Nano Setup Question.

[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.

[birdman204]

but I am sure you are happy with what you've got or ya already woulda done something :P

[tommyp]

Yeah. My nano is much more a fowlr/QT so far the curlies have been fine for me
I wouldn't say I was real happy
but I don't have many corals just low light hardy frags from my main tank. But it seems that MBL is considering them for his possible sps nano tank and there are many better and basically just as cheap diy options out there.

If I was going to turn my 5.5 into full blown reef. I am not sure what I would do. maybe 2x28watt pc's or one 70 watt halide. I am running my nano on the cheap so I like the curlies but for real reef purposes (especially larger nanos) money is better spent towards better and more efficent lights.

T

[Mebigloser]

Hey guys,
Keep the info coming, I would also like to hear about some of your filter setups along with pictures.

I have not made up my mind on the lighting yet, just saw the curlies on the other board and it was completely new to me.

I currently run 440 VHO lighting on my 75 and I am very happy with them, so I will either run VHO or the Metal on the nano.....I think....

Thanks Mebigloser (MBL)

[kennerd]

OK:

10 gal:

150w halide, 20kk coralvue
Icecap balast
Ecosystem 40 hang-on



I ran a 12 gal for 3 years until recently breaking it down as well....take was established for 5 years before I bought it whole:

3x32w PC's (10k, 50/50, 03actinic)
icecap fan (3")
Ecosystem 40 hang-on

[birdman204]

nICE 'nERD, NEVER actuall yseen the HOB on yours.
Standar LR, and LS. I added a HOB fuge for pod production / larger water volume/ place to hide equipment and macro growth for nutrient uptake. I have recentley added a piccolo skimmer due to a fish death. Helped tremendously. will probably remove it soon. WC are the best method of water stability. IMO.

I run 1x32 actinic PC and 1 70W MH 20K, and a 32 W daylight over the fuge. check into t-5's also. cheap to use, and replace.