whats involved in a tank like this?

[mr funktastic]

i saw this pic in the gallery and was wondering what would be involved in setting one up? i am not even interested in any inhabitants just the tiny little reef design. maybe a snail or a shrimp. it is a half gallon but i could get a slightly larger container maybe 1 gal. i really like this. i have no salt experience but have basic knowledge and i do know that smaller tanks are harder to maintain. i currently keep highlight planted freshwater tanks so i am no beginner to maintence. i would need about 1-2 pounds of LR rubble. and submersible pump(powerhead with pre filter attachment maybe?) sand(can be used from freshwater tank i have) and the corals. how often would i need to change the water and how much? would it need a heater?(i am sure it will) and the biggest question i have what light is being used or would be good to use? thanks.

sorry for stealing your pic genix

 

[vsnsofadrgn]

your water perameters would tell you how often to change the water. i think you can do it as long as you know about the whole smaller tank, more maintence, which you seem too, so go for it. they sell package deals at petco for like $30. you get a 1 gal tank, filter and the light, which isnt bad. its usually by the bettas. i got 1 1/2 lbs of lr (cant beat that, lol) for ours, and you might want to upgrade the filter. unfortunetly we had a hard time finding it all seperate, so thats why we got the one at petco. its not that bad tho, ours just broke on us. i think at the highest setting on the filter would be good for flow, but someone can correct if thats wrong. i know the one that came with it, had pretty good flow, for that size. im still working on the setting up, but i plan a few corals and some sexy shrimp. im not sure im understanding this right, but you cant use your freshwater sand for a saltwater tank, you can correct if i misunderstood that part. the light should be enough for heat, depending on how your hot/cold your house is.

i had it set up but had a mishap, so now were (more like i, lol) are workin on it again. for the price, you cant beat it, plus they jsut loook sooo cool!

 

[mr funktastic]

i have a small tank already. atually the same little betta holder - thats what that person used. and i can buy a small submersible filter - it looks like he used an elite filter. and the sand i used is just basic black sand. alot of people use the tahetti(sp?) moon sand in reef tanks and that is similiar to what this sand is. i can just take a scoop out of my tank and rinse it off and use it in the reef. unless there is a reason why this couldnt be done. my big question is the maintence. i know it will need alot of water changes but how many and how much each time? 50% everyday sound good? my tap water has no phosphates, nitrates, nitrites or ammonia. so i will just use a 5 gal jug premixed with salt and tap water. i know most people reccomend RO/DI water but i dont want to buy the jug of water every month. i figure 1/4 gallon everyday a 5 gal jug will last me 20 days. but do u need to chage that much water? will it effect the chemisrty. i am sorry since i dont know any specifics of salt water. i have lots of post in the freshwater forum lol. and my other question is the light. i know they sell the screw in CF bulbs but can u get them in the proper K rating for salt? i have seen the 50/50 bulbs aswell... will that be sufficient? i can get a dual hanging light fixture to screw in 2 of them. i think that should be enough WPG over a 1/2 gal tank. opinions?

 

[Scottm]

you can buy black calcite sand that will buffer.

 

[mr funktastic]

buffer? i assume u mean raise the ph. my tap ph is at 8 already isnt that high enough? i am trying to do this tank without spending anything. i want to use what i have available to me to set it up. i found THIS thread that the person posted on another forum. it answered my light question but still not the maintence questions. how much water will i need to change and how often?

 

[Devilishturtles]

Great idea, mr. funk.

Your salt will keep your pH buffered fine. That your tap pH is high is an added bonus. Changing water daily won't be needed in my opinion. I'd do maybe twice a week, but top off with freshwater daily. Depends on your livestock load as well. I'd monitor levels daily for a while to see how high your trates get. I think you can get away with doing water changes less than daily though.

 

[mr funktastic]

thanks devilsh. so top offs daily as needed with freshwater. then 25% 2X per week? i may end up using my eclipse 2(maybe 3) gal tank instead of the half gal. it is also an acrylic tank. if i do i will order the 2X9 watts coralife fixture. this should give me more than enough wattage for most corals. i will also use my ACmini filter and modify it into a fuge. just fill it with LR rubble and put a peice of sponge on top to filter larger debris. i am not really interested in live stock lol. i am more interested in corals and stuff. like my freshwater planted tanks. i dont really care about having fish in them lol just the plants. but a few shrimp would be cool. what fish would i be able to house in a 2(maybe 3) gal?

 

[Devilishturtles]

Cool. Sounds good to me. If you could, I'd go with the 3 gallon tank (or 2). I think you'll get more enjoyment out of it. The fuge is a good idea. You can also add a small desk lamp and grow macros. That will keep your trates almost non-existant.

I wouldn't add any fish to that though, sorry.

 

[mr funktastic]

i dont really care about the fish. i definatly think i will go with the 2(or 3) gal tank. will a 20 watt 50/50 be enough to grow corals? i will just stick with some shrimp and snails i think. thanks.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Low light, yeah. Which is about all you'll get in there. Xenia and zoos would be cool in that tank.

 

[dorian965]

maybe some shrooms? be carful what soft coral you put in that small of a tank because they will out grow it in no time.
if you choose xenia, make sure to put it on a small rock away from the rest as in the pic so you can prevent it from spreading to fast. you will also need to prune it ocasionally to keep it from dying off. that is a nice looking tank. with a one gallon, you would most likely have to top off 2 or 3 times a day to keep you salinity from having major swings.

 

[mr funktastic]

i will probably end up using a 2 gal and i will make a cover to keep the moistuire in. i am in the proces of getting the supplies right now. i will need a few more tips on things like what is the proper salinity level and what type of salt is the best to get... but untill i get the supplies i dont need any more help i think. thanks alot. unless someone can post a few links to some corals i can put in that tank. what if i were to run 2 20 watt 50/50 bulbs? would that be over kill?

 

[Devilishturtles]

I'd not add a cover. It will interfere will gas exchange and cause heat to build up. Proper salinity level is 1.023 to 1.025. I use Instant Ocean salt, and you can find it in small containers. I personally thing one 20 watt bulb will be fine. If you run two, you are looking at about 16 or so wpg...that's kinda a lot

Check out the coral database at fantasyreef.com

 

[joannde]

I just saw this tank on the homepage also and now I want to try one also. No fish just a couple of inverts (I've seen the most amazing clams at the LFS). Maintenance isn't an issue for me either - 20 minutes a day on a tank this amazing is a very very small price to pay.
Would something like an Eclipse System3 work ? Would the lighting or filter need to be changed out ? (and is that even possible to do ?).

Amazing nano, really amazing - I never thought I'd even ever consider SW until I saw this.

 

[hc8719]

so how do you feed coral like that, or keep water from becoming stagnant?

 

[Devilishturtles]

joann, an eclipse three would be cool. I don't know what kind of lighting is on those...incandescent of flourescent? I'm not familiar with the eclipse systems at all... If all else fails, you can use the filter for flow only and not use the biomedia and just upgrade the lighting if possible (would be really easy if they are incandescent, then one of those screw in CF bulbs would work).

hc, most corals you don't feed but for occasionally. They take things from the water column and use light to keep them alive.

 

[lando]

A tank like this is really easier to keep if you have another, established, larger SW tank to draw from. They can actually be maintained rather easily if you add all established substrate, cured LR and water from your main tank. Then it is just a matter of weekly water changes using water from the main. I just bought a 2 1/2gal tank, an 18watt (2x 9) coralife fixture and nano HOB filter to set up a pico tank. Now I just need to find the time...

 

[mr funktastic]

i need to find a friend with a salt tank. my LFS sells some really nice live rock and i am sure if i asked i could get a scoop of sand from them aswell. if i get a scoop of sand and live rock will the tank be cycled? i know in fresh if u get gravel and stuff from an established tank it will cycle really quickly. i am defianly going with the 2 gal eclips tank i have and am thinking about getting the same light as u have the coralife 2X9 watt. then i can use an aquaclear mini HOB filled with rubble. will that be sufficient?

 

[joannde]

EDIT:
The Eclipse System 3 has 6W T-5. The filter is rated at 35 GPH.
What do you think ? Fosters and Smith has it on sale for $35 - here's a link on the specs. Seems like all that needs to be added is the heater.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=3848&inm=1&N=2004+62761+2032

 

[hc8719]

hc, most corals you don't feed but for occasionally. They take things from the water column and use light to keep them alive.

i know, but isnt osmosis water kinda plain, dont they need something added to the tank to eat. do any corals just "eat" like venus fly traps

i dont want to offend any salties, but they must be plants, they need excessive lighting, and dont eat directly, plus they're hard as rock, do they even have blood? or other "animal" organs?