bosshog

Pico tanks aren't that bad. You just need to go really slow with them. My daughters have a 5 gal pico and it's the nicest tank in the house. I'm using an ac110 on it just a bit of overkill, it's actually choked back just to keep the water in the tank. It has about 8 pounds of LR, several zoa colonies, about 30 mushrooms, and some ricordea in it. It's lit with 2 13watt pc fixtures. Gets little maintenance, daily top offs, and a gallon or so water change every 10 days. Should be a pretty nice tank when it all grows in. I run a small skimmer in the AC also. Don't let all the horror stories about salt discourage you, it's really not that bad. Once you get used to it and settle into a routine it's not much more bother than freshies. A 30 gal fowler would probably be a good place to start. It will get your feet wet and be less costly than reef right off the bat.

Welcome. Into saltwater aquariums might be the understatement of the century. Greg's tanks have been featured in a few articles.

The list is endless on what to change. What is in your canister filter? What kind of lighting are you using, how old are the bulbs? What are your water parameters? What do you have for a cleanup crew? How much flow do you have in your tank? What is your feeding schedule like? It's been my experience that when cyano shows up your water conditions are poor. Few things to try: Increase flow Change to RO/DI Change bulbs Bigger Better Skimmer Cut back on feeding Run GFO either in the cannister or in a reactor. Clean the canister out, depending on what's in it. Set up a fuge with LR and macro algae. These are just a few things to try, until we have more info on your setup, it's hard to pinpoint any one thing.

You aren't going to find a halogen bulb that will work with salt tanks. Your going to need to buy a new light setup.

The all in ones are alright tanks. I like mine, but if I was going to do it again I wouldn't buy one. When I started out I thought it might be an easy way to get started, which it was. I've upgraded it so many times that it wasn't worth it to me. What are you planning to keep in the tank, for liverock and a couple clowns it would be fine. I'm keeping some SPS and will be trying a clam in the near future, so I need way more light and flow than the stock unit had. You may want to try BB sand can become a nitrate factory if not cared for properly. As for the canister I have no experience with it, do some research and I'm sure you will find your answers.

I got my Sunpod from Kelly at The Reef Shoppe. It's a 20" unit with 6 white led's and 6 blues. I've only had it for a couple of weeks. I'm pretty happy with it. The led's make a really nice moonlight reef display. The fan isn't too loud, it's in our living room and can be heard but isn't annoying. It's no louder than the Remora.

Poohbah is giving good info. I started with a 24 gal nanocube, I wouldn't do that again. The only thing left stock on the tank is the glass. I've switched to topless with an AquaC Remora skimmer, and a Currents Sunpod 150w MH. The stock pump has been switched out for a MJ 1200 and two Koralia nano's added. I'd save the money and start with stock 33gal buy some good t-5's or halides, and an Aquaclear 110 for mechanical, chemical filtration. The AC can also be divided up and used for a refugium to house your macroalgae. The cubes are stylish and nice looking, but a standard tank will get you into the salt game for less money and allow you more equipment options. Check out canreef.com and nano-reef.com for lots of good info on salt and smaller tanks. HTH

Looks awesome Doug. When it grows in you will have a top notch tank.

If you go with a compressor make sure it is an oilless one. No oil in the compressor crank case. They are more expensive than the ones with air but won't let oil get into your airlines and eventually your tank.

Try not feeding for a couple days. Point a PH at the problem areas to increase flow across the cyano. Skim wet to maximize the amount of crap coming out of the tank. Give it a bit of time. Quick solutions sometimes cause more problems than they are worth. Your tank isn't all that old, it's still establishing. Even moving it with the original water, and rock will disturb the life on the LR. Don't panic it will go away without chemicals. If you can find some chaeto or other macro for your sump that will probably help too. Good Luck

Instead of an artificial reef why not set out to buy only aquacultured corals. They are readily available as frags and usually not too expensive, depending on what you are buying. Lots of reefers frag and grow out corals to trade with others for frags. While the parent colony came from the ocean the offspring don't, still a bit of impact on the reefs but no where near as big. As for a skimmer buy the best and biggest you can afford. Most of the cheap ones cause problems, but they are fun to tinker with. It's less expensive to buy a good one to start out than it is to upgrade several times, IMHO. HTH

For not a lot more money you can probably buy a name brand light that will work for years. Fire the Reef Shoppe a pm, Kelly will give you a good price.

http://www.melevsreef.com/phytoplankton.html DT's works as a starter culture.

Check out the DIY section on garf.org. They have a calculator that gives you a cut list and recommends glass thickness for various depths. Fill it outside the first time, leave it sit full for a couple days to do a leak check. It's kind of fun filling the first time, waiting with anticipation for it to blow, lol.

Kelly gets in live pods a few times a year. Good guy to deal with. I know he has some arctipods right now, they may all be spoken for though. PM him he'll get back to you soon. The easiest way I know of is steal some chaeto from your buddies tank you should get lots of the little critters.

All good advice. Do lots of research before you go to the dark side. Check out canreef and nano-reef.com for salt dedicated sites with lots of good info, and helpful people. Keep asking questions. It is a bit daunting to start out, but once you get a feel for it all falls into place and your away.

I agree 100% with sharuq1. I started out with a nano cube. I'd start with a 33 or larger if I was to do it again. You will need to spend a bit more time putting your equipment together, but it will be worth it. You have much more flexibility with the standard aquariums than with the cubes. There are positives and negatives to both. Do lots more research before you start spending money. Getting the good equipment the first time costs more up front but will save you money in the long run.

Drive out in the country, find a rock pile in a farmers field and ask if you can have them. Shouldn't be a problem we kind of hate rocks. I live way too far from the city to help you out.

When things go bad, and they will, it happens faster in a smaller tank. That being said the most trouble I've had is with my 24 gal, the 5 gal has been a breeze. Do lots of research before you buy anything.

Thanks for the correction on the cyano Sharuq1. Small brain fart there.

I really like the fake flowers!! (Intended in fun) Nice start. I do have a couple suggestions though. Pick as much of that green hair algae out of there as you can. It'll take over your tank. Syphon out that bryopsis. The red slimey stuff. It will take over too. Do some more research on seahorses please!!!!!!! Brad

Hydor Koralia are good for just water circulation, they are silent and energy efficient. Maxi-jets are a bit more versatile if you ever decide to use them for anything else. You can get a mod kit for the MJ's for about $15 that takes the flow of an MJ 1200 to 1600 gph. Or you can do the mod yourself it's pretty simple.

He'll remember these days long after grandpa is gone. He'll be sitting there with his kids and get a silly grin on his face as a memory surfaces!!!!

Pm Kelly at The Reef Shoppe. He had one last time I was there. He goes to Edmonton fairly often. Good guy to deal with.

The water is pumped up into you display and "overflows" down your drain back to the sump. As long as nothing plugs nothing floods. :eh: Do lots of reading before you do any drilling might save a bunch of trouble down the road. I haven't drilled any yet cause I'm not sure of the best way to do it.