Possible salt nano tank

divemaster99

Dovii
MFK Member
Jan 10, 2014
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Hey guys! Never thought I'd be posting in the salt section but you never know I guess. Tonight I went to a new LFS that a guy from my LFC owns, it's pretty dang small but it's definitely a very knowledgeable place. I mainly went there just to check it out but he has amazing prices on everything so I figured "what the heck, why not try a nano tank". At first I was fairly certain I was doing cherry shrimp, Pygmy sunfish, dwarf cichlids, or the like but he really have me a good talk about saltwater and now I'm seeing it in a new perspective. If I was doing salt I'd probably do a say 10 gallon tank. For stuff inside the tank I was thinking more inverts than fish. I honestly don't know much about salt so I'll be doing extensive research this week. It seems like the most complication comes with corals so I think I'll avoid them for a while. I don't know if a ten is big enough for this stock but maybe like a serpent star, an anemone, a cleaner shrimp, and maybe 1 or 2 small fish. If that isn't overstocked do I have any more room for any other creatures such as crabs or snails? Water changes would be weekly and the percent would be 70 or 80 since I'm not doing a filter since there's enough nitrifying bacteria in sand. So I'm open to any comments, concerns, or advice about stock since like I said I'm new to this.
 

Otherone

Feeder Fish
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Feb 2, 2009
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Lancaster,PA USA
70-80 percent w/cs are way too much for sw especially for inverts. Theres too much to sw water chemistry to match on a weekly basis and keep stability at that rate. Best advise take it slow - slow meaning be prepared to be in it for the long haul. An eco-complete sw tank can take 2-3 years. Aerobic bacteria grows quickly in 02 rich water, denitrifying bacteria not so much. That being said there are ways to tackle nitrate build up chemically and mechanically. I leaned on these heavily for several years - now not so much.

I realize this is kinda vague so heres one example of why large volume w/c s are no good for sw - Anemones are photosynthetic carnivores. They share a symbiotic life with a micro algae. This micro algae grows on the Nem, it is a food source. This algae is introduced into the tank via the nem - it makes it's way into the water column, thus replenishing it's self as the nem grows. nems are also filter feeders that eat planktonic foods that we introduce to the water and they colonize aswell. Although it is very wise to target feed nems a silverside once a week they still need to feed from the water. When you remove 70 percent of the water you remove 70 percent of their food - this is the case for a lot of sw life.

Go for it - SW is a learn as you go hobby. Due it's slow progressive nature time can be on your side.
 

LSUFireGal

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 16, 2014
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Houston, TX
I agree, frequent small water changes are best in smaller tanks for sure. I have a 220gallon reef, a 14gallon nano reef and a 2gallon pico reef. Easiest tank to manage is the big one. LOL. The smaller the tank the more difficult it is to maintain water quality. Also top off is VERY important. You MUST be diligent about top offs because even a little evaporation will have the salinity skyrocketing. I do not have auto top offs on my little tanks but I top them off twice a day at least. In my 14g I have a pair of Wyoming white clowns, a couple of hermits, a pompom crab, lots of corals, and various snails. I had a jawfish in there but the clowns never let it leave the burrow so I moved it to the big tank.

In my opinion:

Serpent stars get way too big and can eat fish, plus starfish need very stable water conditions. One of the most important things for success with a sea star is controlling salinity which as I mentioned before is difficult in these little tanks. I have a Linkia in my large reef and he has done well for a couple of years, but water is super stable. Even he is too big for a nano though.

Anemone, I have a tube anemone in my big tank, "she" is gorgeous, but she is almost 18 inches in diameter now. I wouldn't recommend one in a nano, they also get biggest at night so whatever size you think it is, it is at least twice that at night. It is non photosynthetic and even the well fed ones will take the opportunity to catch your fish. It is not ethical to keep fish in a small tank with one of these because they are bound to fall prey to those stinging tenticles.
I also have a bubbletip anemone in the big tank with 2 happy clowns in it. A small one would be ok in an established nano, but wait at least 6 months or even a year before you add a nem, they need mature systems. They will also wander, into powerheads, the overflow grate, and when they die they usually nuke the tank and kill everything, especially in small tanks. If you want to have coral down the line you should know a wandering anemone will sting and kill coral so use caution when adding one to your tank. Most anemones are photosynthetic and carnivorous so you must have high lighting to meet their needs. Lighting is important for the coral as well. Once your tank is mature you may want to consider a rock flower anemone, they can be very beautiful.

One or two small fish should be fine, if you get a pair of clowns expect them to be territorial and 10 g is not a lot of territory so other fish may be bullied pretty bad. Avoid damsels unless you want just the one fish because they are territorial too and will want the entire tank to themselves. There are a lot of small peaceful fish perfect for nanos, but choose wisely bc when you are only stocking a few fish, you want fish you will get to see, not hiders. The best resource for which fish are suitable for nanos is the nano fish section at liveaquaria.com. Not saying buy from them, I never have, but the list and tank requirements is very accurate.

I love the challenge of the nano tank. I like it better than the big tank because I can look in and see their whole world. You won't regret it if you slow down and do it right and stock wisely. Good luck. I am far from an expert, but feel free to PM me if you have a question!
 

divemaster99

Dovii
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Jan 10, 2014
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Pittsburgh, PA
+1 that nano looks awesome!

well I went back to the LFS today and had a nice long talk with the owner (who's written various books and articles on SW) and I think I'm actually going to do a 15 gallon (24" x 12" x 12"). I went through about every fish and invert he had there and asked him what would be good for my tank. I am now in love with a beautiful mandarinfish pair he had there so I might wind up doing them (I know they need Copepods and I'm more than willing to grow them). I also liked a royal gramma he had there so that's an option as well as a few other fish (not all obviously) so maybe the mandarins and one other upper level fish plus inverts and corals. For inverts I'll be doing a cleaner shrimp (my dream SW animal for years), a smaller serpent star (potential growout), a small species of urchin, possibly a group of peppermint shrimp, maybe an emerald crab. For corals I don't know a lot yet (I'm researching as I'm typing this :)) but probably some very hardy low light ones, he suggested Xenia (not sure if I spelt that right) as one. I'm probably getting the tank on Friday after I go fishing in the morning so I'll keep you guys updated!
 

Otherone

Feeder Fish
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Feb 2, 2009
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I've had a Gramma - not a long lived species but very cool none the less. if you go with mandarins steer clear of wrasses they eat all the pods. With shrimp and crabs you'll need to test for and add iodine. I wouldn't call pulsing xenia easy - more like hit or miss - they don't transport well, also they prefer a dirtier water quality (higher dissolved protein levels) then most other corals can tolerate.
 

divemaster99

Dovii
MFK Member
Jan 10, 2014
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Pittsburgh, PA
I've had a Gramma - not a long lived species but very cool none the less. if you go with mandarins steer clear of wrasses they eat all the pods. With shrimp and crabs you'll need to test for and add iodine. I wouldn't call pulsing xenia easy - more like hit or miss - they don't transport well, also they prefer a dirtier water quality (higher dissolved protein levels) then most other corals can tolerate.
Iodine? I was told just keep excellent water quality and add Copepods and I'd be good. I haven't decided on fish yet or corals or inverts, I just have a rough idea. Please feel free to suggest any fish, inverts, and corals (especially hardy corals that do ok in lower light) to me since I'm completely new to salt.
 

Runitis

Fire Eel
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Dec 4, 2011
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Iodine? I was told just keep excellent water quality and add Copepods and I'd be good. I haven't decided on fish yet or corals or inverts, I just have a rough idea. Please feel free to suggest any fish, inverts, and corals (especially hardy corals that do ok in lower light) to me since I'm completely new to salt.
Ya for invertebrates they need iodine for healthy shell growth. The reason why I have not gotten one. As for corals and anemone you should wait at least 6 months for your tank to be established as someone mentioned above it could take years a lot longer then fresh water. And lighting I'm almost certain all need strong lighting especially anemone. And if that anemone dies or kills itself it's like a bomb and will release a lot of toxins. The madarin are really difficult to keep and not recommended for beginners. Where would you even grow out the corepods you won't be able to culture enough in the tank itself.

So my recommendation is no corals or invertebrates for a while especially till you get the hang of saltwater maintenance. I recommend just simple clown fish, damsels, or a goby like watchmen or clowns.

Sent from my HTC One using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 

divemaster99

Dovii
MFK Member
Jan 10, 2014
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Pittsburgh, PA
The LFS I'm getting the tank from sells Copepods in phytoplanton so I'd just take some home and put it in a pickle jar in my window and dilute it whenever it gets to dense. He also told me to focus on a mainly invert tank with just a few fish. His exact instructions we're take home the tank and set it up with life sand. Then come back in a few days and get some hardy inverts and live rock, he said there shouldn't be an ammonia spike with the live sand and rock. Then wait a few weeks to get some coral and wait a month then get some hardy fish. Now of I heard this from about anyone else I'd be pretty skeptical but his ideas have the support of 2 entire local fish clubs as well as many satisfied customers that setup reef tanks using his instructions and he's written books and articles on this stuff so it's kinda hard not to trust the man :).
 
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