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Hello, any nano-reefers around here? (1 Viewer)

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Guest

Hello,

My name is Shawn and I'm a reefaholic.

I have about 8 to 10 years of total aquarium keeping experience consisting of a 75 gallon FO, 75 gallon mini reef, 5.5 gallon nano reef, and currently a 2.5 gallon pico reef.

After having invested considerable sums of money into my former tanks, I really enjoy the inexpensive setup of the 2.5. I can go to the LFS and pick up a $5-10 frag that looks pretty cool in my tank.

The setup consists of a $10 tank from Petco, 2 13w 50/50 bulbs, 6 lbs of live rock, 6 lbs of live sand, and an Aquaclear 300 as a refugium. I don't plan on stocking it too heavily, instead trying to maintain a balanced ecosystem of animals and macroalgae.

Here's a pic of my tank:

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread.php?s=4f0803e05d37832a7f0bd93bb172ab2a&threadid=37912


Shawn
 
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ShaneV

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Welcome to Marshreef.com!


Quite a few of us have nanos.
I have 6 gallon eclipse, but no corals in it, just a sargassum angler I caught in galveston.
 
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Guest

Welcome! Yep, I have 10G from WM. I wanted to keep the cost down... this tank is at $500 and counting....


This pic was taken 1 month ago.
Click on the thumbnail to open a link to the larger image
 
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Guest

Hey Shawn glad you came. I have a 29 gal, with a TetraTec PF500 as my refugium, don't recommend them to anyone else though. They take up to much real state on the back glass.

This link is to the tread about my tank with pic.
http://www.marshreef.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=2996

And there are some more of us with nano tanks. If I had my way after I get this 29 well established, might try an smaller one, if my wife would let me, but think we will be saving for a 75 then the 29 will be all mine!!!!

And when you are pruning back the cheato, I like some.
 
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sdnesmith - Glad your still around.

Yesterday I just put water, rock, sand in a 3 gal Eclipse.
Next will be to just let it go and grow what it can, while I save for a light.
With the Eclipse hood, I am having a hard time deciding what light to use.

My 29 nano is doing good, really coming along.

Are you going to use that scope on the moon during the eclipse, or is it just got to much power?

Nathan
 
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Guest

Narkon, thanks, things have been crazy at my house recently so I haven't had time to really do much more than browse Nano-Reef.

I seem to recall someone on Nano-Reef that put 4x13w over an Eclipse 3 or something like that. I would think 2 13w fixtures would work.

A 29 gallon was the first reef I attempted back in 1994. It had a Hagen Biolife 35 internal wet/dry filter in it with live rock. It was a good size but I eventually moved everything to a 75g FOWLR. I kept a Lionfish in that one, boy do I miss him!

I need to get a couple of moon filters for the scope, as looking at more than a half moon in that 8" mirror is like looking at a welding torch. I haven't had it out all summer because the haze has been too bad. I'm waiting for a real good cold front to come in and clear everything out.

BTW, go get you some of those $5 frags from City Pets for that eclipse 3. With the exception of the ricordia, I bought everything at City Pets and the corals have been doing great. That toadstool was about one third of that size when I brought it home. It has shed mucus about 3 times and the cabbage leather I got from there sheds every couple of weeks. It was the size of a quarter when I got it, and now it looks like an ear.

Recently, I got a little lazy with water changes and went to .25 gal per week, but the chaeto grew like crazy, so I'm back to 0.5 gal weekly. I have yet to see Nitrates over 5ppm, but with the goby I expect it to go up a little.

Shawn

Shawn
 
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Guest

I think that the 4x13 is in what is called a Eclipse 3 hood, which fits a 29 gal tank. My little 3 gal is 12 at the max, and I don't even know if it can hold the reflector of a 13 watt pc, have to ask the guys on nano-reef to show me pics I think.

Yeah, I have noticed the haze is be real bad. I didn't know if you had a moon filter or not, and you could probably do the middle stages of the eclipse but not the begining.

Nathan
 
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Guest

I have a 20L thats starting to go reef. Only have some xenia, branching hammer and green star polyps. I have a 6 gallon with green star poylps and soon anenome and mantis shrimp.
 
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cparka23

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welcome, shawn! That's a nice looking nano you've got. No fish though? I guess they'd only make it more difficult to maintain.

off topic, but morphlizard, is that shaving brush plant in your nano? I really wanted one of those, but no LFS has them when I visit. Did you get it online?
 
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Hey Nathan, I saw on another post you mentioned AH Supply for the 13w lights. That's where I got mine from. I got the 2x13w kit and mounted it in my DIY canopy. They work great, but you will need a fan to cool them. When I originally made my canopy, I epoxied 2 four inch boards together for the and when I turned the lights on, it split the wood in about 2 hours. Very hot. I put a 60mm stealth fan in and no problem since.

I'm building a new canopy for my 70w MH right now. It is made out of the same 3/8"x4" pine boards from Lowes as the old one, but it is twice as tall. I plan to install an 80mm fan with some kind of relay to shut the light off if the fan fails, otherwise it might burn the house down.

Shawn
 
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Guest

Shawn - Are you going to keep your pc hood? And your pcs?

Where did you get the fan?

Do you know if they sell any little tempature relay?

So you think the pcs are good, what combo of lights did you use?

Nathan
 
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Nathan,

I'm not sure about the pcs yet, until I get the hood built and see how the MH looks. By just mounting it to a board and hanging it above the tank, it's not even as bright as the pcs. I have a reflector to mount it to, so it will probably be alot brighter. I have been using 50/50 bulbs and they look great. I bought 2 actinics to use with the MH before I knew it was a 20k, so I may not use them especially since my neighbor gave me the moonlights he picked up at the MARSH meeting and I plan to run them 24/7.

The fan for the pcs I bought at Axion Technologies near 59 and Wilcrest. Their website is www.axiontech.com. Here's a link: http://www.axiontech.com/prdt.php?item=34113.

I could not find a 60mm with temp control, so I went with an 80mm for the MH. www.newegg.com sells an Enermax fan for $4.99 and plastic fan grills for $1.25. The Enermax fan has a temp sensor on a wire lead so I can install it near the bulb for maximum effect.

I think you'll have fun with the little tank. I see more life in mine than I ever did in my 75g. BTW, I just removed the Anthelia from the tank as I was tired of it stinging my zoos. There are a few pieces left, I figure the pods will get it all for me. I kind of PO'd I missed the pink polyps at city pets. Oh well, I'll check them out this weekend. I just made myself about 9 sq inches of more space, and I have just the spot for a little bitty clam...

Shawn
 
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Clam huh? I don't know if Global still has one, or you could write or call Aquatic Center since Kenny is running a sale.

If you didn't have the refector I was going to offer you some stiff I got that I might use on the PCs, it is out of a beauty bathroom lighting.

Nathan
 
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Guest

Nathan,

Just to put a bug in your ear, the 70W bulb I got off ebay for $25. The ballast was $20 shipped from ebay as well. It's one of those huge f-can ballasts, but it fires the DE bulb right up. Something you might consider.

Clams were my favorite part of my 75g. I had a blue maxima and a gold crocea and I loved looking at them. You could almost see them grow.

In the long run, halides are much more beneficial to a reef than pcs or vhos, in my opinion. My brother had a 110g reef lit by vho's and his corals never really took off. We'll see how the pico works out.

Shawn
 
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