Setting up a mini reef tank

[henry]

I'm thinking about going with a 10 gallon or a 5 1/2 reef tank. Is it possible to go with a berlin setup with a tank this small? and what type of fish will i be able to put in there besides clownfish and damsels

[Rob]

yes its possible to use a berlin system in a nano tank.
nano tanks are inherently unstable, so constant care and monitoring are required.

im not sure if this is your first tank, but i would not recommend this if it is your first SW tank.

as far as inhabitant you are limited. you can have your share if snail and small crabs, even a cleaner shrimp or peppermint shrimp or two.
For fish you are really limited to damsel fish, like damsels, clowns and chromis. you can also look into other small fish like firefish, and gobies.

many people try to do a anemone and clown fish combo, bu tthe needs of anemones are uite high, and its not recomemnded for newbies.

another very interesting (more so than the clown and anemone in my opinion) is a shrimp goby and a pistol shrimp.. do a bit of looking on shrimp gobies. the interaction between the two, is truely awesome..

Rob

[henry]

thanks for the reply

yea it would be my first saltwater tank , i know it would be easier with a bigger tank but i'm up for the challange. plus the petshop where i work at right now doesnt pay me enough right now to get the 125g dream tank that i want :wink:
i have a few follow up question

1 - Is the berlin system the best system to go with with a nano tank?
2 - What type of protein skimmer can i use for it? i though a skimmer would be to big to use for a 10 g or 5 g tank
3 - is it better to use live sand or the regualr marine sand they sell
4 - I think im going to go with the shrimp goby and pistol shrimp combination, a banded cleaner shrimp and a few snails and hermit crabs. Would a clownfish added in there be too much for the tank

[Rob]

Originally Posted by henry

yea it would be my first saltwater tank , i know it would be easier with a bigger tank but i'm up for the challange. plus the petshop where i work at right now doesnt pay me enough right now to get the 125g dream tank that i want :wink:

i understand the cost restraints, and as long as you understand that a nano tank can be ten time the work.. ok..
Please dont tank that as negative, i just want to make sure you are aware.. .now that we got that outta the way, lets answer your questions..

1 - Is the berlin system the best system to go with with a nano tank?

probably.. do a 4-5 inch deep sand bed, about 1 Lbs of live rock per gallon, lots of current (about 15 tanks an hour) and a skimmer.

2 - What type of protein skimmer can i use for it? i though a skimmer would be to big to use for a 10 g or 5 g tank

you can look at a skilter 250, shoudl be good for 10 gallon, or look at http://www.aquatraders.com they have a handfull of skimmers that will work, most of the small ones are less than $40

3 - is it better to use live sand or the regualr marine sand they sell

i woudl use real live sand.. one bag should be more than enough, so it wont be real expensive

4 - I think im going to go with the shrimp goby and pistol shrimp combination, a banded cleaner shrimp and a few snails and hermit crabs. Would a clownfish added in there be too much for the tank

great choice, they are really cool.. and yes, it may be pushing it. the tank is goign to be small, so it wont handle much bio load. i would also check to see of that coral banded shrimp is compatable.. they get pretty big, and those shrimp gobies, stay pretty small..

if you go with the 10 gallon (which i suggest you do ) you "might" be able to add a clown. keep it to a percula, or an ocellaris, adn only after a while.. make sure the tank will handle the excess bio-load.

and fianlly, as anything else.. do as much homework as you can before you add your first critter.. and feel free to bring any questions you have here.

[henry]

banded coral shrimp grow big? in liveaquaria.com they have them only growing to 2 inches [http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=698&TopCatId=525][/url]

[Rob]

i dont know what they are measuring when they say 2"
i have seen them much bigger than 2"
maybe just htere body

also see the section on that page where they say

It may harass other smaller shrimp of different species

personally i would say stay away from it... especially with the shrimp goby, and pistol shrimp...

besides, i belive they need large tanks...

[henry]

i'll take your advise than about not getting the coraly banded shrimp

15 tanks an hour meaning i would need 150 gph in a 10 g tank right?

[Rob]

yeppers... and if you dont keep any coral, you should be good there...
a couple small powerheads, and you shoudl be set.

[henry]

you mean i can't keep any corals ?????

[henry]

oh you mean no corals with 150gph....so how much gph should i have in the tank if i wanted corals

[Rob]

lol.. yes you can keep corals, but should be carfull what you put in there.
there not alot of room.. coral need bit of breathing rooms as they tend to start chemical warfare, if they get too close together.. either way, again.. its a matter of research... jsut may close attention to what oyu put in there...

as for flow, im sorry, i stated that wrong...
depending on what corals are added, you may beed to increase the flow rate to 20 tanks an hour or so. you can keep some at 15X but you may need to increase depending on the specific coral

[henry]

in the website nano-reef.com says that the only type of filtration thats needed in a nano tank is the live rock and live sand, they say thats the best way to go. whats your opinion on that

[henry]

the website is ..... http://www.nano-reef.com/articles/?article=3

[Rob]

there points are valid... skimming does remove both good and bad things...
this applies to tanks large and small..
they state that it would cause you to have to test and dose trace elements.
it then goes on on to say you should do 10-15% water changes to replace trace elements and remove nitrates... sounds liek they are presenting the solution right there...

the smallest tank i have ever kept was a 29 gallon. and i use a skimmer..
do weekly water changes and dont add any additives
i cant make a recommendation based on experince for a tank thats 5 or 10 gallons as you were lokking at.

what i could recommend is to start with no skimmer.. keeping a close eye on things and if you need one add one...

sorry i cant give you more specific direction... im sure you could be successfull either way you go. if you are concerned, there shouldnt be any harm in trying it without a skimmer, and monitoring.