi everyone... Long time reader (research lol) First time poster, I am a LONG time keeper of freshwater and brackish water tanks and critters of all- from Dragon Gobies to Mollies to ACF’s/ACDF’s to Axolotl’s lol However this is my first step into the full saltwater world.... well it’s actually my sons... he is 12 and has convinced me to buy him the Coralife 32 LED tank.... I have posted on other general forums and have gotten so many opinions my head is spinning... Other than the tank and stand I have the following equipment: -Cobalt Neotherm 150W - InTank media tray - InTank (cant remember what it’s called but the part that closes in the gap between the tank and the back - I plan to have a goby and have heard horror stories) -The Hydor KPS WiFi Wavemaker - a good thermometer - regular instant ocean salt (haven’t ordered yet but this is what I plan to get and use- unless someone convinces me otherwise - a good refractometer (bought the same one I use to double check my brackish tanks- and also have instant ocean hydrometer) -mag float glass cleaner - Caribsea 20lbs of the LifeRock Shapes (I don’t think I will be using all 20lbs... probably more like 15-17lbs (I don’t have the glue or whatever for these yet so opened to the best idea to make them stick and stay!!) - I also want egg crate (I am just going to cut it to go on the rocks that touch the glass on the bottom.... not going to cover the full tank floor) but I’m not sure where to get it... I am in Canada and can only find it online at places that don’t ship to Canada... so any ideas or substitutions would be great.... - Caribsea special grade reef sand- 15lbs (aiming for about an inch on bottom so may not need the whole bag or if I need more it’s easy to get) -Already have the API saltwater master kit for my brackish tank and have ordered the reef kit for when we add corals and to monitor everything just in case) - Purigen, Matrix, Phosguard and the appropriate bags for each made by seachem -Filter floss -bottle of biospira And I am probably forgetting something lol My plans based on what I have got the most consistent advice on is: - don’t waste my money on a protein skimmer.... for a tank this size and what I plan to keep it won’t be worth it as long as I do my weekly water changes... which we will be... now keep in mind that when recommendations come in... this tank will be set up and run by my son on his own... so we are going for as simple as possible... he’s very smart and looks after his own 64g axie tank and 406 canister himself... and also helps me with all my water changes and mixes the salt for the brackish tank so he’s not completely unfamiliar with stuff.... so: Again been advised to skip protein skimmer.... keep up with W/C’s instead my plans are to install the heater into chamber 1 chamber 2 will have the InTank media basket: from top to bottom: Filter Floss Purigen and Phosguard Matrix I have also been advised that in a tank this small there is no point in installing the InTank fuge basket.... (surely the Phosguard and purigen combo along with the matrix should keep things under control and if phosphates or nitrAtes get too high I’ll just add more (either purigen or phosguard) until we know how much we will need.... but I’m sure 1 bag of purigen will be fine as my tap water has natural occurring nitrAtes at like 60-80ppm and 1 bag brings my 75g tank down to 5ppm- so in theory it should be able to handle the 32g (which isn’t even quite 32g’s and less when I add sand and rock) so I had thought about just dropping in another bag of matrix beside the InTank media basket in the empty spot... just for more bio.... So hopefully so far so good lol Let me know if you have better ideas or changes... keeping in mind it will be a 12 y/o doing the work.... Really the only benefit (and no one has really convinced me as I have read many contradictions both by science and by peoples advice is that maybe I should run a fuge with Cheato to make pods My easy solution to this is why can I not just dose the tank with the line of pods made by seachem therefore avoiding another thing to buy plus something else for him to take care of.... right? We will only ever be keeping easy soft corals and obviously it won’t be for a while.... so the stock LED lights should be fine I’m assuming.... Now I would like to add an ATO but I am not quite sure where to start with this tank... from what I gather you can buy the whole kits (pump and all) but I have no idea which ones to look for or really where to put the sensors and such (I believe in chamber 3).... honestly I’m not quite sure how they completely work other than some of the ones I have looked at have like a storage container where you put your fresh water and it automatically tops up the tank from evaporation and such.... so some guidance there would be nice... again looking for something reliable but cost effective... it’s a dark room so no sunlight hardly at all only light really will be if he has his lamp or TV on... plus the LED’s (when on) but I still think it’s a good idea as I know it becomes annoying with my 100 tanks I already have constantly topping them off lol.... size is also going to be a component... so the more compact the better... also because we only have a brackish tank using a large spoon and 5g bucket has been sufficient enough for mixing salt (we just temp match the water and do the water change right away and it has never swayed much from 1.005... maybe up to 1.008 but that’s ok for brackish however not ok for swings with saltwater so I am looking for recommendations on a powerhead that’s decently priced but will not break after 2 months or what your guys preferred methods are for water changes... his plan was to mix it up in his room with temp matched water and then just use a smaller container like a juice jug or such to pour the water in (taking it out is not a problem as we have a separate python from the freshwater tanks) so if there is an easier way for him to get the water in the tank I’m all ears lol and again a brand of power head (be specific so I don’t screw it up lol) or something for better mixing.... and water changes ** (I have no choice but to use distilled water but I am absolutely sure it’s 100% actual distilled water... I have a family member in the plumbing business and I made them test it for everything and it’s got nothing- others had tried to convince me to use RO water but my tap water is so bad I would have to buy a large expensive one (I have nitrAtes, copper, a water softener and other crap) So I’m fine with the distilled water because again I am certain it’s 100% pure....plus my faucets are not the norm... I would have to like disconnect the whole thing (if I even could) to get it attached (and they are crazy expensive) and I’m assuming I’d be going through cartridges like crazy and it probably still won’t remove everything) next i I believe would be stocking: for our CUC and Fish stocking we have went back and forth and are not sure on numbers and we want a variety (of CUC) that will each kind of do their own thing... This is sort of where we are but not entirely sure on number or if this will be overstocking the tank (keep in mind I’m only using a max of 15lbs of sand- and around 14-17lbs of rock) - 1 x Royal Gramma - 2x Clownfish (these are the only MUST have) - 1x Watchman Goby - 1x pink line wrasse (this was suggested to me by many however I’m having a hard time finding out exactly what the real name is- when I put it into google I get a bunch of different things but they are talking about the smaller more docile one so if someone can help me out with a better name that would be great so I don’t end up with the wrong fish because (and I maybe should have mentioned this) I have a family owned chain store here... not like Wal-Mart or Petco... they started out with 1 store here in my town and now have about 5 in the surrounding towns as our Walmart’s and such don’t sell fish.... so when I place an order for anything it comes separate from their order in my own box and I grab it as soon as the shipper drops it off and go home with it... even if they order more of the same fish mine always are separated right from their shipper) sorry now I will continue.... 1x Randall’s pistol shrimp (choosing him because of the neat relationship between him and the goby) 1x Scarlet cleaner shrimp 3x Trochus snails 3x Cerith snails And wanting a 3rd snail... something that will accomplish what these guys won’t like eating certain algae’s or turning up the sand bed The one that was recommended but I am hesitant on is 2x Astraea Snails- my concern is that they will get flipped over and one of us won’t notice and he will get eaten by something else in our tank or die or something lol Now 1: would that be overstocking the new 32g Coralife? Should I choose something else over the Astraea snails that may accomplish more and I won’t have to flip over? I’m not looking for something that’s going to reproduce like crazy (I know some of those snails will but I’ve been told most of the eggs will die off or will be eaten... and once they grow I can always sell stuff back to my LFS as they know the care that goes into my fish.... I apologize that was so long winded (and I still probably missed stuff lol) but if anyone has the time and experience to read through my mess of a post I would love to hear any changes I should make and the reason behind it... and the stocking is a big thing... we don’t want to over stock etc (also if you could tell me approximately how many of the cuc to start with (and I know to add the fish sort of least aggressive to most aggressive- will save the 2 clowns or wrasse for last... unless someone has a better stocking list I am all for it... the only thing that CANT leave is the clownfish and I’d like to keep the goby and Randall’s shrimp combo because I think that would be cool to watch... other than that... fairly simply... although as I mentioned he has experience with all sorts of fish... like bumblebee gobies and our dragon goby to the frogs and his axies (we hand feed all 4 of our frogs and all 3 of our axies) so the fish don’t need to be the most simple... more looking for some hardy and nice bright stuff that will make the tank have different colors etc but again no idea if with this list if I’m over stocked or under stocked lol Brand new world to me.... If there is anything equipment wise that I have missed let me know (I may already have it and just forgot to list it lol) Thank you in advance for anyone who takes the time to help us.... just please note I have a brain Injury which makes it hard to read long posts (and write them! 😫) so if it’s not too much trouble when answering questions and moving on to the next topic could you put the spaces like I sort of did with my post... it helps me sort through and read it easier 🙂
-
Help me convert my 10g freshwater aquarium to a nano reef tank please!
CanYouHearMeMeow posted a topic in Beginners Discussion
So as the title says,I'm converting to saltwater tanks. I definitely have a tight budget because I want to get my feet wet,not just cannonball in. In my 10g,I've already upgraded my aquarium with the Aquaclear powerfilter 110V. My tank currently stays around 76-77 degrees. I definitely want to house a pair of clownfish and a cleaner shrimp...and corals in the near future. I'm so scared of lighting and don't want to buy the wrong thing for corals. I'm getting a custom glass lid so I can't have anything clipped to the tank in the back,so for now I prefer the lights that slightly hover above the aquarium cover. Since price is strict,here's some lights I've run into on Amazon...let me know what you guys think 🙂 Green Element EVO 18"-22" LED Aquarium Light Fixture - Reef Capable 10x3W https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00APBO2XU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_nFPtBbHM2NND9 EVO 12 LED Aquarium Light Nano Marine Coral Reef Cichlid 6x 3W 3 Watt 30-40 cm by Odyssea https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N0PJK0S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_TFPtBbVPXKD1Q SLR Lighting LED Aquarium Lighting – All Sizes for Fish Tanks, Terrariums, Vivariums – Plants, Coral, Seaweed – Natural Night & Day Light Patterns w/ Brackets & Remote Control [Size: 14-22 In.] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0759NLDSB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_dGPtBbAF0Y92Y -
Hey reefers, So I finally got my tank and im so excited to get started, its a 40 gallon tank. I went with a AquaClear110 Hob filter (Hang on back) an Eheim 150w heater and a saltwater refractometer for today. Im heading back to the Lfs tomorrow to get all of the other goodies like test kits, power-head, lighting, dry rocks, carbon and other stuff like that and possibly a Hob protein skimmer. Im not looking to put many rocks in and only a couple corals also not to sure what stock is going in as of right now just want to get the water parameters thing down pat. Tell me what you think about my setup and feel free to leave any advice that you think would help, Thanks
