There are European aquariums that use NSW.
Getting the RO/DI will definitely pay for itself with the 24 gal and you can maintain your water quality there and use that water for the 6 gal.
UV sterilizer, probably not worth it.
Skimmer, can be totally worth to cut down on organics and can extend the time between water changes, make sure you get one that is correctly sized to the tank and bio load (or planned bio load)
[quote=“IanH, post:21, topic:1691”]
There are European aquariums that use NSW.
Getting the RO/DI will definitely pay for itself with the 24 gal and you can maintain your water quality there and use that water for the 6 gal.
UV sterilizer, probably not worth it.
Skimmer, can be totally worth to cut down on organics and can extend the time between water changes, make sure you get one that is correctly sized to the tank and bio load (or planned bio load)[/quote]
great point in that the transfer from 24 to 6 will make it more worth it. When the time comes i look forward to mixing myself. As for a skimmer, ive never used one but wouldnt mind having it ran it a cpl times a week. You guys keep it on 24/7?
also wave maker worth it? I think it is, but the ones i seen for 200$+ isnt lol.
I’m building a controller that will cycle powerheads at whatever rate you want (among other things, see Delaware Reef Club). The maxijets with the sureflow mods and the koralias get a little noisy sometimes with some start-up clicking noise, but it doesn’t bother me too much.
I’ll let some of the other folks with better skimmer knowledge answer that stuff.
Baltimore is the most polluted bay around their is no way they would use the natural saltwater.
Do you blame them? ;D
1. UV steriliver worth it? 2. Skimmer worth it?
Uv no, skimmer yes. I think a good skimmer is probably one of the most important elements for any tank, especially a nano. I use the tunze nano doc skimmer on my nano and it kills. It also fit right into the back compartment with 0 mods needed. The only problme with nano skimmers is that the really nice ones are pricey and the cheap ones suck. Ive heard good things about sapphire and euroreef nano skimmers and im sure there are others that are good, but IMO the tunze is the best. Its also probably the most popular in the nano community.
Im not sure why you wouldnt run it 24/7. I know some LPS/Sofite keepers suggest this but it doesnt make sense to me. If the skimmer is really that effective, just feed more ;D Out with the bad, in with the good!
Wavemakers can be one of the toughest things to do in a nano. The BEST route IMO, but probably the most expensive, is a vortech. One of the new MP10s would probably work well for you. Set it and forget it. If its out of your price range, i would stick with two small koralias. Cheap and gentle flow.
i would absolutley run a skimmer 24/7 in the tank. even a crappy skimmer is better than nothing at all. a skimmer is gonna pull out organics and fats etc b4 they break down into ammonia/nitrite/nitrates…
i have seen a few 40 or 50 dollar wave maker type power strips. dunno how well they work, nor am i real sure how well the standard powerheads will hold up to a wavemaker. (i know koralia makes special powerheads designed especially for wavemakers)
looks good man
i never ment to come off arguementative, just wanted to point out the heavy metal issue, they can say its filtered but i would be cautious.
[quote=“TimH07, post:27, topic:1691”]
i never ment to come off arguementative, just wanted to point out the heavy metal issue, they can say its filtered but i would be cautious. [/quote]
hey na, argumentative is fine. I just know reading words and how ppl mean them is different. I really just dont want any bad rep here at all!!! (<—I still love these icons lol)
thank you all for responding, hmm, i do see everyones point. skimmer good! cheap skimmer bad! I do think i will just go with 2 powerheads + the stock one ( it has two directions also) should be pretty good. I dont plan on keeping SPS so everything else should be good.
so another question,
if a skimmer is ran, is there a need for say a HOB filter with carbon? if not, isnt carbon still needeD? are skimmers really loud?
depends on what you want to do, carbon is more practical for removing toxins, for example when you have 2 LPS in a chemical war for space or have some leathers in the tank, if you do water changes enough and perhaps grow some macro you shouldnt have an issue with algae.
edit, a skimmer and a carbon system are 2 different things, not one or the other, the skimmer removes nutrients the carbon removes chemicals. so you can run both if you want to. some GFO (granular ferric oxide) would do nicely for your phosphates if you have them.
see, ive ran my 24aq before, ( crashed ) so ive never really asked pet store people about this. their anwer are always skewed to buy stuff.
I am also interested in a sump… does everyone have 1? also would i need to drill my tank in order to have one?
we are still talking about a 6 gallon tank right? lOl
if you want a sump, use the 6 and buy my 26 bowfront thats for sale >LOL< >LOL< >LOL< >LOL< :think) :think)
I am also interested in a sump... does everyone have 1? also would i need to drill my tank in order to have one?
IMO, the best part of having a nano is having a “simple” system. is the 24g an all-in-one? you mentioned earlier about modding a compartment for a refugium so im assuming it has a false back? i dont think you need anything more than an in-tank(i.e., compartment) fuge, skimmer, and waterchanges for a nano. Sometimes i have to overfeed my nano just to keep my NO3 measureable. IME, keeping it simple is the way to go with small tanks.
Here is a link to my build thread
and some kind of current pics, although it looks nothing like this now >LOL<
lol no for my 24 aquapod.
^^^^your right. simple is best… yes the AQ is all in 1, the chamber where the sponge goes will serve a my fuge
While i was raising baby Banggai Cardinal fish, i had 6 or 7 small tanks set up to raise each small brood by themselves. Of course i got bored and carried away, and justhad to turn all the 15 tall, 10’s 5’s and 2 1/2 gallong tanks into mini reef tanks for them to grow and play in.
My most fun one was the 2 1/2 gallon, with a mini bio wheel filter on it. it started out as a bare bottom tank , but then i added an inch of aragonite gravel, then some rubble rock, and then some shrooms for color. and finally some Botryocladia (Red Grape) growing on some rock to be an in tank fuge. and it was great. a little reef with a 12 watt 50/50 flourescent lamp, growing a dozen little fish.
It was great!
Untill it got too dirty and the hair algae set in.
Cleaning is everything.
( i cant help it lol)
so here are a few updated shots of the 24, aquascape is done. sand is settled and now just waiting out the cycle. the 150 w HQI 14k bulb is on,
that looks awesome dude! cant wait to see it filled in some
Just some shots of my 6 Gallon’s Corals
Reaquascaped today on the 6 gallon. Got the devil sally light foot out, And bout a pom-pom crab. the tank looks alot better plus no more shrimp killer. ill post pics when the dust settles
HERES MY POM POM AKA BOXER Crab
i like the aquascaping should be able to affix plenty of frags to it in the coming months