Brand New To Reef Aquariums

J

JasonLee

Reefing newb
I'm getting really bogged down by lots of websites and books that contradict each other. I have a 50 litre aquarium that I want to set up as a nano reef.

From what I can gather other than the tank the only stuff that is really vital is:
Filter
Lights
Heater
Hydrometer

I have purchsed a test kit, salt, base rock and sand.

Live rock is going to cost me $25 per kilogram.

Once set up all I want living in it will be a few coral gobies, 2 peppermint shrimp and some mushroom coral,

Does this sound reasonable???

I'd like any and all help possible please.
 
Good to know that it helped, everything you have said though looks like you are on the right track, Im not sure exactly what you can put in a nano tank but with only a few fish you should have no bio load issues and corals and CUC (shrimps and snails and so forth) wont add too much load to the tank.

As another note, you can purchase part live and base rock, you definitely need the live rock, but that will seed your base rock and turn it live. a very useful little tool to save some money. Mine is still turning live but in 1 month should be covered!
 
I'm mainly looking to have the 2 or 3 coral gobies and a decent clean up crew along with the mushroom corals as everything I've read said that the mushroom corals prefer a lower light level and lower water flows...
Am trying to keep my costs down and have priced the living rock and have a fair bit of base rock.
Would 3kg of live rock be enough for my 50 litre aquarium to get it cycled?
I was planning on having the tank running for about 2 months before I add the corals, fish and the 2 peppermint shrimp but adding the clean up crew after one month....
 
Just make sure the tank is cycled before you add anything, if its cycled after 1 month, thats great!

umm, I put 13kg in when I started my tank, so I would say 5-8 kg would be more ideal.

just make sure, even with mushroom corals your still somewhere close to 4 watts per gallon, it is always preferred to have that amount for all corals but probably can get away with 2-3watts per gallon
 
Hello and welcome to the site Jason...sounds like you're on the right track, Josh has you covered. You'll need 1-2lbs of rock for your tank as your primary filtration...most of it can be base rock and just a few pieces of live rock to seed the rest. 2 months sounds like ample time to allow the tank to set-up, and should be ready for corals. As far a s lighting, a set of t-5's will be perfect for you, and allow you took keep a variety of corals. Make sure you get yourself a power head or 2 to circulate the water. Good luck, and feel free to ask questions before purchasing something, that way we can give you an honest opinion, versus the lfs talking you into buying something you don't need. Ps, we like pics also (hint, hint) :)
 
Seems not enough was said about good flow in this thread. Good flow in your tank will be crucial in keeping nitrates low and the overall tank healthy. You may need to get a small powerhead and put it in the back corner. Many people get a Koralia for this but in a smaller tank they really jut out too much into the tank display. Get a compact, small powerhead for cheaper.
 
thanks for all the great advice everyone and for making me feel welcome. :D
yes Adelaide is in Australia.
I will post pics and stuff as I go along.. ( I get rather snap happy when it comes to things like this!!!)

thanks for the advice guys.
Is a power head really that important or can I just add a submersible filter in the tank along with the hang on filter I already have?

I want to try (and I stress try!!!!) to cycle it for as long as I can before adding the corals and then finally my 2 peppermint shrimps and the coral gobies.
 
I'm just worried about the small amount of space in the aquarium and power heads being too strong for the mushroom corals.... I've read bad things happen to them if the currnet is too strong...
 
Unfortunately, we all need to give up space in our tanks for powerheads. Koralia makes nano powerheads that put out less flow 240-425 gph. Just make sure they're not blowing directly onto the corals and it shouldn't be too much flow for them
 
I forget 50l is pretty small.The external filter might be enough flow.Still,I would skip the internal filter and hold off on the powerhead unless you feel it is needed.
 
THanks everyone for your great advice..... I'm still pretty nervous about setting everything up (cos I know I'm going to get upset over any deaths) but I think now I'm definatly on the right path for setting up my nano.
 

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