You've Heard It All Before

[BigC]

I am about to set off down the road and have a go at my first Nano Reef.
I have a spare Juwel Rekord 70ltr aquarium with hood and stand.
I have been sucessfully keeping, breeding and showing tropicals (Killifish) for over 25years now but this is completely new to me.
That said what equipment do I need. Please give me a basic list.
The tank already has an internal filter, I was thinking of adding an UG plate and a powerhead attached to the uplift tube, is this OK and if so what size and make of powerhead would be ideal.
What temperature is ideal.
Do I need a protein skimmer. (what exactly are they, what is their function and how do they work)
Which substrate do you the membership recommend & to what depth.
Which brand of Salt mix is best. (how do I mix it, do I have to do weekly waterchanges like I do for my tropicals)
Can I use tapwater to mix the salt with.
Water parameters/chemistry kits etc. Give me the basics.
Lighting, please advise for the above make of tank (I can accomodate 2 x 24" tubes.
Specific gravity and hydrometers again please advise.
Living rock, shrimps and clowns please suggest a stocking list around the aforementioned. (or are they even compatable)
How do you install live rock (build up a kind of reef effect around the aquarium edges and back, leaving the front as a free swiming area).
Anything else I have omitted or need help with again please advise.
I know this was a long post, I am thirsty for some personal knowledge on the subject so any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Regards
BigC

 

[maidenfan]

the best advice i can give you is check out the pinned topics above maybe check out members tanks, and research and plan well ahead and don't expect things to come together as quick as your tropical set ups oh and good luck

 

[BigC]

Thanks maidenfan,
I have been looking about and collecting info, One thing I have already sussed out is that it is going to be a work in progress so to speak. Its all very confusing at present but I expect I'll get my head round it......eventually.
Regards
BigC

 

[steelhealr]

BigC...the key to setting up a successful nano reef is to plan ahead, think it out, get a good understanding of marine. Those that fail are those that have their tank up and running one week after deciding to do so, those that stock their tank immediately after cycling completes and, the impatient.

What most people don't appreciate is, that, unlike FW, this system is SO small that small errors in judgement or lack of patience can have disastrous results.

Take your time. My nano cube sat in the box on my living room floor unopened for over 4 weeks while I researched it out. My first recommendation for you is to hit the pins.....an Undergravel filter is prehistoric in the world of marine keeping. Powerheads, live rock and live sand are your filtration.

Welcome aboard SH

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

The tank already has an internal filter, I was thinking of adding an UG plate and a powerhead attached to the uplift tube, is this OK and if so what size and make of powerhead would be ideal.

Internal filter and UG's aren't really used in nano-reefs as they are considered to be nitrate factories. Your Liverock is your filtration. For a powerhead you can use a maxijet 1200 alone or if you want with a 600 also.

What temperature is ideal.

76-82 degrees is the norm although some consider 76 too low and 82 to high

Do I need a protein skimmer. (what exactly are they, what is their function and how do they work)

Skimmers in nano-reefs are replaced by weekly water changes of 10-15%

Which substrate do you the membership recommend & to what depth.

A bag of live arognite like carribsea's will suffice. 1lbs per gallon

Which brand of Salt mix is best. (how do I mix it, do I have to do weekly waterchanges like I do for my tropicals)

Most of the polls i've seen show reef crystals as the favourite among reefers

Can I use tapwater to mix the salt with.

Tap water contains too many baddies for the marine aquarium unless your lucky like bunji
You'll need an RO Unit too take out the nitrates, phosphates and other things to prevent a massive algae breakout

Water parameters/chemistry kits etc. Give me the basics.

Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Phosphate, PH and calcium later on when you get corals in there

Lighting, please advise for the above make of tank (I can accomodate 2 x 24" tubes.

Lighting depends on what you want for the tank, FOWLR (Fish only with live rock) will need little lighting just enough to help your coraline algae. Your tank is 45cm deep? If you want corals you'll need a 150 MH to penetrate all the water

Specific gravity and hydrometers again please advise.

It's believed corals do better in a high SG 1.024 - 1.026 and fish do better in lower SG 1.021 - 1.023 so most people try and suit both by going in the middle by going 22,23,24

Living rock, shrimps and clowns please suggest a stocking list around the aforementioned. (or are they even compatable)

Live Rock is a must - lbs -1.5lbs per gallon
You could do a pair of clowns a cleaner shrimp and then another fish.

How do you install live rock (build up a kind of reef effect around the aquarium edges and back, leaving the front as a free swiming area).

Just put it how you like it

Read the members diaries there alot of info in these especially SH's
HTH
Dan

 

[SkiFletch]

Hey BigC, welcome to the marine world . I'd agree with pretty much everything mentioned here thus far. Just want to clarify a couple things here.

Lighting: You'll prolly hear this again, but the key to good lighting is deciding what you want to keep. Fish only, you can get away with a good pair of T12 or T8 flourescents. If you want to keep soft corals (sacrophytons, bubble corals, Xenia, etc) and LPS (large polyp stony like zoos, or brains) a good pair of T5 flourescents would be advisable. And if you really want to go for broke and keep SPS (small polyp stony like acropora) then you'll need to go with some metal halide lighting 150w like Sf05 mentioned.

As for cleanup crew which you sort of alluded to, you're going to want some blue leg hermits, red legs, nassarius snails, turbo snails, and perhaps some shrimp of your choosing 5-10 hermits of each type, and around 5 snails of each type shold suffice.

 

[BigC]

Many thanks guys so far.
Some more questions based on the answers you have provided.

1. What type of tubes (spectrums, actinic) should I be buying.
2. Does the amount of so called "cleanup crew" detract from the stocking levels.
3. How much water would you change at a time over a week. I used to change 2gallons per week (Freshwater)
4. After RO do I need to add any additives to this water or will the salt mixture do this for me.
Again guys many thanks in advance.
Regards
BigC

 

[SkiFletch]

1. What type of tubes (spectrums, actinic) should I be buying.

Most people go with one "daylight" 10k or 12k and one actinic 20k (thats what I use)

2. Does the amount of so called "cleanup crew" detract from the stocking levels.

No, the cleanup crew poses a very small biological imact on the tank from a waste standpoint and is usually left out of the stocking level consideration.

3. How much water would you change at a time over a week. I used to change 2gallons per week (Freshwater)

10-15% per week should keep your trace elements replaced nicely with the exception of calcium and iodine if you go reef with corals down the road.

4. After RO do I need to add any additives to this water or will the salt mixture do this for me.

Salt takes care of almoast everything. As mentioned, sometimes corals can gobble up calcium faster than your water changes replace it. If this is the case, there are lots of calcium additives out there on the market that you can suppliment with. Otherwise you shouldn't be dosing your tank with anything other than food for the fish. And remember, if for some reason you have to dose a chemical, NEVER dose without the ability to test for it

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Nothing much more too add but if you do get the MH for corals (Most expensive option ) you can go with the 10k (Crisp White) 14k (Bluey-White) or the 20k (Blue). It all depends on what you prefer really?

 

[BigC]

Thanks a million Guys.
I'll let you know how I get on and maybe post a few pics for you to lend a critical eye.
Regards
BigC