October 28, 200817 yr comment_270758 Does anyone here have a nano reef set up? Is such a thing feasable? I have a spare 60L tank which I have been uninspired to use for freshwater and I would love to give marine a go. I have read the beginners guide but am still a little unclear on where to start. Report
October 28, 200817 yr comment_270760 Sounds fine, Give it ago, you wouldnt want to go any smaller than 60L though. And be prepared to get used to opening your wallet cause this hobby aint cheap! Once you go marine youll never go back! :bounce: Report
October 28, 200817 yr comment_270761 message mystic, she just suprised me with a little ar320 marine Report
October 28, 200817 yr comment_270768 yea there are people here that have nano-reefs, some just don't post them. Ok 1st things 1st. Read, read, then read some more. Trust me it will all come in handy. Everything for a large tank applies just on a smaller scale. An auto-topup is almost a necessity to keep salinity right as such a small water volume loses alot of freshwater due to evaporation. Minimum lighting would either be power compacts or t5ho. These would be good for soft corals etc. A skimmer isn't really necessary if you are religious with weekly water changes. Maybe a small powerhead or 2 will suffice for water movement also. Have a think about these points and if you are still interested in going to the "darkside" :lol: drop a post up with a stocking list or more questions regarding it. I'm sure 1 of us will drop a reply. Report
October 28, 200817 yr Author comment_270769 message mystic, she just suprised me with a little ar320 marine Yeah I have seen her little one, that is what got me thinking about it! Report
October 28, 200817 yr comment_270771 Yeah I have seen her little one, that is what got me thinking about it! Isn't that the Aquastart? Good little tank, but needs more lighting. I have 1 also and I had to upgrade it a bit but its still pretty dull. Still trying to find better bulbs that fit in the hood Report
October 28, 200817 yr Author comment_270773 Sounds fine, Give it ago, you wouldnt want to go any smaller than 60L though. And be prepared to get used to opening your wallet cause this hobby aint cheap! Once you go marine youll never go back! :bounce: What are the more expensive aspects? Report
October 28, 200817 yr comment_270778 Hehe how much money you got... Ok.. forget everything you know about freshwater... marine is so much more advanced... ideally you want to drill the tank and put in an overflow so your taking the crap off the top of the water, protein/fats etc The more costly parts would be: Protein skimmer, auto top-up system, powerheads/wavemakers? for water movement, sump, Lighting ie: metal halide/T5 tubes? and lots of other small bits n pieces that all add up! you can buy quality German stuff that wont fall over and perform superbly and quietly Or you can go chinese which youll eventually throw in the bin and end up buying the german stuff anyway Report
October 28, 200817 yr comment_270784 Ok.. forget everything you know about freshwater... marine is so much more advanced... ideally you want to drill the tank and put in an overflow so your taking the crap off the top of the water, protein/fats etc The more costly parts would be: Protein skimmer, auto top-up system, powerheads/wavemakers? for water movement, Lighting ie: metal halide/T5 tubes? and lots of other small bits n pieces that all add up! you can buy quality German stuff that wont fall over and perform : Wouldn't say forget everything you know about freshwater and not really that much more advanced either. For sure there are some equipment differences and slightly different things to test for but other than that pretty much the same. tinytawnykitten Suggest you work out what you want to spend on it. Then look into gear Top one is the most important Skimmer - this will make or break the tank (Deltec MCE 300 or 500) Lights 2xAtinic 2xMarine white T8s, no need to go brighter for this size tank. Coral sand Coral rock Test kits CA KH first then NO3 and MG Salt Heater Couple of small pumps No need for top up systems or anything like that for a tank like this, good fitting lid you will have no problems. Have to start somewhere Report
October 28, 200817 yr comment_270795 what sort of things are you looking to keep? With that sort of tank you will be ok with small fish (eg gobys, firefish, clowns) but if you decide you want fish and corals then you will need to make sure you either keep up the water changes religiously or get a really good quality skimmer such as the ones listed above. Report
October 28, 200817 yr comment_270796 In general, keeping saltwater fish is more expensive and more difficult than keeping freshwater fish. However, once established they do seem to be less demanding and water quality tends to stay better in tanks using live rock. Live plants perform similar (albeit to a lower degree) functions in water filtration in a freshwater aquarium. If you've been keeping freshwater tanks for some time now successfully the switch to saltwater should not be all that difficult. If you have the desire, the fortitude to do the necessary research before acquiring animals and aquarium equipment and the money necessary to run a saltwater aquarium, then by all means go for it! Once you get started you'll be wondering why it took you so long to get into the saltwater side of the hobby. Report
October 28, 200817 yr comment_270802 Get ready to spend so much you wanna fall backwards once you find out prices etc. And remember, if it fails, you loose everything FAST! not like Freshwater stuff. You go cheap, you loose out in the end, and loose stuff that costs you a TON! Trust these Salties like Rockerpeller etc, they know what they are doing! It also costs LOTS more to run etc too, so if you have a heap of Freshwaters, be prepared to get rid of a few! Go visit a few Salties first before you buy ANYTHING! Also look up some prices on Livestock, Rock, Sand, Test Kits, Skimmers, Pumps, T5 or Metal Halide Lights, Food, Chemicals etc. Know how to keep your water right, the right lights (Corals etc NEED it!) what food to feed, how to get rid of pests (not easy like Freshwater! - Pests KILL Corals etc!) Here's Mystic's wee baby: (VERY different from when you seen it I bet) - (Also going to upgrade a few hundred Ltrs or so - You will go bigger fast! Sea Hares: Metallic Blue Bristleworm: Breeding Seahares: Charlie! Charlie: Whole Tank Shot: Mystic said sorry for the bad pix. HTH. Lucid Report
October 28, 200817 yr comment_270810 Author Message ballistic wow all of that in a 28l!how much lighting does it get what kind how often does it get water changed what filters are you running on it? Report
October 28, 200817 yr comment_270829 wow that tank has grown in leaps and bounds! Awesome mystic and lucid!! I know what i'll be doing in the near future. Report
October 28, 200817 yr Author comment_270833 Wow great pics! I was thinking maybe that your tank Rockerpeller might be a great option for me. Just gotta work out how to get it down here. Report
October 28, 200817 yr comment_270842 how would something like this go? http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living/Pe ... 659997.htm Report
October 28, 200817 yr comment_270845 also get ahold of land_lubber. He has a 2ft nano running right now. Most likely the same dimensions as yours. Report
October 28, 200817 yr comment_270851 Author Message ballistic Eh what? wow all of that in a 28l!how much lighting does it get what kind how often does it get water changed what filters are you running on it? Yup. Normal light, Water change once a month, small internal (cant remember) Report
October 28, 200817 yr comment_270867 Just go big, you will eventually, and I don't think it will cost you anymore in the long run (that's what happened to me) Report
October 29, 200817 yr comment_270890 Freshwater angelfish $15. Standard saltwater angelfish $140. You get my drift Report
October 29, 200817 yr comment_270891 Freshwater angelfish $15. Standard saltwater angelfish $140. You get my drift Thats not the best example is it? Im geussing the standard saltwater one would be wilc caught? And a wild caught Angel(freshwater) would cost quite abit too. Report
October 29, 200817 yr comment_270892 Freshwater angelfish $15. Standard saltwater angelfish $140. You get my drift Report
October 29, 200817 yr comment_270893 Thats not the best example is it? Im geussing the standard saltwater one would be wilc caught? And a wild caught Angel(freshwater) would cost quite abit too. Well no one in NZ breeds marine angelfish and I'm not even sure if they can be breed in captivity unlike freshwater angels. Most saltwater fish are wild caught thats why they are expensive. Only clowns and Bangaii cardinals are breed in NZ to my knowledge and even then you are looking at about $60 for a clownfish and $90 for a Bangaii cardinal. Report
October 29, 200817 yr comment_270929 Thats true if you compare fish with fish but look at total cost. Say you have a 100ltr tank You might have 4 marine fish like 2 clowns ($50 each), 1x Flame angel ($150) and a blenny ($50). 4 Asst corals ($69) Total $576 Freshwater you might have 4 Discus ($85 each) 20 Cardinals ($8 each) 6 x Albino catfish ($5 each) Total $530 So to stock a smallish tank it can be about the same as freshwater depending on what you want.. Report
October 29, 200817 yr comment_270931 And then the setup itself (skimmer ect) And Chiller if it gets too hot. Report
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