new nano, 5 gallons, already want to upgrade! questions

oneball

Reefing newb
good evening all! i just set up a tiny 5 gallon nano, 5 lbs of live rock, waited a couple weeks, got a few snails ( nesserius and cerith), one emerald crab, and after another week one peppermint shrimp, and a pistol shrimp because he was on sale. now, a month later, my halamida is regrowing well, i have tube worms and fans, a clam or something similar, etc. Also have one small chunk of palau sinularia.

problem is, i already want more space for corals. i though 5 gallons would be plenty, but i dont think it will be enough. if i were to go get mixed water from my lfs, get the sand and everything ready, slowly transfer my water then rock and all over to it ( even scoop out my sand if i can), would i risk killing all the cool stuff beginning to really come to life in my tank?
 
If you want to upgrade already, now is the time to do it, when you don't have too much in there. Moving tanks will be more difficult if you have more corals in it. As long as your rock and stuff doesn't sit out of water for more than a few minutes, it will be fine. It should be quite simple to transfer everything over to a larger tank right now. Good luck!
 
Thank you for the welcome! The tank I have now is maybe 10-12 inches tall, and the new tank is about that but longer. I'm running one 10w 50/50 right now and having pretty good results I guess, my coral isnt dying yet, the 10 gallon tank I have had room for 2 of those. Think 2 will suffice? The top says I can't go higher than 25w to avoid fires lol. I would like to keep the lid but I've heard good things about these cheaper led outdoor floodlight adjustable bulbs I could hang over it later...
 
You will need to get rid of the top altogether and buy a light made specifically for saltwater aquariums. The one you have sounds like it is for freshwater.
 
has anyone tried a setup with a Dimmable High Power Par38 White + Blue LED Aquarium Reef Corals Grow Light Bulb, 1325w+b?

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Dimmable-Power-Par38-Aquarium-Corals/dp/B004KW1T2C"]Amazon.com: Dimmable High Power Par38 White + Blue LED Aquarium Reef Corals Grow Light Bulb, 1325w+b: Patio, Lawn & Garden[/ame]

i was thinking about keeping the lid and running the 10 gallon, with two of those 10 watts as backup, while hanging one of these over top of it.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top