bobby
I like to do bad things.
Here's a pic with the lights on the tank. Some days the lights are REALLY white like in the pic and some days it's more yellow. I guess they start up different sometimes. I don't know for sure.
you're also going to want to have a hydrometer, the ones that look like an actual thermometer, not the one you pour water into, this will tell you the salinty of your tank which you wnat between 22 and 26 (mines at a constant 25). Mine has both a tempature gage and the salinty part on it, its a nice addition and only costs around $10 or so.
Here's a pic with the lights on the tank. Some days the lights are REALLY white like in the pic and some days it's more yellow. I guess they start up different sometimes. I don't know for sure.
I guess I dont really know the difference...
A refractometer, usually much more accurate, measures it via the refraction of light through the eyepiece.
- That will be fine. You can research and change later if you want to...Instantocean is the only brand my LPS carries, so i will prolly just use that.
- This is fine to. Save some $ and get an RO/DI when you move to a bigger tank. Your water needs will increase with the size of the tank.I will prolly also just use bulk water from wal-mart, at least with this tank.( I plan on upgrading to atleast a 55gal when i move out in a couple of years.)
- New housing would be needed. They make t5 and PC and MH fixtures for nanos. But Bobby's suggestion would work equally as well with a little DIY.When you say get the t5 light...ehat will i need to by. will the housing that I have now work and i can just buy bulbs, or will I need to buy a new housing AND bulbs?
- I prefer the liquid drops type tester. If I had the $ I would go with a monitoring system and link to my home computer network. But we all have dreams...Test kits...I have heard that strips are fine, but that I should get a liquid test kit. IYO what should I do?
- Get a couple pieces of LR. You may find some on craigslist for cheap. Mail order can get expensive and you someimes need to buy a large amount. The shipping is what makes it costly. But get a couple pieces from craigslist or your local store and then get some cheaper dry rock to fill in. I would see if your local store would give or sell you a small amount of live sand and buy the rest dry. Seeding with dry rock and sand using a small amount of live each will take a bit longer, but in time it will work. And it will save you some money.Live rock seems expensive. Can I get dry rock and just get live sand...will that seed the dry rock? If not, what type of LR is the best for the least amount of cash?
- For a nano I would say it is your call. some have them, some do not. One big reason to have it is to increase your total water volume, thus making "environemtnal swings" in the tank a bit slower. In a nano bad can happen fast so you have to manage your tank very carefully. Your HOB filter can be your fuge if you put a little LR rubble and some cheato algae in it. Or just LR rubble.Also, will i need a sump. fuge? if so, how can I learn more about them, I've searched the net and can't find very good info..
- I would suggest the Koralia nano. It is a proven good product. It may take a while to get it pointed in the "best" position but it is not a difficult task. You just move it or adjust the angle to meet your need. I adjust my PHs every once in a while still. I am still trying to get them "perfect" so to speak.Koralia by Hydor has a PH for nano size tanks, will this be good, or should I get the Koralia 1?
Speaking of PH's...I hear they are tricky to get installed so that the water is moving correctly.. any advice on this?
- It is my pleasure. I have not been doing salt for very long compared to many here. But, as a realtive newbie, my successes and failures are still pretty fresh in my mind.And thanks for your response! I like to get feedback and opinions, so I'm always glad to get them!!
Just got one (refractometer) on ebay for $25ish with shipping.Sounds so much more confusing. hurm...are they that much more expensive than the hydrometer?
Your HOB filter can be your fuge if you put a little LR rubble and some cheato algae in it. Or just LR rubble.