Observation tank question

[BuddyBonButt]

Hi, I have a spare tank in my closet. I use it for observation. If I have an outbreak I move said animal to a hospital Acrylic box.

In my observation tank, would it be beneficial to add sand? I already have live rock in there and Rubble in My hob filter.

Question two, this observation tank is for fish AND coral. It has simple led lights strung across the lid. Is this ok for temporary housing of coral? See attached photo for lights.

So two questions:
1. Sand in observation tank
2. Lights ok enough for short coral stays (4 weeks)

PS I already added sand because I'm an impatient man-child.

 

[KrisReef]

If you are going to put photosynthetic coral in the tank for 4 weeks they will not do well and you may watch them starve to death after 3 weeks if those lights are typical fish tank lights.

The sand isn’t bad or good. Wrasses might be glad for it but it’s something else to clean when it gets dirty. Lots of different opinions about sand in qt/observation set ups
I’m so impatient I just dip and dump most stuff.
lets see what other people say.

 

[Gtinnel]

If just using it for observational tank then I would personally add sand but either way is fine. Those lights are not suitable for corals and I doubt you can leave them with those lights for a month. Even if it doesn’t kill them it will still be hard on them.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

If just using it for observational tank then I would personally add sand but either way is fine. Those lights are not suitable for corals and I doubt you can leave them with those lights for a month. Even if it doesn’t kill them it will still be hard on them.

Yeah I figured... need to buy something cheap then

 

[Gtinnel]

Yeah I figured... need to buy something cheap then

There are a bunch of cheap Chinese lights that would be sufficient for lighting that small of a tank. Nicrew and smatfarm come to mind. I’ve never personally used either but I’ve heard mostly positive things about them for the price.

 

[KrisReef]

Yeah I figured... need to buy something cheap then

I got a Kessile light awhile ago and it had to be replaced, under warranty. I purchased a second one while I awaited the replacement. The coral would have been ok but I was glad for a spare backup.
You never know when you will need a good light. You may need to qt a coral long term at some point?

 

[LeftyReefer]

Personally, I would not have used the sand since you said you planned on putting fish in there too for observation. If any of the fish end up having parasites, then the sand will be contaminated too. you would have to discard it or fallow the tank then.

Then again, until that happens, it isn't an issue.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

I got a Kessile light awhile ago and it had to be replaced, under warranty. I purchased a second one while I awaited the replacement. The coral would have been ok but I was glad for a spare backup.
You never know when you will need a good light. You may need to qt a coral long term at some point?

Fair, but I've had some great results from far cheaper lights. Not Blackboxs but cheaper.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

There are a bunch of cheap Chinese lights that would be sufficient for lighting that small of a tank. Nicrew and smatfarm come to mind. I’ve never personally used either but I’ve heard mostly positive things about them for the price.

I use smatfarms, they are great

 

[LeftyReefer]

I use Smat Farm lights too.

also check out noopsyche. They have a new K7 mini light that might work depending on the size of the tank. It has wifi control too.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

I use Smat Farm lights too.

also check out noopsyche. They have a new K7 mini light that might work depending on the size of the tank. It has wifi control too.

It's a 20 gallon. Just curious, if you don't mind, what's your light schedule? Also what percentages do you run it at? I can't really afford to rent a par meter

 

[LeftyReefer]

I run my lights 12 hours on 12 hours off
15/75/75/75/10/15.
i also have an LED bar adding some additional 470nm.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

I run my lights 12 hours on 12 hours off
15/75/75/75/10/15.
i also have an LED bar adding some additional 470nm.

Oh so your tank is like REALLY blue then? Almost have whites off?

 

[LeftyReefer]

Oh so your tank is like REALLY blue then? Almost have whites off?

I don't think that is an overly blue mix. I try to run enough white that my fish show their colors. too much blue and the fish colors get lost. I try to run enough white that I like the look of my fish too.

Saying that, I did tweak my settings a few weeks back and can't remember if I kept those changes or went back to my previous settings. I'll check my lights in a couple hours when they come on and make sure I posted the right settings above. they might be slightly different that what I posted from memory.

What channels settings are you running on yours currently?

 

[BuddyBonButt]

I don't think that is an overly blue mix. I try to run enough white that my fish show their colors. too much blue and the fish colors get lost. I try to run enough white that I like the look of my fish too.

Saying that, I did tweak my settings a few weeks back and can't remember if I kept those changes or went back to my previous settings. I'll check my lights in a couple hours when they come on and make sure I posted the right settings above. they might be slightly different that what I posted from memory.

What channels settings are you running on yours currently?

Mine are default, I don't have any corals yet so I was going to use default and then adjust from there.

 

[i cant think]

Hi, I have a spare tank in my closet. I use it for observation. If I have an outbreak I move said animal to a hospital Acrylic box.

In my observation tank, would it be beneficial to add sand? I already have live rock in there and Rubble in My hob filter.

Question two, this observation tank is for fish AND coral. It has simple led lights strung across the lid. Is this ok for temporary housing of coral? See attached photo for lights.

So two questions:
1. Sand in observation tank
2. Lights ok enough for short coral stays (4 weeks)

PS I already added sand because I'm an impatient man-child.

Personally I would keep the sand if you only plan on using it for observation.
This is due to some fish being highly sensitive to medications (Hoplolatilus chlupatyi for example). So, you can naturally heal said fish if they were to get a disease.

The sand will be good for many fish and not just certain Wrasses (E.g. Macropharyngodon). As for the lights, I agree with upgrading them to something that will be able to suffice for Zooxanthellae - Common mistake is Corals being photosynthetic when they’re instead in a symbiotic relationship with algae, if they get fed then they will give protection for the algae.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

I use smatfarms, they are great

Yeah me too, screw $700 a light lol. Even $400 is too much for me

 

[lion king]

I adjust my observation to the species I;m keeping, sand for when I kept sand dwelling wrasses or other fish that enjoyed a sand bed. I would put a mature rock with micro algaes and introduce pods for grazing fish. Built caves or opened up swimming space catered to the species. Variable flow to adjust as needed and reef lighting. You can get bare minimum reef lighting for around $100 like the current usa orbit, you just need to keep it healthy not concerned with growth.

 

[Rmckoy]

For observation purposes as well as hospital or medicating I wouldn’t use live rocks or sand .

a
Few large pvc elbows or clay pots to provide shelter and hiding places is all I would add .

 

[LeftyReefer]

Another option would to just place a container of sand in the observation tank if you are keeping fish that need sand, like sand sleeping wrasses.

Hi, I have a spare tank in my closet. I use it for observation. If I have an outbreak I move said animal to a hospital Acrylic box.

Say that happens.... if it was an outbreak from a parasite such as ICH, then that sand in the observation tank would be infected with ICH too. You would then need to fallow that tank 45+ days with no fish in order to get the ICH out of the sand and rocks again.

I think it would be easier to go no sand, or just a container of sand if necessary.