Emily's Ultimate Question Thread

[LeslieS]

All inclusive nanos come in a 24 gallon size as well. I think they are less than $300. It will be more stable than a 12 gallon, but still very managable.

You should talk to Froggie. He had a 6 gallon nano tank with no sump. You will have to keep things that are not that sensitive to parameter shifts, but his tank always looked great so it is definitely possible.

To me it seems that nanos are a lot more day to day work but not as much bother when it is time for water changes, moving the tank, aquascaping etc. So it probably all evens out in the end

 

[digitalreefer]

I made a lot of mistakes when I started my tank... one of the biggest mistakes was not having a sump. The sump adds water volume, gives you a place to keep your equipment and allows you to do testing, water changes, etc. without stressing the fish as much. Also, with a decent return, you can probably take 1-2 powerheads out of your display. In a small tank, the equipment can take a lot of room... I'd rather corals and fish take up that room instead.

 

[ellebelle]

After reading through your whole thread, I think your original choice for an aquapod sounds like a good one, so long as you're willing to keep up with the husbandry side of things. Plus, you can always stock hardy fish and corals that are less sensitive to changes, as Leslie said.

And jhale, you know I'm just messing with you. :hug:

 

[jhale]

yes I know :Blurp:

 

[PalmTree]

Sorry to tag on so late into this thread. When I was 14 my parents wouldn't let me get a tank. Actually they wouldn't let me get a bowl with goldfish. I think you are pretty fortunate that your parents are supportive of you. With that being said I agree that a 24 gal nano is a good start for you because of size constraints as well as budget. Although a larger tank is easier to care for it does cost more as well and requires you to mix more water when doing weekly water changes. Everyone did a fantastic price breakdown for you and gave a lot of sound advice. I would pick up a few good books and do as much reading as possible. And when you get borded of the 24 nano you can set up something bigger. Upgrading has always been fun for me!

 

[EmilyT]

youre right there are 24 gal aquapods for only about $170 with the lighting built into the lid. the nano sounds like a splendid idea and i believe it would look alot nicer in my room(no sump) and because of the fact i wouldnt be able to have a stand it would have to be on top of my dresser. although i would have wanted a shorter/wider tank than the tall nano because of the surface area, a little aquascaping never hurt. i now believe it is possible for a beginner to have a nano and fenner discourages them because he's too lazy to put a whole nano section in his book.(lol) i know a larger tank is 'safer' and could carry more organisms but it just isnt ideal for my situation. maybe after college *sigh* hey how about nextime someone upgrades they dedicate their tank to me? haha! i get to name the fish and everything. yes Palmtree it is a blessing to have the ability to have a tank at this age and i believe 'the parents' will like a smaller, easier, and cheaper tank than one you have to drill and sumpify and building stands and light fixtures and all, but i still understand this is a great responsibility
i cant wait. im going to start posing some other questions now (for real this time).

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Emily if it's any consolation I plan on downgrading to a 24 pod soon but the one with the MH lighting.

 

[jhale]

okay buy the tank already :screama:

 

[ellebelle]

You payin'? :lol2:

 

[EmilyT]

lol jhale id love you to pay for it that would be great! yeah ellebelle, i want the HM one (sunpaq?) but it is 200 dollars more just for the light fixture. would it need less customization than the hood? i would also need like an acrilic sheet or something to seal it up because of the kitties

 

[EmilyT]

but if jon pays for it then fine ill get it!

 

[jhale]

You payin'? :lol2:

oh of course, but too bad I had to pay my taxes today, I'm poor now :irked:
maybe next year E if you let me claim you as a reef dependent then I will
buy you a tank :lol2: it will save me some money :sigh:

 

[ellebelle]

Acrylic would be no problem ... or you could go with some kind of netting as well. That might be better.




Emily, I've never used an aquapod or any kind of nano tank, so I don't know how much customization they need. I've just read in different threads on the boards about how people have had to modify the hood to put different lights on and expand the back in some way to have space for a decent skimmer.

 

[EmilyT]

*sigh* like i can wait another year????
well, you can just pay me back after i buy it
:backtotop:backtotop
ok back to topic.....

 

[EmilyT]

oh sryyy ellebelle we posted at the same time and you definately were on topic!

 

[prattreef]

As I said much earlier in this thread a 24g. plug and play like the Aquapod is a very good choice for you and your situation. I'd also like to repeat my admiration for your maturity and willingness to research, ask questions, absorb the advice given,and exhibit patience.... qualities many of our older ie adult members need to learn to cultivate . Oh and the fact that you publicly acknowledge that your parents are cool needs to be noted

My guess is, when the time is right you won't be spending much on livestock... I suspect we all will pick up the slack there.

Randy

 

[ellebelle]

Randy, your son still thinks you're cool! I figure you've got at least seven years left of being cool.

And Emily, once you have your system all set up and cycled, I'm agree that you can probably convince some of us to let some frags migrate from our tanks to yours.

 

[EmilyT]

yeah my main livestock source will be greenwich aquaria
*jhale jumps with glee*
because i can tell jason takes good care of his fish and i wont have to worry about ich that much
plus i dont want to risk it with shipping
we could have a "give emily all of your livestock" party
it will be fun! but jon doesnt have to get me anything because he's paying for the tank haha

 

[ellebelle]

Did you see this?

http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/sale-trade/24929-ap-24-a.html

 

[DonCisco]

Hi E... let me start by disclose the fact that I am a NANO Freak. I have had a 12G Aquapod for almost a year now.I think that the nanocubes are very easy to keep and fairly good tanks. I made a few modifications to the tank. 1st I upgraded the lighting to a 150W MH pendant. 2nd Upgraded the pump to a Rio 800 (try to go as big as you can, to increase water flow). 3rd I added a protein skimmer ( I have the Saphire aquatics 12G Nano Skimmer and it works GREAT). 4th I added a Hydor Flo for water movement and my corals LOVE IT. You will hear that keeping a nano is much harder than a larger system, and I must say that as long as you stick to the basics like using RO/DI water all the time, test your water parameters at first, (eventually you will see that your corals are growing so you won't test as often). Later I will post a pic of my 12G, and you will see the bio-diversity in my tank. 2 Green Chromis, 1 Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse. 1 blood red shrimp, 1 peppermint, 6 assorted hermit crabs (one is a yr old and it is HUGE), about 10 assorted snails, 1 reef safe starfish. about 16-20 lbs of LR, 20 lb live sand bed. 1 electric red scallop, 1 oyster, 2 coco worms,and about 20 some odd different kinds of coral frags and developing colonies. Yes, it is a jungle out there. So... I vote for the nano cube. Aquapod is what I have, but they are pretty much the same. Best of luck in your quest, and happy reefing (the saltwater kind)