New Nano - for the kids

[spaceman spiff]

My daughter's 5 gallon freshwater tank just lost it's last fish. I've been reading these boards for a few years and I think I'm ready to turn it into a nano reef. I just want to make sure I've got all the bases covered. I know I'll need water, live rock (5-7lbs), live sand (1 inch layer), heater, filter, and some sort of lighting. In addition to the different testing equipment, what else do I need to look into?
Questions - does it matter what kind of sand? I never see anyone using the black sand. Is there a reason for that?
If I use live rock, do I need a better filter than the one that I've been using for the freshwater tank? I bought an aquarium kit at WMT a few years ago and it's got a hang on the back, cartridge style filter.
I'm not planning on putting any fish in it, just some inverts and some basic (read easy) corals, so will I need a protein skimmer?
I'm pretty sure I'll need to retrofit the lighting as the current lighting is a single incadescent bulb. Any suggestions for a lighting solution?
Do the same rules for fish apply for inverts? I've always used 1" per gallon. Can I add as many shrimp, crabs, corals, and anemones as I can fit in the tank?
I love the forums. I've spent way too much time looking at all of your tanks. I especialy like the hitchhiker forums. I'm hoping for some cool, but not dangerous or annoying stuff, with my live rock. A nice mystery coral would be great.

 

[fishhugger]

I don't think it matters what kind of sand. I've seen a few tanks with black sand. I think the reason you don't see a more sand varieties is largely due to people wanting a more natural look, even though black sand is natural in some places.
If you don't have an RO/DI unit already, I would NOT suggest getting one solely for the purpose of this tank. I think you'd be better off buying purified water by the gallon and storing them until needed. (I cannot recommend a brand or type of filtered water)
But do your research on whatever water you get. I know some waters marketed as 'distilled' are distilled in copper pipes, which will kill your inverts.....or just get a cheap ro/di unit =P You only need to make a few gallons a day.
Out of curiousity, is this that common 5 gallon hex tank with the filter built into the hood that also has a tiny biowheel on it? >.< I love those things. If it is, upgrading the light shouldn't be too hard. You can buy a clamp on light and change the bulb to some sort of grow light. I don't know much about lighting though.
With a tank this small, a refractometer is even more important. Even a small amount of evaporation could have drastic effects on the salinity, and you dont want it to get out of hand.
You will also need a decent powerhead and a separate bucket to mix salt in. You probably know this already, but somethings that are so obvious are the ones that are easier to overlook.
I can't really say much for filtration....it may be easy for someone to recommend something, but for me its a tough call. I just cant really imagine a protein skimmer being practical here unless you were to incorporate a 10-20 gallon sump. I personally think (I do NOT have the experience to back this up) that the filter would be fine, because you are going to have to check the water levels daily anyways, so what is a bit more maintenance?
I don't think you can keep an anemone in a tank this small, but I really don't know much about them.
And if you are interested, some people do successfully keep some fish a 5 gallon tank. Not many, but it can happen =P. I dont know what kind of fish, but someone will chime in there.

 

[sepulatian]

Black sand is fine if it is arogonite. You want a sand that is medium- fine grain that will hold your PH. Some sands will not hold your PH high, where you want it. You are planning an all invert tank, so you want a sand that they can easily sift/move through. It is a small tank so you won't want to mess with PH buffers either. The one inch per gallon rule does not apply with saltwater animals. It doesn't really apply with freshwater either. You want to select tank mates that get along with each other. Some very small animals need a whole lot of territory to be happy. Keep asking questions and do some research. I am sure that you can make that 5 gallon into a very beautiful nano!

 

[spaceman spiff]

This is is the basic Tetra starter kit from WMT, so it's nothing fancy. My wife thinks I'm crazy wanting to spend more on rocks and sand than we paid for the tank.
My eventual goal is to whet their appetites for saltwater and then get a much larger tank, like 100+ gallons, at some point in the future. I almost pulled the trigger on a great 150 gal tank with cabinet and matching hood off of Craigslist for about $250. I know that setup would cost me $2500+ if I bought it from a dealer. But I did the math for her on the cost of everything else and for some reason groceries, food, and a mortgage payment became more important than live rock, blennies, and powerheads. Go figure.
For such a small tank, do I really need to look at a MH lighting setup, or would converting the lighting to a PCF or LED be just as good? I get that for a big reef tank you need the massive amounts of light for the photosynthetic organisms, but I'm not sure I understand the benefit of a MH vs everything else for a nano tank.
Are there any pros/cons to using one of the Brita type water filters for making small amounts of water like I'll need? Am I correct that RO/DI kits don't actually get rid of chemicals, just the impurities like minute rust flakes or just plain on dirt?

 

[meowzer]

Well welcome to SWF
ro/di would be best, and for a 5G you would probably be okay buying it from Walmart....
I don't think I would put a MH light on a 5g.....the heat would be a killer, BUT the lights that come with a Walmart 5g are awful....(I have one) you can probably find a little clip on T5 I am sure
A lot of people don't use black sand (from what I have read) is because eventually it fades making it look dull and nasty. ALSO with a small tnak like that, you are going to have to watch your water constantly, smaller tanks do not give you a lot of room for error or parameter swings.

 

[spaceman spiff]

I know that starting with a nano isn't really the preferred method. I figure if I can master the techniques with a small tank, keeping a bigger tank will seem like a relative breeze.
I just looked a the website for the water I buy for my office and it says they use a RO process for their water. Here's the link: http://www.ilovemywater.com/Res-Bottled.aspx I'm already buying this water, can I just use it?
meowzer - is the filter that came with that cheapey system sufficient for this small reef nano, or should I buy something with more flow?
I'm hoping over the Christas holiday to get this little tank converted. I'll post some pics when I get it going.

 

[meowzer]

The water should be ok....I think the filter will be fine to begin with....remember you have to set up your tank and cycle it before you can even think about adding anything..that should take about 4-6 weeks (usually)
Then it depends on exactly what you want in it....

 

[fretfreak13]

I have a 2.5 Gallon Invert tank. Trust me, it can be done. The clownfish aren't in there anymore, that was an emergency temporary thing, BUT I will be adding a Yellow Clown Goby soon. They're extreemly small, and are just adorable little fish. Might wanna look into them lol.
http://i51.tinypic.com/10fceg4.png
I took off the stock hood for that tank entirely and just layed an 18" T5 fixture over it (Its a Nova). I got a very healthy little clam in there, and all my coral from softies to SPS in there are doing well so far. Got coraline growth off the yin-yang.

 

[indy2009]

I have a 12 gallon Invert tank, large piece of LR bunch of hermits, few turbos, sally light foot, I mostly use it too grow red algae for my tangs, just noticed a few days ago a pulsing xenia and a couple of zoo's..nothing special just a hang on filter power head sits on my buffet in dining room and I allow full sunlight with compact fluorescents..I did have my dogface puffer in it for a couple of weeks before I got rid of it..