pondering a nano

[RedRain5]

hi ! I'm thinking about making my next tank a nano I have a 10 and a 5 that are currently sitting fallow the 10 has been both fresh and brakish water the 5 only fresh. I have never had a true salt water tank befor only a brackish with puffers. any info for me?
I read the post at the top of this fourm but I would like aditonal info.

like what kind of filtration? can I use a hang on power filter/w filter cartrage as added filtration? what kind of sand will keep the hardness and calcium high to reduce the number of chemicals used. how to keep the water salenity constant when changing the water how to properly change the water. how to care for any anemones what would be better & less expensive to runn the 5 or the 10 are underground filters helpfull on saltwater tanks? what species can I keep in a nano tank? what do they eat can they eat regular fish food? how much salt will I need salt to water ratio, would the 5 or the 10 be easyer and or cheeper to keep? just about any thing I would like to know it*twirlysmi

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

for your first nano the 10 gallon would be easier, but not really cheaper. an UGF wouldnrt be good because the sand will clog it. you can use the HOB you have already but should take the media out because in tanks this small they are just nitrate factories. i would suggest aragonite as your substrate. provides stability and buffers the water. to keep salinity stable you should premix the water in a bucket to replace the water you took out during your water change. you should also do daily to bi-daily top offs with fresh water to keep the salinity from rising.

 

[kevin4052002]

Do yourself a favor, do not use an undergravel filter. Salinity (salt content), should be around 3.3% or 1.025SG. The ten will cost more, but be easier. You wouldn't be able to keep a fish in a 5, easily atleast. Try looking through some of the posts for some more information. I, personally, don't think you should attempt an anemone (not in a small system, and not in your first).

Good fish would be gobies, firefish, clowns, damsels (not liked by many), basslets, wrasses. You could stock 2 fish.


And welcome to Salt Water.

 

[RedRain5]

ok filter cartrige then but whatdo i use to filter the yuck (fishwaist) out of the tank I have empty "bag" filter cartriges without the carbon if it's the carbon that is the problem. why no ugf? I have uber coarse sand in a cichlid tank andit dosn't clog the filter. can argonite(sp) be purchased in an extreamly coarse form to reduce dead spots? I typed in anemone? I ment a mushroom or something like that

and yes 2 fish is what i was shooting for

 

[kevin4052002]

Do not use any cartriges. It would be easier to place Live Rock rubble in where the cartriges go. Maybe even set up a refugium for waste removal. Main waste removal is through weekly water changes, in nanos.

 

[RedRain5]

k whats the deal with no ugf?

 

[kevin4052002]

It pulls the waste through the sand bed, into the filter, and then clogs your system with waste. A much more efficient sand bed is a deep one, unfiltered. The sand is home to extremely beneficial nitrifying bacteria, and oxygenating bacteria. An undergravel filter will just pull the waste down to the bottom, but will not rid you of it. And they are impossible to clean.

If you want your tank to survive, more than 6 months, no ugf. *crazysmil

 

[ram man]

ugf's are bad in general, even in fw they are not the best, you could do a 5 gallon, but the only fish you could keep is a clown goby or neon goby, or you could do a cool invert such as sexy shrimp, or say... a mantis.

 

[RedRain5]

ok so can you add the living rocks when you start with the first batch of water and can the rocks be addded a few lbs at a time?

 

[kevin4052002]

I added all of my rock, sand, and water (in that order), to my tank....with no inhabitants.....and let it sit for a month. Everything came out great.

 

[amd]

do the ten, it will be easier. as for cost, the only thing that will cost more is rock, usually 6-8 bux a lb locally. that and you will need twice as much salt and water, but the water parameters are half as sensitive. also even with the sand youl buy a bag and use half for a 5 where youls still buy only 1 if you get a 10 going. ther is great debate on using cartriges in a nano because some say it keeps nitrates high, so do a little reaserch of your own, and do what you feels is best, personally i dont use a filter, i use a customIN tank sump. as for me ithink a cartrige is absolutly unsessisarry, but i dont see how a properly maintained cartrige filter will creates nitrate, theoreticly it is impossible because nitrates are produced by broken down waste products or in the water you put in the tank. this is why i call it the great debate.
anyway speaking of water, u need to use ro water, aka Reverse osmosis filtered water. this isnt actually a MUST, how ever remember that nanos are extremly sensitive compared to bigger tanks, so any crap in the water will have a severe negitive impact. also this reduses/eliminated the amount of diatoms you will hget in the tank, especially dutrring the cycle. diatoms are ythe little skeletons of i guess freshwater algae( someone should verify this, i havent really investigated what it really is) but is ugly poop colored brown and will/can cover every square inch of the tank in days. you can get ro or distilled water at the local grocery store, I am current ly on week 10 of my nano and i havent had a SINGLE PROBLEM whith it due to the help of all the great guys and gals here on mft, so hang in hang around , ask questions and read everthing! we will help as much as possible and your soon to have a beutifull nano. good luck...mike

 

[RedRain5]

thanks much

 

[amd]

lol i must have been typing while you posted kevin. i did similarly the same thing as kevin did, I set up the tank added water then sand ,(rinse sand first) then i added salt to the tank, the reason i did it that way was because the mixing directions were for 5 gallon intervals and I wasnt sure what my "12" gallon held. well it only held 9 before the sand. anyway i let a powerhead run to mix it up and after a week i added live rock when water was stable temp and ph(i gave time for the sand to buffer the water, plus at the time i had no salt water compatible test kit.) And after the live rock i let it sit for 3-4 weeks and then i added 2 snails, 1 week and then a few more snails and a fire fish. hope this help, any mor q's we'll be here

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

lol i must have been typing while you posted kevin. i did similarly the same thing as kevin did, I set up the tank added water then sand ,(rinse sand first) then i added salt to the tank, the reason i did it that way was because the mixing directions were for 5 gallon intervals and I wasnt sure what my "12" gallon held. well it only held 9 before the sand. anyway i let a powerhead run to mix it up

please tell me you used a hydrometer or refractometer to measure salt content..... those directions arent very acurate... mine said 5 cups for ten gallons (i think) anyways i cut the amount in half for my 5 gallons, and tested and it was still waaaayyy under. like 1.016 or something.

 

[amd]

yes i used a hyrometer, although am concidering a refractor. and yes those instructions suck, i use a ton more than it said to to get to 1.023. thats where i keep mine

 

[ram man]

if you use a hob filter you will need power heads, in my ten i have a maxijet 400 and the 900, i think thats the number, 900. anyways, if you do get the hob filter try a aquaclear type, you could put liverock ruble and macro algae to help with filteration, but with the macro algae you will need a light

 

[amd]

another option is to use a skilter, eventhough the arent the best skimmer(by far) they would help a little and they are also great for refugiums so i hear. but thas jus roomerz

 

[RedRain5]

1.0023 is the standard for salt water tanks ? I thought It was higher what is the safe range for nitrates and amonia in a sw tank?

 

[kevin4052002]

Ammonia/Nitrite needs to be at a constant 0.00
Nitrate needs to be at a low level, as close to zero as possible. 0.05 will suffice.
Specific Gravity should be 1.023 to 1.026

lol, adding salt to my tank, I just kinda dumped it in until it was where I wanted it. 10months after the fact, I realize that there are directions. No harm done, probably was alot more efficient.

 

[ram man]

from what i have been told by the expirience salties is that the skilters are garbage. you dont even need a skimmer for a 10 gallon, just try the fuge method, the macro( you will wont chaeto) will remove some of the nitrates