Well. It’s been about 9 years since my fowlr and I remember the basic logistics, but I’ve never had a reef. Looking for a plan to keep things easy , affordable, and more or less on autopilot (I know fat chance right). So just looking for any and all ideas on how to simplify this process. Right now I’m looking at low iron glass 24 rimless (drilled), 34 rimless instilled, and a 29 bio cube with 4K led. All around $150. What’s the best two and what’s the best way to keep em easy. Heavy duty skimmer and good flow? As for coral same thing. Hardy and easy. All help appreciated.
Nano reef hypotheticals/plan
- Thread starter shark_curious
- Start date
I run the fluval 13.5, pretty basic and doesn’t need any mods except it doesn’t come with a heater.
Easy corals I would stick to zoas, green star, Xenia, leathers, and euphyllia just to name a few.
In a smaller tank a skimmer or powerhead really isn’t necessary. Powerhead is just too strong and frequent water changes are easier than the skimmer.
Easy corals I would stick to zoas, green star, Xenia, leathers, and euphyllia just to name a few.
In a smaller tank a skimmer or powerhead really isn’t necessary. Powerhead is just too strong and frequent water changes are easier than the skimmer.
Yeah I figured sps would be the way to go. And I figured skimmer might be best if I add fish. Although in that event the bio load is not lost on me and we’re taking 2-4 nano fish at most. Just to add that little extra. Seems I’ve heard some bad things about the cheaper all in one tanks, so didn’t know if maybe a drilled. Was better with a beefy skimmer or easier to run just coral and let the rock do the filtering.
Sps is considered the harder type. I think you meant soft corals.
If you don’t get anything too messy a skimmer probably isn’t necessary. Something like a pair of clowns, basslet, goby or two.
If you don’t get anything too messy a skimmer probably isn’t necessary. Something like a pair of clowns, basslet, goby or two.
Yeah there ya go! I’m sure I’m liable to use the wrong terms for a bit but I’ve had the discussions with my lfs about the more docile soft corals. But I also know there in it to make money so you guys are probably my best source of advice.
Any hard coral will need calcium and magnesium replenishment easiest way to do that is water change, sps=small polyp stony things like acropora and lps=large polyp stony things like hammer corals, brains, so on. I'm in the school of thought of a skimmer is needed especially when dealing with things like soft corals, leathers zoa's, and such. All corals fight, soft corals use chemicals to inhibit growth or out right kill other corals. You need to remove those chemicals. In all actuality a skimmer will make keeping a reef easier. I'd go with a drilled tank sump and good skimmer. Depending on overflow capability, return pump and flow in the tank a power head may or may not be needed.
I maintained an 8g reef at work for just over a year before HR came in and made me remove it. I had a cheap filter skimmer combo on it (skilter) and two reactors run off of a mj600 in one reactor I had some mechanical media and live rock rubble and in the other that feed off of the first one I put a bag of purigen. I realized quickly the skilter was junk and discontinued use. I built a diy skimmer that did a much better job. I did everyother day w/cs of 1 gallon. I had three different sps some zoa's and a very small tricolor plate coral, 1purple firefish and a blood shrimp. This eventually got combined into my multi tank system at home since they didn't want me to have it there. I believe the skimmer and purigen were vital to that tanks well being.
It ran for about a month with out the skilter and corals started looking rough. I changed out the purigen at about 6weeks and stuff started perking up but were not as good looking as the mother colonies at home. I let it run for another month and corals were alive but polyp extension was low and color was faded. I change purigen again and saw again a slight improvement. That's when I decided to make a skimmer. After about a week of the skimmer running (took a bit of tinkering to get the design right and dialed in) all the corals had their color back and were constantly extending polyps. Also the purigen lasted twice as long after installing the skimmer. Hope that story helps a little.
I maintained an 8g reef at work for just over a year before HR came in and made me remove it. I had a cheap filter skimmer combo on it (skilter) and two reactors run off of a mj600 in one reactor I had some mechanical media and live rock rubble and in the other that feed off of the first one I put a bag of purigen. I realized quickly the skilter was junk and discontinued use. I built a diy skimmer that did a much better job. I did everyother day w/cs of 1 gallon. I had three different sps some zoa's and a very small tricolor plate coral, 1purple firefish and a blood shrimp. This eventually got combined into my multi tank system at home since they didn't want me to have it there. I believe the skimmer and purigen were vital to that tanks well being.
It ran for about a month with out the skilter and corals started looking rough. I changed out the purigen at about 6weeks and stuff started perking up but were not as good looking as the mother colonies at home. I let it run for another month and corals were alive but polyp extension was low and color was faded. I change purigen again and saw again a slight improvement. That's when I decided to make a skimmer. After about a week of the skimmer running (took a bit of tinkering to get the design right and dialed in) all the corals had their color back and were constantly extending polyps. Also the purigen lasted twice as long after installing the skimmer. Hope that story helps a little.
It does quite a bit, yeah purigen has been a life saver for me on my fresh tanks. I wonder though, is there an job skimmer that rivals one in the sump in the same price range that would save me the hassle of running a sump? In a perfect world a beefy skimmer and some way to do a small refugium hob. I’m all for a sump again but I’ve got ptsd from a closed loop failing and house flooding so... I’ll do a sump/refugium if it’s best but in my head keeping everything in one water box or close to it feels more comfy I guess.
There are hob skimmers and refugiums cpr is a brand I've used before. But nothing beats a sump, put all your equipment there and the skimmers are much better and honestly cheaper or just plain better for the same money.
Sounds like I need to go to reef rehab and get over my issues then! So if in laments terms, if I run a sump, decent skimmer, ato, heat, decent lights, bio filter / refugium (best to do rubble? Or what’s better now a days), obviously rock and sand, movement (power heads or gyre?) sounds like I have my basic needs addressed?