Gwen's 12gal Nano

[gwen_o_lyn]

Here is my nano tank that I am currently setting up, mentioned in show #21!!! YAY!! Thank-you Rob!! It consists of a 12gal tank, 13 lbs of Orient 'nude' Beach sand, 10 gallons of saltwater, eggcrate top, and a small powerhead.

I plan to add a good skimmer- possibly an AquaC Remora since those seem to be the best hang-on skimmers. http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewIt...idproduct=ACRM
Lighting will consist of a MH fixture- have one picked out that is 150W, but I'm thinking I might want more light since I want the option to have SPS and clams. http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_...ed.asp?CartId=
I would like powerheads that don't have suctions cups- the ones I have in mind might be too much flow. http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewIt...product=TA3711
It will be a few more weeks before I have lights, powerheads, and a skimmer.





please post any suggestions you may have!!

[Rob]

i checked on the pix, the urls are right, and everythign is typed in right.
i wonder of TRT doesnt allow external linking...

[Bishop]

Probably because you have to authenticate to see almost anything there.

Scott.

[Rob]

oh, thats probably it... didnt think about that, thanks scott

Gwen, try posting them in the gallery here, then re-linking to them.
the gallery here is open to the public.

[gwen_o_lyn]

OK we got pictures!! YAY!! Thanks Rob!!

[DJGonzo69]

Hi Gwen,
I see that you are a fellow Nano Reefer. This was actually our first Marine tank. Me & my wife wanted a Marine tank, but did not want to go full bore with a large tank. Rob helped me alot on this project I had. The tank is 10 months old now. It's a Eclipse System 12 Bow front tank. I stated out using the bio-wheel filter, but Rob said to get rid of it, because it will be a Nitrate factory. So I got a AC300 filter & modded it & made it into a mini fuge with LS & LR rubble. I have some cheato's in there too. I got rid of my stock lighting & added a 96w Power Quad retrofit. Worked out well & fits easily on the stock hood. It has 2 power heads also. About 4 months ago I added a skimmer to it. It's a cheapie skimmer, but it works really well. It's skimming like nuts & got my water in very good shape. It has about 24lbs of live rock & 30lbs of Live sand. Currently we have a Gonipora, open brain, frogspaws & a feather duster. We have a PJ Cardinal & a cleaner shrimp, a few turbo snails & hermit crabs. From then on we added a 30 gal bow front, a glass 5.5 gal & a 2.5gal nano tanks. It's been fun having multiple nano tanks. The 30gal & 5.5 have skimmers, powerheads & mechanical AC filters. I'll post some pics as soon as I have time.

-John

[gwen_o_lyn]

John- your tanks sound nice, would love to see some pictures!!

Just for an update, I ordered most the equipment needed for this tank last night.
skimmer- AquaC Remora
heater- 50W Ebo Jager
thermometer with suction cups
2 powerheads- Mini-Jets- up to 150gph
lights- I had a hard time with this part- ty Rob for helping me with lights. I almost bought a clip-on tank light, but it wasn't what I really wanted. Rob told me about aquatraders.com which sells cheaper lights made in china. Aqualights had exactly what I wanted- a 20" MH fixture with supplements and a fan- http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp...ROD&ProdID=217
it does have moon lights, but I really don't care about that much. The MH is 175W with 2 pc supplements at 24w each. I'm looking at 223w for my nano- I should be ready for SPS and clams. YAY!! They said it would come with a 20000K mh, but I requested a 10000K, we'll see what happens- I can always change it out- but I do like blue so it might work out great for me.

I'll post pictures when I get it all setup.

[mopecula]

Hi Gwen,
Hows the tank coming along? any new pics? Looks like you got a good start. Can't wait for updates.
Take care

[gwen_o_lyn]

Hi Gwen,
Hows the tank coming along? any new pics? Looks like you got a good start. Can't wait for updates.
Take care

OK Mopecula- not too much happening, but here is the latest:

I stopped at my favorite LFS last night, Imagine Ocean and bought 18 lbs of LR. I'm storing it in the big tank now until the nano has more equipment. I'm waiting for some shipments, that are gonna be xmas and bday presents. So I won't get the equipment until then.



The peppermints went crazy on the LR munching away. It was hard to get a clear shot.


The hermits were swarming all over the rock too

[mopecula]

Wow nice looking rock. Nano is going to look nice with that in there. Will be waiting for more posts as they come along.
Take care

[gwen_o_lyn]

Ok my packages arrived on Monday and I talked mom into letting me have some early xmas presents- the heater and one pump. It took overnight for the tank to heat up.


Once the tank heated, I added the live rock.... took a few hours to get the rock-scaping how I wanted it!! I *think* its pretty stable. I've always wanted to do an arc, but if someone thinks this is a bad idea, please let me know.

[Anonymous]

I like it!! It must have been hard work trying to get the rock stable in that tank but i think it looks good and when you start to get the corals to grow on it it will look even better. I alsways say take your time in setting up a reef, go slow, add thing slowly so and write it down in a log that way if some thing goes wrong you have a possibility to track what went wrong and how to correct it. Just some advice that, yep you guessed it, I learned the hard way, lol but you look like your doing great with the tank. Geez why did I write that, man this getting old thing is catching up to me,lol
Take care

[Rob]

2 powerheads- Mini-Jets- up to 150gph

i thought you had two pumps...
where is the second one..??!?!?!?

[gwen_o_lyn]

2 powerheads- Mini-Jets- up to 150gph

i thought you had two pumps...
where is the second one..??!?!?!?

There are two, but I had to leave a few things for mom to wrap and put under the tree! I just took one to have a little flow in there.... Will have lights, and the other pump in there over the weekend. YAY!

[gwen_o_lyn]

I like it!! It must have been hard work trying to get the rock stable in that tank but i think it looks good and when you start to get the corals to grow on it it will look even better. I alsways say take your time in setting up a reef, go slow, add thing slowly so and write it down in a log that way if some thing goes wrong you have a possibility to track what went wrong and how to correct it. Just some advice that, yep you guessed it, I learned the hard way, lol but you look like your doing great with the tank. Geez why did I write that, man this getting old thing is catching up to me,lol
Take care

Thank- you... I've had my other reef tank for 3 years now, so I know a little about reef keeping, and of course Rob and his show have helped a lot too! I used zip ties to keep the rock together- hopefully its stable- it feels pretty stable to me. I'm thinking about getting a shrimp/goby pair for this tank and that will prolly be my next addition, after the clean-up critters, in about 4-8 weeks- depending on how it goes. Working with such a small amount of water kinda scares me. And later down the road, I want sps and maybe a clam. So those are the plans so far- they might change.

[mopecula]

Oops! I had no idea that you have been reefing for so long. Gotta say it shows, nice work.
Take care

[gwen_o_lyn]

Oops! I had no idea that you have been reefing for so long. Gotta say it shows, nice work.
Take care

Thank-you- I've learned a little, but always wanna learn more.

[raermo]

Now that arch took some effort :wink: I wish I had half that much patience.
Very pretty. - Rachel

[gwen_o_lyn]

Now that arch took some effort :wink: I wish I had half that much patience.
Very pretty. - Rachel

Thank you Rachel and welcome to TR!!!

I will be posting updates shortly- there are slight problems I am working through- I wil clue you in once I figure it out myself!! But for now the tank is cycling and there are baby ceriths all over that came from the rock being in my big tank before it went into the nano.

[raermo]

Thanks for the welsome, I've been listening to the podcasts and decided to check out the forum. Good luck with the tank, whats the problem your having maybe someone can help you out? - Rachel

[JustDavidP]

Gwen,

Sweet aquascaping! Nice work and yes, the zip ties are a wonderul idea. I've done that often. Before you know it, the coralline will cover all the plastic and you'll never know it's there! I've also drilled LR and used acrylic rods to align the rock. That process is tricky and I've had the unfortunate situation of shattering many dollars worth of LR trying to perfect the drilling part

I hope others will chime in, but I wanted to speak about the shrimp goby pair. It is an incredible relationship and one that is wonderful to witness. However, most shrimp and shrimp gobies need a little more sand to burrow in. They do very well in a deep sand bed. I can't really tell from the images how deep your sand is, but in my 75G reef, my Yellow Watchman Goby and Candy Cane Pistol could be seen on the bottom glass, while looking up from under the stand and in approximately 4 inches of sand. Granted, they will both shift a lot of sand in their constant excavation, but the depth in my system remained in and around 5 inches or so in their "den" area.

Also, if introducing a shrimp goby pair, you will want to ensure that your rock is on the glass proper and not on the sand. When the dynamic duo does excavate, they could remove sand under the LR and cause your lanscape to shift. In a smallish tank like yours, this COULD cause a break in the glass.

Best of luck. Great Job!

Dave

[gwen_o_lyn]

Rachel- the problem I'm having has to do with the lights and its just a matter of financial decisions I need to make.

Thank-you Dave for the reply.

Glad you like the rockwork- I need to get a better pic posted since the tank was kinda cloudy when I took that one. I did run outta plastic ties when doing the rock, but just the other day my mom shows up at the house with lots of plastic ties and some timers that had been marked down- w000000t!!! Thanks mom!! So I will prolly take the rock out and add more ties so its just one huge rockwork piece. I've always wanted to try drilling the rock and putting rods through it, but I was thinking it wouldn't be easy being that LR breaks under very little pressure... and with a tank this small- zip ties work great. And the rock is pushed into the sand which some don't recommend, but it has worked for me so far.

Shrimp/Goby: I am pretty sure I wanna add them to the tank. I was wondering how that works. If you buy them seperately will they always match up? I've heard of that happening, but wasn't sure it worked everytime. Most likely I will get the pair from my LFS, so I would end up with whatever they get in, and not the specific goby or specific shrimp that I want. At least I know if I get them from my LFS that I dont have to worry about any problems.

Sand: I would prolly need more sand, however I don't care for a DSB as I'm afraid I would screw that up. I will prolly try a deeper sand bed, but keep it stirred.

Thanks for the comments,
gwen

[JustDavidP]

Gwen,

"pushed into the sand" is okay if the rock is supported on the bottom of the tank. If you don't want to burry part of your live rock, you may want to buy just a little base rock to do the job. Again, my fear is that the shrimp or goby or both will dig under the rock and cause it to tumble and break the glass.

If you are adding sand, and again, I don't know how deep it is now, make sure that you are going with a true "shallow bed" or a true "deep sand bed". Believe it or not, you can get into a "middle of the road" situation where neither aerobic nor anerobic bioactivity can occur. Personally, the science there baffles me, but a fellow Boston Reefer and bright chemist, Randy Holmes-Farley mentioned this a couple times at various meetings that I've attended.

Can your mom adopt us? I'd love it if someone helped me along with my reef aquisitions. Good for you!

Don't mess with your aquascaping if it is sturdy. It looks GREAT. I often 'over work' things and can't stop messing around. Take it from me, your rockwork looks like that which could be viewed in a real reef..or fancy public aquarium. Good job!

And yes.. more often than not, a shrimp goby and a shrimp will pair up. I've heard of only a few sad stories otherwise. Do yourself a favor and try to control the initial release of your shrimp into an area in the front of the tank so you can view the 'bond'. Many folks just 'toss em in' and get upset when the shrimp immediately takes up shop in a back corner. When introduced, its natural tendancy is to take cover. If you release him/her using a small container or specimen box, you can try your best to direct its getaway path to a nook or cranny in front. Release the goby in the same area and they will start to build their den(s).

By the way...If you have a good relationship with your LFS, they will not mind making an order for you if you have a perticular shrimp or goby in mind. If we support them, they tend to support us. It can't hurt to ask.

Finally, do realize that these shrimp are pistol shrimp and having a smallish tank, in a bedroom or other area where you expect quiet could result in some "scares". Why? It's amazing how loud their little "snap" can be in the dead of night, through thin glass walls

Dave

[gwen_o_lyn]

Gwen,

"pushed into the sand" is okay if the rock is supported on the bottom of the tank. If you don't want to burry part of your live rock, you may want to buy just a little base rock to do the job. Again, my fear is that the shrimp or goby or both will dig under the rock and cause it to tumble and break the glass.

Yup rock is supported by the bottom of the tank...

If you are adding sand, and again, I don't know how deep it is now, make sure that you are going with a true "shallow bed" or a true "deep sand bed". Believe it or not, you can get into a "middle of the road" situation where neither aerobic nor anerobic bioactivity can occur. Personally, the science there baffles me, but a fellow Boston Reefer and bright chemist, Randy Holmes-Farley mentioned this a couple times at various meetings that I've attended.

This would be a good "THINK tank" question for my 'other' reef board. Might have to research that some.

Can your mom adopt us? I'd love it if someone helped me along with my reef aquisitions. Good for you!

Sure!!

Don't mess with your aquascaping if it is sturdy. It looks GREAT. I often 'over work' things and can't stop messing around. Take it from me, your rockwork looks like that which could be viewed in a real reef..or fancy public aquarium. Good job!

Well its mostly sturdy- a few more ties would make it perfect. Thanks for the comments!!

And yes.. more often than not, a shrimp goby and a shrimp will pair up. I've heard of only a few sad stories otherwise. Do yourself a favor and try to control the initial release of your shrimp into an area in the front of the tank so you can view the 'bond'. Many folks just 'toss em in' and get upset when the shrimp immediately takes up shop in a back corner. When introduced, its natural tendancy is to take cover. If you release him/her using a small container or specimen box, you can try your best to direct its getaway path to a nook or cranny in front. Release the goby in the same area and they will start to build their den(s).

Good advice I would have never thought of- thanks so much!!

By the way...If you have a good relationship with your LFS, they will not mind making an order for you if you have a perticular shrimp or goby in mind. If we support them, they tend to support us. It can't hurt to ask.

Yeah my LFS is awesome- the owner posts on my other reef board- she really knows her stuff! I'll ask about specific ones.

Finally, do realize that these shrimp are pistol shrimp and having a smallish tank, in a bedroom or other area where you expect quiet could result in some "scares". Why? It's amazing how loud their little "snap" can be in the dead of night, through thin glass walls

hmmmm maybe I need to think about this more. It's just a guest bedroom, but when guests come I might be forced to sleep there!! ha The noise of the tank itself is starting to make me wonder too, but I figure I can always unplug the skimmer at night. Can u unplug a pistol shrimp??? he he he

Thanks for all your help Dave!!

[ghostbear29]

now just remember that the rock will go through a transformation as you are alreay figuring out. No worries and just enjoy the different lifeforms that pop out at you while you "cure" the rock and tank. lets see some new pics.