Just bought my first nano!

[pinkie]

Today I placed an order with Dr. Fosters & Smith:

24 gallon Aquapod w/ compact fluorescent lighting
Tank stand
75 watt stealth heater
40 lbs live sand
50 lbs Fiji live rock
Epoxy
Thermometer
Refractometer
Digital timer


I'm planning on having this be a nano reef with only a black & white clownfish and maybe a clown goby with some snails and hermits. I've only done FOWLR (210g and 30 g) so I have a few newbie questions.

1.) What are some of your favorite colorful corals that would be okay in compact flourescent lighting?

I know I'm limiting myself right now to soft corals, mushrooms, etc but I might pick up a Sunpod MH after my tank has become established in several months, so I can add more sensitive corals and an anemone.

2.) I know coral are labeled as peaceful, semi-aggressive, and aggressive. I'm assuming like fish, you can only group semi-aggressive with other semi-aggressive corals. Is this true? If not, I would appreciate any insight!

3.) I picked up some epoxy for corals and LR. Is this stuff pretty easy to use? Anything I need to know about it?

4.) Any equipment I missed? I have a 6 stage RO/DI system from Filter Guys, Reef Crystals salt, etc from my other tanks. I've got test kits for Calcium, Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia, Alkalinity, pH.

5.) I also have only two supplements at the moment, ZooPlex and Liquid Calcium by Kent Marine. I was going to pick up some Strontium but I was wondering what others you guys recommend.

6.) I like to use digital timers on my tanks for the lighting. Is a 8 hour per day time schedule enough for a reef? Or should I increase it?

[Devilishturtles]

1.) What are some of your favorite colorful corals that would be okay in compact flourescent lighting?

IMO, you'd be fine with almost all of the LPS corals some very colorful ones being Frogspawn, Hammer, Torch, etc. Soft corals and mushrooms and polyps should do great under that lighting. Check out some zoanthids and finger leathers. LPS corals have a fairly potent sting to other corals however so if you do decide to mix in LPS with your soft corals make sure you keep them fairly far apart.

2.) I know coral are labeled as peaceful, semi-aggressive, and aggressive. I'm assuming like fish, you can only group semi-aggressive with other semi-aggressive corals. Is this true? If not, I would appreciate any insight!

Not exactly. You can place an agressive coral with a peaceful coral, just keep the distance between them. Most LPS corals send out fairly long feeder/sweeper tentacles and this is usually what is meant by agression (some corals send out potent chemicals in the water, but usually only if irritated). Just do some research on what you want to buy and find out if it needs it's own space or not. But by all means you can mix them in your tank.

3.) I picked up some epoxy for corals and LR. Is this stuff pretty easy to use? Anything I need to know about it?

Good idea. It's great stuff!

4.) Any equipment I missed? I have a 6 stage RO/DI system from Filter Guys, Reef Crystals salt, etc from my other tanks. I've got test kits for Calcium, Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia, Alkalinity, pH.

Looks good to me. Only thing you might need is an additional powerhead for flow.

5.) I also have only two supplements at the moment, ZooPlex and Liquid Calcium by Kent Marine. I was going to pick up some Strontium but I was wondering what others you guys recommend.

For now, I would guess that they won't be needed at all. If you keep up on regular water changes (especailly with using a good salt lik RC) your trace elements and Calcium should stay perfectly balanced for a tank with no sps corals. ZooPlex isn't even really needed for the corals you have but wouldn't hurt I suppose. I have never used it. For now though, I'd hold off on dosing anything until you find out if your tank needs it.

6.) I like to use digital timers on my tanks for the lighting. Is a 8 hour per day time schedule enough for a reef? Or should I increase it?

Should be plenty! You can increase if you'd like, or decrease if needed.

HTH!

[pinkie]

Thanks for your advice!


My nano has been up and running for over a week now and it's started to cycle. Timing is just right because my LFS had a raffle and I won $200 to start stocking my tank with corals! So in a few weeks after my cycle is complete I'll be posting pictures of my additions.

[pinkie]

Pictures!!!
















(Please excuse the camera glare in that shot)

[lando]

Well, I have to say that it looks very nice. However, you may be rushing things a bit. This is still a very young tank so make sure you test water parameters daily and have plenty of aged SW on hand to do water changes as needed. I have two main concerns:
1. the flame scallop. This is an animal that has a VERY dismal survival rating in the home aquarium. They are filter feeders and require a large amount of phytoplankton for feeding. In fact, the amount required will quickly degrade water quality in a small tank. I would strongly suggest bringing it back.
2. Anemones. These are very delicate animals and should be placed in established and matured tanks. Most suggest waiting 8-12 months before adding one to a tank. Remember, this is a hobby where nothing happens fast.

Given the timeline, I am not convinced that your tank has even completely cycled. Slow down and proceed with caution.

The last pic is a great shot, BTW!

[pinkie]

Originally Posted by lando

Well, I have to say that it looks very nice. However, you may be rushing things a bit. This is still a very young tank so make sure you test water parameters daily and have plenty of aged SW on hand to do water changes as needed. I have two main concerns:
1. the flame scallop. This is an animal that has a VERY dismal survival rating in the home aquarium. They are filter feeders and require a large amount of phytoplankton for feeding. In fact, the amount required will quickly degrade water quality in a small tank. I would strongly suggest bringing it back.
2. Anemones. These are very delicate animals and should be placed in established and matured tanks. Most suggest waiting 8-12 months before adding one to a tank. Remember, this is a hobby where nothing happens fast.

Given the timeline, I am not convinced that your tank has even completely cycled. Slow down and proceed with caution.

The last pic is a great shot, BTW!

1.) The previous flame scallop I had lasted for almost a year, but when it died it was due to a power outage which crashed my entire tank. I'm going to do my best to target feed it and if it really looks like it's declining in health I won't hesitate to bring it back.
2.) I know it's early for an anemone but from what I understand, don't all anemones regardless of how established the tank is have rather poor survival rates? Again if they don't seem to be doing well in this tank I can move them to one of my more established tanks that have been running for a year or more. But I'll keep a close eye on it, thanks for your warning.

As far as cycling, all the sand and rock I used was from my old tank and the stuff I purchased from Dr Fosters & Smith was to replace what I took from my other tanks. I had a very low reading on the 2nd day of ammonia but by the 3rd and on there was absolutely no ammonia, nitrates, or nitrites. I'm doing PWCs twice a week to ensure the best water parameters possible. I feel very comfortable saying the tank is cycled.

[lando]

It is a very good possibility that you will not see a hard cycle if all of the LR came from an established tank, aas well, the subsrate. When I started my nano, I used all cured LR from my larger tank and establihsed LS. I had no cycle at all. I also filled the filtration compartments with LR rubble instead of the bioballs, ceramic rings and sponges my unit came with.

[pinkie]

Cool, then hopefully mine will work out as well as yours did. It seems to be good so far. I had a little bloom of algae about 3-4 days after I put it in when the ammonia was broken down. There was some left when I took pictures but even now there's not much at all left, just some up by the zoos where there is brighter lighting. I'll have to add some live rock rubble and take out those ceramic rings... thanks for the idea!

[lando]

I have a 12gal nano duluxe. I filled the first (intake) chamber half with LR rubble. On top of that I have a bag od Chemi-Pure followed by a couple sheets of PURA pads. The middle chamber is filled completely with LR rubble and last chamber holds more LR rubble, the return pump and the heater.