Nano-setup for non-photosynthetic corals?

[OddFish]

Need detailed help how to set a small nano-tank (5-6g) for a non-photosynthetic corals:
- red Diodogorgia nodulifera,
- 3 kinds of chili coral,
- white lemnalia (ID questionable, sclerites inside the body, but not dendronephthya),
- what was left from pink scleronephthya,
- and could be babies of a sun coral, Tubastrea, or even the big colony (Tubastrea presence in this tank is under question).

The basic requirements are:
- simple and inexpensive,
- occupying the least amount of the space,
- be not 2-tiered, undrilled (therefore no additional equipment),
- filtration and skimming should be located so, that could de turned on and off; be easily accessible for a media change.
- something for reducing nitrates and phosphates. So far am not impressed with chaeto refugium of the equal size to the main tank (now Nano-cube 6g), and PhosGuard chemical media - one of the chili doesn't like it (could be coincidence).
- I also don't have access to a NSW, artificial salt mix in tap water only.

I'm trying to make a reasonable setup for these corals for a months, what I have works, but is high maintenance and requires frequent massive water changes, what is not good.

The more fully your advice covers all aspects, including on what kind of filtration is worth to try and what skimmer will do the job (and how to make it work ) - the better.

Most grateful mind waits for your input. :roll:
Any positive experience is welcome too.

P.S. At my disposal now are:

- Skimmers: ASM Mini, Visi-Jet, Lee's large CC.
- filtration: micron socks, filter floss, Purigen, PhosGuard, carbon, RowaPros is ordered, different sizes and brands of HOB power filters (no AC bigger than AC50, though), incl. Eheim Liberty for 50g.
- pumps and powerheads: Micro- , Mini- and Maxi-Jets (the lasts are least wanted - audible), AC20. Can move Eheim 300gph from another tank or use Ocean Runner, 600 gph, but now they seem to be big for a tank.
- small tanks and containers of different sizes (2.5-20g),
- IO salt, enriched by Ca and Mg.

 

[OddFish]

Bump. Any ideas? I'm open to suggestions.

 

[brandon4291]

Hello Odd, sorry for the delay in response but I thought your idea was interesting and in my opinion a matter of supporting suspended solids as opposed to anything else.

All those corals you mentioned like to feed on dissolved organic matter, planktors and all the goodies that are either live or not rotten in seawater. There are a host of products sold that can accomplish this feat, I'll link you to a professional aquaculture supplier below who has about 25 different lab-grade feeds for this type of venture. This will not be cheap. Here's my brainstorm list, just to keep the discussion alive:

-Maybe no skimmer. That takes out the very particulate matter you want suspended, maybe you should rely on bulk water changes. This could both export waste and import new foodstuffs like plankton cultures and various coral feeds.

-Consider a flow-through system even though I think I read you didn't want to drill your tank. It's for the purpose of easy and regular water changes, nothing else. You could just as easily manually siphon and refill your tank and a lesser cost, but the flow through is basically something like this: Above your tank you keep a 5 gallon water container with a heater and a powerhead circulating the water ready for instant delivery to your corals tank. Drilled in the corals tank isn't an overflow, it's a stopcock valve down at the bottom that when opened simply drains your water into a collection sump or into a tube that runs into the sink drain to make water changes fast and something you'd be likely to do very often considering the suspended nutrient loads you need for an all-filter feeding setup. You just open the valve on the tank, drain out your water before all the suspended plankton rots, then close it and open the valve on the holding water which is directed back into your tank via a dripline, easy changes for sure. Then you mix up another holding water batch ready for next week.

-Culturing your own plankton is extremely tedious but possible, you can also buy pre-bottled culctures from many marine labs that will start a culture for you. To do this you need to have access to pressure cookers and items that can sterilize water and tank culture media so you don't infect it with unclean entities.

-This site below features gel feeds, algae paste cultures you simply mix with water and deliver, and many other feeds designed to support shrimp cultures and other filter feeders, these will help your nepthiids.

www.aquaticeco.com

That site is probably the largest access one can have to true lab and aquaculture supplies, I think they are even larger than Carolina Biological

 

[OddFish]

Thank you for the reply, Brandon, your advice is the most valuable!

Tank shapes:
So far it's Nano-Cube 6g:
- excellent for a flow distribution, low light, including actinics, and close-up photography of the single polyps, ingesting food,
- but horrid for a adding/removing filter media, filtration can't be turned off during feeding with pump still "on" (only filter media can be removed). A lot of food is accumulating in labirintous back chambers, even with flow through, for recirculation of the food, when there are no filter media.

Another good shape of the tank for a flow distribution, is a 5-6g acrylic hexagon (had kept there filter-feeding cucumber and a Christmas three rock), flows goes top to the bottom, reflecting from walls and washing all sides of the inhabitants. The usual rectangular glass tanks are worse in this, have to be complicated water flow configuration, when for the tanks above the single pump or the single HOB power filter is enough.

BUT: after a few months of use, in heavily fed tank, the acrylic walls become dirty, even with magnet cleaner for acrylic and plastic scrubber, totally unsuitable for photography. Asked on forums, it seems, that tank should be disassembled and habitants moved for this, what is unacceptable.

Filtration and skimming:
So far no skimming, filter media (floss) is added periodically, mostly for a night, micron pad only after cleaning.

Sand or bare-bottom:
Had to remove shallow sand bed after half of year of use - was very dirty. Not particles, fine debris.

Way to control water quality:
Again, so far it's weekly massive water changes - 70-80%, for a several months already.

If I had access to a natural sea water - it could be a solution, but Instant Ocean salt in a tap water (yes, I'm cheap and nothing can be done about this ) gives 14-15 dKH alkalinity by Salifert and AP kits. BTW, tap water is good and suitable for carnivorous plants and orchids.

But - corals are depressed by rapid changes in water parameters. This is why I thought about micron filter sock and skimming. Generally speaking, from my previous experience, micron sock should be enough - if not let food settle inside tank and rot there. Daily changed sock, of course.

Refugium with didn't helped (amount of decomposting is no match for refugium, should be filtered better), now trying xenia fuge. Too early to say.

Food sources:
This is generally not a problem, replacements work.

Other ideas:
Was advice to connect this nano-tank to the large system (I also have 90g, almost FOWLR, few corals) with a large skimmer, so skimmer will clean water and corals in the tank will eat excess of food. Still thinking, may be there is less complicated way.

Can anybody share similar experiences?