if i had a 2 or 3 inch sand bed there would be nothing left for anything else. a bubble wand would take up the whole thing and any reef below 5 gallons doesnt produce enough stuff to skim. im gonna use two of the 7w lights and attach them both to the back of the acuaclear and cut pieces out of the back of the lid so they fid with the lid still on. I dont know what im going to put in it but im gonna try to get it stable first before i stock it.
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- Thread starter puffcrusader696
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im gonna try 
i just ordered the stuff a few minutes ago and its gonna be sweet! two 7 watt lights are gonna be mounted on the back of the filter so only the bulb is above the water since if i mounted one going the length of it half of it wouldn't have a bulb over it since the ballast takes up like half of it lol... im also gonna fashion a reflector either with reflecting paint or just foil since the reflector now is just opaque plastic... im really excited
i just ordered the stuff a few minutes ago and its gonna be sweet! two 7 watt lights are gonna be mounted on the back of the filter so only the bulb is above the water since if i mounted one going the length of it half of it wouldn't have a bulb over it since the ballast takes up like half of it lol... im also gonna fashion a reflector either with reflecting paint or just foil since the reflector now is just opaque plastic... im really excited The first one is just before I did a top off... it looks really low but the salinity was still 1.024. The second is after I topped it off and the third is a close up... I need to clean the plastic...
Not to rain on your parade. But this is extremely too small for a successful nano reef. The problems you will face is constant fluctuation of salinity level, possible heat issue, and pH instability.
As water evaporates, the salinity level will begin to rise. Corals and inverts do not do very well (somenot at all) with constant salinity fluctuation. The constant fluctuation will cause your corals to become irritated and not thrive. pH also plays a signifant part in this issue. Due to water loss because of evaporation, water needs to be replenished. RO or RO/DI water (which is what you should be using to replace water evaporation) has a pH between 5 -7. This is acidic.
Reef aquariums need to be at 8 - 8.3 In a larger system, top off water is added slowly and the aquarium pH adjusts to make up for the new water with a lower pH. Photosynthesis that takes place while the lights are on helps keep the pH consistant as the top-off water is being added. When the lights are off, CO2 is released and then lowers the pH. When the light turns back on, photosynthesis takes place again and the pH stabilizes again. In a small system especially that small, regardless of how little water you add, the pH will eventually lower to an unsafe level. This is due to the fact that although photosynthesis is happening in a small system as well, the pH cannot recover as fast. Large systems yes, small systems no.
Finally, heat issues!! This will cause faster water evaporation, corals, fish, & inverts to suffer. Also, as the temp rises, less oxygen in the water which can be lethal to your inhabitants.
Good Luck!!!!
As water evaporates, the salinity level will begin to rise. Corals and inverts do not do very well (somenot at all) with constant salinity fluctuation. The constant fluctuation will cause your corals to become irritated and not thrive. pH also plays a signifant part in this issue. Due to water loss because of evaporation, water needs to be replenished. RO or RO/DI water (which is what you should be using to replace water evaporation) has a pH between 5 -7. This is acidic.
Reef aquariums need to be at 8 - 8.3 In a larger system, top off water is added slowly and the aquarium pH adjusts to make up for the new water with a lower pH. Photosynthesis that takes place while the lights are on helps keep the pH consistant as the top-off water is being added. When the lights are off, CO2 is released and then lowers the pH. When the light turns back on, photosynthesis takes place again and the pH stabilizes again. In a small system especially that small, regardless of how little water you add, the pH will eventually lower to an unsafe level. This is due to the fact that although photosynthesis is happening in a small system as well, the pH cannot recover as fast. Large systems yes, small systems no.
Finally, heat issues!! This will cause faster water evaporation, corals, fish, & inverts to suffer. Also, as the temp rises, less oxygen in the water which can be lethal to your inhabitants.
Good Luck!!!!
well the temp is at a constant 82 degrees (both lights on 24/7 as i have thought about temp, evap, and pH issues with not a constant heat/light source) and the evaporation is under control with top offs every morning and evening with water at about 8.2 pH (my tap water since my parents dont want to buy an RO/DI unit) so pH is not a problem either. I think the levels are going to be ok with this but Im gonna keep testing them to make sure.
EDIT: and the first pic was when I was tinkering with top off schedule and I let it get too low before I did. Now it never gets below what it is in the second pic
EDIT: and the first pic was when I was tinkering with top off schedule and I let it get too low before I did. Now it never gets below what it is in the second pic
You sound persistant but the reality is, this more than likely will not work but good luck. I have been doing this for many many years and have seen many customers attempt to do something out of norm and simply fail because they dont understand how simple changes in a large aquarium are significant in a small one; especially this small.
