Back in the business: advices after a long break

[Erik the Red]

Hi everyone,

I’m about to start again with a tank, after a lot of years of inactivity. I’ve some experience but mainly with freshwater...I’ve had only one reef tank for a short while as a pennyless student before giving up.
I would like to start again with a reef and I’m considering the Red Sea max nano as an option, because it has a nice design and al the tools are in the back sump. However, I am also a bit worried about it being too small to start again and not that easily forgiving.

The E170 would also be an option, but that’s crazy expensive, especially considering buying the rest of the equipment (rocks, heater, maybe a different skimmer as well!)...

Models with Sump might be out of question, as home insurance might not cover flooding damage if, for example, the return pump breaks down and tank’s water flows all in the sump.

It’s a request of my better half that the tank does look good, with no equipment in sight.

My idea is to have no sand at all to keep the NO3 and PO4 low. I a seriusly thinking to start with dead artificial rocks pus bacteria in order to avoid pests such as aitpsia and other common things coming from live rocks.
I would like to get some soft corals and eventually some easy LPS (No feeding required to corals). For what regards the population, I would also like to keep the organic load low, so the alternatives are:

1x Pseudochromis paccagnellae

OR

2x Nemateleotris magnifica

ELSE

2x Elacatinus oceanops

potential upgrades to equipment of the MAX NANO would be a decent skimmer (Tunze 9001, any experience if it fits in the external sump?) and a MP10. Is there any valid and cheaper alternative to the Max Nano within the 75L-150L (circa 20-40 gallons, I suppose) range?

any tip to help me to start up or comments?

Thank you for your time!

Cheers

 

[Ranjib]

Welcome to reef2reef. Your choices are already solid. Start slow and you should be fine. There are a lot of information now available to successfully keep a nano tank, so dont worry about the size. If anything its easier to maintain a smaller nano tank in my opinion due to less work. You have already made two stellar choices with low bioload and barebottom. Let us know you livestock choices (corals and inverts etc) and we can chime in.

Godspeed

 

[Krixic]

Welcome! Sounds like you got some good ideas going! I would recommend looking in the marketplace for tanks used! Although it looks like you are in denmark! And the majority of us are from the USA so not so sure if you will have too much luck there. Regardless, look online for used red sea tanks! I've seen plenty of people get rid of solid setups less than a year old and at a fraction of the cost.

Also check out IM Nuvo tanks, they tend to be a bit cheaper than Red Sea but the quality of craftsmen shift is definately up there. Same for waterbox (but they are getting more main stream and prices are starting to match Red sea). And IM tanks are AIO! Good luck!

 

[fishkeepinginasia]

My only recommendation is go ahead and buy a big as you can. Take it from the guy with a 20 gallon cube. I've never looked at my aquarium and wished, "gee, I should've gotten the smaller one."

As for your concerns about flooding, any aquarium worth its salt has a hole drilled in the output to prevent the flow from reversing in the event the pump goes out. As long as you don't overfill your aquarium, the sump can't overflow. The overflow box also works to prevent this. I've never had a tank flood due to a power outage. As long as it's built right and assembled correctly, flooding can't happen. Plus, you're definitely going to want a model with a sump to keep all the equipment out of sight.

Also, you need not go top of the line to get a good tank. You can get a solid 90 gallon tank, stand, sump and necessary gear much cheaper than a comparably sized Red Sea. Personally, I prefer the thrill of collecting all the pieces of equipment. It's half the price and double the fun of a plug and play.

P.S. I'm a huge fan or starting with dry rock. It takes longer to get going, but--especially if you're working with a large set up--it's cheaper and safer. I also prefer bare bottom to sand. Eventually the coralline algae will crust it right over.

When you set it up, please post photos!

 

[fishguy242]

hi welcome to the reef going to love it here!!
lots of fun/info/fun/help/fun....
great advice already..sea ya around the reef

 

[ScottR]

Welcome. The smaller Red Sea tanks are pretty good for a restart. There are some beautiful nanos out there. When I get a tank, I think what is the biggest I can go with the space and budget I have. Keep in mind, the bigger you go, the bigger and more equipment you need. And with that, the cost of everything goes up.

 

[Erik the Red]

Hi everyone,

thank you all for the warm welcome and the good advices! It’s nice to be here and talk about something we all like

I’ll try to answer all of you.
Yeah, definitely a bigger tank would be nicer to have...but I have to stick to the budget and also I am afraid the old wooden floor won’t get along with a huge 90 gallon tank
A 40 gallon aquarium, though, could still be doable.

I have just checked with my insurance company and it’s crazy expensive to cover damage from any water spill from sumps. I’ll have to go for tanks with integrated compartments such as Max Nano or Waterbox Marine All-in-One 40.2.

I’ll have a look at other brands, as suggested above, as well as a reliable online shop in EU. This Waterbox Marine AIO 40.2 looks really nice...I am afraid a bit expensive since I will have to get a Tunze 9004 as well and light+support (Lights are CRAZY EXPENSIVE!). Moreover, i would have to integrate an ATO system and an MP10. On the other hand, on the Max Nano i would have to get a MP10 ad a Tunze 9001 skimmer as well.

For what regards corals, I don’t have clear ideas and I am looking for some advice. As a draft list of what I’d like to have:
Euphyllia
Clavularia
Trachyphyllia sp.

if I’m becoming a good reefer also:
Seriatopora caliendrum
Stylophora pistillata

I take the reef in the image below as a a top target

 

[Erik the Red]

Here there are some prices for the setup...equipment only

 

[Fishn’Chick]

Hi everyone,

thank you all for the warm welcome and the good advices! It’s nice to be here and talk about something we all like

I’ll try to answer all of you.
Yeah, definitely a bigger tank would be nicer to have...but I have to stick to the budget and also I am afraid the old wooden floor won’t get along with a huge 90 gallon tank
A 40 gallon aquarium, though, could still be doable.

I have just checked with my insurance company and it’s crazy expensive to cover damage from any water spill from sumps. I’ll have to go for tanks with integrated compartments such as Max Nano or Waterbox Marine All-in-One 40.2.

I’ll have a look at other brands, as suggested above, as well as a reliable online shop in EU. This Waterbox Marine AIO 40.2 looks really nice...I am afraid a bit expensive since I will have to get a Tunze 9004 as well and light+support (Lights are CRAZY EXPENSIVE!). Moreover, i would have to integrate an ATO system and an MP10. On the other hand, on the Max Nano i would have to get a MP10 ad a Tunze 9001 skimmer as well.

For what regards corals, I don’t have clear ideas and I am looking for some advice. As a draft list of what I’d like to have:
Euphyllia
Clavularia
Trachyphyllia sp.

if I’m becoming a good reefer also:
Seriatopora caliendrum
Stylophora pistillata

I take the reef in the image below as a a top target

wow , incredible.

 

[Erik the Red]

After reading some posts on the forum and updating on latest development in reefing, I am almost ready to take my decision.

I was thinking to get a slightly bigger thank than the RedSea MAX Nano, since my better half has asked me to keep at least 2 fishes, which I don’t think will be possible with the above mentioned tank. So I am prone to get a 30G tank, which potentially should not be too heavy for any floor (right?!).

I would like to have another opinion on this setup:

WATERBOX AIO 35.2 with cabinet
AI PRIME HD + Mount
Tunze 9001
EHEIM thermostat type TS RH 100W
Sicce Syncra 0.5 700L/h
Medic T-meter 2
Maxspect MJ-GF2K gyre pump
Red Sea Refractometer superior
Tunze Osmolator 3155
AcquaHolland Coralsea Reef Rock 10kg (12-30cm pieces)

is there anything better in regards to quality/price ratio?