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  #1  
Old 01/11/2008, 02:54 PM
on_ice on_ice is offline
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Approximately how much effort PER WEEK do you put into your nano tank?

Before I try to get my 24 gallon nano cube together, I want to know how much effort you guys put into your tank. I am in school and my home town is 3 hours away. That means that for certain holidays and such I may not be able to take care of it for short periods of time. I am also very busy with school and my part time job. What kind of effort would I be in for? Its a 24 gallon nano tank with stock lighting and it will pretty much be a FOWLR tank.
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  #2  
Old 01/11/2008, 05:00 PM
scowiii scowiii is offline
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Location: Nebraska
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Feedings and water changes and cleaning the fingerprints off the glass and other tank maintenance. Around 3-4 hrs a week.
  #3  
Old 01/11/2008, 05:52 PM
matthewdmueller matthewdmueller is offline
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Location: Queens, NY
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I only have to "work" on my tank a couple of hours a week which mostly involves me moving somehting around, getting my floor wet, then mopping, then vaccuming. I do a water change about every 3 weeks, it takes longer to make the water than do the water change. I do have to nurse my top-off everyday though since I don't have one. I feed every other day, I only have one lonely fish So I would say that my tank is an everyday thing but not much work.
  #4  
Old 01/11/2008, 06:06 PM
thin crust thin crust is offline
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i would say total 2 hours for my 25g. i would say i spend more time staring at the tank then doing maintenance.
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  #5  
Old 01/11/2008, 07:45 PM
on_ice on_ice is offline
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Sounds good to me. How important are these water changes? How big of a water change do you do every 3 weeks? I guess that means I will be spending alot of $$ on salt?
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  #6  
Old 01/11/2008, 07:52 PM
saltyshoe_nano saltyshoe_nano is offline
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Location: St. Libory, Illinois
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Quote:
Originally posted by thin crust
i would say total 2 hours for my 25g. i would say i spend more time staring at the tank then doing maintenance.
agreed lol but as far as the "alot of $$" if your not willing to spend the money, dont join the addicts....lol but the salt I get a 50gal. bag for 15-20 bucks and that lasts awhile on the water changes JMHO good luck
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  #7  
Old 01/11/2008, 08:42 PM
gsusfreak gsusfreak is offline
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Location: antioch
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i always purchase the box salt...200gal mix ....last me pretty much the a whole year....not bad for $40
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  #8  
Old 01/11/2008, 09:13 PM
m2434 m2434 is offline
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Location: Boston, Ma
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You asked, "Approximately how much effort per week do you put into your nano tank?" That would be a lot.

If you had asked "Approximately how much effort per week do you need to put into your nano tank?"
The answer might be diffrent - It's easy to make work for yourself
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  #9  
Old 01/11/2008, 10:26 PM
on_ice on_ice is offline
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Wow, $40 for 200 gallons of salt mix is sweet. I spent $18.50 for 25 gallons worth. Good thing I bought it with a gift card I got for free.
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  #10  
Old 01/12/2008, 12:13 AM
ckprax ckprax is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Santa Barbara
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I have a NC24, in college and working a part time job. I have quite a few corals and a single clown fish. I do very little to it each week. I do a 4 to 5 gallon wc every 10 days to 2 weeks, i scrape the glass with a mag float every few days. I feed every day and every other day when it comes time for midterms and finals.

I also love far from home (7 hrs) and i don't worry too much when i leave, the biggest concern for me is topping off. I am setting up an ato, but for christmas break i left my tank for 10 days and had a friend top off for me once and feed when i was gone. I would not recommend leaving this long but it can be done. I choose to keep hearty corals and fish because i know there will be times when the tank will get the bare minimum attention (feedings and a little top off).

So in short i do very little to maintain my nano maybe an hour or so a week unless i buy something new, then i have to tinker and move things around
  #11  
Old 01/12/2008, 01:47 AM
ShootMe ShootMe is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Greenville, NC
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I probally put in 1 hour or 1.5 hours a week into my 12 gallon aquapod between feeding, cleaning the glass and water changes. This was the second year I left my tank at school while I went home for break which is a 3.5 hour round trip.

Since I am in a dorm we are not allowed to have non residents enter so I made the effort to come back every Friday morning of the break to feed the fish and top off the tank. I only stocked easy to keep corals, mushrooms, leathers, and a torch and two fish in anticipation of having to leave the tank for extended periods of time.

I am lucky in that using the stock lighting with the cover I lose very little to evaporation while I am not here. All in all for going four weeks with just a feeding every seven days everything looks wonderfull with no losses.
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