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chema14
06/09/2008, 10:04 PM
i have a tank with some substrate, live rock, a 5-15 gallon im going tommarow to buy a air pump no sump just that i want to house a couple clowns, a shrimp,a starfish but i need some help i know i need a better filter just not sure what kind. oh would i need lights for shrimp or starfish if so how many watts??are skimmers and sumps neccesary?? i want just some fundlementals ive been READING alot just want your guys advice.. well guys im going tommarow to the stare what would i need to buy?

oceanparadise1
06/09/2008, 11:00 PM
well in a tank that small it will be VERY hard to maintain for a newbie...the smaller the tank the harder it is. i would do water changes every week about 3-5 gallons depending on what size tank you went with. skimmer will be hard to do on that tank size but i would make a DIY hob fuge

chema14
06/10/2008, 12:10 AM
oh okay i would have alot of time to maintain it....what does DIY hob fuge mean?

Kewlworm
06/10/2008, 12:28 AM
do it yourself hang on back refugium

oceanparadise1
06/10/2008, 12:40 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12715454#post12715454 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kewlworm
do it yourself hang on back refugium


thanks kewlworm i forgot not everyone knows those when there new lol my bad also if u want a great way to make one let me know i have a great way to turn a emperor 400 into a perfect hob fuge

chema14
06/10/2008, 12:51 AM
yeah that would be perfect!

chema14
06/10/2008, 12:59 AM
can you teach me how?

NanoReefWanabe
06/10/2008, 08:21 AM
you wont need lights for a FO tank (fish only) but if you want to see them you will...a standard NO (normal output) light strip will work and are cheap...just be sure to buy a bulb more geared toward saltwater use...as most fresh water bulbs are very yellow..you could also use a screw in type fixture and just buy 50/50 compact flouresent bulb(s)

and i would also suggest a HOB style fuge a for a tank this small if you are going sumpless..

no need for a skimmer, just dont over feed your fish and keep up on the regular water changes...atleast until the tank is well established..

oceanparadise1
06/10/2008, 10:24 AM
yea go buy a aqua clear filter or emperor 280 0r 400 and we will go from there

chema14
06/10/2008, 12:02 PM
okay i will post when i have it.....soon

oceanparadise1
06/10/2008, 12:03 PM
okay cool then i will walk u thru it

chema14
06/10/2008, 12:05 PM
would i need anything else? oh and this would be tlike a mini refugium????

oceanparadise1
06/10/2008, 12:17 PM
yes it would be all u need is live rock rubble some carbon and some cheato algea and a mini light(any type of light a cheap one it doesnt matter)

chema14
06/10/2008, 12:31 PM
doesnt carbon come in the packs? i have live rock should i break it down? ey are websites that sell fish and rock safe and reliable????

chema14
06/10/2008, 12:36 PM
oh and one more thing a whats better aquaclear or the emperor? will it work same as a fuge?

oceanparadise1
06/10/2008, 01:05 PM
i use both but since ur tank is small us the aqual clear
i have trhe emp 400 on my big teank and the aqua clear on my small and yes it should come iwth carbon and yes break down a peice of live rock to small rubble size pieces

The0wn4g3
06/10/2008, 01:31 PM
From my experience, Seachem's Purigen works wonders in nano sized tanks.

oceanparadise1
06/10/2008, 01:33 PM
i would have to second that!

NanoReefWanabe
06/10/2008, 01:36 PM
if you look around your LFS...you can usually get nice live rock rubble from the bottom of their rock tank for fairly cheap...

i used an aquaclear50 on my 3 gallon tank, but i am not at all happy with the flow...you may want to get the largest one they have provided it will fit on the back of your tank..

chema14
06/10/2008, 07:33 PM
so the seachem purigen it is???? or aquaclear biggest size?? or em 400???? i will post pics as it starts coming along for sure

chema14
06/10/2008, 07:39 PM
i have the natures ocean bio-active aragonite and just 5.0 pouns of ultra live fiji rock....i had a question i know the plants on the rock will die so like if i ever put a goos coral light on it in like a month would it become a live again with plants and coral or just bacteria???

NanoReefWanabe
06/10/2008, 08:04 PM
unless there are macro algae on your rocks you want it die off..the coraline will die back and if you leave it out of water it would likely die too..Live Rock...only refers to the bacterial content on and in the rock, combined with other macro fauna like pods/ worms/ etc..doesnt usually refer to the macro and micro algae or corals growing on it..

if your tank remains lights out for much more then a week most algae will die off..a light on the tank will help the algae live...

as for filters...get which ever you like best...they are all pretty much the same...and as far as i know can in one way or another be converted to a minifuge..there will likely be a setup in your LFS that will demonstrate the flows of all of them...i know my LFS has a 90 g tank witth all of them hanging off the tank all the way around it..you can listen to them open them and see how much each flows..

oceanparadise1
06/10/2008, 08:06 PM
thats cool i wish my LFS had a setup like that! would be nice

chema14
06/10/2008, 11:17 PM
so i want macro algae.? so what will grow back after its left out? but the bacteria would stay or would i need new rock for a reef tank? so it could cycle well.because you said everything would die off the rock would it be bacterialess?worthless?or that is not the case?i just want to be sure. at my local store they got rock with corals and such as algae and baby sponge like things???? all this information is going down in a journal im making to help me so i can always reefer back to it .

chema14
06/12/2008, 02:04 AM
would it be okay instead of buying the aqua clear buy two plexiglass and make two chambers one with a over flow and the other with a hole for a maxi jet so i can put live rock with some algae but with fish i would need a filter huh? to house like two ar three little fish a starfish and a shrimp or two but it would have corals and anenomes i would have a light what do guys think??????