Help me put together a 24g Aquapod SPS tank

[clownfool]

I need some input on how I should set up my new SPS tank and how to maintain it and have thriving SPS in it.

O.K. I got a 24g Aquapod nano tank
I really like this tank and plan on having it setup for years.
I have done some research on keeping SPS, and I feel comfortable about my knowledge of what I need, but anyone can help me out if I'm doing something wrong.
So I have my setup and will be starting this tank in the next week or two.
I have a 150w HQI MH, I think that will work.
The 24g aquapod is 19.75" wide, I have a CPR AquaFuge PS Small w/ Protein Skimmer. 19.25"L x 4"W x 15"T

I plan on going Barebottom in the display, because if I put 4in of sand in there, there won't be much water and it will look really small.
The refugium/protein skimmer HOB is going to have about 12pounds of sand in the refugium about 4" deep. The refugium holds an extra 3.5g of water.
I'm not sure what kind of sand I need for the refugium (can anybody tell me what kind of sand to use?).
I always here about southdown sand, I think that is what I'll use w/some live sand from somebodys refugium.
In the next week or two I will be buying some small live rock for the nano, to start the cycling. That rock should do fine as a biological filter and provide denitrification. Is that right?
I'm going to add another pump in the back to increase the flow and to make more flow. The tank came with a Hydor wavemaker. I am considering drilling another hole on the right and installing another Hydor wavemaker with that extra pump. Do you think that will be enough water movement?
The chamber in the back houses a big huge sponge, which I will be removing from that chamber. I also have a JBJ auto topoff.
So I have pretty much everything I need to support the SPS right?
I only plan on having one fish(fairy wrasse) maybe two.
1.Live Rock
2.Protein Skimmer
3.150W Metal Halide
4.Water flow
5.And a two-part dosing of calcium and ALK
6.Refugium plants and sand

How often should I do a water change and what % ?

What else will I need to do to make this work good besides all the water testing kits?
I will be posting pics as this project goes on.
_________________

[mdt178]

Sounds good to me. Suggestions:

1. Get a better protein skimmer.
2. Get a capable PH, one that can lift detritus off of the bottom and into the water column.
3. You don't have to have sand in the HOB fuge.

[MiddletonMark]

Is the tank going to have an open top?

If so, I'd skip wrasses. Even with eggcrate + gutter guard around the top of my tank where the canopy doesn't stretch - I've had a couple wrasses fight their way through somehow.

I too would go for a more powerful skimmer.

As for a refugium ... if you're going BB, go BB through the whole system IMO. If you're going to have a DSB somewhere - just have sand and maintain it well [or shallow and vacuum/replace].

As for water flow, I would give in to one good flow device in the tank [or a small surge, which for a sump-less tank might work well as a place for the heater/etc]. But I'd perhaps wait for a small contrallable nano-stream, else a small seio or mj mod or such.

While I have vastly overkill for waterflow in my tank, I've got a 3' 58g with a 6060 stream, a 6000 stream, and 500 gph from the return. [3000 gph+ in 58g]
If I did it wrong, my corals would have zero flesh on them [too much flow] .... but as is, they get nice varied flow and stuff remains in circulation in the tank for quite a while [food goes past the coral a number of times, as well as stuff goes past the skimmer input a number of times].

Search back a few years for Lunchbucket's nano ... and a few others too. There's been some truly remarkable small sps tanks kept by devoted keepers.

IMO it's not the easiest SPS tank, but if you get water right [and with 2 gallons being a 10% change ... can do them darn nearly daily if needed].

I'd probably aim for 10% changes + keeping very on top of testing/dosing and top-up. I'm often amazed at what my Ca/Alk demand gets to when the tank is `booming' ... and it's easy with limited water volume for levels to drop quick. Then again, if you get a big rubbermaid brute for your newly mixed saltwater ... that 30 gallons can be 10% changes for two weeks. I tell you, those big-tank people at times dream of being able to do this. I dunno if it would be good standard practice, but ease of w/c is useful if you keep up with them + make sure not to swing conditions every time.

IMO a small tank can have highly variable parameters + quickly get to nutrient-heavy states ... and being able to check on it with great regularity [and devotion to testing levels, IME] can make it rock. My wife got me into this hobby with her nano ... and my 58 may be double the size of your aquapod, but has some of the same issues [high alk demand can drop levels fast, overfeeding can cause problems fast] and ease of siphoning out every nook + cranny [in 20 minutes] and that a water change is only a couple buckets for me.

JMO, but small tanks can work in ways different than big tanks ... use the advantages, watch for the pitfalls.

Anyway, opinion. Take or leave it :)

[GSMguy]

ez company has the illest aquapod sps tank

[flyingphish]

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/31339272@N00/320222935/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/125/320222935_abce1cc5b0.jpg" width="500" height="335" alt="" /></a>

150 watt mh pendant
2 tunze 6025 nanostreams
neptune ac jr (controls lights and pumps....6025's are on 15 minute cycles, each on/off)
aquaC remora skimmer
bb, whole system like Mark suggest.

thats it. very easy. stay on top of parameters!! water changes are a snap. you may not need to dose if you change weekly. and avoid swings, thatll kill ya in a mini reef...

[flyingphish]

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=101374&hl=sps