newbie with nanos

[Rcl]

Hey guys, im a newbie to nano reefs, but i really want to start one. Could you guys tell me what i need (what to get) for the tank to become operational. Thanks in advance!

[duckhuntboy]

are you new to all saltwater tanks?

[printerdown01]

As Rcl asked it would be helpful if we knew a bit about your back ground first. That way we don't insult you if you have been in the hobby for a few years. If you are new to saltwater all together, a nano is still an ok starting point (obviously the bigger the tank the more stable), but I have seen many people enter this hobby in the nano realm and do quite well! So first thing first, what sized tank are you looking at going with? Popular sizes normally include 5, 7, 10, 12, 15, and 20 (some will include 30s in the category of nano). The second most important question is what you wish to keep. Don't worry we don't need a detailed list, but it would be a good idea to know whether you want to mainly keep soft corals, large polyp stonies, or small polyped stonies. If you are not familiar with these simply look at pictures of nanos or regular reef tanks until you find a tank you want to mimic and then post the pic.

[Rcl]

yea, im totally new to saltwater. i have been keeping freshwater for a long time though. I plan on doing probably a 10 gallon tank, mainly with soft corals. Thanks.

Ps:What are frags? lol

[duckhuntboy]

What's your budget?

10 gallon nano could probably be set up right between 180 and 400 bucks (excluding corals/fish/whatever), depending on type of sandbed, live rock, whatever. My 7gallon was like 180 going as cheap as possible, making the hood, etc. I wish I would have bought a custom hood though. Keep that in mind in thinking of the budget.

[duckhuntboy]

frags are corals that came from a "parent" coral. Like, someone bought a coral from the ocean, it got too big, so they took off a chunk, and sold it, for probably cheaper than you could get one from the ocean. Often, they are just a tiny piece of the coral, in hopes they will grow like an ocean coral. (am I right on that?)

[Figgy]

Duckhuntboy is right about the frags. They are also pieces from other peoples tanks. As far as money is concerned Duckhuntboy is right again. In my tank which is about a 15 gallon cube I have spent just in the tank, equipment and canopy $500.00. Granted everything is custom. The canopy is Carbon Fiber and the tank was a custom made tank with a black back. With Live Rock and corals I have a little over a grand invested in my tank.

Figgy

[duckhuntboy]

Thanks Figgy

[helenjc]

Before you jump into saltwater, you will want to do your research, and trust me, there is ALOT to learn, and good thing you came here, because this is definately a great place to do it. Beside here, you may want to get some books, also. Books are a great place to get concentrated info, especially for the beginner. Make sure to get a fairly new book, as new and better ways of doing things are constantly being discovered. And double check your info, and get a few opinions before you do anything. Alot of opinions are out there, and you'll want to read them before making your own educated decision.

First you will want to decide on the size of your tank. Bigger the better in this case, since larger tanks are more stable, and the larger the quantity of water, the more dilute any toxins will be. But of course money becomes a limiting factor.

According to your post, you have already decided on a reef, as opposed to a fish only set up. That will require that you get some decent lighting, as well as limit some of your options on fish, as you will need to pick fish that are deemed "reef safe." You'll have to do your own research there as there are a few options for lighting, including HO (high output), VHO (very high output), pc's (power compacts, compact flourescent), and the big daddy, MH (metal halides). Your lighting will depend on what you want to keep. Their are soft coral, LPS (large polyp stony), and SPS (small polyps stony). What you finally decide on will be up to you and your research. I just thought that I could give you some of the popular lingo so you have a place to start (the search option can help you key in on the things you want to learn about).

If you definately decide to go with the softies, no need for the more expensive MH. Softies are considered more on the lower light side. I use PC's and i think that they are great for nanoreef application. But since lights are probalby going to be one of your most expensive investments, make sure you know what you want before buying. Alot of people decide to upgrade very quickly, so make sure that softies are all you want before purchasing those lights. If you decide you want lps or sps also, you will need to upgrade your lights, and that will be another hefty investment.

You will have to learn about substrate, the nitrification cycle, fish compatability, reef safe fish, testing parameters (temperature, calcium, alkalinity, ph, phosphate, as well as ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate), biological, chemical, and mechanical filtering, and a lot more. But trust me, this hobby is great. Although there is a lot to learn, there is also a lot of enjoyment.

You'll probably want to do a little reading on live sand and live rock.

There's probably alot I missed, but keep posting. There are alot of great people here waiting to help.

I hope that my post didn't overwhelm you. Once you have the basics down, it get easier. Trust me, I've only been doing this for 6 months, and the confusion has died down.

Keep us posted on your progress, and keep asking questions!!
:)

[helenjc]

Oh and one last thing. Patience. You will need alot of it.

:D