nano

[ram man]

ok i just thought about starting a nano slatwater! the main thing i thought about keeping.... a mantis shrimp. wat would be a good tank for it. would an eclipse work? and wat filteration? and could you post your nanos?

 

[OCCFan023]

check out the threads in the section, there have been tons of peoples accounts and step by step posted within the past months.

a eclipse could work, but you wont really need the filtration it offers, althought you could use it as added water movement minus the filter material.

 

[ram man]

wat removes the amonia and houses the bacteria then

 

[radamsk1]

Easiest method is using live rock. All the aerobic and some anaerobic bacteria live in the rock. All that is really needed is water movement to ensure no dead areas. I find this easier than worrying about filters and having enough biological matrix to support the bioload. Although if you were only to keep a mantis... that could be plenty. Many times sponges or other types (floss) aren't that great for a SW setup. This often can lead to nitrate buildup. Carbon also may remove trace elements, but in nano tanks you can get by this by the large percentage of weekly water changes.

 

[ram man]

ok i might set one up once we move(end of schoolyear) aquatouchalways has a mantis in stock. and it is the spear variety. im just trying to figure out wat to do with the six gallon. the mor ei see a nano i want to start one up.

 

[DustinKeating]

I know a guy with a 10gallon mantis shrimp, he barely changes the water and only runs 2 aquaclears with LR in them for movement and filtration. It's been running for one year strong, very cool thing to have.

 

[ram man]

if we move i get the biggest tank i want! it will be fresh waterso i will then have the ten. how big of a tank for a fire fish

 

[radamsk1]

10 gal is fine for a firefish. However, like some gobies they enjoy to be paired. So I'd say the max fish amount you'd want is 2 fish. The two could be firefish... maybe a regular one and a purple. Not to mention if you'd like you can get corals, snails, crabs, etc.

 

[ram man]

im definetly lookin at corals and sponges!

 

[Mushroomman]

Sponges are tricky.

Any equiptment plans for this tank yet? be nice to hear

Im thinkin you could get away with just running the hob if you have one or no fish... and rely on the LR. What types of corals are you looking at keeping?

 

[radamsk1]

There are some nice beginner corals you could start with such as some soft corals and LPS. I'd definitely stay away from the sponges, as they often aren't able to be maintained in a tank, needless to say a 10 gal where it can turn disasterous over night. Some good corals to start with are mushrooms, zoanthids, star polyps, xenia, and toadstool or cabbage leathers. There's a wide variety, but still you must take into account the lighting you'll have on the tank and rockwork so you can have different placement levels. Take a look at the Coral Profile page 1979camaro and I'm working on. You'll get a good idea of what corals to choose from and the pros and cons. For lighting, I would suggest for you to get a 96W 10K/actinic 50/50 fixture, as you'll have plenty of lighting for whatever corals you'd like. With some interesting rock work and a good design, you can support whatever corals you'd like, within reason of course.

 

[lordroad]

Be sure you cover your tank with egg crate (light diffuser, the plastic grid stuff that are fixtures for ceiling fluorescent lights). Firefish jump. I had one in my ten gallon, and he jumped after a water change.

I have a 96 watt coralife "quad light" fixture and it's great. Got a great deal at hellolights.com, best deal I've found.