Nano Reefs, as requested.

[swamp-rat]

I posted pics of my tanks in the welcome forum and was bombarded with questions about my nano reefs. Here are my specs:

1 gallon Fluval Spec

Filter: built-in overflow, carbon replaced with Chemi-pure, additional biomedia crammed into media bag
Heater: none
Light: PAR30 LED with 3 x 10,000K 3w CREEs and 2 x actinic 3w CREEs
Substrate: bulk aragonite sand, LR rubble
Livestock: Catalina goby, decorator crab, blue-leg hermit
Corals: Green star polyps, nuclear green palys, misc zoas
Algae: chaeto, grape caleurpa
SpGr: 1.023-1.025
pH: ~8.0
Additives: none
Feeding: blend of Hikari brine shrimp, mysis, H2Olife coral food, ReefNutrition tigger pods, oyster feast, and phyto feast all soaked in Brightwell Aquatics amino acids or H2OLife GVH soak.
Water changes: about every 3-4 weeks or whenever I can't see into the tank anymore.

5 gallon tall nano reef

Filter: Aquaclear 30 with sponge intake cover, charcoal replaced with Chemi-Pure
Heater: 76F
Light: PAR38 Ecoxotic reef bulb, same CREE bulb arrangement as above
Substrate: CaribSea Tahitian Moon black sand, tall branching live rock extends to top of tank
Livestock: Bluestripe Pipefish, Spotted Mandarin, Ribbon Nudi, 2 Pom Pom crabs, 2 scarlet hermits, black nassarius snail
Corals: Nuclear green palys, pulsing xenia, orange dendro, green mushroom
Algae: chaeto, sawtooth caleurpa
SpGr, pH, Additives, feeding, and water changes same as above.

16 gallon mini reef

Filter: Aquaclear 70, carbon replaced with additional biomedia; Prizm Pro skimmer with add-on surface skimmer, biomedia basket
Heater: 76F
Light: PAR38 Ecoxotic LED (same as above), Marineland Reef LED
Substrate: CaribSea Tahitian Moon black sand, about 20 lbs LR
Livestock: Black misbar clown, pygmy angel, orchid dottyback, sponge crab, fromia star, 3 blue-leg hermits, emerald crab, red emerald crab
Corals: Nuclear green palys, misc zoas in frag tree, pulsing xenia, porites worm rock sans worms
Algae: grape caulerpa, sawtooth caulerpa covering EVERYTHING, red flame algae, caulerpa prolifera, evil fern caulerpa
SpGr: 1.023-1.025
pH: ~8.0
Additives: none
Feeding: OmegaOne pellets
Water changes: about every 6 weeks or whenever I can't see into the tank anymore.

 

[swamp-rat]

Now to address questions:
1) How much work is it to monitor salt level/chemistry? What parameters do you monitor?
- Honestly, no work. The last time I tested anything other than SpGr was >2 years ago on any tank. Once you've got a solid bio-base it really doesn't seem to shift.
2) What filter media do you use?
- See above. I don't use carbon in any of my tanks unless I've medicated them. I feel it absorbs too many nutrients and isn't really helping you. Instead I prefer to use phosban or chemi-pure.
3) Does the teeny powerhead in the spec tank provide enough current to keep corals, or do you use something else?
- it's actually really strong if you set it to full strength. Like strong enough to knock down stacked corals. There's a flow adjuster on the powerhead but it's a pain to get to when it's all hooked up. Through trial and error I've got it about 3 'clicks' from fully open.
4) How many corals can you fit in? What's the math to figure out what can go in?
- Um, yes. Seriously, I determine what goes in my tanks by the lights I have, not necessarily their size. I don't do LPS except the dendro since they'd sting everything in the tank, but everything else is fair game. I kept some acros near the top of the 5 gallon glued to that huge branch rock for a while, but they're more sensitive to my laziness than say shrooms or palys. Non-photosynthetic corals seem to do really well in these, because I can easily concentrate the feeding.
5) Would it be easier to do a fish only (no live rock) tank in the small scale?
- No, I think that would actually create more work. The live rock acts as a secondary biofiltration system and I'm a supporter of heavy LR seeding even in fish-only tanks. Plus, some of the coolest things I have came in as hitchhikers on LR, and in a nano tank, you get the opportunity to actually SEE them; for instance, sponges or micro brittle stars (if anyone wants some, I have LOTS). I also feel the addition of macroalgae helps keep my nitrates managable so my tanks can go this long without water changes. It means a ton of trimming each time, but I kinda like the au-naturale look.
6) What the heck got you started down this path?
- 99% of what I do is because someone told me I couldn't do it. Everyone in the reef world thought I couldn't keep a mandarin alive in a 5 gallon tank. The longstanding presumption is they need a large tank with tons of LR, and therefore a colony of copepods, to survive. My answer to this was weaning onto frozen foods, which is actually very easy with my secret trick: deworm your mandarins. The ones in the stores with the super-shriveled bellies? Some of the fattest mandarins I owned 3 months after deworming. For this I use a lacrimal cannula (I worked as a vet tech so I had access to these) and the gel tek UltraCure Px which contains metronidazole for protozoa, fenbendazole for roundworms, and praziquantal for tapes. Depending on fish size I draw 0.1-0.3 cc into a 1 cc syringe, gently restrain the fish while submerged, and gavage the gel directly into the stomach. Praziquantal and metronidazole taste like licking the inside of a 100 year old lead pipe, so even disguising it with food usually won't make the fish eat it voluntarily. Usually 1 treatment is enough, and within a few hours those fish are searching for anything resembling food. If I put frozen mysis in there that've been soaked in GVH, they snap it up instantly. That's all the effort I need to train mandarins, pipes, or seahorses onto frozen food.
I used to be the manager of an aquarium store and we experimented with micro reefs in tanks even smaller than a spec, like betta tanks. A single clown goby, 2 mushrooms, and a paly in that size tank can really turn heads. I got into SW with the 5 gallon tall, which is a tank that has survived my childhood and moved across the country. I am limited by my spouse to how many tanks I could have (a wise decision), and the initial stipulation included not buying any new tanks. So I set up this tank I'd used to transport my gargoyle gecko cross-country with my belongings when I fell in love with a baby black misbar oscellaris named Fionnuala. Unfortunately she passed last year, but lasted 7 years with me including the move from Eugene to Sumner. After about 6 months with the initial 5 gallon setup I was allowed to upgrade to the 16 gallon bowfront I have now, and retired the 5 gallon until my spouse decided she wanted her own tanks in her room. Long story short, they are now in my room and are MY tanks, so there you have it.

 

[Anonymous]

AWESOME THREAD !!!!

 

[KaraWolf]

WOW!!!! That is kind of insanely awesome especially with reef tanks o.o

 

[MorganEA]

I was so tempted to turn my Fluval spec V into a reef but I didn't even know where to start!

 

[MRTom]

Huge loads of info to absorb!!! Thanks! My next step is to figure out some fish to keep. I got started on this by looking at gobies. From your description, it sounds like that would be a good start.

Also, thanks for the info on the live rock. I've been doing a few FW nanos and quickly figured out that plants are vital for filtration... so it makes a lot of sense the rock would help.

Now I can't wait to start this up! What can I throw away to make space....

 

[Anonymous]

Now I can't wait to start this up! What can I throw away to make space....

Lol. Dont get caught by wife or girlfriend throwing away furnitures. :lmfao:

 

[poffman]

Amazing tanks!!!!!!!

 

[MRTom]

Now I can't wait to start this up! What can I throw away to make space....

Lol. Dont get caught by wife or girlfriend throwing away furnitures. :lmfao:

Ha! Wife threw me out already! And the grass IS greener on the other side! Anyone want a couch? slightly used Need to make space for tanks.

By the way Kat, have you tried SW plants like shaving brush algae or pinecone algae? One thing that has held me back from SW is the aesthetic of coral... too hard to reach uniformity if you have colors and rocks going all over the place. I'm thinking that combining plants with some simple LPS would help get some balance going. (especially since my tanks are 90% green already )

 

[Chiisai]

This so makes me want to drag out my brand new never used 30gal halfmoon I got for $35 and give it a whirl. Where do you get your livestock? Aquarium paradise? I have thought about trying SW and getting from the sumner pet store but I ran into a few folks while down there that told me not to get any fish from them. I always wanted to do a reef tank but everything I read says reef is only for Pros who have lots of money and time. Sounds like your doing alright as far as maintenance.. so I guess the question becomes how much $$$ do you dump into those SW tanks?

 

[poffman]

This so makes me want to drag out my brand new never used 30gal halfmoon I got for $35 and give it a whirl. Where do you get your livestock? Aquarium paradise? I have thought about trying SW and getting from the sumner pet store but I ran into a few folks while down there that told me not to get any fish from them. I always wanted to do a reef tank but everything I read says reef is only for Pros who have lots of money and time. Sounds like your doing alright as far as maintenance.. so I guess the question becomes how much $$$ do you dump into those SW tanks?

I've had a flawless record with all the fish I got from Tropical Fish World in Sumner.. I've never bought saltwater there before, though. Everyone at the store has been great, i'd recommend you give them a try

 

[Chiisai]

I've had a flawless record with all the fish I got from Tropical Fish World  in Sumner.. I've never bought saltwater there before, though. Everyone at the store has been great, i'd recommend you give them a try

Yes sorry I meant to say I was told not to buy SW fish there. My appologies. I have bought freshwater from them before with no complaints other then snails and some fish seem to have infections.

 

[poffman]

Yes sorry I meant to say I was told not to buy SW fish there. My appologies. I have bought freshwater from them before with no complaints other then snails and some fish seem to have infections.

No worries, I know nothing about their saltwater crop, just sharing my freshwater experience. All the best!  

 

[swamp-rat]

I get almost all my corals and SW fish from Barrier Reef in Renton. You can even order off their website.

As for algae, I've tried halimeda (and failed), never been able to find anything more ornamental than the flame algae I have now. Everything else I currently have makes a nice nitrate sink.

 

[MRTom]

As for algae, I've tried halimeda (and failed), never been able to find anything more ornamental than the flame algae I have now.  Everything else I currently have makes a nice nitrate sink.

Sounds like a challenge!

 

[Zerc]

Shameless advertising: If you buy a Puget Sound Aquarium Society membership you get 10% off at barrier reef

They also have a phone app w/ monthly discounts that are pretty good. (a few months ago they had 25% off of one fish, reusable once per week!)

 

[swamp-rat]

Yeah, and if you like them on FB you can see the incoming stock list. Def worth the drive, especially since I try to get CB livestock as much as possible and they order from ORA which is all CB.

 

[MRTom]

SW noob question: What are ORA and CB? Captive bred?

 

[Zerc]

yup.

Although ORA has their own "special" frag plugs, and they are the absolute most terrible plugs in the entire industry. You need a dremel to cut them.

 

[Zerc]

If you want to get some good deals though, hit up the Bob Moore frag swap in Renton this February 15th!

http://www.wafishbox.com/t9074-6th-annual-bob-moore-frag-swap