5.5 gal reef!

[tureefik87]

I'm in the process of setting up my mini reef, it's a 5.5 gal tank. I'm looking to home zoas and possibly sps at a later time. What would be the best led lighting system to purchase? I'm not looking to spend an arm and leg for a light.

This is the first nano tank I'll be caring for. I've been reading up on maintenance for nano reefs. It was suggested to do weekly water changes of 10-15% while trying to disrupt as much detritus as possible. For you seasoned nano reefers what would be the best practice with your tanks?

 

[fishroomlady]

cute little tank!!

 

[tureefik87]

The tank got wet today, added live rock and sand. I have a HOB filter running with rubble rock in it.

Plans:
2 pajama cardinals
Several types of Zoas
Sps corals
Led system to support both

 

[leptang]

Automatic fresh water topper, nano's can get to salty quick. And keep it in the coolest part of your home.

 

[tyler1503]

I've never had an issue with evaporation in my 5gal, but I have a lid on mine. Temp is a big problem for me though, definitely keep it somewhere cold or with aircon it's far easier to heat a nano rather than cool it.
I found the best way to keep nutrients down was to turn off all the pumps and use a turkey baster to blast the rocks and siphon the muck out.
Also, when it comes to stocking, a little goes a long way. I see people with tanks around this size and they have 20-30 frags in there. In no time at all those frags are gona outgrow the tank and look like crap. I have 5 corals in mine and a few mushrooms and I'm looking for room to put stuff.
Just my 2c

 

[tureefik87]

Automatic fresh water topper, nano's can get to salty quick. And keep it in the coolest part of your home.

I have it on my kitchen counter which stays at a consistent temp.

 

[tureefik87]

I've never had an issue with evaporation in my 5gal, but I have a lid on mine. Temp is a big problem for me though, definitely keep it somewhere cold or with aircon it's far easier to heat a nano rather than cool it.
I found the best way to keep nutrients down was to turn off all the pumps and use a turkey baster to blast the rocks and siphon the muck out.
Also, when it comes to stocking, a little goes a long way. I see people with tanks around this size and they have 20-30 frags in there. In no time at all those frags are gona outgrow the tank and look like crap. I have 5 corals in mine and a few mushrooms and I'm looking for room to put stuff.
Just my 2c

How often did you service your tank? I definitely don't plan on overstocking the tank. At this point of time I plan on leaning how to care for a nano and once I feel comfortable and confident I can home corals I will get some.

 

[tyler1503]

There's a mentality in this hobby that nanos are super hard and you need tons of experience to keep one. To be honest, thats a load of crap. I've had much more success with my 5 gal than my 24. My 5 was my very first marine tank and I had no experience. Just make sure your fish are eating well and you do plenty of water changes. It's so much easier than people would have you believe. As long as your patient, you'll be fine!
At one stage I was doing 10-20% water changes a week. I changed that to about 1% a day. I had amazing colour when I was doing the daily changes, but minimal to no growth. The tank is now at the point were it's pretty self sufficient and I only do water changes about every month or so, if that. Besides feeding I don't really do much to the tank at all.
I really want to start doing water changes, but I'm getting decent growth at the moment and don't wana mess that up lol.

 

[tureefik87]

There's a mentality in this hobby that nanos are super hard and you need tons of experience to keep one. To be honest, thats a load of crap. I've had much more success with my 5 gal than my 24. My 5 was my very first marine tank and I had no experience. Just make sure your fish are eating well and you do plenty of water changes. It's so much easier than people would have you believe. As long as your patient, you'll be fine!
At one stage I was doing 10-20% water changes a week. I changed that to about 1% a day. I had amazing colour when I was doing the daily changes, but minimal to no growth. The tank is now at the point were it's pretty self sufficient and I only do water changes about every month or so, if that. Besides feeding I don't really do much to the tank at all.
I really want to start doing water changes, but I'm getting decent growth at the moment and don't wana mess that up lol.

I hear you, patience is tough in this hobby. I'm also in the progress of setting up my 135 gal tank. I decided to set up my nano to fulfill my saltwater fix haha! If my tank does get hot, what would be the best way to bring down the temp safely? What lights do you have on your tank?

 

[tyler1503]

I hear you, patience is tough in this hobby. I'm also in the progress of setting up my 135 gal tank. I decided to set up my nano to fulfill my saltwater fix haha! If my tank does get hot, what would be the best way to bring down the temp safely? What lights do you have on your tank?

Haha yea mine was just to hold me over till I got a bigger tank, which wasn't for like 2 years. Then I got a bigger tank and still wanted more and more room.
I use coke bottles full of tap water and freeze them. When the temp rises, I float the bottles till it melts, rinse off the salt water and stick it back in the freezer. I also make sure I have one in there I don't use in case of an emergency. You have to be careful in such a little tank though because it will displace a lot of water and can spill over the sides. I found that out the hard way lol. Also if you have corals up high you don't want freezing water bottles bumping into them. You could also keep a 5 gal bucket of premixed water in the basement or somewhere cold so it stays well below safe for aquarium type temperatures, heat it to what temp you want it at and do a water change. Those 2 methods have worked best for me
I have terrible lights lol. I have a 9W 50/50 PC but it grows lower light LPS just fine. I have a 9W par30 led coming in the mail though, so hopefully that'll be worth it!

 

[tureefik87]

Haha yea mine was just to hold me over till I got a bigger tank, which wasn't for like 2 years. Then I got a bigger tank and still wanted more and more room.
I use coke bottles full of tap water and freeze them. When the temp rises, I float the bottles till it melts, rinse off the salt water and stick it back in the freezer. I also make sure I have one in there I don't use in case of an emergency. You have to be careful in such a little tank though because it will displace a lot of water and can spill over the sides. I found that out the hard way lol. Also if you have corals up high you don't want freezing water bottles bumping into them. You could also keep a 5 gal bucket of premixed water in the basement or somewhere cold so it stays well below safe for aquarium type temperatures, heat it to what temp you want it at and do a water change. Those 2 methods have worked best for me
I have terrible lights lol. I have a 9W 50/50 PC but it grows lower light LPS just fine. I have a 9W par30 led coming in the mail though, so hopefully that'll be worth it!

Im looking to purchase boost leds with a goose neck clamp. Trying to find a good light for a nano tank is a struggle. The ones that are good cost alot. Where did you purchase your lights by chance?

I will definitely try the frozen coke bottle method. Thanks again!

 

[tyler1503]

Im looking to purchase boost leds with a goose neck clamp. Trying to find a good light for a nano tank is a struggle. The ones that are good cost alot. Where did you purchase your lights by chance?

I will definitely try the frozen coke bottle method. Thanks again!

Yea that was my biggest issue when setting up the tank. Not knowing a thing about LEDs doesn't help lol. I can't justify dropping hundreds of dollars to light a 5 gallon tank unfortunately.
I got my bulb and an adapter (it's a different connection) for $7.50 on eBay.
The coke bottle is by far the best I've found. Fans work well too, but then you'll have ridiculous evaporation which can be hard in such a small amount of water.

 

[tureefik87]

Yea that was my biggest issue when setting up the tank. Not knowing a thing about LEDs doesn't help lol. I can't justify dropping hundreds of dollars to light a 5 gallon tank unfortunately.
I got my bulb and an adapter (it's a different connection) for $7.50 on eBay.
The coke bottle is by far the best I've found. Fans work well too, but then you'll have ridiculous evaporation which can be hard in such a small amount of water.

I've been battling the temp, unfortunately I don't have a coke bottle so I'm using my sons formula bottles. I'm actually going to perform a time study on the temp decrease for others to reference.

Tyler, could you send me the info on the specific light you purchased?

 

[leptang]

I'm thinking about doing a experiment keeping a nano tank in the kitchen near a gas stove or the utilitie room with a gas water heater that gives off co2. Then with a nano tank of the same size and same fish type and coral type in a room with lots of plants with the door shut. I would like to see the out come of the ph and alk and calcium needs of the two similar nano tanks in the long run. It maybe a little off topic, but thats a plan of mine in the future.

 

[tureefik87]

I'm thinking about doing a experiment keeping a nano tank in the kitchen near a gas stove or the utilitie room with a gas water heater that gives off co2. Then with a nano tank of the same size and same fish type and coral type in a room with lots of plants with the door shut. I would like to see the out come of the ph and alk and calcium needs of the two similar nano tanks in the long run. It maybe a little off topic, but thats a plan of mine in the future.

Please share your results! I turned down my heater to 71 F, the temp is slowly decreasing. Once the temp is stable I'll determine if ice is necessary.

 

[tyler1503]

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=201135754839
That's the exact one I bought. I took advantage of the make an offer and got it down to $6.50 from I think $7.99.
It's good to see hobbiests getting in on experimenting like with the temp and co2 like you guys are. You'll learn so much more doing it yourself than you would reading scientific papers about the exact same thing.
Just one suggestion with the temp experiments, perhaps try different liquids in the bottles to see what cools more efficiently? Just a thought
I used to fill mine up with new salt water and freeze it, remove 600ml (the volume of the bottle) from the tank and float the bottle without a lid on it. It would melt thus cooling the tank, but it would also serve as a small daily water change I spoke about earlier. I found it dropped the temp quicker, but it didn't last as long.

 

[tureefik87]

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=201135754839
That's the exact one I bought. I took advantage of the make an offer and got it down to $6.50 from I think $7.99.
It's good to see hobbiests getting in on experimenting like with the temp and co2 like you guys are. You'll learn so much more doing it yourself than you would reading scientific papers about the exact same thing.
Just one suggestion with the temp experiments, perhaps try different liquids in the bottles to see what cools more efficiently? Just a thought
I used to fill mine up with new salt water and freeze it, remove 600ml (the volume of the bottle) from the tank and float the bottle without a lid on it. It would melt thus cooling the tank, but it would also serve as a small daily water change I spoke about earlier. I found it dropped the temp quicker, but it didn't last as long.

What base are you using, clamp gooseneck? Really want to purchase one that is inexpensive, sorry for all the questions.

 

[tyler1503]

What base are you using, clamp gooseneck? Really want to purchase one that is inexpensive, sorry for all the questions.

All good, no need to apologize!
I'm gona use an old desk lamp. I think I might just sticky tape it to the back of the tank lol. But seriously, I haven't decided how I'm going to attach it to the tank. I think I may make a frame out of PVC and glue the lamp to the frame. That way I can adjust the height by adjusting the PVC. The lamp cost me $4, so all up this a brand new reef capable (I hope) nano led light cost me $11.50 lol.

That broken red bit part way along the cord is part of the horizontal base that keeps the lamp upright. I removed it so the fixture can be mounted to the PVC

 

[tureefik87]

Now that's a bargain led haha! What's your thoughts on this light, click link
Wave-point 12-Inch 16-Watt Super Blue and DaylightMicro Sun LED High Output Clamp Light:Amazonet Supplies
Reviews seem promising, although reviews on supporting hard corals were not positive. I was thinking getting this light with a timer. I'll home zoas and some softies.

 

[tyler1503]

I was looking into these a while ago. Doesn't seem too bad for the price for lower light corals. One bloke said he had a pocillopora in his tank and it was doing ok so it can't be a horrible light lol.