nano tank with coral (help please)

[simple]

Hi, i just got my first saltwater aquarium that a very generous friend sold me for close to nothing (20 dollars). It is a 12 gallon instant ocean eclipse nano tank (http://www.petco.com/product/13544/Mari ... m-Kit.aspx). It has about an inch of live sand at the bottom, one hermit crab and a fiji damsel, these were all donated by my friend. This tank has been up and running for about a year and a half so everything is stable. The lights and filter are stock, so what I was wondering was if i would be able to grow mushrooms and/or corals in here. Currently it has no live rock but i plan on buying 9 to 10 pounds tomorrow from my LFS. I know i should wait a few weeks or maybe months to add my coral after the LR has been added, im just curious if the lights will be able to keep the coral and/or mushrooms alive, and if not, i would really appreciate any suggestions for upgrades, and also suggestions for corals and mushrooms that are hardy and will survive the mistakes of a noob such as myself. I have also been considering buying an anemone (bubble-tip) but that wont happen until 5 or 6 months from now, atleast. Would i also need to upgrade anything in order to mantain an anemone?
I will post pics later once i get my camera from a friend who borrowed it.
Any help would be appreciated.

 

[cindre2000]

:welcome:

I have an eclipse 3 which is similar in shape and equipment to what you have. Your biggest hurtle to get over is the eclipse itself. The stock filtration and lighting is actually quite bad for a 'reef' tank. This is because you are going to want to have decent light and flow. The following suggestions are going to be geared at keeping the 'sleek' eclipse look.

First things first, flow! The filter on the eclipse takes up a lot of space (thus less light) and does not provide a lot of flow. It is usually best to chunk it and put 1-2 hang-on filters on the back. The only issue is you have to cut the back part of the hood off you accommodate the new filter(s). A small powerhead also does wonders. The main idea is to prevent dead spots!

Next step is light. That one piddly light on the tank may or may not grow mushrooms and definitely will not grow a photosynthetic anemone. You probably want to remove the light and install a retrofit CF which is not too hard. There are some good kits out there or you could buy all the parts your self.

Back to the current situation: If you do buy rock, make sure it is cured, and even if it is, you really should put it in a bucket (probably would fit in a 5 gallon) with a powerhead and fresh saltwater to make sure it is well cured before you stick it in such a small tank. Other than that, I say you should get rid of the damsel and toss in a Caribbean basslet!

Oh yeah, ask lots of questions, it helps you avoid mistakes!

 

[simple]

Thank you very much for your help. I was wondering if this filter (http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumP ... _c_80.html) was any good. and if i should get one of those and a power head or two filter plus the powerhead. Id also really appreciate any suggestions for better filters, since i am new to this im not sure about the quality of these. I also want to know if you have any suggestions for flourescent lights that would do good with my tank, since i am not sure how many watts i need for a descent reef nano.
And like i said before, any help is appreciated.
Thanks in advance

 

[simple]

I found some relatively cheap light kits and cf bulbs on the internet but i just wanted to run it through the more experienced reef keepers before buying it.
the kit i want to get is from this website: http://ahsupply.com/36-55w.htm
Im not sure what kit to get, im thinking either the 36 watt kit for $42 or the 55 for $42, but i dont know if 55w what be too much..Like i said i plan on growing some coral and in the future an anemone, but i rather not have to upgrade my lighting later. Im also not sure what bulb to get. These are the choices: http://www.ahsupply.com/bulbs.htm
like i said im considering a 36 watt or a 55 watt kit.
edit:
Another good lighting setup i found was this one: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=11418
I was thinking to get either the 4o or the 65 watt model.
Thank you

 

[cindre2000]

When picking out a filter* you should first and formost look at the flow. That canister filter has a flow rate of 80gph. A standard small hang on back (for a 10g) by tetra, pengiun, hagen, etc have 90-100 gph. Also, canister filters are actually not a very good filter for saltwater.

*Remember, this filters are not being used purely for filtering, they are being used for flow first, filtering second. You can toss in some media, but you don't want to use filter floss unless you change it every couple of days.

Powerheads are nice, however, they do take up a good bit of space and add heat to the water, you might want to limit yourself to one powerhead to provide flow along the back side of the tank since hang on filters should cover the top and front.

As for light, it really depends on what you want to keep. A single 36 watt should let you keep about any soft coral you want. A 55 should allow you to keep most easy LPS; maybe some monti's as well. You are going to have a hard time adding too much light with compact fluorescents. They just don't have the same punch as metal halide and HO T5's. Also, the biggest benefit with having two bulbs is that you have one blue bulb and one daylight bulb which allows you to have a fun little effect. You have the blue come on 1-2hrs before the daylight and cut off 1-2 hrs afterwards. A lot of people do this and you really get to see the florescence of the coral as well.

Vitz in the nano forum can help you a lot as you figure out the lighting. Pop in over there for some more advice.

 

[extremepb319]

For such a small tank to fit a light on i would go with one of these. They are kinda pricey but it would be very good for your small tank IMO.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+15489&pcatid=15489

Maybe even a hanging pendant depending on your budget and room because a pendant or the clamp on back can easily be used on a larger tank if you get one.

 

[IslandCrow]

I run a 12g tank at work, and I don't use any mechanical filtration at all. The live rock will provide all your necessary biofiltration, and given the low bioload of one, maybe two small fish, regular water changes are more than adequate to keep your parameters in check. Since we're only talking 12 gallons, even 20% weekly water changes are no hastle and very minor expense. Now, I own an Aquapod, and I do keep a Pura filter pad in the back section, so I do have some chemical filtration, but I think you'd be fine without even that. Just to give you an idea of what I mean by my water parameters being in check, here's what they've been for the past 5-6 months. All are tested with Salifert test kits, though I don't test for nitrite. . .I just don't find it necessary in an established aquarium:

Ammonia: undetectable
Nitrate: <1ppm
Phosphate: undetectable
Nuissance algae growth: only if you look hard

Oh, and for water flow, I hear the Hydor Koralia nanos are now available. I don't know a lot of the details, but I have a Koralia 1, and they're great powerheads (and very affordable). I believe Drs. Foster and Smith has them in stock (if they're not sold out yet).

 

[simple]

ok i will definately check out all of your suggestions, thanks for all the help and any more suggestions are welcome. I was also wondering if you guys know of any good yet economic test kits (ph nitrates nitrites etc.)

 

[mr_X]

aquarium pharm test kits are cheap, but i don't like the phosphate test they sell. it reads zero on the tap water from 2 different locations. that's not the same reading i got from salifert phosphate test kit. i suggest you don't skimp on test kits. especially on such a small tank where the smallest issue is a BIG issue.

 

[IslandCrow]

Seachem test kits seem to be fairly good for the price, and if I didn't keep corals, I might not be as picky and use their kits. I think Salifert is well worth the investment, though.