Nano Newbie!

[SaraR]

Hi guys!

I was in Petco today, and met smtarr, and she told me about this site.
I'm planning to setup a 5.5 gallon nano reef. I'm probably gonna stock it with a small damsel (blue or yellow tail) and a couple of shrimp. MAYBE a couple of crabs, not really sure yet.

Here is what I have so far...

Glass tank
Tank hood with florecent (sp?) strip
Power Filter
50 watt heater
Sugar Sand
Instant Ocean Salt
Hydrometer

smtarr was telling me that I should get some crushed coral to go on top of the sugar sand to prevent sand storms. Is this ture? (I'm just double checking).
I read that saltwater tanks should have a pH of 8.0 - 8.3. My tap water is really alkaline, but not sure if it's that high or not. I'm gonna get a high range pH kit. If I need to raise it, what product do you recommend?
I was also reading something about reverse omosis (is that the right name? lol). Is this neccisary? I have Stress Coat that I use to condition my freshwater tank with, and says it can beused in saltwater tanks. Would that be sufficent? If not, can I use distilled water?
Any other tips and advice would be greatly appericated! :)

Sara

[mightymouse]

yes you can use distilled water and im not sure how many watts your lighting is but if it is just a regular flourecent fixture you may want to consider going with pcs (power compacts)and for a ph buffer there are many available i dont personally use one but you can ask around at your lfs if you trust them and about the damsel id really advise against it because well ive never kept them but heard enough bad things that i would stay away from them and well yeah i think thats it welcome to rc btw

[SaraR]

I'm going to a fish place nearby, so they may help me with some of my questions of water quality. I looked at my box of Instant Ocean last night, and it says it automatically adjusts and maintains pH, so hopefully I won't have to buy more buffers.
What is wrong with a damsel? From what I've read on the net and other people in a different forum that damsels are hardy and seem to do well in a nano. Just wondering. ;)

Sara

[skipm]

Damsels are very hardy, what the poster was referring to is that they are territorial and will get aggressive.
You probably won't need a buffer, the salt mix raises the pH as you read on the box.
On the sand issue, a layer (or just using) of crushed coral will help keep the sand settled and will eventually become mixed with the sand. If you are patient you can also wait until a bacterial layer forms on the sand, this will keep it settled as well. BTW if you are talking about sugar fine terrarium sand it won't make a sandstorm anyway, it is a silicate based sand. You want to use an aragonite based sand, crushed coral, coral sand, or dolomite to help maintain the pH in you tank.
Decide what kind of corals you want to keep and then you will be able to determine what kind of lighting you need. A normal output flourescent like you have may be able to support some polyps and mushrooms but you may still have to get either a 2 bulb flourescent or go to another form of lighting to keep your corals healthly and growing.
One thing you may consider instead of the damsel would be a single clownfish, there are alot of nanos with one of Nemos cousins in them.
Beofre you set your tank up it would be a good idea to get a good saltwater book and read it. This is not 100% necessary but it will help you to understand alot more about keeping a saltwater tank. I really like The Consciencious Marine Aquarist by Bob Fenner. Of couse you can also gain alot of knowledge right here. HTH, Skip

[SaraR]

LOL, I found out about the pH after looking at the box of Instant Ocean.
I went to Marjorie's Tropical Fish, and she showed me some curshed shells to put on top of the sand, so I bought a couple of bags.
I wasn't really planning to add any corals. They're awfully expensive, and I really can't afford to get new lighting.
Don't clowns prefer to be in pairs? I thought a 5.5 gallon nano could only house one small fish and some inverts. ???
And I do have a book. It's called Saltwater Fish: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual. I'll keep doing my research, ask you guys more questions, and look at some more books. :)

I just set up the tank today. Here is a pic.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/Birdfanatic55/Fish/nanoreef1.jpg

Sara

[skipm]

Sara,
Since money is an issue you are making the smart choice by sticking with a fish only system. You can make it look a little more reef like by adding live rock, another option since live rock is so expensive is to substitute lava rock.Some people say that lava rock leeches out chemicals into a tank but I have used it before with no problems at all and with some of the colors you can find on lavarock it almost looks live coralline encrusted live rock.
Clownfish are fine alone or in pairs as long as they will pair up and not fight. If you were to get a pair of juvenine clowns they should do fine together, just be aware that they can outgrow your current tank so keeping a single clown may be the best choice. You can add a shrimp or two for more movement or mayb a small fish like a clown gobie. You may also want to consider a couple of chromis instead of the clowns, they are fairly cheap too. Keep reading and I look forward to hearing your questions. Skip

[SaraR]

I asked about lava rock on a different board, and someone said it drops the pH. I have one small piece of live rock at the moment, but plan to add more. I'm considering adding fake coral to add some color with no fuss. :D ;)
Hmmm... I'll definetly think about adding a clown. I'm cycling right now, so that should give me some time to think what I want to put in there. I think I'll stik to one fish and some inverts. This is my first time with saltwater, so I don't want to over stock it and cause problems. :eek: I think some other people have also suggested small gobies to stock my nano. What kind of shrimp do best in a 5.5 gallon?
So many choices, so little time! lol :P
One more question. What the best way to do a fishless cycle? I thought I read somewhere you can throw in a cocktail shrimp. Don't know if that is true or not.

Sara

[skipm]

You can use cocktail shrimp or just keep adding a pinch of flake food. What happens is as the food breaks down (spoils) the bacteria feed off of it and multiply processing the waste from ammonia to nitrite to nitrate, after this process completes itself your tank is cycled.
Lava rock will not lower your pH but it isn't made up of the right composition to maintain your pH. That is why we usually use LR and have aragonite based sand on the bottom.
You have several options for shrimp, if you want to stay with inexpensive you may want to consider peppermint shrimp. Other choices are scarlet cleaners, sexy anenome shrimp, banded coral shrimp, camel back shrimp (not good in a reef, they nip coral polyps) or a blood/fire shrimp. Harlequin shrimp are a possibility but they eat starfish as their diet so you would have to be willing to buy stars for them to eat. You can find mated pairs for the banded coral shrimp, this is the only way you can keep more than one because they will kill each other unless they are a mated pair. Before you buy anything read up and find out its care and feeding requirements. This goes for fish and inverts. Keep planning and remain patient. Skip