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ShinyCard255
09/15/2012, 06:41 AM
So I just got an RO/DI unit in the mail the other day for my freshwater shrimp (also tap water TDS is high) and the thought occurred to me that now I can start up a SW tank.

So I'm thinking about starting up a nano tank for my desk. It's going to be the Finnex 4G (http://www.amazon.com/T-4301SL-Finnex-Aquarium-Gallons-Filter/dp/B008BVU50A/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1347712192&sr=8-3&keywords=finnex+4+aquarium) that I'm getting off a fellow freshwater hobbyist who has no use for it anymore.

So now I have a few simple questions. What do I put in the media basket of the HOB? Can I use ceramic rings and sponges like in FW? Will I need a powerhead for this setup to ensure proper gas exchange and flow? Will this light be sufficient or will I need to upgrade eventually? Will this light be able to grow corals? Will I need a protein skimmer? Is there anything I'm missing (have heater)?

Sorry for the onslaught of questions. Figured it is better to ask first than to try myself and fail.

jon99
09/15/2012, 03:38 PM
So I just got an RO/DI unit in the mail the other day for my freshwater shrimp (also tap water TDS is high) and the thought occurred to me that now I can start up a SW tank.

So I'm thinking about starting up a nano tank for my desk. It's going to be the Finnex 4G (http://www.amazon.com/T-4301SL-Finnex-Aquarium-Gallons-Filter/dp/B008BVU50A/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1347712192&sr=8-3&keywords=finnex+4+aquarium) that I'm getting off a fellow freshwater hobbyist who has no use for it anymore.

So now I have a few simple questions. What do I put in the media basket of the HOB? Can I use ceramic rings and sponges like in FW? Don't use sponges or anything else that traps detritus unless you plan on cleaning it out every day. These usually become nitrate producing factories. Elevated nitrate levels are generally not a problem with freshwater systems, but if you're going to to be keeping coral, especially SPS, you need to keep levels down. I would load it up withlive rock rubble. The ceramic rings should be ok too.Will I need a powerhead for this setup to ensure proper gas exchange and flow? Not sure what kind of flow it already comes with, but to give you an idea, many people who keep coral like to have 20X+ turnover rate. With SPS more like atleast 40X+ (so 160gph in your case). Will this light be sufficient or will I need to upgrade eventually? What light did it come with? If it was for a freshwater setup I'm willing to bet that it may be ok for some soft low light demanding coral but will likely need to be upgraded for LPS and especially SPS coral. Will this light be able to grow corals? Will I need a protein skimmer?No necessarily. With a 4 gallon system large and frequent water changes are easy and inexpensive. You can get away with that as long as you stay on top of it. Is there anything I'm missing (have heater)?

Sorry for the onslaught of questions. Figured it is better to ask first than to try myself and fail.

ShinyCard255
09/16/2012, 07:59 AM
Thanks jon99 for your help.

Good thing to know about not using sponges unless I want to clean them everyday. I don't even do that with my FW (only once a month). I'll stick with the ceramic rings and rock rubble.

I'm not sure what the flow is, but I'll find out when I get it and base my decision off of that. If I do need one, I've heard the Koralia Nanos are the way to go, unless there is something more suitable for my tank. I'll try to stay around the 20x mark, maybe 30x turnover rate.

It's the stock like that comes with it... here is the link to it (http://www.amazon.com/CL26SL-Aquarium-Cliplight-including-Moonlight/dp/B003GVSTRG/ref=?ie=UTF8&m=A3E5ELDKVG03PY). "Unlike many scaled nano aquarium lights, our Epoch lights are powerful enough for noticeable coral growth. Recommend for freshwater use as well, as planted aquariums will thrive under this fixture outputting 26W of high par light." Grabbed that off of the description portion of the light. It sounds like it should be able to support corals. I'm planning on staying with softies (sorry, don't know what SPS and LPS stand for, newb here) like polyps, I really like the polyps.

So protein skimmer isn't necessary, but I don't want to do frequent large water changes, so I might look into getting one then just in case

jon99
09/16/2012, 09:38 AM
I've never owned a koralia, but I hear a lot of good things about them. You want broad random flow. Regular powerheads tend to shoot out a jet of water, koralias, tunze, vortechs etc push a large broad flow. The random part is where a wave maker can come in handy. There are different types. The simplest would just turn the koralias on and off at different times to randomize the flow. Once from the left, once from the right, once both at the same time, etc. Coral don't do well if the flow is constant and only come from one direction.


Sounds like that light might work. Try a few softies, if it works out give LPS and maybe SPS a shot. LPS= large polyped stoney coral (like a torch or hammer coral) SPS= small polyped stoney coral (like acropora or millipora). It's a generalization, but most soft coral are the least light demanding, require the least pristine water conditions, and are the easiest to keep. Then LPS, and then SPS. You might be able to keep all three under that light, but you would want the sofites toward the bottome, LPS in the middle, and SPS near the top.


I had a 55 gallon for 4 years without a skimmer. Granted all I kept were the easiest soft coral that prefer more nutrients in the water, but still it shows that skimmers are not 100% always necesssary. For a 4 gallon you would want to look into one that hangs on the back... unless you will have a sump, which I'm kind of doubting. Reef Octopus makes some good skimmers that are well priced. They're not top of the line, but you won't pay a fortune for them either.