Am I getting in over my head?

NY11 · 01-27-2005, 12:24 PM

I am in the process of setting up a 5.5 gallon nano reef. I'm new to the saltwater area, and I'm not sure if I'm getting in over my head as a beginner. I have been reading a ton and learning as much as possible, and everyone on the newsgroup makes it sound like it wont be too bad. However, a friend has told me that with such a small tank, it will require constant monitoring daily and could turn out to be a mess....based upon his pet store experience in caring for reef tanks. I don't doubt that it will take some time and effort to get everything up and running smoothly, however once I reach that point, will I constantly be frustrated with changing water chemistry etc? I have read alot about maintaining nano reefs, but everyone seems to say that consistant water changes and weekly testing should keep everything pretty stable. I know alot depends on what I'm planning on putting in the tank, but I was only planning on live rock and live sand, a powerhead, carbon filter, and some soft corals and a few hermit crabs. Hopefully some of you experienced reef keepers can give me some more information, and possibly change my outlook a bit. Thanks for the help.

SPANKYSREEF · 01-27-2005, 12:55 PM

Welcome NY11!

An established nano will be no trouble at all.

As long as you have live rock (6-7 pounds), live sand, and water motion, that will take care of all of your filtration. Use RO/DI water. As for water changes, 1 gallon every other week would be fine. And all you have to worry about is your lighting if you want to keep soft corals. I would go with PC lighting (about 50w). You could make your own hood fairly inexpensively. Hope this points you in the right direction. Those more experienced will chime in soon.....Best of Luck!....And dont worry--this will be a fun--yet expensive hobby..lol...

ski1297 · 01-27-2005, 01:08 PM

One thing to keep in mind is take it slow!!! let the tank set up. Get lots of live rock and you should be good to go. I do weekly testing on my 38gal and bi-weekly 25%-30% water changes. The fun part about saltwater is that it is more hands on the fresh water (Thats what i tell myself). Also welcome this is the best fourm online, any questions post them some very smart people on this page very helpful.

ryan

ski1297 · 01-27-2005, 01:09 PM

Also it sound like you know what your talking about. Have fun

wharyat · 01-27-2005, 01:17 PM

It's not bad, but yes a smaller tank does require a lot of attention. I have a 20g, which I do 10% water changes whenever I think it needs it, normally bi-weekly, sometimes weekly. Once you get into the routine, its no big deal.

Jeremiah · 01-27-2005, 01:27 PM

I had a 5.5 bowfront setup for a while. Only thing that you need to do daily is top off with fresh water. Other then that everything was fine. Another thing to watch out for is dying livestock. For example if you see a dead or dying snail or fish make sure to take them out since it's such a small volume of water it will get nasty quick. Other then that, as others have mentioned, take it slow and have fun...

PS. A great place for nano information is www.nano-reef.com

SPANKYSREEF · 01-27-2005, 01:45 PM

I forgot to mention NY11....Check out the sites Nano forum. You might find some great links that will help you out....All the Best!

Geoff · 01-27-2005, 02:40 PM

Welcome to TRT!!!

The Nano Forum

G~