Setting up a shallow nano reef tank, please help

[Lennie]

Hey guys!

Hope everyone is doing well.

I am setting up a low end brackish tank for my figure 8 puffer and bumblebee gobies (1.005). While searching for what salt to buy, my biologist friend recommended marine or reef salt for brackish but not aquarium salt even if I enrich it with gh+. The price of 20kg box was wayyy too economic compared to any other version, last one in stock, so I got me 20kgs of this salt:

Now that I have a hydrometer, tons of salt, and a small wavemaker that I dont use which I bought for my shallow long tank(says 1000L/h but doesnt feel like it ngl) and a small HOB (230L/h), I am considering if I can try a shallow nano reef tank with an empty tank I have (with the dimensions of 50x40x25cmh /50 liters.). I also have RO but I need to get DI as my RO reads 24 tds

Considering I already have an empty tank, an unused wavemaker, small HOB filter and reef base salt, it might be less costy for me to try a tank this time. And ofcourse, it is much smaller than a 180 liter so obviously it helps lowering the cost

Questions:
1) Can I utilise all the stuff I have on hand?( HOB filter, wavemaker, HOB, the abovementioned salt for easy reef tank-asking as it also has reef plus version but I didnt get it-, empty tank(50x40x25cmh)

2)Would dimensions of 50x40x25 too limiting for fish/snails/shrimp and easy coral selection, and/or hard to control parameters at. I am surely aware of the fact that the footprint is okay with 50x45 but it is shallow,which is my fav tank style, so it holds less water but provides okay amount of swimming space. Is it too limiting?

I see much tinier tanks being used at both my lfs and online, but the question is would it be ideal for small species? I want my fish to be happy not survive. Please note that I have no intention to introduce any big fish there anyway, I instead would like to know if it would be okay for small species

3) Light. I can't see any cheap light. Is there a way to keep this one budget friendly? If the shallow tank works, does having a shallow tank help with having easier time lighting as height is not a limiting factor here? The cheapest but good brand light I find has the following specifications, but still costs me a lot:

• 445nm Royal Blue
• 460-470nm Blue
• 20.000K White
• 660nm Deep Red (in their 10 month ago official yt video, deep red isn't mentioned, violet is mentioned as 430nm, and instead of red, there is "pink")
• 420nm Violet

Length: 31.6cm
Width: 11.6cm
Height: 1.8cm
20Watt
69 LEDs

 

[musel101]

Hey guys!

Hope everyone is doing well.

I am setting up a low end brackish tank for my figure 8 puffer and bumblebee gobies (1.005). While searching for what salt to buy, my biologist friend recommended marine or reef salt for brackish but not aquarium salt even if I enrich it with gh+. The price of 20kg box was wayyy too economic compared to any other version, last one in stock, so I got me 20kgs of this salt:

Now that I have a hydrometer, tons of salt, and a small wavemaker that I dont use which I bought for my shallow long tank(says 1000L/h but doesnt feel like it ngl) and a small HOB (230L/h), I am considering if I can try a shallow nano reef tank with an empty tank I have (with the dimensions of 50x40x25cmh /50 liters.). I also have RO but I need to get DI as my RO reads 24 tds

Considering I already have an empty tank, an unused wavemaker, small HOB filter and reef base salt, it might be less costy for me to try a tank this time. And ofcourse, it is much smaller than a 180 liter so obviously it helps lowering the cost

Questions:
1) Can I utilise all the stuff I have on hand?( HOB filter, wavemaker, HOB, the abovementioned salt for easy reef tank-asking as it also has reef plus version but I didnt get it-, empty tank(50x40x25cmh)

2)Would dimensions of 50x40x25 too limiting for fish/snails/shrimp and easy coral selection, and/or hard to control parameters at. I am surely aware of the fact that the footprint is okay with 50x45 but it is shallow,which is my fav tank style, so it holds less water but provides okay amount of swimming space. Is it too limiting?

I see much tinier tanks being used at both my lfs and online, but the question is would it be ideal for small species? I want my fish to be happy not survive. Please note that I have no intention to introduce any big fish there anyway, I instead would like to know if it would be okay for small species

3) Light. I can't see any cheap light. Is there a way to keep this one budget friendly? If the shallow tank works, does having a shallow tank help with having easier time lighting as height is not a limiting factor here? The cheapest but good brand light I find has the following specifications, but still costs me a lot:

• 445nm Royal Blue
• 460-470nm Blue
• 20.000K White
• 660nm Deep Red (in their 10 month ago official yt video, deep red isn't mentioned, violet is mentioned as 430nm, and instead of red, there is "pink")
• 420nm Violet

Length: 31.6cm
Width: 11.6cm
Height: 1.8cm
20Watt
69 LEDs

Are you prepared for all that water evaporation?
Other than that it does sound pretty good

 

[Lennie]

Are you prepared for all that water evaporation?
Other than that it does sound pretty good

Hello!

I am planning to use either a normal lid, ehich I already have on hand and not sure if it would block light a lot to decrease efficiency on a shallow tank, or try to DIY some sort of mesh lid and top up with RODI water

In addition to all above today I got rocks and wet sand that is called “live sand”. Idk if it is a thing, I see and read abiut buying live rocks, but packaged live sand comes wet/in the water?

We will see how it works and how fast it will help to establish a cycle

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

2)Would dimensions of 50x40x25 too limiting for fish/snails/shrimp and easy coral selection, and/or hard to control parameters at. I am surely aware of the fact that the footprint is okay with 50x45 but it is shallow,which is my fav tank style, so it holds less water but provides okay amount of swimming space. Is it too limiting?

I see much tinier tanks being used at both my lfs and online, but the question is would it be ideal for small species? I want my fish to be happy not survive. Please note that I have no intention to introduce any big fish there anyway, I instead would like to know if it would be okay for small species

You could fit some small critters in there - the trick would be finding ones that don't use a lot of the water column; you might be able to do some Eviota, Trimma, etc. species (tiny gobies), but I'd ask around on species for a shallow ~13 gallon tank. Some might suggest a goby pistol combo, but I'm not sure how they'd do in that shallow of a tank.

3) Light. I can't see any cheap light. Is there a way to keep this one budget friendly? If the shallow tank works, does having a shallow tank help with having easier time lighting as height is not a limiting factor here? The cheapest but good brand light I find has the following specifications, but still costs me a lot:

There are ways to do lights for relatively cheap, but they don't usually come from well known brands. The cheapest I know that's been tested relatively thoroughly are the ABI lights (like the ABI Tuna Blue), but others have used "Chinese/Amazon Black Boxes" successfully, and you could potentially use other lights if they have the right PAR and spectrum output.

The cheapest but good brand light I find has the following specifications, but still costs me a lot:

• 445nm Royal Blue
• 460-470nm Blue
• 20.000K White
• 660nm Deep Red (in their 10 month ago official yt video, deep red isn't mentioned, violet is mentioned as 430nm, and instead of red, there is "pink")
• 420nm Violet

Length: 31.6cm
Width: 11.6cm
Height: 1.8cm
20Watt
69 LEDs

Any links to this light/what is it specifically called? The info listed is a good start, but seeing the spectrum and PAR (or PPFD map) would be a lot more useful.

I am planning to use either a normal lid, ehich I already have on hand and not sure if it would block light a lot to decrease efficiency on a shallow tank, or try to DIY some sort of mesh lid and top up with RODI water

Yeah, a glass or plastic lid will block some of the light (~9%, IIRC, though it depends on the exactly material and thickness), but with a decent light shouldn't be too big of an issue.

In addition to all above today I got rocks and wet sand that is called “live sand”. Idk if it is a thing, I see and read abiut buying live rocks, but packaged live sand comes wet/in the water?

It is a thing - taricha has looked into the biodiversity and nitrification of various things including live sand, and live sand is pretty good IIRC (not as good as live rock, but still pretty good, IIRC).

 

[Lennie]

You could fit some small critters in there - the trick would be finding ones that don't use a lot of the water column; you might be able to do some Eviota, Trimma, etc. species (tiny gobies), but I'd ask around on species for a shallow ~13 gallon tank. Some might suggest a goby pistol combo, but I'm not sure how they'd do in that shallow of a tank.

There are ways to do lights for relatively cheap, but they don't usually come from well known brands. The cheapest I know that's been tested relatively thoroughly are the ABI lights (like the ABI Tuna Blue), but others have used "Chinese/Amazon Black Boxes" successfully, and you could potentially use other lights if they have the right PAR and spectrum output.

Any links to this light/what is it specifically called? The info listed is a good start, but seeing the spectrum and PAR (or PPFD map) would be a lot more useful.

Yeah, a glass or plastic lid will block some of the light (~9%, IIRC, though it depends on the exactly material and thickness), but with a decent light shouldn't be too big of an issue.

It is a thing - taricha has looked into the biodiversity and nitrification of various things including live sand, and live sand is pretty good IIRC (not as good as live rock, but still pretty good, IIRC).

Hi! Thanks for the info

The light is called “AquaReef F30-Marine”. I couldnt find anything else other than the specifications I shared in the topic, and this video. It is a local brand in my country



In terms of stocking, I always wanted to have firefish goby. Hope they are okay to have in this tank. Ive seen in this forum that some people keep them in 10g or so. They were one of my childhood dream fish Some info say they are super active but the ones at my LFS are not that active at all. I don’t have any idea about suitable tank mates or so, I will read many experiences and info online.
Today, midas blennys also looked very cute at my lfs, they had 4. Yellow is my fav color on fish, my again, further research is needed. Oh and cleaner shrimp. Looks adorable

Always thought of clownfish but my worry is not meeting their social needs and if they would be happier to be kept in a school/schoal in a much bigger tank or keeping one or two is fine. I know I dont have many options but just stating what interests me so far. Firefish goby being number one choice and if suitable, gonna plan a tank around it probably

So far I have Hob, reef salt, wavemaker, the tank, hydrometer, dry rocks and live sand. I only have RO, will order a RODI unit and above-mentioned light this monday. Then I will set it up and start cycling

Please let me know if I lack something or miss any points. And while the tank is cycling, I can read more and more

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

The light is called “AquaReef F30-Marine”. I couldnt find anything else other than the specifications I shared in the topic, and this video.

Without knowing the PAR, I can't say if the light would be strong enough for corals or not, but putting it with a super shallow tank, it might be. (It would be fine for fish either way).

That said, the spectrum graph displayed in the video would make me personally not want to use the light for a reef tank regardless of PAR, as - assuming the graph is accurate - the blue light seems to peak at ~425nm (a peak at ~460 would be a lot better), and it seems to have a lot of orange (which is an odd color to have a lot of regardless of application and I'd assume is coming from 3000K diode they listed) and red (which corals generally don't like having too much red light).

I'd personally feel a lot more comfortable with more blue (especially around 460-480) and a bit less orange/red.

I always wanted to have firefish goby. Hope they are okay to have in this tank.

I'm not an expert, so I'd ask around for more opinions on it, but you might be able to do a firefish in the tank - you'd want a lid/fine mesh for sure, though, as I've heard they tend to jump.

midas blennys also looked very cute at my lfs

Midas blennies get bigger than I'd feel comfortable with in this tank (minimum tank size recommendation for them is usually 30 gallons).

Always thought of clownfish but my worry is not meeting their social needs and if they would be happier to be kept in a school/schoal in a much bigger tank or keeping one or two is fine.

I don't know that they'd be particularly well suited for a shallow, but keeping one or two clownfish is preferred - they're territorial and may attack each other if kept in more than a pair (some people can get a way with more than two in a tank, but, to my understanding, it's a risk).

So far I have Hob, reef salt, wavemaker, the tank, hydrometer, dry rocks and live sand. I only have RO, will order a RODI unit and above-mentioned light this monday. Then I will set it up and start cycling

I'm not sure what your local climate/house temperature is like, but something to measure and control the temperature may be needed (heater/chiller, preferably paired with a temperature controller like an Inkbird or similar).

Test kits for Nitrate and Phosphate would be good for sure; if you want corals, then Calcium and Alkalinity tests would be good too. I'd probably throw in an Ammonia kit for good measure, but - depending on how you cycle the tank - it may not be necessary.

Salifert and Red Sea are the brands I see recommended the most for test kits (aside from Hanna, which is more expensive), so I'd go with them for any tests you need.

 

[Lennie]

Without knowing the PAR, I can't say if the light would be strong enough for corals or not, but putting it with a super shallow tank, it might be. (It would be fine for fish either way).

That said, the spectrum graph displayed in the video would make me personally not want to use the light for a reef tank regardless of PAR, as - assuming the graph is accurate - the blue light seems to peak at ~425nm (a peak at ~460 would be a lot better), and it seems to have a lot of orange (which is an odd color to have a lot of regardless of application and I'd assume is coming from 3000K diode they listed) and red (which corals generally don't like having too much red light).

I'd personally feel a lot more comfortable with more blue (especially around 460-480) and a bit less orange/red.

I'm not an expert, so I'd ask around for more opinions on it, but you might be able to do a firefish in the tank - you'd want a lid/fine mesh for sure, though, as I've heard they tend to jump.

Midas blennies get bigger than I'd feel comfortable with in this tank (minimum tank size recommendation for them is usually 30 gallons).

I don't know that they'd be particularly well suited for a shallow, but keeping one or two clownfish is preferred - they're territorial and may attack each other if kept in more than a pair (some people can get a way with more than two in a tank, but, to my understanding, it's a risk).

I'm not sure what your local climate/house temperature is like, but something to measure and control the temperature may be needed (heater/chiller, preferably paired with a temperature controller like an Inkbird or similar).

Test kits for Nitrate and Phosphate would be good for sure; if you want corals, then Calcium and Alkalinity tests would be good too. I'd probably throw in an Ammonia kit for good measure, but - depending on how you cycle the tank - it may not be necessary.

Salifert and Red Sea are the brands I see recommended the most for test kits (aside from Hanna, which is more expensive), so I'd go with them for any tests you need.

We have a fishroom in our home! This is my first saltwater attempt but we have 24 freshwater tanks. Multiple tank syndrome, indeed! :,)
Fishroom tanks stays around 25C during summertime, and around 20-22C during winter time if the tank is not heated( I heat the room). I actually wanted to setup the reef tank in my bedroom, however tanks in my bedroom go above 30C during summer time usually and I keep hot water fish like german blue rams there. So I better set it up in the fishroom bcoz I dont wanna buy a chiller. Even my plants in bedroom tank get effected negatively during summer time, I bet corals would be much more sensitive.

I have a heater on hand, I forgot to mention. Thanks for the reminder.

I have Sera’s ammonia/ammonium, ph and gh liquid test kits, and Tetra 6in1 strips on hand. I may check for others you mentioned. I do want to keep some corals for sure but nothing too needy or pricey

The light I mentioned above has two versions. One is for saltwater and other one is freshwater. I dont know to which one that graph reflects to. In that scene, the writings on top refers to freshwater specifications, while the bottom one refers to saltwater:

^saltwater one

—————————-

Btw, I am considering if I should instead redo one of my 110x40x25cm shallows as this new reef or 50x50x50. Would these dimensions offer much more diversity when it comes to keeping different species in a level to invest in bigger light and more cost that comes with it?

If so, I may go for a change and actually use 110x40x25 or 50x50x50cm cube. The cube’s footprint is very similar to my 50x40x25 but just tall, so even though it holds more water, that would still be an issue for activity level in terms of swimming and potential territory I guess. 110x40x25 sounds cool tho

————————

My fam got me this as a gift from their Thailand trip. They were planning me to use it one of my freshwater tanks but I dont like having artificial decors or keeping saltwater related objects in my freshwater tanks so I was using it as a decor.

That being said, can I use this lop-sided in a reef tank somewhere away from the rocks/corals, assuming it would serve as a natural hiding point for some fish/critters?

Thanks again,
Lennie

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Fishroom tanks stays around 25C during summertime, and around 20-22C during winter time if the tank is not heated( I heat the room). I actually wanted to setup the reef tank in my bedroom, however tanks in my bedroom go above 30C during summer time usually

Ah, yeah, getting above 30C would be risky with corals.

I have Sera’s ammonia/ammonium, ph and gh liquid test kits, and Tetra 6in1 strips on hand. I may check for others you mentioned.

I'd just make sure the tests work for salt water, and I'd avoid API's saltwater kits, as people struggle to read them (and they get inaccurate readings as a result).

The light I mentioned above has two versions. One is for saltwater and other one is freshwater. I dont know to which one that graph reflects to. In that scene, the writings on top refers to freshwater specifications, while the bottom one refers to saltwater:

Ah, that makes sense - I'd guess that graph is the freshwater one then; the saltwater one is likely better spectrum.

Btw, I am considering if I should instead redo one of my 110x40x25cm shallows as this new reef or 50x50x50. Would these dimensions offer much more diversity when it comes to keeping different species in a level to invest in bigger light and more cost that comes with it?

If so, I may go for a change and actually use 110x40x25 or 50x50x50cm cube. The cube’s footprint is very similar to my 50x40x25 but just tall, so even though it holds more water, that would still be an issue for activity level in terms of swimming and potential territory I guess. 110x40x25 sounds cool tho

Both of those would open up a few more options - the 110x40x25 would have the same shallow-tank constraints as the 50x40x25, but it would have a lot more space to roam/room for critters to set up their territory; at ~3.5ft, you could fit some more gobies, maybe some small wrasses, etc. You could definitely fit more inverts.

The 50x50x50 would remove the constraints of the really shallow tanks, so while it doesn't really add more swimming space, it adds room for top, bottom, and mid-level dwellers, so (for example) you could do like a hawkfish or shrimp goby on the bottom, possibly something like a barnacle blenny or cardinal in the middle, and clown gobies at the top.

That being said, can I use this lop-sided in a reef tank somewhere away from the rocks/corals, assuming it would serve as a natural hiding point for some fish/critters?

Yeah, you absolutely could - it'd basically be another piece of rock in the tank, and eventually it'd be covered by algae/coralline algae.

 

[Lennie]

Ah, yeah, getting above 30C would be risky with corals.

I'd just make sure the tests work for salt water, and I'd avoid API's saltwater kits, as people struggle to read them (and they get inaccurate readings as a result).

Ah, that makes sense - I'd guess that graph is the freshwater one then; the saltwater one is likely better spectrum.

Both of those would open up a few more options - the 110x40x25 would have the same shallow-tank constraints as the 50x40x25, but it would have a lot more space to roam/room for critters to set up their territory; at ~3.5ft, you could fit some more gobies, maybe some small wrasses, etc. You could definitely fit more inverts.

The 50x50x50 would remove the constraints of the really shallow tanks, so while it doesn't really add more swimming space, it adds room for top, bottom, and mid-level dwellers, so (for example) you could do like a hawkfish or shrimp goby on the bottom, possibly something like a barnacle blenny or cardinal in the middle, and clown gobies at the top.

Yeah, you absolutely could - it'd basically be another piece of rock in the tank, and eventually it'd be covered by algae/coralline algae.

Thanks again for the responses. Noted!

Sera’s ammonia/ammonium works for both saltwater/freshwater, just has different styles of testing. Sera’s ph test kit is also for both fw and sw. Gh is only mentioned as Freshwater tho. Good point

Tetra 6 in 1 works for both too from what I understand.

Have a nice one,
Lennie

 

[legacy2mj]

Hey guys!

Hope everyone is doing well.

I am setting up a low end brackish tank for my figure 8 puffer and bumblebee gobies (1.005). While searching for what salt to buy, my biologist friend recommended marine or reef salt for brackish but not aquarium salt even if I enrich it with gh+. The price of 20kg box was wayyy too economic compared to any other version, last one in stock, so I got me 20kgs of this salt:

Now that I have a hydrometer, tons of salt, and a small wavemaker that I dont use which I bought for my shallow long tank(says 1000L/h but doesnt feel like it ngl) and a small HOB (230L/h), I am considering if I can try a shallow nano reef tank with an empty tank I have (with the dimensions of 50x40x25cmh /50 liters.). I also have RO but I need to get DI as my RO reads 24 tds

Considering I already have an empty tank, an unused wavemaker, small HOB filter and reef base salt, it might be less costy for me to try a tank this time. And ofcourse, it is much smaller than a 180 liter so obviously it helps lowering the cost

Questions:
1) Can I utilise all the stuff I have on hand?( HOB filter, wavemaker, HOB, the abovementioned salt for easy reef tank-asking as it also has reef plus version but I didnt get it-, empty tank(50x40x25cmh)

2)Would dimensions of 50x40x25 too limiting for fish/snails/shrimp and easy coral selection, and/or hard to control parameters at. I am surely aware of the fact that the footprint is okay with 50x45 but it is shallow,which is my fav tank style, so it holds less water but provides okay amount of swimming space. Is it too limiting?

I see much tinier tanks being used at both my lfs and online, but the question is would it be ideal for small species? I want my fish to be happy not survive. Please note that I have no intention to introduce any big fish there anyway, I instead would like to know if it would be okay for small species

3) Light. I can't see any cheap light. Is there a way to keep this one budget friendly? If the shallow tank works, does having a shallow tank help with having easier time lighting as height is not a limiting factor here? The cheapest but good brand light I find has the following specifications, but still costs me a lot:

• 445nm Royal Blue
• 460-470nm Blue
• 20.000K White
• 660nm Deep Red (in their 10 month ago official yt video, deep red isn't mentioned, violet is mentioned as 430nm, and instead of red, there is "pink")
• 420nm Violet

Length: 31.6cm
Width: 11.6cm
Height: 1.8cm
20Watt
69 LEDs

Check Amazon, they have lights that range in price and get pretty cheap. Just look through some reviews, narrow it down to a couple. Then bring the question back here to the lighting forum… chances are somebody on here can weigh in. Just cause it’s not a name brand easily recognizable doesn’t mean it’s a terrible product. Some companies are just handcuffed by budget. Marketing is crazy expensive.

 

[Lennie]

Check Amazon, they have lights that range in price and get pretty cheap. Just look through some reviews, narrow it down to a couple. Then bring the question back here to the lighting forum… chances are somebody on here can weigh in. Just cause it’s not a name brand easily recognizable doesn’t mean it’s a terrible product. Some companies are just handcuffed by budget. Marketing is crazy expensive.

Hello!
I couldnt find anything on amazon here in my country. Maybe there are options in amazon US and some others like amazon Germany? Seems like it is not an option for me, sadly.

The light I mentioned above is something I would be okay to invest in if these values are good enough to grow corals in a shallow tank. Not extremely needy coral options, but like okay for an average reef tank. This brand does have very expensive options for pro series and stuff, like some are almost 10 times pricier compared to abovementioned light, this is the cheapest option I can find that seems good. But I cant judge as I have no reef experience

I would also like to have an option for guarantee and having my potential problems fixed in case of any issues I face in the future. So buying a local brand might be a better choice for this option I bet with a guarantee

 

[legacy2mj]

Hello!
I couldnt find anything on amazon here in my country. Maybe there are options in amazon US and some others like amazon Germany? Seems like it is not an option for me, sadly.

The light I mentioned above is something I would be okay to invest in if these values are good enough to grow corals in a shallow tank. Not extremely needy coral options, but like okay for an average reef tank. This brand does have very expensive options for pro series and stuff, like some are almost 10 times pricier compared to abovementioned light, this is the cheapest option I can find that seems good. But I cant judge as I have no reef experience

I would also like to have an option for guarantee and having my potential problems fixed in case of any issues I face in the future. So buying a local brand might be a better choice for this option I bet with a guarantee

Oh I apologize, I didn’t realize you were outside of the US.

 

[Lennie]

Oh I apologize, I didn’t realize you were outside of the US.

Apologize? For what

Instead, I thank you for trying to help actually. Ive just checked Amazon Germany, but considering the shipment and prices combined, Id rather have the abovementioned light instead. At least it is a well known brand here and would have easier time related to service or guarantee in the future, or any other possible scenario