Itching to get started, but need some guidence.

[puffer32]

So i already have a 150 gal reef, but have been stareing at an empty 15 gal high I have laying around

I think I want to do a nano, but do not know where to start. I have a HOB filter, heater and a small PH. What other equiptment do I need? And could I possibly keep a churb angel, catilina and green goby in this size tank? I want corals, does anyone know how safe a churb is with corals? Do I need a protein skimmer? If so, what size? And lighting needs to be good, any suggestions? Aslo, can I use LR and water from my 150, and will it need to cycle? Thanks!

 

[petjunkie]

Probably too small for any angel. especially because it's a tall tank and catalina gobies need colder water to survive. You could get a protein skimmer but not really neccessary in my opinion. You would want more light than normal to reach the bottom, do you want soft coral or hard? And if you use live rock and water from other tank it wouldn't need to cycle I don't think, that's what I did with my 2.5 nano and I had no cycle.

 

[rustyj]

Originally Posted by puffer32
So i already have a 150 gal reef, but have been stareing at an empty 15 gal high I have laying around

I think I want to do a nano, but do not know where to start. I have a HOB filter, heater and a small PH. What other equiptment do I need? And could I possibly keep a churb angel, catilina and green goby in this size tank? I want corals, does anyone know how safe a churb is with corals? Do I need a protein skimmer? If so, what size? And lighting needs to be good, any suggestions? Aslo, can I use LR and water from my 150, and will it need to cycle? Thanks!

That size is really small. I wouldnt use it. keep it as a hospital tank/isolation tank. You could use your LR and water from your 150 and it would be ready for use but again, it is really too small for salt water. You would only need a small power head to circulate water and add some live sand to the bottom. If you use hemit, snail you dont even need to clean the bottom and a small hang on with charcoal could work to keep the water clear but probably not needed. If you only have a small fish and one small coral you can probably do a 1.5 gal water change weekly but it depends if you go with a bio filter or not. I wouldnt let the LR and sand do their job and maybe give it a 1/4in plenum to deal with the nitrate. Add a hermi and snail and enjoy. It is alot harder to maintain a nano than a 150. If something goes bad it could wipe the whole tank. Good luck.

 

[sagxman]

I say go for it. I'm not familiar with that angel though so I won't give advice on it. I am a fan of skimmers and LR/LS filtration. Use the HOB too though as long as you don't have nitrate problems down the road. You may have a small cycle, but it shouldn't be a long one I don't think.
Go into the setup expecting a cycle and you can't go wrong. And then if you have a really quick one or none at all at least you were prepared.

 

[puffer32]

Originally Posted by RustyJ
That size is really small. I wouldnt use it. keep it as a hospital tank/isolation tank. You could use your LR and water from your 150 and it would be ready for use but again, it is really too small for salt water. You would only need a small power head to circulate water and add some live sand to the bottom. If you use hemit, snail you dont even need to clean the bottom and a small hang on with charcoal could work to keep the water clear but probably not needed. If you only have a small fish and one small coral you can probably do a 1.5 gal water change weekly but it depends if you go with a bio filter or not. I wouldnt let the LR and sand do their job and maybe give it a 1/4in plenum to deal with the nitrate. Add a hermi and snail and enjoy. It is alot harder to maintain a nano than a 150. If something goes bad it could wipe the whole tank. Good luck.
Yes its small, but thats the idea for a nano right? I don't want something bigger, have the 150, just thought i would set up a nano in my computer room/office, not much room for anything bigger, I will rethink it though.

 

[puffer32]

Originally Posted by petjunkie
Probably too small for any angel. especially because it's a tall tank and catalina gobies need colder water to survive. You could get a protein skimmer but not really neccessary in my opinion. You would want more light than normal to reach the bottom, do you want soft coral or hard? And if you use live rock and water from other tank it wouldn't need to cycle I don't think, that's what I did with my 2.5 nano and I had no cycle.
The pygmy churub angel only gets about 3 inches. I think it would be ok. Yeah read about the catilina liking cooler water, it can tolerate 78, but who knows if my tank could keep it in that range, i would set it up first, and see if I can before I would get one. Now as far as lighting oges, i have a coralife with 2, 6700K 9 Watt pc bulbs, I have another the same size I could fit them both on top, maybe swithch out one of the whites for a blue bulb

:thinking: :notsure: Or is that still to little lighting? Any suggestions? I wouldn't mind some sps, but maybe thats asking to much unless I put them high up? I like the idea of a high tank and rocks piled up to the top, saw it once and it looked very cool. Thanks for the encouragement

I am not new to SW, or smaller tanks, at one time I had a 20 gal long, a 60, and 2 120's going at once! So i have the experience, just not new experience, this was back in the day of underground filters and no skimmers, and I was successful, think I can be even more so now

 

[hot883]

Seahorse tank. Or pipefish!! Or just a good quaranteen tank or frag/coral propagation tank.

 

[puffer32]

Originally Posted by hot883
Seahorse tank. Or pipefish!! Or just a good quaranteen tank or frag/coral propagation tank.
Already have a QT. Seahorse tank :thinking: Don't you need live food for them usely? And can you keep corals in with them? Had one yrs ago, didn't live to long cause I had him in with other fish and they ate his live brine shrimp.