Nano!

Hey there. following the sale of my tank at the weekend..im trying my hand at marines. on a small scale it has to be said! I hit Seahorse today and picked up all the bits..the lads are great in seahorse it has to be said..very helpful indeed. i'm not entirely sure how this is going to pan out. anyone got any advice?

another pic

Use Rowaphos or my favourite, Phosex ultra to cover you when you miss out on Water changes.

Kev.

The plan is to add these guy's over time..Rhodactis sp,nepthya corals,star polyps and Zoanthids. want to make it a colourful as possible. i just had a look in the tank and i have a snail whizzin about! i was going to buy Salifert all in one/Coral food today but not sure if i need it..what do you guys think?

Hi there; congrats!
Im cycling my tank atm too with just live rock;sand (aragonite); filter(with only floss and more crushed live rock) and skimmer in ready salted water. Was told it SHOULD be 6 weeks before i can add inverts and another 6 weeks before fishes! I almost fainted at this stage!

btw what lighting is that you are using?

All the best!

cool...im not sure what the light is..i think its a 18w Solaris 50/50 marine. you have a skimmer? i dont..nor do i have carbon! im hoping i wont need either. will probably use carbon at some stage though. 6 weeks you say!!! head will be melted! have you any pics of your setup??

Im told there may no need for a skimmer if its just fish only but im totally new to marines myself too; so i went to ask many people around the forums. I still need better lights but thats for later when i want to keep corals. i know for corals you need preferably T5s or Metal Halides.









Sorry theres not much to be seen now:( i will have to get more live rocks next week (cured) and hopefully by another week or two i will introduce some inverts followed by a pair of clownfish; if water parameters permit.
Im so restless now!!

p.s. go see some of the other marine set ups on site= rly wonderful!

regards;
andrew

looks cool..how long do you leave your lights on for? i've no idea?

Im not 100% sure here sorry like i said im totally new to marines; others wld have to help tho im sure you dont need lights on at night; mine has blue led lights to put on at night if i want; but if you talking about the metal halides or T5s definitely not 24 hours or you gonna get some esb bill im told

Maybe Jay or Kev can help here. then pls share the info!

Hey. Your lighting should follow a day/night schedule of 12hrs on 12hrs off. A skimmer would certainly be of benefit but not a necessity in a fish only system but consider one down the line when you free up some cash. I would offer to help seed the tank with a swap of live rock of equal weight but Im going through a bout of ich now so cant help you there. You will need HO or VHO T5's (high output/very high output) depending on the corals you wish to keep. Halides are power hogs but give that fantastic ripple effect that sets them apart and they will support all corals bar the ones that dont like too much light as they can burn them depending on the height the corals are placed at within the system so be careful what you keep under them. I wouldnt use carbon in any marine system or freshwater for that matter unless I really had to. Phosphate/nitrate removers are a must in my opinion. You will need to replace these often however. Looks like thats gonna be a nice little fowlr setp Andrew .

Jay

Nozebleed wrote:

Hey there. following the sale of my tank at the weekend..im trying my hand at marines. on a small scale it has to be said! I hit Seahorse today and picked up all the bits..the lads are great in seahorse it has to be said..very helpful indeed. i'm not entirely sure how this is going to pan out. anyone got any advice?

hey Noz,

That looks pretty cool bro. Whats the volume? Judging by the pic its one of the smallest systems Ive seen setup, bar a fluval edge I once saw (which turned out to be a disaster). Just a heads up, keep a very close eye on the params, small sytems can bite you in the @ss with how quickly things change so be on the ball . No doubt the lads in SH have said this to you but its true. Anyway, best of luck with it.

Jay

Ask and help/advice arrives within 5 mins; How cool!

I have a looooong way to go yet but having folks like you and this website sure makes it so much easier.

A million thanks in advance Jay !

thanks viperbot. it is small..only 25Ltr. the lads did tell me a small tank is difficult for a beginner..but if it goes well i'll make the step up to a big tank next year. I was going to add Rhodactis sp. Ricordea sp. etc,Xenia type corals,Star polyps & Zoanthids. would this be possible?

just thought id let you guys know where i got the idea...............oh the shame!!!


www.ultimatereef.net/forums/showthread.php?t=249375

andrewo wrote:

Ask and help/advice arrives within 5 mins; How cool!

I have a looooong way to go yet but having folks like you and this website sure makes it so much easier.

A million thanks in advance Jay !

Lol, I swear this is only my hobby, not my life. Just looking back there, the 12hr lighting shedule will really only be nesessary in a reef setup. FO setups dont need long hours of intense lighting so weigh that off if you plan on getting corals down the line it might be a good idea to get the lighting unit anyway. If not, good oul T8's will do you but if you want coraline algae on the LR then T5's will be needed at 9-10hrs a day. Time it so the whites go out while your still up and then switch on the blues for a while before lights out anf you will see all sorts you wont during the day .

Jay

Nozebleed wrote:

thanks viperbot. it is small..only 25Ltr. the lads did tell me a small tank is difficult for a beginner..but if it goes well i'll make the step up to a big tank next year. I was going to add Rhodactis sp. Ricordea sp. etc,Xenia type corals,Star polyps & Zoanthids. would this be possible?

In my opinion I would have to say no Im afraid. In a system that small, if the corals did begin to grow they would be attacking each other for space. If I was to try it I would just stick with the zoas and maybe a star but even then Im not sure your light will support them. That said, I have no experience with LED's but that bulb looks awfully small to me. If the lads in SH said it will work then give it a go but keep to one or two types and be prepared to remove any aggressive ones that encroach on others. Zoas dont have sweepers so try them at least.

Jay

I have actually seen that site too and loads of others just to get some basics right.Cant be asking questions about basics or I will get my butt kicked

Will hopefully be able to post pics of tank with some inhabitants in a few weeks time.Fingers crossed!

Viperbot wrote:

Nozebleed wrote:

thanks viperbot. it is small..only 25Ltr. the lads did tell me a small tank is difficult for a beginner..but if it goes well i'll make the step up to a big tank next year. I was going to add Rhodactis sp. Ricordea sp. etc,Xenia type corals,Star polyps & Zoanthids. would this be possible?

In my opinion I would have to say no Im afraid. In a system that small, if the corals did begin to grow they would be attacking each other for space. If I was to try it I would just stick with the zoas and maybe a star but even then Im not sure your light will support them. That said, I have no experience with LED's but that bulb looks awfully small to me. If the lads in SH said it will work then give it a go but keep to one or two types and be prepared to remove any aggressive ones that encroach on others. Zoas dont have sweepers so try them at least.

Jay

thanks for that i'll be happy if i can keep the zoanthids..once there's a bit of additional colour. i'll try establish one or two of these and then see where it goes. i appreciate the help. the bulb is a 18w Solaris 50/50 marine..is this not sufficient?

My best guess is that you should be ok because the tank is small so if you stick to soft corals that are tough, slow growers and stay small you will be set. Just keep an eye on the growth and water params and give the occasional dose of supps and that should eventually turn into a great little nano.

Jay

excellent..thanks for that viperbot..i'll keep posting regular updates. should be fun.

No worries man, keep us updated and ask away if you have any more questions, if I cant help, someone will. Best of luck .

Jay

ok little update..i have a hermit crab,2 snails and a white worm like creature...can anyone tell me what the white worm could be..its small about 1.5cm thin and moves on the live rock like a snail.

Hey bro. These worms, from your description could be spaghetti worms or peanut worms, and theres a few more there I cant think of the names. These are harmless and are actually beneficial to the system in that they ingest any uneaten paticles of food and will also feed on diotoms on your live rock. There is a great many different types of worm that can make it into the tank via the introduction of live rock. Some of these are brilliantly coloured and amazing to watch in their own right but beware, most of the fancy worms are stingeres like fireworms and bristleworms so try not to touch them. If you spot them in the tank, use gloves when doing maintenance.

Jay

cool! i'll try get a pic.

a few pics.

is this something!!?

new hermit crab!

and a button polyp (stuck this is as a tester to see what happens)

and a 9ft monster i made in the garden the other day!! lol.

Is this a good place to use Marine Organic Aqua?

Kev.