Nano Setup Question.

[Mebigloser]

OK,
I am thinking about setting up a 20 gallon nano and looking for info on how most of you would setup it up. I am looking for info on the following items.

Filtration
Substrate: kinds: have; not have (bb)
Skimmer: have; not have
Lighting ( probably have 175 watt MH 10k) suggestions:

other suggestions.

Thanks MBL (Ron)

 

[fidojoe]

Tho my 20 long nano was short lived (only took it down to work on my 50 instead), I had it set up with 20# of lr, 2 aqua clear 201 PH's and a, AC mini HOB, for extra circulation/carbon, for my filtration. For substrate, I had a 1-2" SB, because you still get some denitification, but without it beeing very deep. I planned on skimmerless, but I was prepared to buy one if needed. For lighting, i was not going to do halides, as the operating cost is a killer, but I was planning on retrofitting about 3 T5's into my hood.

Do you already have the tank? Do you plan on the 20H or 20L?
I like the 20L because there is more lateral swim room for the fish, and the depth of the tank is the same.

 

[Mebigloser]

No tank purchased yet, might even go to a 30..

 

[pista01]

I've had a 20 running since August. I would go for as large a tank as possible. The small volume makes it hard to keep stable, especially for the first few months.

What do you want in your tank? That will determine how best to set it up.

 

[Mebigloser]

Since I will probably will be using MH lighting, looking to keep SPS on down. I am trying to find out how others have setup their small tanks and have success. I already currently have a 75 gallon setup, just looking to build a small tank.

 

[tommyp]

I would do a 20L They are so sweet. I have a 5.5 and it has some frags in it but I am hesitant to put alot of corals in it. Not because it can't be done just that I don't want to be stressed out keeping parameters in check in such a small tank. I do 1 gallon a week water changes and no skimming.

I use it as a quarantine tank for small fish. I love clown gobies as well as all sorts of small fishes. Next fish are going to be neon gobies..back on track

I have a 20L that I have been thinking about setting up. I am going to set it up with a single 55 watt 50/50pc and dedicate it as a mushroom/softy low light tank. It is cool because it is shallow so you can get away with less light. I don't know that I would go sps in a nano just because of space, hardiness, and upkeep issues.

Not that it should stop you from going sps i just know i wouldn't be on top of it enough to make it work

I would set it up with a refugium.
If you are into diy you can buy some cheap diamond bit glass drills from harbor freight and drill the tank for an overflow. Possibly to a ten gallon sump for a small skimmer. I would use a modified lee's or coralife. If you had the money a bakpak or remora. and then half for a fuge.

I hate to send you to nano-reef but they are on the cutting edge of nanoness. lots of good ideas over there.

but I say go 20L or even a cool 30 cube or even a 16 bow aga thats a cool one as well and run a single halide. on second thought you might want some height for sps how about a 15 tall? too many options

Have fun!

Tom

 

[Mebigloser]

Thanks for the info tommyp, I think I will also check out nano-reef.

 

[kennerd]

Originally posted by Mebigloser
Thanks for the info tommyp, I think I will also check out nano-reef.

No need: we're all here!

A few quick things: what is your preference in terms of light saturation? I ask this, as you will need to figure this out before going any route with a tank....Single halide over a wider tank (20-30) will leave some shaded areas, and you will need to raise the lighting higher to get wider light spread: higher you go, the more intense a bulb you need. If you like bright all-over light, perhaps a pair of halides over the wider tank.

The new oceanic cubes BEG for a 250w pendant over them, IMO.

If you look @ my website, you can see my 10 gal with a 150w halide. I run a single Coral Vue 20kk bulb and the coloration is pretty good. I found this bulb to be much less blue than the XM's or the radiums and fine without actinic supplementation, but the limiting factor on that is the fact that my fixture does not have the room for the actinic as it is, and I don't want to mess around with the look.

Also nice about the hood I have, or a pendant: top-down viewing of clams......amazing what the angle will do for viewing them.

OK, have to hop, but I'll jump back in by tomorrow night.

 

[caja]

Originally posted by kennerd
The new oceanic cubes BEG for a 250w pendant over them, IMO.

Ken, I spied an Oceanic 30 at my LFS yesterday. 30 cube and a stand for $320. I need to do some price checking around on the net as this LFS tends to have a huge mark up, but man, that tank is sweet.

And as we know, Craig is dropping hints about getting a bigger tank and combining the two nano's into the one larger tank.

Thing is, he doesn't know that the custom canopy and base built by NR's mattgecko arrived yesterday. Now all I need is abs' 2.5 and I'm still in nano-land if I do go for the bigger tank. just can't decide on the 36 bowfront or the 30 cube. hehe.

 

[dickie52]

MBL,
I have seen a few of the 20 long set-up and I will say they are sweet. A nice large foot print and the shallow water makes for great lighting. I vote for the fuge also......

 

[wooddood]

ron i thought you were going with a larger tank?any way good luck with the nano.also giving ya a bump.

 

[drdrew]

agree with the 30 cube....and the 250 pendant....my next incarnation.

 

[Mebigloser]

I am thinking about a 10 gallon-30 gallon nano tank, I saw on Nano-Reef the 6500k curly lights along with an actinic. Can you guys explain the good and bad to this setup.


Wooddood: Still planning on the big tank, dag stock market is killing me. Just a wait wait game....

 

[Crakeur]

10 to 30 is a big range. I love my 26 bow. it is deep tho. However, with teh twin 150's and the 55 watt actinic I am fairly well set.

not sure of the curly lights. never saw that thread

 

[tommyp]

MBL- I have two 20w 6500k curlies over my 5.5. They work great and are cheap to do. but I think you might be better off with more traditional offerings. Mine don't seem to be showing all that great coral growth.

With the curlies I think you are losing some light because you can't fit them with a good reflector and the curls on top are blocked a bit by the ones on the bottom. You can just run a workhorse 7 ballast for $30 and have 220 watts of pc or vho. I would go for vho because the URi's have an internal reflector and you could pack a bunch in the hood. You might have to change vho's out a bit sooner than pcs but with a shallow tank they should give plenty of light.

You can get a 42watt 65k bulb here

http://1000bulbs.com/category.php?category=670

two of them would probably light up a ten real nice but then you are still going to have to run actincs on a sparate ballast. They also sell workhorses for cheap. It is not a big deal to wire them if you are non diy.

I would determine how much light you want over the tank and then the length and go from there. Make a list with Vho's PC's and screw ins and compare the costs.

I imagine three vho internal reflector tubes and one ballast will give you the most bang for the buck if you are not going halide.

Tom

 

[Dingo]

Small sized tanks are not more difficult to care for. On the contrary, everything is proportionately easier.

Many people like to have a HOB filter, not for filtration, but for circulation. It is also a convenient place to stick carbon or phosphate remover when needed. Plan on around a pound of LR per gallon for your filtration. If you keep your bioload low, that will do a fine job of de-nitrification.

One or two power heads in addition to the HOB serve to mix up the currents.

A DSB in such a small tank not only takes up too much precious space, but is of dubious value. I would go with 1 to 1.5" of aragonite.

MH lighting is da bomb. I would go for that as suggested above.

Skimmers are a matter for debate. My preference is to rely on weekly 10% water changes, which is easy for a 10 gallon, not so easy for a 30 gallon. I think that if you go into a small tank with a "no water change" mentality, you are setting yourself up for problems.

Get an oversized heater. You need to make sure that the temperature remains stable.

The single best time saving device on a nano is an autotopoff. It saves you from constantly adding water and lets you go on vacation.

 

[birdman204]

Originally posted by tommyp
I hate to send you to nano-reef but they are on the cutting edge of nanoness. lots of good ideas over there.

but I say go 20L or even a cool 30 cube or even a 16 bow aga thats a cool one as well and run a single halide.
Tom

Tom no need, us informative ones are here now! You have some really good info!
I would also suggest a 20L or a 30G "cube" from oceanic. Those things are so cool. Halides are also cool, and temperature can be easily controlled with strategically placed fans. If you do pop over to NR.com, My tank was featured in january and you can get a breakdown of maint and upkepp. It is actually rather easy after the first 3 - 6 months. I left recently for 5 days and all my wife had to do was refill my kalk top off with kalkwasser I premade for her before I left. I have no fish, but that is what the big tank is for. My gramma has not been with me for a month now, sad cuz he hung around for a long time. Nano's are quite rewarding as you get a SUPER close up view of what goes on.

And for your curlyQ-s, head down to home depot and pick up a "stainless mudpan" in the concrete or tile section. Highly reflective, and only about 10$.

 

[SZHTTM]

I have a 20H and love it. I actually upgraded from the All-Glass mini7 that was running great for almost two years. But the inhabitants (corals and fish) just got to big. I attached an old picture of my 20-gallon reef below.

It has an AquaC Remora with the Maxi-Jet pump for a skimmer with the skimmer/bubble trap box, I am also running a Skilter but removed the protein skimmer parts because of the Remora that I am using now, 100w heater, 2 to 3" of sand, one ZooMed powersweep, and about 25 lbs of rock. It has been running great now for almost 1.5 years. The lights I have are two 65w PCs (1 10K & 1 ACT03).

I have four fish (two Oscellaris, Yellow Watman Goby, and Bar Goby) in it.

For maintenance, I change the Skilter filter once a week, clean the skimmer once a week, and change 5 gallons of water every two weeks. I also add distilled water with a little kalkwasser to make up for the evaporated water.

Good Luck;

 

[tommyp]

Birdman,

I like the mud pan idea but just question the output of the curlies. it seems like all the light is bouncing against all the coils. They work but to me don't seem very efficent. I am talking out my rear here. No PAR readings or anything but wouldn't a straight bulb with a closer reflector have greater output per watt. But possibly the curlies pack more tube in a hood? Dunno

Not that it costs so much in electricity to run a nano. unless you have a ton of halide

Tom

 

[birdman204]

The curlies are of course notoriously weak. But you get what you pay for. My suggestion if you want more light, get a small pc retrofit kit , or even just the DIY parts from hello lights if yuo are savvy. And you can get them cheap.