I Want A Nano.

[SLC Flyfishing]

Three things really. #1 it needs to be regularly spot-fed. And lets be honest, spot feeding gets old after a while and many people end up neglecting the specemin. #2 they are exceptionally aggressive species and if they get knocked loose and float around the tank or encroach on the territories of nearby corals or other inverts, they WILL sting them to death. #3 because they are so aggressive, they can gobble up smaller un-suspecting fish and inverts.

O.K. I'll be sure to remember that, such a shame; it's a beautiful coral.

SLC

 

[n3ont3tra]

That's what I was thinking, SLC. Ski, (or another knowledgeable person), am I correct that PC (the light kind) stands for Power Compact? And how many wpg should I aim for? I read that 3-5 was considered low, but then what's medium or high?

 

[SkiFletch]

PC = power compact. A PC bulb is really a dual T5 bulb . Thats why I said 2xPC or 4xT5. You want tubes that span as much or the tank length as possible. Pretty sure a 2x65watt fixture will cover either 24 or 30" of length. Not sure what the wattage of T5s in that length is though.

 

[n3ont3tra]

Would 2 65w fixtures be okay for Acroporas?

 

[steelhealr]

n3....without trying to come across as 'moderatorish'. Acroporas are not corals that, IMO, you should be starting out with. They are SPS corals and, on the whole, more challenging to keep. Is it impossible? No, but, not a great way to start out.

What books on SW reefkeeping have you read so far?

SH

 

[n3ont3tra]

No books. Yet. I'm going to buy some soon. I have a few in mind:
Aquarium Corals : Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History by Eric H. Borneman
Marine Fishes: 500+ Essential-To-Know Aquarium Species by Scott Michael
The New Marine Aquarium: Step-By-Step Setup & Stocking Guide by Michael S. Paletta
The Simple Guide To Mini-reef Aquariums by Jeffrey Kurtz
BTW, go ahead and sound as moderatish as you like!

 

[n3ont3tra]

Just bought two books from amazon.com. Aquarium Corals : Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History, and The New Marine Aquarium: Step-By-Step Setup & Stocking Guide. They should be here in about 9 buisiness days... so... in about 2 weeks. I'll do my reading then and stop asking dumb questions.

 

[SkiFletch]

Anything by Borneman is fantastic. Another good book to consider is "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert Fenner

 

[steelhealr]

NOW I like that post...read, read, read. I think SkiFletch would agree with me. The most successful pathway to having a healthy marine tank is READ first, RESEARCH first, sketch out a plan, design a system. SH

 

[SkiFletch]

NOW I like that post...read, read, read. I think SkiFletch would agree with me. The most successful pathway to having a healthy marine tank is READ first, RESEARCH first, sketch out a plan, design a system. SH

You bet I agree with that

 

[n3ont3tra]

That's what I'm doing. I haven't saved up enough money yet, so I have plenty of time. I'm not one to rush into things.

 

[n3ont3tra]

Do you think I could have a Black Long Spined Urchin in the 20g? Would it be big enough? I know they get a good size, and can topple rockwork, but if did something to keep my rock together, would it be okay?

Also, do they eat macroalgae?

 

[demonmagus]

I think that it would get too big, they do have pretty long spines

 

[Redstratplayer1]

IF you want a long spine you will have to take it out of the tank and use a nail cliper to shorten its spines atleast monthly.

 

[n3ont3tra]

I could never do that! Doesn't it hurt them? And how would I do that without poking myself anyway?