FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I'm really interested in branching out into SW tanks, but full sized reef tanks seem to require so much more space and equipment (sump, refugium, expensive lighting that uses more energy, etc.). I think that a nanoreef would be the best option for me. I have a 10 gal and a 29 gal available to me (but I wouldn't be adverse to buying a reasonably priced setup).
I was wondering if anyone had any advice or could point me to some areas of reference. I appreciate all the input, TIA!

Edit: I'm mostly interested in corals. As far as fish go, I'm interested in gobies (shrimpgobies, if there are any small species) and seahorses.

Last edited by quietdusk at 02-Jan-2005 00:06

hey tia!,

man do u got alot on ur hands! i dont know much about SW tanks but i will tell you one thing, i was at the pet store today and a lady asked if she could have some help with setting up a SW tank. The assistant helped her and when she had all that she needed her shopping cart was full!!!!! she went to the cashier and the total came up way too high... if ur interested go for it! but its alot of time effort and money! good luck!


Peter17

20 GALLON LONG CURRENTLY EMPTY ~~~~ 10 GALLON W/ STRIPPED CONVICT

i have contenplated this too. i would suggest using the 29 because it will be more stable.

The 29gal is your best bet. Cost shold not be that high. No need for big filters. Lights will be your biggest price. Just start off simple and work up. This will keep your initial cost down.



Dan

So, you are wanting to set up a reef tank with corals, or just fish, or corals and fish? Just checking as not quite sure from your original post there.

_____________________________________________________________

There is always a bigger fish...

Peter17, just FYI (For Your Information), QuietDusk's name is not TIA. TIA = Thanks In Advance.

_____________________________________________________________

There is always a bigger fish...

O..Well that shows how smar I am...



Peter17

20 GALLON LONG CURRENTLY EMPTY ~~~~ 10 GALLON W/ STRIPPED CONVICT

Setting up the 29 will be your best option. You can get it light with probably a single 250w MH bulb, and get a 20k bulb if you dont want actintics. You will probably want about 40lbs of most rock, though it will be different with every kind of rock. If you ever do want a refugium, you can just get a hang on back refugium that takes up less space, and less money.

a 250 watt MH, is way over kill for a 29 gal. A 70-100 watt will do just as well, if not better. As some corals will bleach out in too high of lighting. If doing corals, you should look into having an actinic blue light as well, because it will bring out the colors of the corals much better. No use spending money on corals, that when you get home, they are not a pretty in your tank.

_____________________________________________________________

There is always a bigger fish...

Great. Thanks for the lighting info (that's always confusing to me, lol).

Anyone have any sites/books/mags to recommend? There's lots of sw/marine books out there but I haven't found any on nanos. I devour aquarium books... lol

I have seen books for nano reefs, but cannot recall their names. I keep a big reef, so I have not bothered to get one. But, this is just to let you know that they are out there. Hope you find some.

_____________________________________________________________

There is always a bigger fish...

You could try going to amazon.com and searching for nanoreef books. I'm sure something will come up.



Dan

About the only reference I can reccomend is this site. I don't know of any good nano reef books, but you can try looking in the books section of this site (top next to interactive and forums). As for corals, I recommend you find a book or go to a well stocked fish store to see what type of corals you like. Very generaly speaking corals with calcium skeletons (stony corals) require ALOT of lighting, whereas soft corals don't require as much. Alot = 5-7 watts per gallon including a metal halide most of the time. Not so much = 3-5 wpg without a metal halide most of the time.
There are a few different types of lighting. intesity? Actinic, 50/50, 6500 k, 10,000 k, 14,000 k, 20,000 k, and I'm sure there are others I don't know of. Corals, again I'm making a generalization, need some amount of actinic and a higher range. The higher ranges make most corals seem prettier. This is caused by the coral producing a sort of natural sunblock and therefore getting a little more colorful. The actinic and 50/50 are bluer and do not show the colors as well, but promote more growth because the coral is not spending all of its energy on defense against the light. Only you can decide what is best for the general type of corals you want and the setup you will run.
Don't forget some corals like a strong current and others like a weak one!
If I am incorrect with anything, someone please correct me. :88)

I'm not sure if we're allowed to recommend other sites or not on here, but I'd recommend www.nano-reef.com. Great website that I found to be very helpful!

Nemo

A big mistake some beginner SW aquaritsts(like me) make is buying a smaller tank for the cost, with big ambitions. This will be a learning period and you will want all the stability you can get, something a 10gal wont do for you. A 29 gal is so much more forgiving, and gives you more options, although increasing the cost.

As for lighting, 75-125 watt PowerCompact 03 Actinics and 10,000K white spectrum lighting will do well.

Robert Fenner is an experienced marine author
John Tullock has an excellent book for starting a SW aquarium, Natural Reef Aquariums

Last edited by IgOtSoMeFiSh at 20-Jan-2005 00:33

I started out sw with a 15g tank, and my tank is doing great. I think as long as your willing to put in the time and effort, any sized tank will work.

Nemo