How to Set up a Small Reef Aquarium
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This is a guide to setting up small reef tanks. It will guide the reader from initial set up to a completely cycled tank. This tank setup can run successfully for over 5 years.
Steps
- Acquire an aquarium. This guide is for tanks less than 30 gallons. Decide on the location of the aquarium in your home. This place should have lots of circulation and have zero exposure to direct sunlight. Tanks of this size can frequently be placed on a sturdy piece of furniture. You can also purchase a pre-manufactured stand which may increase the warranty on an aquarium. Also be sure to get the items in the "Things You'll Need" section.
- Fill the tank with water. Use RO water if available. City water works as long as you have a detoxify it. Otherwise get distilled water from the store. Be sure to leave about two to four inches at the top of the tank.
- Add salt in small amount while checking with the hydrometer. Continue adding salt and stirring and checking salinity until the hydrometer reads 1.022 - 1.025. With a new hydrometer you will frequently get air bubbles stuck to the needle, these will seriously throw off a reading. Tap it up and down and left and right until they float off. Once you have an appropriate salinity take a break and let the water clear up. Check it again and proceed to the next step.
- Put the entire unopened bag of sand into the water. Slice open one side of the bag and slide it out very gently. It is similar to the magician pulling out the table cloth, but a lot slower. If you do this properly the tank will hardly cloud at all. If you don't, you will have to wait longer for the water to clear so you can see through the aquarium. (You may use sand bought at the pet store or live sand bought from a local reef store)
- Test the alkalinity and calcium levels. Read the directions for the test kit they vary in methods. Alkalinity reading should be 8-12 dKH. Calcium should be at 400-500 ppm. If either tests low, add an appropriate amount of alkalinity increaser or calcium increaser.
- Place your rock in a way that is visually appealing to you. Keep in mind that you will need to clean the glass so leave enough room on any sides you will be cleaning, really important on the front pane. It is also advisable to stack the rock in an arch formation with many open holes and few touching regions.
- Assemble the filter. Place the filter in a place where it will maximize the flow in the aquarium. The middle works better than the sides. If you are using two filters place them on opposite sides but not on the edges. Read the directions thoroughly before you plug them in. Make sure the filters are running properly.
- Put on the glass top, but leave the back plastic piece that comes with it off for now. Leaving this off allows a ventilation in the tank and keeps the temperature lower.
- Cycle the tank and wait around a month to a month or two for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels to zero out and the biological filters to establish.
Tips
- Research! research! research! The more you know the better you will know how to deal with problems. Assuming that you have access to the Internet; become a member on reef forums such as [www.reefcentral.com] or [1]
- Fellow hobbyists are usually kind and will be glad to try and help you. However, keep in mind that some things on the Internet have to be taken with a grain of salt (no pun intended).
- You must have patience. Everything will be more stable if you are patient. Don't rush into the pet store and start buying things (or fish). Plan ahead, price things, don't take a blind dive.
- Perform a monthly 25% water change, or several small 5% changes.
- Clean salt creep away from the aquarium to make it look presentable.
- Clean glass bi-weekly with a damp towel.
- NEVER USE ANY TYPE OF CLEANING PRODUCT ON OR INSIDE THE AQUARIUM.
- Look for a reputable local fish store (LFS). Some may be small hole in the wall stores or large warehouses. Either way, determine: if the livestock is healthy, if the tanks look clean, are the workers knowledgeable, are the prices reasonable, ect. ect.
- A larger tank is more costly, however, it is more stable. In other words, do not start out on a five gallon tank. (I would recommend a thirty gallon tank.)
- Many dry goods can be purchased through online stores cheaper than at the pet store.
- Do not let the LFS talk you into buying damsel fish to cycle the aquarium. This technique is cruel and you will be stuck with a mean, territorial fish.
- Along those lines, don't let the LFS talk you into buying anything you don't need or want (especially if you know it is unnecessary).
- Coral fragments (frags) can be bought cheaper than a whole colony. They are ecologically friendly, cheaper, and if you are not sure you can take care of the coral it is better to try on a small piece.
- You don't actually have to wait a month for bio levels,and nitrate,phosphate,and all the levels to get to were there supposed to be. You can purchase a packet of bio(bacteria,and other chemicals that support your tank)and put it in your tank. If you do, test to make sure everything is going well, and add chemicals when necessary. It will only take about a week before your tank is ready for fish. It takes about a week for a 55 gallon to be ready for fish, so it would probably take less time for anything less.
Things You'll Need
- 1 lb of live sand per gallon. Live sand is available in 10-20 pound bags, putting 20 pounds in a 10 gallon tank is acceptable. This will produce a one to two inch deep sand bed.
- a hang on back filter that pushes 10 times your tank capacity per hour. For a ten gallon tank a filter that does 100 gph will be suitable. For 20-30 gallon tanks it is frequently better to get two smaller filters as it will create better flow in the water. It is crucial that the filters have a biological element. Some have special wheels or sponges designed to be biological filters and this is the most important type of filtration in your new tank.
- A protein skimmer may also be utilized for larger tanks (over 12 gallons). There are many styles and designs; some better than others. Protein skimmers are very efficient filters and are often the only type of mechanical filtration employed. Allow two weeks as a break-in period.
- a power compact or metal halide lamp that fits your tank. This will be the most expensive single item you buy. If you come across a used one it would be desirable to replace the bulbs. A power compact must have two types of bulbs, white ones and blue ones. Metal halide fixtures will have one or two bulbs and one or two blue power compact or florescent bulbs.
- A glass top that fits your aquarium.
- Salt. Salt is sold by how many gallons it makes. Get an appropriate amount.
- A Hydrometer. This device measures the salt content of your water and is crucial for maintaining a proper salinity. Some hydrometers do not tell the salinity. Here is a chart to help determine the salinity [2]
- Some type of water detoxifying agent. If you have a source of Reverse Osmosis (RO) water then you can skip this one. If you have well water it is suggested to not use it as it tends to have minerals that are not desirable in the aquarium. Most city water can be detoxified with an appropriate amount of water treatment.
- A test kit is essential to the initial setup of your tank.
- One pound of Live Rock per gallon of tank. Your local reef supply store will have live rock on display. Select rock that looks interesting to you as you are going to be looking at this initial rock for the rest of your tanks days. Try and get live rock that is 'clean' looking with a good growth of coralline algae. You don't want any unwelcome guests like brown anemones. They look nice, but they will kill more desirable tenants. Also, keep in mind that you can use a few pounds of base rock (coralline free) to create the bottom of the reef structure.
- Reef additives. Several major manufacturers of reef supplies have products for the smaller reef tank. It is crucial that you can increase the calcium and alkalinity levels of the water.
- Add one or two frozen shrimp, Test for the ammonia to spike, once it spikes take them out and let the cycle go(4-6 weeks) After this add 2 fish per month until all fish are bought
- Powerheads to create adequate flow. These may not be necessary depending on the flow created by the filters.
- A heater to maintain the temperature at a steady 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
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