I want to start a nano reef!

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Something about "Not ---- my love, it frightens the fish".

At least that is what Babel Fish could make out of it.
 
Wow! Great advice from everyone, thanks!

Don't worry, Tigerlily :lol: I was wondering about your signature too! My "handle" means "the fish" in Scottish Gaelic, BTW!

Well, tonight I looked at all the saltwater items in the DrsFosterSmith catalog. Hmmm...I'm overwhelmed on lighting and sumps right now! I guess you don't really buy a sump -- you make one? You buy the container but have to plumb it in yourself?

I did read that anemones probably won't work -- the tank is too small, and your tank should be running for a year (mature system) before you get an anemone. How about some soft corals? Would they work? I know I need to decide which ones I want and will work in the nano reef, and then buy the right lighting for them.

I didn't even see "Finding Nemo" (yet!) but I like the idea of a clownfish, and a shrimp.
 
Well, tonight I looked at all the saltwater items in the DrsFosterSmith catalog. Hmmm...I'm overwhelmed on lighting and sumps right now! I guess you don't really buy a sump -- you make one? You buy the container but have to plumb it in yourself?

Absolutely. I bought a Rubbermaid 15 gallon plastic container from Wal-Mart for $3. That is my sump. It holds my return pump, protein skimmer, over flow pipe, carbon, and heater. I have never understood the sumps that one buys. I guess that if it comes with a wet/dry that would be a good reason to buy it. But if you are using LR/LS and a protein skimmer for your filtration, why not just use anything that will hold water. Heck, a lot of people use 10-55 gallon aquariums for sumps as well.

How about some soft corals? Would they work? I know I need to decide which ones I want and will work in the nano reef, and then buy the right lighting for them.

Softies are great because of their lax lighting requirement. The only drawback is that some of them lack the colors of the hard corals. But you could still have mushrooms and perhaps some zoanthids as well. They don't need all that much light either.

didn't even see "Finding Nemo" (yet!) but I like the idea of a clownfish, and a shrimp.

I just bought "Finding Nemo" from Wal-Mart today. Can't wait to watch it this evening.
 
1
what is "Nano" short for?

LOL, it's short for short. It isn't really short for anything, it is a prefix that means....

nano-
pref.
1. often nanno- Extremely small: nannoplankton.
2. One-billionth (10-9): nanosecond.
 
Hi Biggen, So the heater is in your sump? Then the sump must have enough water to cover the minimum water line of the heater (unless it's fully submersible and is attached horizontally?) and the pump must run constantly to pump up the heated water and pull the cooler water in the tank down to the sump. I know the heater doesn't run constantly, but the sump pump needs to? The sump also must be deep enough to hold the carbon filter. Is it a small HOB freshwater type filter that you put carbon in? I don't run carbon in my FW unless I put meds in the tank. Should SW systems use carbon all the time? Can you give me a general ratio of tank capacity to sump capacity?

Sorry for all the newbie questions! I hope you're not sick of answering them!

I will rent the "Nemo" DVD this weekend, and watch it on our home theater setup! (that's why I can't put a tank in that room; may be too loud for the fish, especially the way my husband likes to crank up the surround sound sometimes!)
 
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