Filtration

[M4R13Y]

could i get away with using live rock as a filter.

i would like a nano reef tank and was thinking

get a glass cube built with a lid fill it with salt water add live rock wait 5 weeks add about 3 fish


cube size 20l

is this a stupid idea or would it work

 

[lljdma06]

could i get away with using live rock as a filter.

i would like a nano reef tank and was thinking

get a glass cube built with a lid fill it with salt water add live rock wait 5 weeks add about 3 fish


cube size 20l

is this a stupid idea or would it work

It would work, but with the following qualifications...

1. Good circulation around the LR, aim for 20-40x turnover of water movement, to be accomplished with power heads
2. Sufficient light, for a Fish only with Live Rock, you'll need at least some light to grow coralline algae. For corals you'll need significantly more
3. Now for bad news, this is about a 5g tank. You definitely CANNOT put 3 fish in there. One fish, chosen well, would be the only option. Your choices...

-clown gobies
-panda gobies (very hard to keep though)
-trimma species of gobies
-perhaps a small yasha or dracula goby with their pistol shrimp pair
-a mated pair of neon gobies
-there is a very tiny species of cardinal fish that GAB99 has, but they are also very fragile

Notice the list? A ton of gobies. It's because they are not typically big swimmers, but perchers and burrowers.

4. Sand substrate, especially for the burrowing gobies.
5. light stocking, if you wanted to stock more inverts, I'd recommend you construct a refugium for the aquarium.

Sorry if this is discouraging, but look at it this way, I didn't say you couldn't. I have picos myself, you just have to be very diligent about the maintenance and be very careful about what you select. Contrary to what others may think, there ARE invertebrates and fish that would thrive in a smaller environment. They won't get lost in a larger tank, or have to compete for food with more boisterious tank mates...

-pompom crabs
-sexy shrimp
-anemone crabs
-squat lobsters
-scarlet hermits

You can create a lovely, healthy pico systems if you are very careful. Now, be forewarned, there is no room for error in a pico tank. Many don't survive their first year. Power outages, human error, upgrades take many of them.

L

 

[kyle sicard]

Not sure, I would highly reccomend a skimmer though. I have a 35g tank with more then the reccomended amount of live rock and the bio filter, charcoal, and the skimmer still collect tons of bacteria! Hope that helps.

 

[M4R13Y]

could i get away with using live rock as a filter.

i would like a nano reef tank and was thinking

get a glass cube built with a lid fill it with salt water add live rock wait 5 weeks add about 3 fish


cube size 20l

is this a stupid idea or would it work

It would work, but with the following qualifications...

1. Good circulation around the LR, aim for 20-40x turnover of water movement, to be accomplished with power heads
2. Sufficient light, for a Fish only with Live Rock, you'll need at least some light to grow coralline algae. For corals you'll need significantly more
3. Now for bad news, this is about a 5g tank. You definitely CANNOT put 3 fish in there. One fish, chosen well, would be the only option. Your choices...

-clown gobies
-panda gobies (very hard to keep though)
-trimma species of gobies
-perhaps a small yasha or dracula goby with their pistol shrimp pair
-a mated pair of neon gobies
-there is a very tiny species of cardinal fish that GAB99 has, but they are also very fragile

Notice the list? A ton of gobies. It's because they are not typically big swimmers, but perchers and burrowers.

4. Sand substrate, especially for the burrowing gobies.
5. light stocking, if you wanted to stock more inverts, I'd recommend you construct a refugium for the aquarium.

Sorry if this is discouraging, but look at it this way, I didn't say you couldn't. I have picos myself, you just have to be very diligent about the maintenance and be very careful about what you select. Contrary to what others may think, there ARE invertebrates and fish that would thrive in a smaller environment. They won't get lost in a larger tank, or have to compete for food with more boisterious tank mates...

-pompom crabs
-sexy shrimp
-anemone crabs
-squat lobsters
-scarlet hermits

You can create a lovely, healthy pico systems if you are very careful. Now, be forewarned, there is no room for error in a pico tank. Many don't survive their first year. Power outages, human error, upgrades take many of them.

L

Don't mean to sound like an idiot but I deal with freshwater a lot and this will be my first marine tank


What is a refugium
I just want to create a little home for a small blue hermit crab or a clown fish ??
what does 20-40x turnover ??


Thanks

 

[lljdma06]

Don't mean to sound like an idiot but I deal with freshwater a lot and this will be my first marine tank


What is a refugium
I just want to create a little home for a small blue hermit crab or a clown fish ??
what does 20-40x turnover ??


Thanks

A refugium is a chamber or a converted filter that houses organisms that would be easy prey for in tank inhabitants. It also serves as a place to grow macro algae, usually chaetomorpha for nutrient export.

No clown fish, hermit crab is ok. The reason why I say no clown fish is because they do a lot of swimming. And while they start off small, most of them surpass 3" in length as they mature.

Means 20-40 times the volume of the tank is circulating through the tank during an hour.

No problem, that's what we're here for.

L

 

[M4R13Y]

Could I get away with putting some marine sand some live rock a small power head and a hermit crab in a saltwater aquarium.


Are skimmers necessary because if they are I will have to rethink.

 

[lljdma06]

Could I get away with putting some marine sand some live rock a small power head and a hermit crab in a saltwater aquarium.


Are skimmers necessary because if they are I will have to rethink.

Yes, you could technically, though you'll have to cycle the tank regardless of your planned stocking.

No, for a tank your size and for the planned stocking, IMO, a skimmer isn't needed.

 

[M4R13Y]

How do you 'cycle'

 

[M4R13Y]

.?

 

[lljdma06]

Staring your cycle...

Sorry, I had rehearsal.

L

 

[M4R13Y]

You are a great help thanks.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

I use this method just live rock and and power heads, look up the Berlin method for more info