New tank setup

[erichokk]

Hi there ,

I am pretty new to Marine fish. Currently I have a 1ft tank with only a clown fish and a cleaner shrimp. lucky they manage to survives for a year now.

I wanted a slightly larger tank (due to space constraint and wife permission ...sigh), thinking of getting a 2ft x 1.5ft x 1.5ft tank, I know it is very small but that is all I could have. Also hope could increase 1 or 2 more fish in the new tank.

Any advice for the type of filter system that I need? I read undergravel filter is the most traditional and cost effective type, but I am concern whether is such a small tank could house the filter.

[dreamzcape]

dude...yuo have been keeping a 1ft tank with survivors for over a year. Maybe you'd like to share with us what you have been doing.

The way i see it, since the larger the tank the more stable your water conditions. for a 2ft u can opt for various methods, u can try Hang on back filter or sump or maybe an inbuilt overflow system.

depends on what u have in mind, perhaps u'd like to share

[hondaker]

using undergravel filter means u need to have a larger sand grain so that the substrate wont get sucked into the pump powering the filter

i've used this setup when i started out, and i've encountered food getting stuck onto the suction created by the filter. this will leave the food to decay, thus adding nutrients to the tank

what most people are doing, is trying to get as much flow as permitted, to lift off as much food/debris off the sand bed into the water column, and use a skimmer to mechanically filter off the debris

the methods of filtering commonly seen here would be for nano would be

1) hang on back filter (have seen some monsterous sized ones around)

2) canister filter (get eheim if you can afford, and these canisters can put activated carbon to help in chemical filtration

3) sump (if you could afford the space, this would be the best IMO, as your equipments can hide in the sump tank, and this method gives the best overall extra water volume for your system)

maybe you can give a description on your planned setup area, whether there is space for sump/equipments, as well as budget

i believe with more infomation, our bros here are more well equipped to assist you in setting up your new tank

cheers

[colinsoon]

1) hang on back filter (have seen some monsterous sized ones around)

hahaha bro... refering to mine rite... so bad...

[hondaker]

hahaha bro... refering to mine rite... so bad...

eh, how u know sia?

haha

think your filter can be modded to become a refugerium like those US guys leow

so big

keke

[colinsoon]

hmmmm... sounds like an excellent idea... hahaha... now i noe how to resolve my refugium problem le... hahahaha...

[dreamzcape]

eh monster HOB ah...i wanna see! which brand u using?

[hondaker]

eh monster HOB ah...i wanna see! which brand u using?

dreamzcape, come hall 12 see colin's tank la, his block a lot of nanos around

i've already been there yesterday night to bio leow

haha

[erichokk]

Thanks for the advice, I had a bad start initally, killed some fish along the way. It all started when my wife saw a shop with a 1ft display tank with fishs, so she wanted one too, but now she has loss interest and I have grown into it.

My existing tanks originally has only a "water fall" hanging filter, eversince my fishs start dying, I had modified it to include active carbon, a poly filter media and Biohome ceramic. Since then the water condition has stablized, I can acheive 0 ammonia but NO2 can only reach 0.2mg/l. I had to perform weekly water change of 10%. I use only natural sea water from Reborn.

Will try to post the picture of my tank and filter later.

The new tank will sit on the dinning table (usually we dont have dinner on this table, so it is under utilised), hence, space is a concern. I dont think I will have the space for sump tank. So canister filter or hang back filter will be most appropriate.

Any recommendation on shops that is trustworthly? One of my friend recommend a shop in Yishun Central rd, they have quite a lot of equipment for sales and I saw their sales person recommending things to shoppers, not sure whether can trust them. Any comments?

[erichokk]

Sorry forget to ask what is a an inbuilt overflow system.

[hondaker]

erichokk: IOS (Internal overflow system) is an overflow compartment built into the tank itself, with drilled holes for sump output. Since you don't plan to have sump, we can forget about this

The 'water-fall' filter is the hang on filter we were talking about, for a small tank (2ft or less), it is still alright to use.

What is your feeding habit? For 1 clownfish, i think the NO2 should be undetectable if you feed sparingly. Use frequent water changes to dilute the NO3 concentration.

Yishun central? Is the name aquastar? Their equipment are normally cheaper than other LFS, but have an idea of what equipment to buy before heading down. Normally the LFS people will try to sell all sorts of equipment, which some we don't really need.

Best advice is to see the setup on some of the nano tanks in the nano-forums. Then you will have an idea of what stuff to purchase.

Happy reefing~

[erichokk]

Yup it is aquastar. Thanks for the advice.

[chercm]

i would recommend Aquamarin Aquatic Pets at Jalan kayu and get some tip from john and janet