Emily's Ultimate Question Thread
- Thread starter EmilyT
- Start date
- Location
- Brooklyn, NY
I agree with Cali and Jon. A 24g. done up properly is a very good startup tank given the realities of this situation. As I recommended to you on RG, this should be a simple, easy to maintain, and relatively inexpensive venture. I would argue against a sump, high priced skimmers, and MH lighting. I'm not advocating Seaclones and normal output lamps, but you will be best served with modest investments in decent equipment ( Remora or BakPak skimmer, T-5 or PC lighting), some live rock and sand, something to run carbon in and a decent powerhead or 2 to move water. This way you will be forced to rely on real husbandry ( regular maintenance, water changes, closely observing your animals etc. and yes failures) to achieve success and this is where you will actually learn about reefkeeping.
There are many undemanding and beautiful inverts and fish that can be easily kept in this kind of system and achieving this would be very impressive indeed.
If down the road you AND your family decide to upgrade so be it, but there is nothing worse than setting up unrealistic goals given the real on the ground realities of your situation.
From the way you are approaching the early phase of this project, I have no doubt you will be successful. And of course, we are always here to help.
Randy
There are many undemanding and beautiful inverts and fish that can be easily kept in this kind of system and achieving this would be very impressive indeed.
If down the road you AND your family decide to upgrade so be it, but there is nothing worse than setting up unrealistic goals given the real on the ground realities of your situation.
From the way you are approaching the early phase of this project, I have no doubt you will be successful. And of course, we are always here to help.
Randy
- Location
- Flushing, NY
Wow, that room looks very cozy
Considering everything said, I would change my vote to a 24G Aquapod
Considering everything said, I would change my vote to a 24G Aquapod
Hey welcome to MR. Glad you decided to take a trip to the reef world. I would recomend a 24g 150w HQI aquapod. Its excellent for a nano. It will provide you with the lighting to be able to maintain many corals lighting wise. Meaning you won't have to worrying about lighting upgrades. As in sustaining corals for growth and proper health that's another story which I know you will learn on your own(read, search, ask, google everything lol) and with the advice from people that hang around these reef forum places. LOOSERS! Lol j/k.Don't worry I'm one too. Always consider the options in front of you before you make a final decision.
I have a 29g which basically makes me a nano reefer, but only Nano Reefer is the true nano reefer lol. I enjoy this tank very much. I have a mixed reef doin quite well which I'm surprised. And believe me everyone here knows what I mean about bumps in the road. Keep up with proper water changes and good husbandry this is keys to a good nano. As chemistry can change quite quick in a small tank water changes will correct and or prevent a few problems that can occur.If you have enough resources I would say a 65g is good too but will be very costly. Itemise costs of everything whichever route you choose, managers love that lol. Dilution is the solution. Anyway good luck on your adventure.
I have a 29g which basically makes me a nano reefer, but only Nano Reefer is the true nano reefer lol. I enjoy this tank very much. I have a mixed reef doin quite well which I'm surprised. And believe me everyone here knows what I mean about bumps in the road. Keep up with proper water changes and good husbandry this is keys to a good nano. As chemistry can change quite quick in a small tank water changes will correct and or prevent a few problems that can occur.If you have enough resources I would say a 65g is good too but will be very costly. Itemise costs of everything whichever route you choose, managers love that lol. Dilution is the solution. Anyway good luck on your adventure.
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so the score's about 6 nano, 15 65g. i believe i am going to decide on the nano since it is more budget-friendly and i dont have to do any rearranging in my room. But just to be fair, ill let you all express all your opinions till wednesday and then ill make a decision. im going to ask all my questions before i buy anything so i wont make any bad decisions or screw up somehow. :scratchch
Emily,
This is off-topic, BUT
a 14 year old should not have her full name, pics, and her home city floating out in the cyberspace. I think you can still get lots of useful advice without compromising your safety. Please take the time to consider this as carefully as your choice of tanks!
This is off-topic, BUT
a 14 year old should not have her full name, pics, and her home city floating out in the cyberspace. I think you can still get lots of useful advice without compromising your safety. Please take the time to consider this as carefully as your choice of tanks!
- Location
- Dingmans ferry PA
hey emily,im a beginner and you have to listen to all comments made.some are great advise some not so great so u really need to do ur research.these setups we do are not like goldfish where u fill a bowl with water put fish in and thats all.u need patience,matinence,and knowledge.do not be like most newbies and listen to just to one opinion.take ur time and do it right.and believe me $450 dollars is just a drop in the bucket.it takes alot more money than that in this hobby.
yeah i did. you guys make it feel so comfortable here! i definatly dont usually do that- i dont have myspace and its staying that way- but since youre all so close i might as well not take a risk. yah never know if i get pretty good corals that make you all greedy!:Up_to_som :bagfish:
Back to the topic: Did you consider a freshwater tank? That's what I had in highschool and college - way more affordable, plus you can still get some really neat fish.
Cardinal tetras are beautiful, great schooling behavior. Clown loaches have tons of personality, and when they grow too big you can trade them for other fish. Just some examples of my favorite FW fish.
Cardinal tetras are beautiful, great schooling behavior. Clown loaches have tons of personality, and when they grow too big you can trade them for other fish. Just some examples of my favorite FW fish.
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Yeah jon is right. the best way to set my dad into the hobby is less fish and more coral (the part he didnt like of the freswater fish was that the fish kept dying and they weren't that appealing). now that i told him that i would only be getting about 3 or 4 fish and the rest are inverts:snail: , he's pretty ok with that. ive shown him pictures online and he agrees that saltwater fish are far more appealing. so if i want to have any chance of my tank surviving through college, i will have to go saltwater. plus i have my heart set on getting corals once my tank gets matured! :flower:
I have a 24g aquapod and am fairly happy with it. It was a space issue for me as well, as I also have a 30g FW. It's really not as cheap as it seems, as your maintenence is close to a 65g in cost (20% water changes each week as against less frequent changes on a 65g), and you'll need to test more frequently than in a larger tank, as things can go downhill faster and you need to catch them sooner.
OTHO, I like the pod, and don't mind paying attention to it. But, whatever you do, don't get the matching aquapod stand. It's poorly made, even by the standards of knockdown stands, and has no space for storage. If you do decide to go with the MH lighting instead of the hood with PC lighting, it does come with a glass top which can help keep kitty paws out (or, dog hair, which gets into everything even with the stock hood I have :tired: )
Henry
OTHO, I like the pod, and don't mind paying attention to it. But, whatever you do, don't get the matching aquapod stand. It's poorly made, even by the standards of knockdown stands, and has no space for storage. If you do decide to go with the MH lighting instead of the hood with PC lighting, it does come with a glass top which can help keep kitty paws out (or, dog hair, which gets into everything even with the stock hood I have :tired: )
Henry
ok thanks for catching me there henry! i would of bought the stand.do you think that the shorter dresser(not really in any pics but is built just like the taller one) could support the full weight of the aquapod? (see previous posts) or should i buy a different stand. are other nano 24g stands like the nano cube the same quality?
the dresser should be fine.
the 24g nano will weigh a little over 200 pounds.
have some friends sit on the dresser and see what happens
that dresser looks like solid wood, should not be a problem.
however, the top will get trashed from the water, cover it with
something water proof.
the 24g nano will weigh a little over 200 pounds.
have some friends sit on the dresser and see what happens
that dresser looks like solid wood, should not be a problem.
however, the top will get trashed from the water, cover it with
something water proof.
If you can sit on it (well, not really as I don't know your weight), but, if it can hold 300 Lb (generous weight to allow for some leeway), is flat and level, and can resist SW damage (which i don't think the Aquapod stand could do long term anyway), you should be fine. The dresser looks well made, but there's no way I can really tell in the photo. You also need to be sure the surface is large enough to support all edges of the tank with no overhang.
I can't comment on other stands, but I do know the nano cube stand will not support all 4 corners. I have mine on a buffet console, along with a 30g long, and the weight has not bowed the surface at all (it also leaves me with great storage underneath). I think that any decently made piece of furniture can hold a 24g pod, just make sure the surrounding surface won't be warped by drips, which are inevitable.
Also, what's the height of the dresser, as you'll need to be able to reach into the tank for maintenance? A step ladder can be used, but can get annoying long term, especially when dealing with such a small tank. For a 300g built in, though, I'd tolerate digging out my wet suit for maintenance if I had to :biggrin: .
I can't comment on other stands, but I do know the nano cube stand will not support all 4 corners. I have mine on a buffet console, along with a 30g long, and the weight has not bowed the surface at all (it also leaves me with great storage underneath). I think that any decently made piece of furniture can hold a 24g pod, just make sure the surrounding surface won't be warped by drips, which are inevitable.
Also, what's the height of the dresser, as you'll need to be able to reach into the tank for maintenance? A step ladder can be used, but can get annoying long term, especially when dealing with such a small tank. For a 300g built in, though, I'd tolerate digging out my wet suit for maintenance if I had to :biggrin: .
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