# NANO TANK HELP!



## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

ok, i have never had a saltwater tank before. i want to start a nano to get my toes wet before investing in a 90 or 125gallon tank with equipment, i think (and hope) im ready to go salt after my whole life freshwater.. anyone have tips for me? ive been reading ALOT and still continue to on saltwater fish keeping and i think its time to learn from experience. also any suggestions on a few small sized colorful fish that could inhabit this reef tank? its most likely going to be 7.5 or 10 gallons.. im planning on starting the tank sometime soon so i can leave it to cycle. im going to start with live rock and live sand for a couple weeks so it can cure or whatever it has to do. how much live rock and live sand should be added? ive heard 1lb or 1 and 1/2 lbs live rock per gallon, should i go by this? any suggestions on light fixtures for a 7.5 or 10g tank that will support coral life? ofcourse all suggestions in general are helpful. thanks.


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## Cody (Dec 22, 2007)

Ahh, you will learn so much in "the world of saltwater." I was the same, and the first thing I need to reccomend to you is to research, research and research. It is great you are asking these questions before investing.

I have a 10G Nano-reef that isnt making much progress right now, but I hope to get some corals in it soon.

The fish question is the one that has a ton of answers. Everyone likes different things, and I say this to everyone who asks this: Why dont you go to your LFS, and write down the names of the fish you like? Then, post them here so we can make the best decision for you.

LR should generall be at least 1-2lbs per gallon. Make sure you get the light, pourous rock so more things can live in it, as LR and LS is the main source of filtration in a tank. Sand is different though. Some say you absolutley have to have a 4" sand bed, while others say 2", 3", or even none is fine. I, myself, have a 2.5" bed, and think it is fine. A 4"+ sand bed is perfect for biological filtration, as it converts nitrates into nitrogen gas (good). Others say that sand is just for looks.

Here are all great lights for your tank (I'm going by a 10G tank)(all depends on budget):
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13637&pcatid=13637 (20")
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13975&pcatid=13975 (20")
Very tight budget light: http://cgi.ebay.com/New-T5ho-t5-ho-...52|39:1|66:2|65:12&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14.l1318
All I can think of right now on lights...

If you have any more questions, feel free to let us know.


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

thanks for the reply its been a help. i do have a list of fish that i enjoy its quite alot of fish ( i obviosly know they wont all go into the tank ) im wondering want you suggest of of these, or whats compatible or what i should avoid.. and so on and so forth.. 
-black ocellaris clownfish
-misbar black ocellaric clownfish
and or a regular clown fish ( although i think they are territorial between species? im not sure )
-sailfin blenny
-yellow watchman goby
-bicolor pseudochromis
-royal gramma basslet
-solomon blue devil damsel
-sergeant major damsel
-3 strip damsel
-blue hermit crabs
-nassarius snails
-scarlet reef hermit crabs
-bumblebee snail
-curlycue anemone
-peppermint shrimp
-red reef starfish
-sexy shrimp
im sure some will just get too big for a 10gallon nano so theyre out of the question and some wont be compatible with others.. what do you suggest out of these?


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## Cody (Dec 22, 2007)

Most of those fish can fit in a 10G tank.

-*black ocellaris clownfish* - Great fish, and as I said above keep them in pairs. The downside is that they tend to be expensive.
-*misbar black ocellaric clownfish* - Same as above
-*regular clown fish* ( although i think they are territorial between species? im not sure ) - "Regular" clowns are probably Percula or Occerlairs. These can get along, but they should not be placed with larger species of clowns like Maroon or Tomato. Black clowns are usually Occelaris, and can be placed with a regular Percula. Sometimes they will pair up.
-*sailfin blenny* - I love this fish, but you need to have a good pod population which takes months and months to establish, for it to live. Some will only eat pods and can be hard to rear off of that.
-*yellow watchman goby* - Pretty good fish. Very fun personality when paired with a Pistol Shrimp
-*bicolor pseudochromis* - Can get too aggresive for a 10G.
-*royal gramma basslet* - Great starter fish, although produces a lot of waste and is pretty common.
-*solomon blue devil damsel* -No, no and no. Damsels are absolutley evil; and can kill fish 3 times bigger than them. Do not get one, no matter what. There is a reason why they put "Devil" in its name.
-*sergeant major damsel* -EVIL
-*3 strip damsel* -One of the worst damels you can get.
-*blue hermit crabs* - Great for a CUC
-*nassarius snails* - Great snails who stay under the sand and eat detrius and uneaten food/fish waste. Get these after you get fish.
-*scarlet reef hermit crabs* - Same as Blue Hermit
-*bumblebee snail *- Same as Nassarius, but go all over.
-*curlycue anemone* - I'm sorry, I am unfamilar with this. But, most likely, it will get too big and too demanding for a 10G tank.
-*peppermint shrimp* - Great shrimp, but has the potential to eat yellow polyp coral and to be somewhat skittish. My favorite shrimp are th Skunk Cleaner and Blood shrimp.
-*red reef starfish* - Great starfish, but gets too big for a 10G. Will be great when you upgrade.
-*sexy shrimp* - Some of the funniest shrimp alive, but they are absolutley tiny and you wont be able to notice them much in a 10G. I would also only get them for a specie-only tank with corals, that would be around 3-5G. They also like to be in groups of 3 OR 5 (they like odd numbers for some reasons).

Options I would reccomend:

2 Black Clowns + Hermits/Snails/shrimp
1 Black Clown/1 "regular" Clown + Hermits/Snails/shrimp
1 Yellow Watchman Goby/1 Royal Gramma + Hermits/Snails/shrimp
2 Clowns/1 Yellow Watchman Goby (you can only add a third fish after 6+ months when the tank has somehwta established, and your parms all good, and be religious at water changes.) + Hermits/Snails/shrimp


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

hey i really appreciate you taking your time to inform me on compatibilities.. however i think im going to empty my 55g, slowly add live rock until theres enough and turn the 10g that was going to be my nano into its sump.. what do you think about that? i know its going to be more expensive, but it will also be something greater to achieve..


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## Cody (Dec 22, 2007)

Good idea, but a 10G tank is way too small to hold/filter a 55G tank. I would go no less than 20G (if you do a 20G, do a 20 long), preferably 30 or 29. The tank itself would be much more stable, and you can fit much more into the sump.


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## Quaddity (Feb 28, 2007)

I wouldn't say no to a couple damsels just know you can't keep anything else with them in a small tank. Check out the Nanocubes, Aquapods, etc. for all in one nano reef tanks. I currently have 2 Aquapod 12 gallons running.


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