want to start a nano.. need help picking whats best for me..

[ajespo85]

hi, names tony and im new on rc.. i have a roommate whos on here all the time and has a few tanks himself.. i am getting myself in the hobby.. id like to start off with nano.. something 9 gallon to 24.. i'd like to have corals and anemones in it too.. along with clowns.. something that runs quite and has adequate light to support growth and color.. i'm looking for everyones input on what i should get.. and maybe where i can get the tank i need.. wouldnt mind buying from anyone here if they have what i need.. thanks!

tony

[tims28gnano]

well, congrats and good luck! - - - - - as you can see, I got the 28 gallon HQi nano. It comes with metal halide lights and a protien skimmer. IMO the metal halide lights make a world of difference!

I got mine from Dr foster and smith for $500 with a free stand. Would recomend them, but you HAVE to place order over phone and INSIST that they send the stand one of THEIR boxes with extra padding! I got 2 broken stands and when you are excited to get the LR and live sand in the tank curing the last thing you want is to be waiting for ANOTHER stand to come!!

check out the video I made of my tank, almost one year old and very little work put into it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIwurmIv8hc

enjoy!

[tims28gnano]

and

[welcome]

[ajespo85]

thanks.. i will look into it! im excited to start.. i can sit for hours and just watch the tanks like its tv lol.. i know most my stuff but i'm still learning.. time to get some experience in

[kcreefer86]

welcome..i have a biocube 29..i like it very much..

[JStraz4991]

[welcome]yea

[Crawfishy]

I got the 28g Nano-Cube CF-Quad. It has power compact fluorescent lights, not metal halides. It means I can't keep LPS or SPS corals or clams. My LFS told me otherwise when I bought it (I recommend not trusting the LFS until you verify their info here). There's no protein skimmer but you can buy the JBJ manufacturer's from the Drs. for about $40.

The poster above, tims28, has the Nano-Cube HQI, which has stronger lights suitable for those corals and clams. But it's more expensive by a couple hundred dollars, and you may need a $400 chiller to keep the tank cool because the metal halides are hot.

A new 28g Nano-Cube LED is coming out in December. It all LED lights, not just the four moonlights, so it shouldn't get hot light the metal halides. I believe the lights are strong enough for clams and corals but i'm not sure. Does anyone elso know.

I recommend that you decide what you want to keep in your tank, and then buy the most suitable tank. I would double-check here before buying.

[torero500]

I'd also look at the Red Sea Max 130d. Beautiful tank, stock skimmer works but a bit noisy. If it bothers you, you can replace it with a Tunze 9002 for $150. If you do that you're looking at about $1,000 for the whole setup, but they do run nice and look nice. I think it looks alot better and bigger than a biocube 29 gallon.

[ajespo85]

thanks.. i would like to keep a few LPS and SPS corals.. not so much clams.. i dont want to over stock my tank, but would like to have a few healthy size corals in there.. along with 2 clowns, and a few gobies.. i cant afford what i want, lol.. i just would like something that i know will do the job so i can spend time and money on corals.. eventually i want something along the lines of 30 long and do all coral and few fish there too.. and that i'll pour money into.. but right now just want something to get me going, not too expensive and something i dont have to worry about while i'm working full time.. i know a few brand names.. jbj, nano cube, biocube, but for what i want i dont know how they compare.. lighting wise is the most important, and i do want to skimmer on it too.. thats for sure.. one, when i get rich, lol.. id love a red sea tank.. i think they do an amazing job on their tanks.. one day lol..

[Crawfishy]

thanks.. i would like to keep a few LPS and SPS corals.. not so much clams.. i dont want to over stock my tank, but would like to have a few healthy size corals in there.. along with 2 clowns, and a few gobies.. i cant afford what i want, lol.. i just would like something that i know will do the job so i can spend time and money on corals.. eventually i want something along the lines of 30 long and do all coral and few fish there too.. and that i'll pour money into.. but right now just want something to get me going, not too expensive and something i dont have to worry about while i'm working full time.. i know a few brand names.. jbj, nano cube, biocube, but for what i want i dont know how they compare.. lighting wise is the most important, and i do want to skimmer on it too.. thats for sure.. one, when i get rich, lol.. id love a red sea tank.. i think they do an amazing job on their tanks.. one day lol..

In that case, I'd go for the Nano-Cube 28g HQI with a mini chiller. It's plug and play. With a deal might run you about $8xx - 9xx for the tank and chiller together.

[ajespo85]

thanks.. at least i know what im dealing with now.. cost and all.. ive been looking up tanks and kits.. pricing things out.. so thanks all.. i appreciate and still would appreciate all and any comments/tips/info..

[Crawfishy]

Oh, one more thing. Weirdly, you might need both a chiller and a heater to keep your water temp stable. To clarify, the above cost includes both the aquarium and the chiller.

[ajespo85]

ok.. well i'm going to have to go something cheaper for now.. till i can save up and get what i want.. lol.. but thanks.. i would love to have a nice 20+ tank i can take pics of and show, and be proud of myself for.. but all in dew time!! for now i might have to go towards jbj, or biocube.. those little pico tanks seem cool, but they are too small for me lol..

[Crawfishy]

ok.. well i'm going to have to go something cheaper for now.. till i can save up and get what i want.. lol.. but thanks.. i would love to have a nice 20+ tank i can take pics of and show, and be proud of myself for.. but all in dew time!! for now i might have to go towards jbj, or biocube.. those little pico tanks seem cool, but they are too small for me lol..

You might not need the chiller. Ask around. Do a poll. Then it half the price than with the chiller.

[ajespo85]

ok.. will do

[tims28gnano]

for the record, I have two heaters in the back of my tank $20 each, they go on when the lights go off. The tank began to run hot in the summer so I got an azoo double fan for the back $30 (I think) need to watch the evaporation. If needed, the next step would have been to raise the hood with light legs, but the temp stayed around 79 so I was happy. I was trying to avoid a chiller and think I did!

Also, about 7 months into the tank my lighting transformer blew, I contacted JBJ and they sent me to a LFS dealer to pick up a new one - - NO CHARGE. (was very happy with JBJ that day!)

[ajespo85]

i think i am getting the Nano-Cube 28g HQI.. its what i need and comes with a stand.. it's just going to be a month or so to get it, lol, dont make much carrying furniture all day!! lol..

[Crawfishy]

i think i am getting the Nano-Cube 28g HQI.. its what i need and comes with a stand.. it's just going to be a month or so to get it, lol, dont make much carrying furniture all day!! lol..

Hey, I'm disabled so I probably have less income than you. But I'm taking it slow too. No shame in that!

October payday: After buying the tank with the free stand, water, sand, salt, timer power strip, hydrometer (get a refractometer and calibration fluid instead! I will as soon as I can afford it), aquarium gloves, some LR, etc., I still have to wait until next payday to get the bulk of the LR. (BTW, I bought just a bit of LR from the LFS because they told me theirs is cycled so it would be no problem putting more in later. I would not do that again).

November payday, I'll buy the nano pack of LR from the Drs. and the small pack of dry rock from Marco. It may take a little longer to cycle, but it's way cheaper. The only other thing I need next month is a master test kit. I'll allow my tank to cycle November to maybe January, whenever it finishes.

January payday, I plan on buying my 2 False Clownfish (A.Ocellaris), Orchid Dottyback, and the clean up crew, of scarlet leg hermit crabs, snails, peppermint shrimp, etc. The only decision is whether to buy the ordinary clowns for cheap or buy the Semi Picasso Clowns for twice as much. I might have to wait until February to afford the Semi Picasso Clownfish but if that's what I want, I'll wait.

or February, the spendy Semi Picasso Clownfish and the Orchid Dottyback, if necessary to wait due to finances.

May or June 2010, I'll get my zoas/palys/softies/moderate-light corals (darn that CF light!). Not because of finances but because I want the tank to mature first. And it'll give me time to save up for what I really want.

I might get some of this for Christmas. My family usually asks each other what we want, and they can't wait until I get fish either. It's soothing. We are building a new house (mainly not my income), and I plan on a large freshwater tank in the den. I can't see spending money on a large SW tank because I'm not wealthy. So my nano-cube will be just fine forever. Or I might get a second one, the 28g Nano-Cube LED version, when it comes out later this year or early next. Maybe I can have LPS, SPS, and clams in the LED, unlike my CF tank. The size would still be manageable for me to fill the space without going broke. Then I can use money saved for my life and other hobbies.:p

[ajespo85]

yeah, i dont mind taking it slow.. but that first big purchase is the hard part, lol.. cant wait to get started!!

[lordofthereef]

http://www.youtube.com/user/ipsfdotcom?blend=2&ob=1
Check out those vids for a great starter tank. It is what I did when I had to move to Iowa for vetschool and couldn't bring my tank with me. You won't be doing SPS, but I have had success with LPS under that system. I have expanded it a bit, adding a sump and a skimmer, but the total costs of componenets was far less than $400.00. The "nano cube" branded system are the price they are because of their "plug any play" ability (at least in my opinion). If you really need to have one of these, there are always great deal on craigslist as well as here on the RC sales forums. Generally, though, tanks are pickup only.

EDIT: My tank's vids are in my comment if you want to check out what I have done so far with my little nano DIY. It IS a 10g, but you could easily go 20 or 30 for only 25-30 bucks more.

[ajespo85]

thanks.. ill check in my area for tanks for sale