13 gallon first salty

[Wcked]

Hey all.

I'm going to transform my old fresh tank into a nano reef. Going to take some time and fabrication to get both the tank and surrounding sorted and a simp underneath.

Just a few questions to begin with but I'm sure I will have ALOT more

When people are counting there tank sizes do they include sump size or just display?

Also on the sump side do the baffles need to be glass or would an acrylic be safe?

How hard are they to move and keeping stable? As I might be moving in the next 12 months and I want to make sure I'm moving the tank isn't going to be a game changer. Would only be disconnected from sump for 1 hour max.

While in reading I've seen that a few anemone guides say not to use powerheads as they suck. How else would you make the flow.

One final question for now!
Could I have the return as a waterfall? Like into and infinity style shelf it runs off or could that upset the fishies?

Sorry for the wall of text!

Pictures of old tank dig out tomorrow!




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[Wcked]

Oh also forgot to say going about 8-10 gallon on sump


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[Donya]

Not sure about the baffles unfortunately. Will do my best to answer the rest.

Obligatory note: small tanks are quite a bit harder to keep stable than larger ones, and 13gal is pretty small even hooked up to a sump.

When people are counting there tank sizes do they include sump size or just display?

Just the display. Sump sizes are listed separately, like a 50 gallon tank with a 30 gallon sump.

How hard are they to move and keeping stable? As I might be moving in the next 12 months and I want to make sure I'm moving the tank isn't going to be a game changer. Would only be disconnected from sump for 1 hour max.

Large tanks are a tremendous ordeal, but small tanks on the order you're considering move pretty easily, particularly if they are fish-only. Reefs can be a little trickier if the rocks are covered in corals. Importantly, never move a marine tank (or any tank) without dismantling the rocks to transport separately. Otherwise, you risk shattering if the tank gets bumped too much even if it doesn't seem that heavy. You will need to remove any live rock (just wrap in wet paper from tank water and put in a bucket) and drain the tank for safety. Setup on arrival is also quite a bit of work, requiring a lot of observation, testing, and water changes.

While in reading I've seen that a few anemone guides say not to use powerheads as they suck. How else would you make the flow.

Circulation pumps are typically much safer than powerheads due to having less strong suction at the inlets, although no pumps are 100% safe with anemones. I also would really recommend against anemones in a first tank of this size - they are comparatively tricky animals that die easily when stressed and can nuke small tanks if that happens.

Could I have the return as a waterfall? Like into and infinity style shelf it runs off or could that upset the fishies?

It's possible, but not typically done, although not so much because of the fish. Having splash creates more salt spray unless the waterline is quite low; I have a tank like that now for tidal creatures and it's ok for salt buildup, but it's only half full. If the water is flowing gradually over a surface, rocks, etc., it will also turn into an appealing place for hairy algae to grow (it basically create the conditions for an algae scrubber).

 

[Wcked]

Thanks for all the help! After more research I've found acrylic should be fine. I've also potentially found a way to get a much bigger tank! In which case the 13 gallon will go tropical


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[Wcked]

Change of plan it's going tropical! New tank will be picked up next month so will start a new thread!

Thanks for your help


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[carl broadbent]

Heres a good article that might help you choose some fish. https://fishkeepingforever.com/top-15-nano-reef-tank-fish/