5 gallon tank project

[Geral]

Hi , I have some questions i hope here is the right place for them i have experience in FW but never try SW

i have a 5 gallon marineland tank is have a led light pretty good i will say for some corals i wanna do live rock and fish only for the time being

1- what filter ? i think ac50 or 30 with the skimmer adapter?
2-what powerhead ?
3-how many # of live rock?
4- what are my options for fish i would like a clown at least ?
5-what is good for read the salinity?

i would use watermill water, i have a heater too

thanks in advance

[Bedlamer]

#3--The rule of thumb is about 1 pound of rock per gallon of water. Some types of rock are denser and heavier, some are less dense and light. So maybe pick up 5 pounds and play with the aquascaping before you add any water to see if you like the look. If it was me I would start with dry rock (which is cheaper) and then add a bottle of Dr. Tim's bacteria. http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/treat-...ammonia-levels (takes about 5 days to cycle a tank with an ammonia source present). That helps reduce the possibility of introducing pest species which is an issue with live rock. It also eliminates the possibility of introducing nifty non-pest critters too--but that’s a small price to pay in my mind.

[Bedlamer]

#5. Most reefers keep the salinity at 1.025-1.026. SG If you were specializing in Red Sea Critters only you might bump it up a titch. The salinity can be a bit lower if you are just doing FOWLR. What is probably more important than the exact reading is that you maintain a constant salinity without big swings. Evaporative loss in such a small SW set up as a 5 gallon can be significant , which means you should top up with fresh water frequently or maybe consider a cover to limit evaporative loss. The only ATO set ups I've seen have been with sumps and in some of the all in one nanos it is integrated. I don't know if there is an auto top off solution for your set up?

The cheap plastic swing arm hydrometers are a waste of money IMO. It is too hard to get an accurate and repeatable reading. The least little bubble will mess up your reading. A refractometer is really the way to go. Here are some from Bulk Reef Supply. $39.99 for the one you have to peer at a little scale to read http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/...ion-fluid.html

or the baller $125 one that is easier to use and gives you a digital read out. http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/...actometer.html

Either way they will probably last you a life time so it should be a onetime investment.

[Bedlamer]

In lieu of Watermill water which is 50 PPM TDS or less http://www.watermillexpress.com/home2.html and mixing it with salt at home--I would just buy a couple of white plastic 5 gallon containers with pre-mixed SW at the local fish store of your choice. They start off with 0 ppm TDS RO/DI water--which is less of a factor in a FOWLR setup than a reef tank--but will still help limit outbreaks of nuisance algae. You'll be doing regular water changes (as I doubt you will be protein skimming on a 5 gallon) so always keep an extra bit of SW on hand and ready to go. Your long term solution is to go and get yourself a RO/DI unit--but with such a small tank I suppose it might be hard to justify the expense at the moment. Remember the SW critters are mostly less tolerant of change and poor water quality than freshwater critters. By doing a pico, it might be more economical to get your feet wet in SW, but it'll be a heck of a lot harder to keep stable water conditions than say a 90 gallon.

[Bedlamer]

#1 Your live rock will be handling your biological filtration. If you use a HOB as a pseudo sump/reactor of sorts (which is a common usage in the pico SW world) the Aqua Clears are my personal favorites in HOBs. I would go with the AC 50 over the AC 30 as either will fit, but the 50 gives you a larger volume to play with, same power consumption at 6 watts, and more maximum flow 200 gph versus 150 gph.

I think the surface skimmer accessory would probably be a worthwhile addition for that set up.

[Bedlamer]

#4. The general rule of thumb for stocking SW is 5 gallons/per inch of fish. There was a recent thread in the freshwater section debating whether the 1 gallon/per inch of fish had any merit, was a good starting point, or completely worthless--due to all the other factors to be considered. I think you could get away with a single small clown fish, an ornamental shrimp and a few small hermit crabs and snails. Clown fish are fairly hardy. You might want to consider doing a dip for Brooklynella hostilis--clown fish disease. http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/ich...ooklynella.htm more important for wild caught fish. I think the vast majority of perculas and ocellaris in the hobby these days are captive bred? The dip might not be needed, but probably wouldn't hurt. The inverts would be harder to keep healthy than the fish. There are a number of other small fish that could work in your setup--from the way you stated it, I think the clown might be your preference? Or you are open to anything?

[Bedlamer]

#2 This is the answer I'm less certain of and left it for last. If any if you experienced SW folks out here read this one and disagree please pipe up. It seems to be the consensus that the minimum combined flow/turnover of your SW tank should be 5-10 times per hour. The majority seem to favor the higher part of that range. I think the better way to phrase your question is not what power head, but what types of flow and how much of it do you need for a pico fowlr set up. The combined flow in a SW tank would include the return flow from your sump, propeller pumps and maybe power heads in the tank, and things like wave boxes and surge tanks in big fancy setups.

If you are using an AC 50 with some stuff in media bags and a coarse sponge maybe the rated maximum flow of 200 gph would be down to an actual real world 125 gph? If so you are getting 25 turnovers per hour on your 5 gallon tank. It would be a very even regular flow. In most big reef systems people try to get random flow. Random flow keeps detritus in suspension and hopefully ends up going down the overflow into a filter sock, rather than settling into a dead water space, and settling out onto your corals, covering them up and leaving extra waste material in your tank which eventually gets converted to nitrate. I think in your case, if you made an effort during water changes to target any build up with your siphon hose, or stir it up a bit just prior to removing water, you might do OK. So I don't know if a small propeller pump would be needed in your case?

If you did want to add one the Hydor Koralias are generally well thought of. They make a Nano Evolution 240 (gph) which is their smallest model and rated down to 10 gallon tanks in a marine application. http://www.hydor.com/prodotti/show/famprod/47/list/14

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/products/pumps-and-plumbing/powerheads-and-submersible-pumps/hydor-koralia/hydor-koralia-evolution-aquarium-powerheads/hydor-koralia-nano-evolution-240-gp.html

Well I hope that helps you along your way to getting your pico sw project off of the ground successfully. Please let us know how things turn out for you.

[Geral]

Omg that is a lot of good info thank you sir!

I am open as for live stock but really want a clown
For my son he like nemo

The tank have a cover, i think it wont evaporate
That much every week

It would be a FOWLR
1-The filter u sai the best with the protein skim adapter ac 50

2- about the powerhead a nano hydor would be good how
much gph?

3-perfect 5#

4-a clown with a shrimp or a crab what u think is a good combo

5- i can get a hydrometer pretty cheap they dont work right even the red sea brand i wanna do it a low cost set up until i really learn a bit more

Again thank for ur time and the info
Very very helpful
P

[Bedlamer]

I'm glad you thought it was good info. Nemo was a regular patterned A. ocellaris aka false percula--better get *that* one to keep Junior happy. Don't try to get a Dory for that pico tank or I'll have to break out the tang police on ya!



When you first fill your tank and get it to the water level you want--take a permanent marker or whatever and mark that level on the side of the tank somewhere. That way if it is below that level, top it up with RO/DI water (FRESH WATER ONLY FOR TOP UPS!). Check it often. Top up often. Also, if you use a sponge in the HOB, consider giving it a weekly squeeze out in salt water when you do a water change to get rid of nitrate producing detritus.

1-The adaptor I thought you were referring to is the SURFACE skim adaptor for the Aqua Clears http://www.hagen.com/usa/aquatic/pro...01002400020101

and not a PROTEIN skimmer like you said in your last post. The surface thing above takes in water from the surface similar to an overflow and helps to eliminate oily residue gunk that can accumulate at the water’s surface and reduce gas exchange--and look gross. Protein skimming--aka foam fractionation is altogether different. It serves to extract waste from your water. It is possible to get a HOB version of a protein skimmer--but in your case I would rely on regular, weekly, large water changes to export those wastes from your system.

2-Like I said above the smallest Hydor is rated at 240 gph. I don't know if there is an even smaller one made for pico as opposed to nano set ups--but I haven't looked either--lol.

4- I'd do A. ocellaris X1, Coral banded shrimp X1 http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/shr...p/cbshrimp.htm 3-4 tiny hermit crabs (throw in some extra shells for them) and 4 small snails and call it done.

5. You will potentially have greater salinity swings in your pico tank. If you want to hold off getting a refractometer type of one--I'd personally make it your first upgrade.

WARNING: SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION!

You are welcome. Don't forget--to *really* show me how much you appreciate the info don't forget to hit the "Thanks" button on the posts so that the next time I make some lame attempt at a humorous quip in someone else's thread they may look at my number of times thanked stats and realize that I may occasionally write posts with some substance, and not just thread hijacks that mostly only I find funny (or I'd get more lols too!).

[Geral]

Lol i will do sir as soon i get on the computer
i am using Lite version for mobile dont let me, again ur info are exellent and usefull hope this help everybody wanna do a pico in the future

Thanks , geral