New Setup for office desk

[Crumb]

I'm looking to setup a FOWLR 6-10 gallon for my desk at work...

Can anyone please comment on filtration, lighting, inhabitants, general best practices for a tank like this. I haven't bought anything yet and really looking to get some advice before I do.

Thanks for the input.

 

[ryguy]

If this is your first tank, you'll need to arm yourself with tons of knowledge from reading everything you can. 6-10 gallons is considered a difficult task. Not that it is impossible or in need of a experienced aquarist, but it will require CONSTANT supervision and maintenance.

A small tank like that will keep 1 small fish such as a clown and some inverts and corals. Mainly soft corals. JBJ has a 6G nano tank and a 12G nano. The 12G also comes in a deluxe model with upgraded lighting to allow a wider variety of corals to be kept like some LPS as well.

Because these tanks are small, any small fluctuation in water parameters is more significant to the inhabitants of the tank. It will need daily top-offs, constant testing and frequent water changes because chances are you won't be running a skimmer on that small of a tank.

The JBJ's come with filtration all included into the design, but a powerhead would be a good idea for extra circulation. The stock circulation setup is weak.

Ryan

 

[pkremer]

Welcome to Aquarium Advice!

Quick question? Do you have any experience at all with aquariums? Either in freshwater or saltwater?

If you do have experience, sorry to question you... Sometimes, though, people will get interested in having a small saltwater tank who have never ever kept an aquarium before. If this is the case, I would recommend gaining some experience with a larger saltwater aquarium, or a freshwater aquarium. Nano-saltwater tanks can be maintained, but it takes daily maintenance and an excellent knowledge of how the ecosystem works. Leaving a 6-gallon saltwater tank even over the weekend at work will allow water to evaporate, and in that small of an ecosystem, will raise the salinity of the water very quickly.

Let us know what you have in mind, though, and I'm sure many would be happy to help you. This site has probably saved all my fish!

 

[Crumb]

Yes, I have some experience.... I maintained a 10gallon nano with fish and soft corals. I had the tank for about a year and a half with no problems. I took it down when I moved across the country.

I now find myself with the itch again. This time I want to run a FOWLR (Fish only with live rock), no corals what so ever. I feel this would be the best setup for my situation as this tank will be at my place of work.

So, I guess the advice I'm looking for would be, what can I get away with for equipment running this type of setup? Because I am not going to have any coral, I guess I could skimp on the lights. But by how much? The live rock still requires lighting, but how much lighting? Filtration: will the live rock and live sand be enough? Or, should I get some kind of mechanical too? These are the types of questions I have.

For fish, I am thinking 2 clowns or a few demsals.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Florida8]

You should be good to go if you have had a nano before.

For an office job I say get one of the nano cubes with hoods so you might have less evap. issues. Also everything is neatly tucked away to maintail a clean over all look as it will be at work.

If $ is an issue you can get a 10 set up at walmart and add 2 11w screw in pc and your set aside of filling your tank...

You could keep a few gallons of water ready for water changes weekly and a gal of RO water there for top offs during the week.

With the lighting that comes in the cube or the added 2 screw in bulbs, which ever you choose... you can keep all kinds of colorful zoos and shrooms and a small fish... clown or goby... and a shrimp. I think it would be beautiful

Keep us posted on how you scratch that itch! No tank at home right now? That's hard... we bought a fixer upper house and I had no tank for a while.... just finished cycling and so happy to have a tank again!

 

[pkremer]

Agreed! If you already have experience with a nano-reefwith success, there's no reason not to enjoy one at work. Just wanted to make sure. You are probably well aware that someone with no experience trying to do a nano-saltwater tank is setting themselves up for frustration!

Personally, I like this idea for a nano-cube:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=10677&N=2004+62760

This is probably the route I would go if it were me, you wouldn't need to worry about filtration or lighting with this method. I agree, 15 or so pounds of live rock, a few clowns, it would be a wonderful addition to any desk...just make sure the desk can handle the weight.