Help in setting up a 2' standard nano tank

[zhu star]

Hi all seniors:

I am new in marine fish and hope to learn as much as possible from all experience fish keeper here. Currently I have partition one of my 1' x 1' x 2' standard glass tank for IOS (size of partition about 10cm x 30 cm x 30cm. I hope to use the tank for a nano reef setup. As I am a retired old man, I dont have much budget to purchase expensive items unless necessary. The questions I want to ask is as follows:

1 What is the flow rate of the pump I should use?(I am looking at about 600 l/hr)

2 The type of lightning that is suitable, preferably without buying Metal Halide

3 Can I buy blue colour LED lights from Sim Lim Tower to use as moonlighting?

4 Type of Protein Skimmer ( Is Weipro 2011 suitable)

5 What type of corals can I keep without using expensive chiller (I intend to fit twin cooling fans, tank will be housed in the coolest part of the house)

6 As the capacity of the tank is small, can I buy bottle drinking water to mix with my sea salt? If yes any brand that is suitable?

7 If I buy sea water direct from the shop, Can I use it without further treatment?

8 The fish and Inverterbrate that I hope to keep is as follows, are they suitable for my tank?

- Hermit crab (1pc)

- Pink reef lobster (1pc)

- Shunk cleaner shrimp (2pc)

- Neon Goby (1pc)

- Blanded Blennies (1pc)

- Common Clownfish (2 pcs)

- Bangaii Cardinalfish (3 pcs)

When buying the above live stock, I will buy the smallest I can find. Any live stock that will outgrow this tank will be transfered to a 3' x 2' x 2' tank that I intend to set up in my office. Will appricates all coments and suggests from experience fish keeper here.

Thank you all in advance and also Wishing all fish keeper in this foruma HAPPY NEW YEAR.

[tunicate]

You're a retired old man, and intends to setup a 3' x 2' x 2' tank in your office?

hmmmm. . . .

Care to enlighten us on that?

[zhu star]

You're a retired old man, and intends to setup a 3' x 2' x 2' tank in your office?

hmmmm. . . .

Care to enlighten us on that?

I maintain a small office for my small biz dealing with engineering trading lah, more like a part time to keep my mind fit kinda of job. Anyway, biz is getting slower and slower so thinking of spending my time in setting up this tank sometime middle next year. As in keeping with the current economic situation I intend to constructed this set up myself as much as possible.

Cheers

[johntanjm]

consider building an algae screen for your office if u like DIY. I can help. very interesting concept.

anyway your fish choice should work out, corals wise, best is avoid la without chiller.

for sucha shallow tank, can consider using FL. i recommend reefsun 50/50.

I'd advise try grab a 2nd hand tunze nano online. there's some resale value in it.

carrying sea water is bad on the back for old man, so just mix salt.

[tiffanydunk]

1 What is the flow rate of the pump I should use?(I am looking at about 600 l/hr)

-I'm using a 1200l/hr return pump for my 1ft cube.2 The type of lightning that is suitable, preferably without buying Metal Halide

-Using 2ft T5, might be longer than the 1ft, but T5 only comes in 2ft, and not costly.3 Can I buy blue colour LED lights from Sim Lim Tower to use as moonlighting?

-I'm using it, LED strip.4 Type of Protein Skimmer ( Is Weipro 2011 suitable)

-Not necessary, just do weekly water change.

5 What type of corals can I keep without using expensive chiller (I intend to fit twin cooling fans, tank will be housed in the coolest part of the house)

-Hammer, mushies, zoas, octo. Chiller not expensive, resun CL280 cost less than $100 now. And next yr utility bills down by 25%.

6 As the capacity of the tank is small, can I buy bottle drinking water to mix with my sea salt? If yes any brand that is suitable?

-Yes, advisable. Get the "No frills" from shop and save. Distilled ones.

7 If I buy sea water direct from the shop, Can I use it without further treatment?

-Yup, but not recommended. Mixing ur own is better, salt aint expensive.

8 The fish and Inverterbrate that I hope to keep is as follows, are they suitable for my tank?

-As long as no tangs and big angels.

Happy reefing.

[Firestarter]

I am also using a standard 2ft tank, with DIY IOS.

You can refer to my thread for more info.

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=74516

Also using a Weipro 2011 with Atman 104 pump.

[Kalib]

I would suggest having only 1 Banggai Cardinalfish(Unless your able to obtain a mated pair). From what i've read, unless you keep only 1pc or a mated pair, it can be a disaster. They may not pair off and could end up fighting and killing each other till you only have 1pc left, especially so in such a small tank.

[zhu star]

consider building an algae screen for your office if u like DIY. I can help. very interesting concept.

Thank you for your reply, As I am still very sotong in Marine fish keeping, I would like to know what is a Alge screen, I would appreicates if u can further describe the concept to me

Thanks

[zhu star]

-I'm using it, LED strip.

Can I know the number of LED in your strip?

-Hammer, mushies, zoas, octo. Chiller not expensive, resun CL280 cost less than $100 now. And next yr utility bills down by 25%.

Is there a typo error in the price of the resun CL280 chiller? If the price is correct I don't mind buying one unit

Thanks

[zhu star]

I am also using a standard 2ft tank, with DIY IOS.

You can refer to my thread for more info.

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=74516

Also using a Weipro 2011 with Atman 104 pump.

I have already read your thread and in fact learn alot from it. My set up is actually as per your version. As I have many of these standard tanks that I used to keep luohan fishes,

I intend to try another type of set up using the concept that I have obtained from melevsreef.com. What I have in mind is to use 1 of this 2' tank as the main display tank and another

one use as my slump tank with refigum. There will be no overflow box in the main tank cos the concept uses a HOB plastic box as a overflow box known as 'weir'. The advantage that I get from this set up is

- No need to drill holes for plastic PVC pipes in the main tank

- Bigger capacity for my fishes etc in the main tank without IOS

- Almost twice the water capacity thus improving and maintaining water parameter in the system

- All supporting equipements can be kept away from the main tank.

Any reef keeper with such experience?

Thanks

[zhu star]

I would suggest having only 1 Banggai Cardinalfish(Unless your able to obtain a mated pair). From what i've read, unless you keep only 1pc or a mated pair, it can be a disaster. They may not pair off and could end up fighting and killing each other till you only have 1pc left, especially so in such a small tank.

Banggai Cardinalfish is my number 1 favorite fish. It is because of this fish that I wanted to try Marine fish keeping after more than 10 years of keeping goldfishes. As for your suggestion, I suppose I can buy 1 first and later buy more for my bigger set up.

Thanks

[tiffanydunk]

Thanks

No typo error, 2nd hand CL280 reefers are selling at $100 or less. Just got to wait for it at the WTS section. My LED strip is ard 25 bulbs.

Thig guy selling CL300 at only $70. Gd luck.

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=75744

[Vlamingi_cont]

Hi all seniors:

I am new in marine fish and hope to learn as much as possible from all experience fish keeper here. Currently I have partition one of my 1' x 1' x 2' standard glass tank for IOS (size of partition about 10cm x 30 cm x 30cm. I hope to use the tank for a nano reef setup. As I am a retired old man, I dont have much budget to purchase expensive items unless necessary. The questions I want to ask is as follows:

1 What is the flow rate of the pump I should use?(I am looking at about 600 l/hr)

2 The type of lightning that is suitable, preferably without buying Metal Halide

3 Can I buy blue colour LED lights from Sim Lim Tower to use as moonlighting?

4 Type of Protein Skimmer ( Is Weipro 2011 suitable)

5 What type of corals can I keep without using expensive chiller (I intend to fit twin cooling fans, tank will be housed in the coolest part of the house)

6 As the capacity of the tank is small, can I buy bottle drinking water to mix with my sea salt? If yes any brand that is suitable?

7 If I buy sea water direct from the shop, Can I use it without further treatment?

8 The fish and Inverterbrate that I hope to keep is as follows, are they suitable for my tank?

- Hermit crab (1pc)

- Pink reef lobster (1pc)

- Shunk cleaner shrimp (2pc)

- Neon Goby (1pc)

- Blanded Blennies (1pc)

- Common Clownfish (2 pcs)

- Bangaii Cardinalfish (3 pcs)

When buying the above live stock, I will buy the smallest I can find. Any live stock that will outgrow this tank will be transfered to a 3' x 2' x 2' tank that I intend to set up in my office. Will appricates all coments and suggests from experience fish keeper here.

Thank you all in advance and also Wishing all fish keeper in this foruma HAPPY NEW YEAR.

1st for flow rate i think maybe 1200/h plus a Hydor k nano for pump's brand i recommend maybe Hydor or Aquabee... You wun regret it... Trust me...

2nd recommend at least 4 watts per gallon if you're in sps...

3rd Moonlight use this... Link

4th Skimmer weipro never use b4 but can try...

5th gd luck with purchasing the CL280

6th Yes but not mineral must use distilled...

7th Yes!

8th Maybe you wanna change the banded blenny to Algae blenny? They do a part in keeping the tank mostly clean...

That's all gd luck...

[zhu star]

No typo error, 2nd hand CL280 reefers are selling at $100 or less. Just got to wait for it at the WTS section. My LED strip is ard 25 bulbs.

Thig guy selling CL300 at only $70. Gd luck.

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=75744

Thanks, I will look into it. If the equipment suit my set up, I will certainly buy it.

[zhu star]

8th Maybe you wanna change the banded blenny to Algae blenny? They do a part in keeping the tank mostly clean...

That's all gd luck...

Any special reason why you suggested Algae blenny? Thanks

[Vlamingi_cont]

Any special reason why you suggested Algae blenny? Thanks

Cos' its not only unique but its oso doing a part to keep ur tank clean...

[zhu star]

Over the weekend I went to LFS to look see, I notice that there are some cheap and small Skimmer that is made in China. I was told by the store owner that these skimmer are next to hopeless (very honest opinion, I like his unusual way of selling) but he mentioned that it is better than nothing for small tank! Any senior here have use this cheap skimmer or would like to comment?

The reason for asking is that I am looking at it physical size that is capable of being istalled in my tank rather than the pricing, athough I would like to save as much as possible and use this saving to buying live stock, I realise the important of water management as these living things depends on me to live.

[jyoon]

You can read more about skimmer in this forum.

Basically, the techic used in a skimmer is to produce as fine bubbles as possible to carry the protein / dirt and waste out of your water. As long as the bubble produce is fine and lots of them, it will be able to archeive the skimming effect.

Buying a branded skimmer will carry you a long way as they are reliable. Here's the different category for the skimmer:

1. Using wood air stone skimmer.

Pro: Cheapest compare to the rest. Effective as this is the very first type of skimmer introduce for marine.

Cons: Require a separate air pump and wood air stone need regular replacement.

2. Using Venturi type skimmer. This type of skimmer is using a pump to force water though a venturi jet (small hole) to mix water and air under certain pressure to create fine bubbles.

Pro : Not too expensive. Easy maintenance.

Cons: Bubbles are that fine compare to the rest.

3. Using Neddle wheel type skimmer. This type of skimmer is using a pump with a neddle wheel impeller to create fine bubbles mixing with air intake.

Pro : Normally the pump consume low power. Queit in operation.

Cons: Needle wheel impeller may be expensive once worn (depending on brand of skimmer).

4. Beckett Skimmer. This type of skimmer is using a high flow pump force water into a "foutain" head device to create fine bubbles.

Pro : Create lots of fine bubbles. Can be cascade with additional chamber if upgrade is needed and thus no need to replace the whole skimmer.

Cons: Heavy flow pump is required and thus consume more power.

As for China made skimmer, if they are using a reliable pump (for venturi, needle wheel or beckett type), then it should work as well. Bubble Magus is a MIC brand, however they are using Aqua Bee Needle wheel pump which make it a value for money skimmer (just my 2 cents as I am not promoting for any brand).

Which tank you need the skimmer for?

I have a full spreadsheet on skimmer comparison and can forward to you to make a choice of your need.

Drop me a PM on your emailn address if needed.