Nano acro advice!
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Reefer6
Community Member
Are you seeing active growth?Green torch, spaghetti leather, hammer, blue stylo (trying it out) , ricordias and rodactis shroom, large toadstool, plate coral and trachy. I think my toadstool is shedding that’s why it’s not opened. Looks waxy so I’m gonna blame it on that lol. Fish- 1x Firefish , 1x clown, 2 pipefish.
Here’s a pic
also thanks for all responses! Didn’t expect so many people to reapond
I have a long-running 'mixed reef' 12g cube, so not far off from your 15g.
My experience: After a few years of success with various coral types, I tried a few Acros. For the ones I had (no-name branching and a plating Red Planet type), I found them difficult to manage in an already packed smaller reef aquarium as they grew very fast and were quite aggressive. So I would say it's interesting to try in a mixed reef, but just be aware that you will likely have to move them on at some point if you do succeed or let them take over most of the tank (unless you were to prune frequently to keep them small-ish).
If I were to keep Acropora today in a small reef aquarium, it would be very much an 'Acropora Dominant' system with just a very few select species that could then grow out to at least resemble a mini colony (most mature Acro colonies in the wild wouldn't even fit in a smaller nano). Once getting to a good size, they would require frequent/consistent pruning and likely additional flow to maintain optimal water circulation in the system.
My experience: After a few years of success with various coral types, I tried a few Acros. For the ones I had (no-name branching and a plating Red Planet type), I found them difficult to manage in an already packed smaller reef aquarium as they grew very fast and were quite aggressive. So I would say it's interesting to try in a mixed reef, but just be aware that you will likely have to move them on at some point if you do succeed or let them take over most of the tank (unless you were to prune frequently to keep them small-ish).
If I were to keep Acropora today in a small reef aquarium, it would be very much an 'Acropora Dominant' system with just a very few select species that could then grow out to at least resemble a mini colony (most mature Acro colonies in the wild wouldn't even fit in a smaller nano). Once getting to a good size, they would require frequent/consistent pruning and likely additional flow to maintain optimal water circulation in the system.
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sheeb
Active Member
Thanks for the info, really helps. I didn’t realize they were aggressive or their needs. I will definitely be investing in a powerhead for sure but I may stick to my blue stylo to see how that does and how my system ages. Then I’ll ask myself if acros will be a good idea or not
minus9
5000 Club Member
The Tunze 6020 isn’t controllable, so it’s a one trick pony. The 6040 will last you for years and will expand with you and fit well in larger tanks. I had two rock’n in my 22g that were controlled by my apex. You can always go with a cheaper Jebao ph’s, but to me, Tunze’s are worth every penny.
Here’s an old pic of my 22g, you can see the 6040’s in the front corners.
Here’s an old pic of my 22g, you can see the 6040’s in the front corners.
Reefer6
Community Member
If you are seeing good growth, IE. plugs being encrusted or noticable growth then I would start adding additional corals until I have a framework built up. If the corals are simply surviving then I would work on stability and hold off on new purchases.
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shootingstar_reef
Active Member
I've used the IM small pump, they work well in smaller tanks I think
Just like there are differences with softies, shrooms, etc., same for Acros. There are species that are not so aggressive and tend to have thinner branches which makes pruning much easier ('Red Dragon' comes to mind) that IMO are more suitable for smaller systems (these types were not readily available when I tried a decade ago).
I had a 'Purple Stylo' for many years and it did very well. I current keep the 'Ponape Birdsnest' and I'd highly recommend this one for smaller aquaria. While it grows fast, it stays relatively compact, doesn't require typical Acro-bright lighting and frags very easily (I restart my colony ever year or two once it has expanded too far).
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Steven Garland
Valuable Member
You do understand how low an mp10 can be turned down right ? Thats the type of flow you need.
I have an MP10,currently running it on a Aquamaxx 24"x10"x10" and I can crank it up pretty high at least the half way before it gets dicey. I have tested it on my 2g (12x6x6) tank and I could run it on the 2nd dot,and a 10" and I can turn it up to about the 3-4 dot and no water comes on.
I promise it would not have been to powerful.
Wrassenaround
Well-Known Member
I second this! As someone that has grown a stag frag to a cantaloupe sized colony in a 20 gallon, stability is key. Weekly water changes, good lighting (prime will do that, I had the same light) and decent flow. Mine didn't have crazy flow but you could see the polyps moving. I didn't dose so I wouldn't worry about that at all and my tank was heavily stocked with a lot of corals. Don't over complicate things and you'll be good.
You can check out my build thread to see what the colony looks like now. Heres a pic from my old tank from January.
Steven Garland
Valuable Member
And if you want to take any advice from anyone and the importance of stability talk to @Nano sapiens !!! Literally the G.O.A.T. ,that tank has been since 2008.
(yes, total play on G.O.A.T) 
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welsher7
Active Member
1: That is a gorgeous tank. Do you have build thread for that tank?The Tunze 6020 isn’t controllable, so it’s a one trick pony. The 6040 will last you for years and will expand with you and fit well in larger tanks. I had two rock’n in my 22g that were controlled by my apex. You can always go with a cheaper Jebao ph’s, but to me, Tunze’s are worth every penny.
Here’s an old pic of my 22g, you can see the 6040’s in the front corners.
2: You are absolutely correct on quality and longevity of Tunze pumps. I have used Tunzes as my flow pumps forever and the few issues I've had Roger at Tunze has resolved very quickly. So in this case you get what you pay for.
I've used two jabeo pumps. One died in under year and the 2nd has been running for almost 2. So they are hit miss but at that price point that is what you get.
minus9
5000 Club Member
Thanks! No build thread on that tank, but it was really kind of a simple set up. I’ve kept nano tanks since I started reefing nearly 40 years ago when I was kid, so that tank was designed for sps. It started with 100% Fiji live rock and I put frags in about a week after setting it up. Weekly water changes and 2 part dosing. It didn’t have a skimmer on it for the first two years, but once it was filled with corals, they drew so much o2, that I had to add one just to keep the ph from dropping too much at night.
This is how it started.
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coming from someone who has been in a situation like this. I had a RS Max Nano running as my nano tank and it matured after I believe a year of fighting Cyano. Then I ended up starting out with Acros such as Millepora, Stylophora, Tenuis ect… These guys hate not having stability and with a low amount of water, it wasn’t great. They kept getting issues and many were on the brink of death until I got a 25 gallon tank (100 litres). It sounds like a little amount of water was added but it really came and helped. I now can hold stability, and I’m growing everything that was dying (Including a Deresa Clam). You may find that in a smaller tank it gets more frustrating however there’s always the solution to try and get additional water to help with things like stability.
sheeb
Active Member
Yeah I ran my mp10 on the 4th setting in my im 25. I believe it was 24 “ L. It worked great for that but even at the 1st or 2nd setting I thought it’d be too powerful, should’ve tried it before I sold it! Maybe I’ll invest in another or get a tunze 6040You do understand how low an mp10 can be turned down right ? Thats the type of flow you need.
I have an MP10,currently running it on a Aquamaxx 24"x10"x10" and I can crank it up pretty high at least the half way before it gets dicey. I have tested it on my 2g (12x6x6) tank and I could run it on the 2nd dot,and a 10" and I can turn it up to about the 3-4 dot and no water comes on.
I promise it would not have been to powerful.
sheeb
Active Member
Yeah, after college and (maybe during) medical school I plan on getting a permanent tank that’s at least 40 gallons. Then I think I’ll get more into acros and sps but at the moment I’m not sure if I have the time and patience for it lol! I love my mixed reef with torches, shrooms and flow-ey corals. Thank you guys for all the advice! It really helps out
homer1475
Figuring out the hobby one coral at a time.
I personally think an MP10 would be way overkill. 1 PH is never enough flow even in a nano. You end up with 1 way laminar flow. Yes the MP10 can be turned way down(I have 2), but again thats 1 way laminar flow.
Multiple smaller PH's would be suggestion. This way you can have an ebb and flow to the water. The idea is to have chaotic flow, and with multiple smaller heads that can be created, where as 1 PH, again its 1 way low.
Multiple smaller PH's would be suggestion. This way you can have an ebb and flow to the water. The idea is to have chaotic flow, and with multiple smaller heads that can be created, where as 1 PH, again its 1 way low.
