Newbie from manila

[jvslim]

Hi! I just bought myself a 15 gallon tank and decided to make it a nanoreef. I just started 3 and a half weeks ago and I was wondering if some of you guys can give me tips on how to maintain and improve my nanoreef. I used local saltmix and let it mature for 2 weeks with 5 kilos of live rocks. I also added cycle solution in it to hasten maturity of water. I dont have a skimmer coz I cant find a small one to fit in it... I am using a Sea Quest overhead filter with a powerhead (700L/hour) and an aerator. I have 4 damselfish in it and a bubble coral. It seems ok at this time but I dont know if its gonna last.... Need advice from you guys!

[9fishers]

Hello and welcome aboard!!!! You'll get a ton of advice (prolly more than you really want). Lets back up a minute.....
do you have live sand? Do the math for me...how much is 5 kilos? You can have anywhere from 5lbs to 25 lbs of live rock. The more LS and LR you have, the better. Its natures own filtration system.
Next, do you have test kits available? You need to watch you ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. You didnt mention tests but you prolly should have tested the water prior to adding any fish. Saying that, now that you have Damsels, I think you'll eventually regret that decision. They are EXTREMELY territorial and just plain ol' mean. But they prolly helped the cycle along. Is it possible for you to get a book on reefkeeping? I learned as I read about all the mistakes I had already made. There is an archive here at TRT that prolly has info for just starting a new tank.

Just keep asking questions!!!!

Again,
WELCOME to TRT!!!!

[ckreef]

Yea 4 damsels in a 15 gallon seems like a small disaster waiting to happen. If it was me I would get rid of all the Damsels and try a mated pair of clown fish or a clown and goby combination --- Either way 2 fish is more than plenty for 15 gallons especially without a skimmer.

[trodder]

If you are looking for a skimmer try the link below. Offer them $40 plus whatever actual shipping is to you. Although that may be a bit expensive. The skimmer is a Red Sea Prizm. It is a Hang On Back style skimmer... but is low profile. I have one on my new 10 that I started and it is excellent for the job.

Red Sea Prizm Skimmer 4 Sale

[jvslim]

thanks!... i'll be taking notes from you guys! i used around 15 lbs of live sand and 12 lbs of live rocks.... my damsels are very territorial. They have their own places and are not attacking each other though. I'm concerned with the bubble coral I placed... It's still alive but I don't think its gonna live long although there are no signs of dying yet. More advice please!

[ckreef]

I guess the next big question is What type of lighting --- wattts, bulb choice ect.... --- do you have ???

As for the Damsels --- most likely they will eventually start tearing each other up.

[great_joe]

ey jv, im from the philippines too im planing to a start a mini reef sometime this month, just wondering where u bought the live sand i couldnt find any in cartimar or in the petshops in manila

[jvslim]

my friend gave it to me... he ordered from the states and gave some to me..... but you can use crushed corals instead then use around 6 kilos of live rocks. before putting anything on ur reef put 4-6 capfuls of cycle solution to hasten maturity of water... gudluk! try buying live rocks from mang jun at the back of cartimar.. it will only cost you around 15 pesos (30 cents) per kilo. buhay na buhay ang mga live rocks nun ni mang jun...

[great_joe]

alryt thanks man

[jvslim]

no prob!

[yardboy]

Good luck with your reef jvslim. I looked all over Cebu and there wasn't a saltwater store in sight. Too bad, I guess everyone who wanted to just went to the reef outside of town! If you can get to the sea, you should be able to scoop up all the livesand you can carry, just don't do it in a bay, or too close to Manila. You guys are close to Boracay, that'd be a cool place to go.
Bubble corals are very common off Cebu, but they do require a lot of light, and man is electricity expensive there!
Once again, good luck. While you can get most hardware from the States, it takes forever and a day to get it shipped to you.

[jvslim]

thanks yardboy... yeah, hardware there in the states are good but the shipping is way too expansive and the wait is too long. So we buy our equipment at cartimar in pasay, mostly are made in china and are extremely cheap compared to those from US, germany, europe but are also effective... Great joe, try getting sand when you go diving or snorkling.. probably in anilao or boracay... or anywhere far from manila bay! kadiri dun e! hehehehe cguro alam mo na yun di ba?

[great_joe]

yeah thats wht im planning to do gonna go to anilao next weekend, hehe i dont know if theres still any thing living under manila bay ............. you mentioned there are good hardware in cartimar... do you know any shop selling metal halides there or even vho's and a decent and resonably priced chiller? man i chcked out bioreaserch... the chiller they have was 150 thou hahaha and that was even on sale.... btw how do you keep your tanks temp stable?

[jvslim]

the majestic shop in cartimar beside the sera dealer near the skinita (dump area), they sell chillers.. the cheapest is like 8 thousand, i'm not sure?.. i forgot.. probably less than 20T...

about equipments.. try asking the equipment shop at the back of cartimar, they only sell equipment, feeds, and other aquarium essentials... you can order from them i guess..

about the temp.. i just started my reef about a month ago...... my freshwater aquariums are getting most of my time and my funds... so i havent think about buying a chiller for my reef.. maybe this christmas...

[great_joe]

thats good to hear ill probobly check it out somtime