Going to Setup a 30-gallon nano reef Any suggestions?

[Titan Trigger]

Hi all,

I am new to this site and forum but am excited to see so many valuable information. I am a seasoned marine fish-only keeper and have a 210-gallon fish-only tank. However, I am thinking to start a nano reef with a 30-gallon all-glass aquarium that was my qurantine tank. Here are the items I plan to get and would like to hear what you think:

40 lbs of live sand (Arag-Alive)
40-50lbs of live rocks
Fluval 204 filter
Turbo-Twist 3X UV Sterilizer (9W)
Any lighting suggestions? I prefer buying commerically made ones instead of DIY kind.

Evetually, I would like to have a manificant anemone and a pair or two pairs of clownfish. What kind of corals should I start with? mushrooms? It will probably take me a month or two to let the tank fully settled before adding anything.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Ken

 

[ChrisRD]

Hi Ken, and welcome to Reefs.Org...

If it were me, I'd skip the Fluval and the UV and get an AquaC Remora (hang-on protein skimmer). Get a powerhead or two for circulation as well. IMO, there's really no need to buy the bagged "live" sand product as it probably doesn't contain much that is actually alive. A regular inert sand will become live sand once in your system for a while anyway (seeded by the life on the live rock), so IMO it's not worth the money.

Also, I would recommend against an anemone. If you do some more research on them I think you'll find that their survival rate in captivity is generally poor. Check out this thread that's currently running in our main forum for some more information: http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=40142 Your clowns will thrive with or without a hose anemone.

Don't forget to check out some of the excellent resource material in the Reefs.Org library as well...

HTH

 

[ChrisRD]

Any lighting suggestions? I prefer buying commerically made ones instead of DIY kind.

Oh, sorry, missed this question above. What you do for lighting really depends on what you want to keep for corals. There are lots of options including metal halide, PCs, VHOs, T-5s, etc.

What kind of corals should I start with? mushrooms?

Yeah, mushrooms are a good coral to start with as well as zoanthids. Just don't plan on getting rid of them once they're established!

 

[Lostmind]

I think your 30 gallon tank is too small for that anemone anyways? Don't they grow larger then 18" across?

What else do you want to keep in your tank? Fuzzy sticks (sps) or bright coloured fleshy stuff (lps/softies)? Then the people here can help you out a bit more

 

[Titan Trigger]

Thanks for all the replies. I think perhaps the tank is too small for the magnifica anemone. I will choose something else. In general, I like corals such as pulsing Xenia (sp.??); corals that "wave."

Ken

 

[Melissa]

HI Ken. I'm new to this hobby and I'm thinking about setting up a 30 gallon reef tank also with fish. Are you going to use a sump?

 

[Titan Trigger]

Hi Melissa,

I probably won't be using a sump. Although, it wouldn't hurt to have more water surface. It is your choice.

Ken