Nano Tank help

[_Petra_]

i would really like to start a 3-5 gallon nano marine (obviously) tank and didnt really know how to start. i am fairly new to the saltwater community so i have a couple of questions:
-how do i start it up? like what materials do i need or do you know of a good pre set up one that i can buy on amazon.
-how much live rock do i need and what corals/ anemonies could i add that wouldnt get too big? i also would like to put 1-2 ocellaris clowns in the tank.
-how long should i wait to put the fish in/ what should my water parameters be to safely put fish in. (i have had freshwater tanks and dealt with cycling but i dont know much about saltwater)
-what things should i test for regularly water parameter wise
-what trusted brands should i use for salt, calcium, fish food, or anyhing else i need.

 

[ryanfakhouri21]

So I have had my 10 gallon for a year and half now and don't really recommend going to much smaller. Five most important things I would say is first power head,rock, sand, light and reactor. Then if possible put a nano skimmer on it. You will also should invest in rodi water. A good start on rock is pound per gallon. Some coral you can put depending on light you have is lps and softies. Mushrooms do good in low light. But you could also do zoo anthads green star polyps and pulsing Xenia. For that small of a tank I would only put one fish in with a clean up crew. A lot of people will put a fish in the day after its set up to help the cycle clowns are pretty tough too. If your going to have corals I think you should just pick up two kits from Red Sea would be pretty good I forgot the name but one has the basic no3 no2 ph alk and a cupple others. And then get the calcium magnesium and alk pro test kit. Salt I also recommend Red Sea either one you get will be fine and since it's so small you can rely on water changes with the salt to dose your mag cal and alk for you. You can do frozen food mysis or pellet food spectrum Thera is what I use for my clown. And something to mesure your salt level with. ( 1.022 to 1.025) is what you should keep it at

 

[ryanfakhouri21]

in the reactor I would say you can do brs mini reactor with gfo and carbon I recomend rox 0.8. (Reacter >>>> hang on the back with carbon.) Lighting you can do anything from t5 to led I went the led route and put a kessil ae160 tuna blue and I bought there spectral controller. I would wait about a month befor you put your first coral in. happy Reefing

 

[FindingEmily]

There's lots of stickies that are extremely useful for beginners. Read those. As for:

Materials: What do you mean by pre set up?

Rock: Most people go with 1 to 1 1/2 pounds per gallon for live rock. I have found this to not be as true if you use dry (no water weight = less weight). For example, I have a 29 gallon and used about 26 pounds of dry rock. But it also depends on how much room is in the tank, how big the rock is, etc. If you're doing 3 to 5 gallons. I'd probably only stick to 1 fish.

Waiting time: People don't really use fish to cycle their tank anymore. Let the tank cycle naturally, or add shrimp/ammonia/ghost feed (whichever your heart fancies) and let it do its thing. The vast majority of people around here will advise you to wait till AFTER the tank has cycled to add any sort of livestock.

Testing: You can test for anything you want, but when starting you really only need to test for ammonia. Then nitrate. Then nitrite. Get a refractometer (including calibration fluid) for testing salinity. You can monitor pH (is usually on the low end for new tanks).

Brands: There are many different brands to choose from. Some are created equal, some not so much. Do research (Google is your best friend) and ask questions. Read other build threads (especially the nano ones) and see what did and didn't work for others.

 

[LetItReef]

Basic marine test kit. API works for me- such as Nitrates, ammonia and PH.
Nano Koralia powerhead
25-50 watts heater
Refractrometer- aim for 1.023-1.025
HOB filter works for nano- look into Aquaclear or Topfin . I am using HOB to hide the filter and for bag carbon-chemi pure
Live sand- look into Carribsea brand
All of the above can be purchase at Amazon
I am using distilled water ,purchase from Target or Walmart
Instant Ocean for salt brand

 

[Bunnee911]

I like the API tests. They are easy to use and perfect for a beginner to learn with.

If you have a local pet store, you can purchase your salt water and live rock there. I used distilled water until I purchased my RO/DI.

Seachem makes an ammonia badge you can use to monitor your cycle. I have one in each of my tanks and glance at them often.

Amazon has inexpensive ph meters. I like them too. ++ on the refractometer also.