Interim idea?

dave01282000 · Apr 8, 2023

I've settled on 75G for my first forage into the hobby...taking longer than expected to figure out exactly which tank to get and then I still have to build a stand, figure out the sump situation, etc.

I have a brand new 20G sitting around. Wondering if there's any reason I couldn't get my feet wet in the meantime with a few small hardy fish and easy softies? Thought I'd pose the question because nanos are generally not recommended for beginners and don't want to be irresponsible in the name of getting the ball rolling early. Easy enough to just wait if it's a high risk endeavor.

Thanks!
Dave

Mr. Mojo Rising · Apr 8, 2023

No reason at all. It’s only an opinion that nano’s are not recommended for beginners. Personally I prefer smaller tanks.

dave01282000 · Apr 8, 2023

Thank you, I think I'm going to give it a shot. As far as filtration, I know the rock will be #1 along with religiously performing water changes.

Would you recommend adding an HOB skimmer or maybe some other type of filter? I see so many different nano configurations out there that it can be tough to determine a good starting point.

homer1475 · Apr 8, 2023

Nothing wrong with getting your feet wet with the 20. Then when you upgrade, you can transfer everything into the 75.

I would skip the HOB skimmer, and instead go with something in filtration like a tidal HOB filter.

Amazon product

Yes your rock is 100% your biological filtration, but you need surface agitation, and someplace to run media if the need arises.

homer1475 · Apr 8, 2023

Actually 20G I was thinking of this going on the 75.

The smaller Tidal will work.

Tidal 35 HOB Power Filter

TIDAL hang on filters are designed from the ground up to provide the aquarium with high-quality, easy to implement, comprehensive filtration. While having a system plumbed with an overflow and sump certainly has its advantages, this isn’t always practical. In some situations, space constraints...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

BRS actually has a pretty decent video on that page about them.

dave01282000 · Apr 8, 2023

Good tip! I'll check out the vid.

For the 75 I plan on going the sump route so I can clear everything out of the display....just have to still figure out exactly what I want to have going on down there.

dave01282000 · Apr 8, 2023

The Tidal even has a place to put the heater inside...nice. I think I'm sold on it already.

I know the lighting and flow requirements can get specialized depending on what kind of corals you want to keep, but are there any safe bets to look at for keeping easier "starter corals" in a nano?

Kind of asking these as they come up...appreciate the help!

homer1475 · Apr 8, 2023

I don't normally suggest equipment, but the Tidal really is a decent HOB filter for SW.

Most softies are a good bet for beginner corals. The problem with a lot of the "starter/beginner corals" is they are very invasive, almost weed like.

Kmst80 · Apr 8, 2023

dave01282000 said:
The Tidal even has a place to put the heater inside...nice. I think I'm sold on it already.

I know the lighting and flow requirements can get specialized depending on what kind of corals you want to keep, but are there any safe bets to look at for keeping easier "starter corals" in a nano?

Kind of asking these as they come up...appreciate the help!

My very first coral was a frogspawn and it's still going strong one and a half years later. Green Star Pollyps are pretty easy too. Xenia,Zoanthids, are pretty hardy too. Don't be scared,most softies and lps are hard to kill. I would stay away from torches,fungi,elegance.

dave01282000 · Apr 8, 2023

Will one powerhead be enough in a standard 20H tank?

Kmst80 · Apr 8, 2023

Read this

Introduction to Flow, Tank Turnover, and Powerheads for the Reef Tank, Part 1

Seawitch submitted a new Article: Introduction to Flow, Tank Turnover, and Powerheads for the Reef Tank, Part 1 This 180-gallon display tank has 15,000 gallons per hour total tank turnover. This tank belongs to, and the photo is courtesy of @fabutahoun, ©2019, All Rights Reserved. This is an...

www.reef2reef.com

CoastalTownLayabout · Apr 9, 2023

I didn’t think the Tidal 35 had a dedicated heater housing? The 55 and above has a clip that will hold a heater but it’s visible in the display. I guess you could squeeze a small heater in the media chamber though, if you can find one that will fit and heat a 20g reliably.

The Tunze Comline internal filter does have a heater housing, surface skims and integrates with their ATO so it’s also a contender to consider.

Sarcophyton (toadstool or leather corals) are a good starter coral. They can get a bit sulky and wax over periodically but are generally reliable in a newish system.

livinlifeinBKK · Apr 9, 2023

dave01282000 said:
The Tidal even has a place to put the heater inside...nice. I think I'm sold on it already.

I know the lighting and flow requirements can get specialized depending on what kind of corals you want to keep, but are there any safe bets to look at for keeping easier "starter corals" in a nano?

Kind of asking these as they come up...appreciate the help!

If you mean starter corals as in softies like zoas and palys, they're really adaptable to lighting and therefore really don't require any kind of specialized lighting and don't require much flow either. LPS on the other hand generally require a little stronger lighting but still not nearly what SPS require. LPS (even a lot of starter LPS) do appreciate a little more flow than is needed for softies like zoas, however. In regards to your question about 1 powerhead for a 20 with only softies and starter LPS, one should be fine. Just check out the GPH rate for the powerhead you choose before buying. For the LPS, you can move them around to find where they're happiest which you'll be able to determine by the extension of the tentacles. Keep in mind a majority of corals feed at night after lights out though so you'll need to check then for the tentacle extension.
Tbh, when you're just starting out don't get too caught up in trying to get everything perfect your first try...much better to learn through experience imo and when you're dealing with starter corals since they're generally very adaptable and hardy you don't have to be quite so worried about the coral suddenly dying out of nowhere as is the case with a lot of the more difficult corals. If they're unhappy with the flow or lighting you'll have plenty of time to move them to a more suitable location before it's too late.

livinlifeinBKK · Apr 9, 2023

What LPS did you have in mind? Any ideas yet? I can offer some suggestions if you'd like. Always happy to help!
Btw, NPS corals are really neat imo and fine to start with as long as you're willing to feed them regularly. They do require stronger flow though but that can be achieved by just placing them closer to the powerhead.
One more thing, since you're just starting out and this is your first tank, I'd suggest you use all live rock (preferably real live rock as in from the ocean if you can source and afford it) especially since this sounds like a kind of "tester" tank so even if you were to get hitchhikers (concerns regarding hitchhikers are really overblown imo anyway) you'd just be able to use different rock in your 75 gallon worst case scenario. Not only will real live rock greatly increase biodiversity, it will also greatly shorten the "ugly phase" if you even experience one at all.

dave01282000 · Apr 9, 2023

Thank you for that! Glad you mentioned NPS because I have an interest in sun corals in particular.

I haven't yet looked at sourcing live rock...seems like it shouldn't be too difficult since I live two miles from the ocean, though it's cold water up here and not exactly reef conditions. Should I start by looking locally? I know you can have it shipped otherwise.

livinlifeinBKK · Apr 9, 2023

dave01282000 said:
Thank you for that! Glad you mentioned NPS because I have an interest in sun corals in particular.

I haven't yet looked at sourcing live rock...seems like it shouldn't be too difficult since I live two miles from the ocean, though it's cold water up here and not exactly reef conditions. Should I start by looking locally? I know you can have it shipped otherwise.

Yeah, start out checking out a few decent shops (although most will probably have the standard dry rock that's been sitting in bottled bac for a few weeks which is a far cry from live ocean rock). I think rock from cooler water should be fine although i don't think you'll likely find it covered in coralline like tropical rock. If you can afford to have it shipped I'd go that route.

With regards to sun corals, here's a couple pics of mine...I'd advise you to stay away from black sun corals initially since they're more demanding in terms of feeding and grow very slowly... although they're the only branching sun corals and very beautiful to say the least...if you're up for their feeding requirements go for it though...like i said, there's a ton to be learned from experience.

livinlifeinBKK · Apr 9, 2023

Btw, you've only mentioned corals...have you taken a look at the endless variety of absolutely beautiful inverts like feather duster that can come in some wild colors, sea cucumbers (i have a bright pink and orange one), etc.? Part of the beauty of marine tanks is the endless combinations of organisms you can put together and make it something that's your unique little piece of the ocean.

dave01282000 · Apr 9, 2023

I hadn't yet seen the black ones...the yellow and orange is what caught my eye.

So many options as far as inverts, plenty of homework to do while waiting for things to show up!

livinlifeinBKK · Apr 9, 2023

dave01282000 said:
I hadn't yet seen the black ones...the yellow and orange is what caught my eye.

So many options as far as inverts, plenty of homework to do while waiting for things to show up!

If you have any questions ask away! One invert not to add (although I'm sure you'll be tempted) is a starfish. The vast majority of species do very poorly in captivity (generally speaking).

homer1475 · Apr 9, 2023

livinlifeinBKK said:
Yeah, start out checking out a few decent shops (although most will probably have the standard dry rock that's been sitting in bottled bac for a few weeks which is a far cry from live ocean rock). I think rock from cooler water should be fine although i don't think you'll likely find it covered in coralline like tropical rock. If you can afford to have it shipped I'd go that route.

With regards to sun corals, here's a couple pics of mine...I'd advise you to stay away from black sun corals initially since they're more demanding in terms of feeding and grow very slowly... although they're the only branching sun corals and very beautiful to say the least...if you're up for their feeding requirements go for it though...like i said, there's a ton to be learned from experience.