setup questions from newbie

[stjohns]

I've read that good water movement, especially near the surface will provide all the gas exchange necessary. Since most nanos run without a protein skimmer, I was wondering about proper amounts of aeration in the tank.
I guess I'm trying to figure out what's redundant in my system without messing anything up. Should I ditch my bubble wand and air pump? I looked at the member tanks at www.nano-reef.com and nobody uses airstones/wands. Do I really need the Powersweep power head since the HOB filter circulates 125gph? I've read you need enough movement with corals in order to carry away toxins. Do I need the filter pad in the HOB filter? Also, how long will this setup last? I've read that many reef systems hit their peak at 1 year old, then start to deteriorate gradually. Will I have to rotate in new LR?
Also, a small tube anemone (I think), hitchhiked in on my colony rock and is growing kind of big. I've read they are agressive and am worried about my clownfish. It is the kind seen on the shells of anemone hermit crabs, about 1" so far and growing fast. Should I let it be or sentence it to lethal injection of Kalk?
Sorry if my questions are really basic...this is my first aquarium, so I'm still learning...I've been really careful about things since I don't want to screw anything up...

My setup (approx 3 months old): 10g with 18lbs LR, 32W 50/50 pc light, Penguin 125 Bio-Wheel (Bio-Wheel removed), Powersweep 212, IceProbe 55W chiller, bubble wand w/small air pump
Livestock: 1 A. Ocellaris, 1 cleaner shrimp, 6 hermits, button polyps colony rock, clavularia colony rock, few mushroom corals
ammonia, nitrites, nitrates: 0, 0, 0
pH 8.1-8.2
alk 3-3.5 meq
calcium 400
(SeaChem Testkits)
temp 78-80F
weekly 1 gal water changes, use dist water (can I get away with less frequent changes?)
add buffer when necessary

 

[brandon4291]

Hello St.Johns and welcome to the Nano forum at Reefs . Org!

I think you will like this write-up, it summarizes all the current practices in designing and maintaining marine systems.

http://www.reefs.org/library/newbieguide.htm

Several of your questions will be answered there, and lets also discuss a few here.

First Id like to address your question of the life span of these systems. One year is just about right as a test for the longevity of a system, but is not the endpoint of your reef (or Live Rock) provided the upkeep has been matched for your particular setup. We wouldnt drop so many $$ into the setups (and Im just talking nanos, imagine the guys who have 6K+ into a 300gallon reef) if this was the absolute lifespan... theres no reason your reef couldn't run indefinately! Thats how I plan on keeping mine---as long as that ole AC stays working in my casa we will be hearing me jabber about the reefbowl long into 2007 if my ideas are sound (or sane)

What you hear of that crashes a year-old reef is likely detritus (waste material) and/or heavy metal accumulation. People that keep deep sand beds and do not feed or maintain them properly report crashes long about this time. I don't know enough about toxic heavy metal accumulation to make predictions, but the reef gurus (Shimek, Sprung) feel very strongly about this and have written many articles that argue their point. I know several people on this board whose systems are 5+ years old, same rocks, same sand and same coral so I wouldnt lose sleep over metal toxins provided you use a common salt and RO or distilled water source.

Sand beds can accumulate food particles and wastes too fast for the tiny creatures in the bed to break them down. These particles leach ammonia/nitrate continually and fuel unsightly algae blooms, and eventually kill the animals in the bed with metabolic poisons-- ie a breakdown. This is prevented by simply not overfeeding a tank/sandbed and making sure that the worms and critters in the bed stay in good numbers. One should account for predation of a sandbed as well as food input into a bed to keep it running for the long haul. This is such a long topic, its worth its own thread.

Do not worry about oxygen levels in your tank, all you have to do is watch the gills of your little fish to tell if things are okay. He will hover at the top and breathe rapidly the second things are not okay. If your temperatures are okay, and you dont have serious waste buildup (your measures of 0,0 and 0 indicate this) then oxygen will never be a concern for your system.

I wouldnt personally use a filter pad on your setup, although if you continue to it will not hurt anything. Just make sure to keep it clean and scrubbed regularly, so waste particles won't get trapped in the mesh. The air wand is okay in my opinion but many recommend not using one in a tank with marine fish, as tiny micro bubbles can irritate the gills and stick to the fish. Personally I think the tiny bubbles look cool, and I know people using them in fish systems so its your call. If you see the fish scratching on objects or acting funny, then Id remove it.

ask more questions about your setup, you'll get many personal responses from tried-and-true aquarists in this forum!

Brandon Mason

 

[stjohns]

Thanks for taking the time to answer!