Edmund Koh

If you are worried about pest, can either go for dead/dry rocks and cycle the tank for 1-2months for the bacteria to built back up. Also saw how Madpetz used large diameter pvc pipes in all of their tanks. Algae wise .. There are cleaning fishes that can help u out on this too

keep an eye out on pasar malam too. Might have a couple of good deals lying around.

There's a bro with a shipwreck in his tank. Might wanna PM him to ask him about where he got his? Can check out his thread at the link below.

Bro, I feel ur frustration on this matter. But with more and more online shops like Madpetz, Gemsurf and Freshnmarine coming up, we can easily get an estimate of the prices of equipments before visiting shops physically.

2ft cube abit too big to do that. Try to make sure that as little as possible sunlight reaches ur tank throughout the day. And when out of the house, try to allow for air in the house to be circulated (maybe have a standing fan running). It usually saves 1/2 to 1 degree for u. I think the worry is that when the hotter months come by, room temperatures can spike to 32-33 degrees and with pumps and lights running, our tanks are usually 1-2 degrees warmer then room temperature. That is a real problem for our corals.

Oh man .. I just realized I sounded like I poured a whole jug of cold water on TS. Really dun mean to. Peace

Your coral chips are bought dry right? I dun think your coral chips would have been ready (biologically) to handle the bio load of that many fishes with only 4 days of running. Without any live rocks, this can be pretty dangerous. Other then coral chips, what other filtration methods are u using? Also I think having rocks or Big PVC pipes (like at madpetz) will be good as it gives your fishes some place to rest and feel safe. Just my two cents

Im getting my nano built by Vincent at the moment. Price wise of cos cannot compare with off the shelf ready made tanks. But I went ahead because I wanted to try something different and off the shelf tanks can't provide that. So the price is justified. Like what Erikokelf mentioned, Vincent's service is fantastic. Honestly .. I have been a rather troublesome customer who have been calling him every few days and he would do his best to hear me out and give advise every single time.

There are some really nice set up on pasar malam. Can check them out to see if they fit your bill

Thanks Harlequin

Just got myself a couple of dead rocks for my new tank no matter how I tried rearranging them, I always find there's something I didn't like about it. Was thinking of using rocks sold by fresh water LFS as they are more uniformed. But not sure if it will be harmful. Wondering if there are any other alternatives to marine rocks that can be used in my display tank and whether it will have similar bacteria housing properties as LR.

Sorry mods.. Just realized I mentioned something wrongly and am not sure how I can edit the above post. Have edited the paragraph and here it is. With a small tank, ammonia from over feed and fish waste/die-offs are easy to build up. Ammonia is harmful and can be broken down by bacteria into Nitrite which is also harmful. Nitrite can also be broken down by bacteria to Nitrates which are not harmful unless present in large quantities. Nitrate can also be broken down by bacteria into safe Nitrogen gas. Bacterias for these breaking down processes are different and would need to be cultivated with the right conditions during cycling. End of the day, Ammonia and Nitrite should be Zero and Nitrate should be kept as low as possible. Hope these helps

Roy, I think ur worry is that the a marine tank maker might not be able to do up a cabinet that fits ur ID style while an ID might not be able to provide a tank with equipments that is suitable for marine. Might wanna consider separating the jobs. Approach a marine tank maker and get them to come up with a tank set. Then give the specs of the cabinet needed for this tank set to ur ID. A lot more work but I do believe it's worth it. a good tank is the backbone of a marine set up.

Hey welcome back to reefing. I'm just returning to the hobby after 7 years too. Like What Obito has said, a sump will give u space to keep all the equipments u have as well as keep filter media that may not look good in your display tank. Before the cycling process, it is also good to include the bio filtration media you want to use. This is because bio filtration needs to be "built up" and the cycling process is a good time for this.

Nano Reef, click on our names and it will bring u to a page with our details. There u can see a "send me a message" button. That's how u PM. How's ur tank coming along?

It's also going to be a permanent fixture if u do it direct to the glass. Maybe can get acrylic and do it on that first then place it into the tank

Whoops! Thought they still had it cos I saw spare parts still being sold. My bad

Hmm.. While you wait for the tank to finish it's cycling process, u might want to read up on how u can maximize the filtration method (mechanical and bio filtration) within your small tank. With a small tank, nitrates (from over feeding and fish waste) are easy to build up so it's important to have a good bio filtration in your tank to ensure this stays at 0. The more established your filtration system, the more fishes and livestock you can add (within the limits as mentioned by other bros). Of cos .. Do have to consider your ammonia and nitrite levels too. Your tank has an IOS so it's good to make full use of it. Think about what filter media/substrate u might want to put in your IOS compartments. There's also a possibility of adding a cheato algae compartment/overflow box (like the one on sale at pasar malam now). You might also want to look into a bigger skimmer. There are lots of articles on the web as well as topics on these here in this forum. Do a good research and I'm sure u will find the right things to add to your tank so it can sustain the livestock u like.

If urs is a smaller tank, can try to freeze distilled water and put those ice cubes in the tank in the morning. can help to keep the temperature low and also "top up" ur tank water

Sometimes it's good to know what it is eating at the lfs too. higher chances of it eating in ur tank if it's the same food.

Was using the Prizm on my previous 2ft tank as well. Produces really think waste and have a large enough collection cup so u dun need to worry about the collection cup overflowing. The downside is that I found it rather noisy compared to other skimmers.