Took some pics of my nano reef

[Donya]

It's been a very long time since I've shared any pics of my tanks. I was just doing some tidying up on them this weekend and I thought I'd post a couple of my nano reef, which is 20 gallons. There are just two fish; it's mostly an invert and coral/anemone tank. If you look closely, there's a big abalone hiding under a coral in the back.

Here's a closeup of the coral on the left (a Duncan coral), which is the one I'm most fond of. It's taken many years and had two close calls along the way, but all this grew out of one little polyp that I got from a fellow hobbyist.

 

[Fishmanic]

super nice, Donya. I know very little about setting up and maintaining a reef tank but that would sure look nice in my living room. My two main tanks are in my basement recreation room and my 10 gallon is in my office room.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

That is soooooo cool!

I have always wanted to have a salt water tank, I guess I just have never had time for it! You should enter that in the next TOTM contest!
A cool salt water tank like that, will steal the win!

 

[Naughts]

Wow! Amazing tank!! And I love Duncan. What are the fish? The blue one is stunning.

 

[FishFinatic77]

What a beautiful tank!

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Also, what is the shrimp on the side? It’s so pretty!

 

[FishGuest5123]

Gosh, what a tank, Donya! I wish I had the knowledge to do something like that. Absolutely beautiful!

 

[Fishdaisy]

I second the totm request.

 

[Colin_T]

The shrimp on the back is a banded coral shrimp. They grow to about 3-4 inches long.
The fish is a type of damsel.
There is a porcelain crab in the middle (brown and white thing). These live in anemones.
The plant is feather Caulerpa.

My question is, how did you stick the corals to the back glass?

 

[fishperson100]

Man that is so cool! I wish I could have a saltwater tank, but I don't have the room for it....or the money

 

[Fishmanic]

Donya, I like that tank so much that is now my computer's wallpaper!

 

[Colin_T]

Man that is so cool! I wish I could have a saltwater tank, but I don't have the room for it....or the money

get a double tier stand and have freshwater on one shelf and saltwater on the other shelf.

 

[FishGuest5123]

I wouldn’t even know where to begin with saltwater.

 

[Colin_T]

Saltwater is no different to freshwater except you add marine salts. Anyone who adds mineral salts to their water to increase the GH is just about doing it, except they aren't adding sodium chloride.

You set up a tank with calcium based sand, limestone rocks, fill it with sea water (natural or artificial), get a filter running and cycle the tank in exactly the same way as for freshwater. When it's cycled, add fish, corals, shrimp, whatever you like.

You do regular water changes to keep nitrates down.

If you have corals or anemones, you have good light above the tank, like you do if growing plants.

You feed the fish on a variety of frozen but defrosted, live and dry foods.

 

[Fishmanic]

Colin ... dont you ever sleep.. it’s 3 in the morning there... before you go bed, be sure to VOTE in the TOTM contest