Questions about a 10-20GA w/o LR??

[edaskalos]

I am looking into converting one of my 10 or 20 ga FW tanks into a nano SW, but for purely aesthetic reasons I am wondering about NOT using LR and going with some other natural looking decorations. I had a few questions about going about this:

1. How should I get the cycle going?

2. How long should the cycle take with this method?

3. Can I use some of my substrate or media from my FW (TEMPORARILY) to kick start the cycle?

4. Are biowheels good to be using in this case (or any SW). I have heard arguments for both.


Thanks alot. You guys are awesome

 

[discus4everGrl]

I am not an expert by far, but I recently started a nano and I researched it for about 3 months before hand. I am sure one of the pros who have helped me out will confirm or deny what I have read.

1. The best way to get the cycle going is by using lr. I am confused when you say you don't want to use it for asthetic reasons as lr looks better than fake stuff - but hey. Otherwise I guess you can use a couple fish although it's cruel, or do a fishless cycle. I would def look into seeding the aquarium with live sand or gravel from another tank from the store or a friend.

2. If you use cured lr there is no cycle-the bacteria colony is alread there and starts working immediatly. The other methods can take 4-6 weeks.

3. The substrate from FW will not work as the bacteria you need for SW is not the same, the bacteria from the FW will die when you put it in SW.

4. Supposedly, in a small SW tank, the use of filter media, such as a biowheel trap nitrates in the tank. This is bad because sw fish and other critters are so much more sensitive to nitrate poisoning than FW. In a FW tank where the nitrates are 20PPM, don't have much affect on most of the inhabitants. However, this amount would destroy a SW tank. SW nitrates need to be kept as close to 0 as possible.

I would really encourage you to use LR, it's amazing, but the stuff is the best filter for a small tank combined with a clean up crew to get rid of larger debris.

 

[wayne]

To answer your question
1. Same as fresh
2 4 weeks guesstimate
3 No
4. Yes, ish

I would warn you upfront that while this is quite possible, it will be pretty unstable, and I wouldn't expect to keep more than two fish, plus without 'browsing' abilities the fish you can keep will be limited.

Do you plan to put a sump on it. It would be more feasible to have one and put live rock in it.
Also, and this is going to be a hit on your asthaetic sensibilities, without compeition you can expect pretty vigorous, ugly algae attacks, probably requiring you to remove and bleach your rocks every couple of weeks, and maybe some of the gravel too.

What do you want to keep? 2 clowns in a pristine white background? Frankly for the amount of hassle you'll be better off staying fresh.

 

[JCS11236]

hey--main man wayne--may i ask you a question

everyone here tells me to remove my filter media/sponge-pads from my flu 104-which i did because everyone says it will raise my nitrates---whats ur opinion on this? what will help catch all the little debris floatin around my tank if i have no filter pad?

 

[discus4everGrl]

clean up crew and water changes

 

[wayne]

Actually I still have mine in on my nano as I like the idea of lots of spare biofiltration, but I also do lots of big (50%) waer changes to keep nitrate down, plus I clean the media in old tankwater pretty often.
I have a little eheim ecco on a 5 gallon

 

[JCS11236]

ok-cool---so as long as i clean my filter pads out weekly with my water change--i should be fine right wayne?

 

[lordroad]

Agree with Wayne on the yes-ish answer to the biowheel. I've been running one since I started on Easter, and it hasn't contributed to nitrate buildup. Also, on that same coin, I don't know if it's doing much good either... but if it ain't broke, don't fix it..

 

[wayne]

You would be ok. I would still have to say I tihnk you're making a mistake, especially if you're doing this for aesthaetic reasons as marine tanks are not naturally white and clean, and I think you're going to find you have repeated algal problems. Marine algaes grow fast, and I think that if you clean the tank completely you'll get 3 or 4 days before you get algal spots and blooms, unless you go ultra techno on hardware.
This doesn't make much sense for me, but it's your choice. The beauty of marine tanks is/should be their natural look, and biodiversity and you will be sorely limiting this. Also, be aware you won't be keeping much more than a pair of clowns, a lot of the other favourite nanofish are ruled out by the sterile enviroment.

 

[JCS11236]

what?
i never said i wanted my tank white and clean and that i clean it completly of algae? i said and figured would be a good idea if i left the filter pads in as long as i clean them weekly?
will this cause algae problems like ur saying? i dont clean my tank completly of algae--i leave algae on the back and side of my tank?

 

[OCCFan023]

I think he was talking about edaskalos idea of making a tank with no LR lol...

I think if you clean em out every week and do good water changes you should be ok with leaving the filter pads in, thats what Wayne said he does i think

 

[JCS11236]

lolol

ooops

i think your right occ

i thought wayne was talking to me

sorry

hey occ--u have a cleaner shrimp right? how is he--im thinkin bout gettin one as well ---

 

[OCCFan023]

hes cool I like him alot. Hes a character to watch swim around to get food and everything.