Starting small frag tank!

[thedocta]

Hey guys I'm starting a mini frag tank for my nano cube 12 gallon. I'll be fraging overgrown corals from the tank and selling them, as well as growing out frags I buy for the nano cube. The corals will be only soft corals, mushrooms, zoas...maybe a little LPS. I'm still looking into equiptment like lights, tank, filter, and that good stuff but basically it will be either a 2.5 or 5.5 gallon AGA tank. No heater. Hang on filtration including sponges, carbon, and whatever else. Cleanup crew will be 4 astreas and 1 turbo. The tank will also serve as a pod hatchery...I'll throw in some macro to grow pods and add to the filtration then release the pods into the cube once they grow. Lighting will be 5+ watts per gallon, and I know that the tank is gonna be on fire during the summer so I'll cool it off with R/O ice cubes. Feed DT's and maybe some mysis for the corals and cleanup crew every once and a while. Test...well alot to maintain good with quality. 20 percent water changes every 3 days using R/O water and reef crystals. I'm gonna want about 25x turnover also. I'll post more info as well as equiptment details when I have the setup better planned out. LMK if you think this will work. Thanks. -Greg

 

[thedocta]

THis idea had been put on hold for now but I still intend to do it in the future. Please give me andy adivce you have! For now I bought a new 6 stage RO DI unit instead.

 

[thedocta]

New plan...I decided that a frag tank was worth the money. Also got my parents to chip in on the lighting. Here's what I'm gonna do. 5.5 gallon, bare bottom, corals set at the halfway point in the tank on an eggcrate stand. Barebottom under the rack and a 106 gph powerhead to keep dirt from piling up. Above the rack I will have a maxi jet 600, HOB filter, and lighting will be 36 watts of PC. I'll do every 3rd day 1 gallon water changes using RO DI water and reef crystals. I'll feed DT's and some mysis every other day. I'll test every so often and will keep my temp at around 80 and my SG around 1.026 The rack will be covered with rock rubble and hopefully the coral frags will spread naturally onto the rocks. I'll sell everything I frag unless I use it in my tank. I'll use water from my current setup and cured rock rubble so I don't need to cycle at all. Hopefully the tank will be up and running as soon as I get the equiptment. If you have any advice please LMK. Thanks. -Greg

 

[f1shman]

Sounds sweet, gimmie some frags

 

[thedocta]

Got the tank today...got a 5.5 gallon AGA. Put a 106 GPH power head, a thermometer, and 3 gallons of water from my nano cube and 2 newly mixed gallons in. I bougth a glass top to slow down evaporation a bit which should keep the tank a little more stable. Ordered a whisper 10 HOB filter and the 36 watt 50/50 light online today so they should be in soon and now all I need is the eggcrate and a timer which I'll be getting from home depot today. Does anyone know how much eggcrate costs? I hope it's not to expensive cuz I only need a little bit. Thanks. -Greg

 

[thedocta]

The eggcrate shelf is now in the tank...and floating for some reason. It's just eggcrate and PVC but for some reason it's floating. There's no air bubbles anywhere so I donno whats keeping it up but hopefully when I get rock rubble on it it'll stay down. I have ditched the 106 GPH pump cuz it was really lound and went with a maxi jet 600 instead. My light and filter should be coming this week. I'll get LR rubble as soon as I can get to my LFS. I also tested my water today...my levels are below. I can't figure out why my amonia is high because I have nothing living or dead in teh tank and I have been doing my water changes...maybe cuz I don't have a filter or light yet? My SG is only low because I mixed it to to 1.022 instead of 1.027 no big deal. LMK if you have any suggestions. Thanks. -Greg
PH: 8.2
Alk: "Normal"
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Amonia: 0.25-0.5
SG: 1.024
Temp: 80 F

 

[volunteerg]

whats the update on the frag tank?