# Mini Reef Tanks



## reptilefan95 (Jul 27, 2009)

Hey all as many of you may know i am quite the fish enthusiast as well as reptiles, im down sizing my fish collection to 2 tanks and arowana tank and a marine, ive got a two foot tank that i want to use as a nano marine and i would like to know some of the things i would need. Im planning of having a moslty FOWLR but i might get one or two corals. The fish taht i am interested in are Hambug Damsels and Domino Damsles, Maroon Clowns and a few gammas or something like that, for a clean up crew i rekon a few turbo snails and a hermit crab. 

My question to you guys is,m would three fish and a clean up crew fit in that tank? Also what sort of filter would i need? and all of the other accesories that i need


Thanks as always

Reptile Fan 95


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## miss2 (Jul 27, 2009)

hey there
in my personal opinion a 2 ft tank should be kept to a minimal of a pair of clowns and one clean up fish, goby or something. but thats just my opinion


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## reptilefan95 (Jul 27, 2009)

Hey yeah i never intended to get all of them just a few thanks for the reply


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## e_r_k_2 (Jul 27, 2009)

What is the actual volume of the tank?


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## MaRkAS (Jul 27, 2009)

If it's a standard 2 ft tank, then it's probably holding around 80ltrs of water give or tank depending on the amount of live rock, not including the sump volume.
2 fish max and probably only the smaller anemone fish.
Take a visit to the MASA website Reefing The Australian Way Forums :: Index you'll find many people with tanks similar to what you want.

Those fish you want will tear each other apart in that tank, like most marine fish, they a very territorial esp the Maroon's


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## reptilefan95 (Jul 27, 2009)

Yeah i understand that they are agressive, i was thinking of getting one marroon or maybe a pair and having the only other things as clean ups and live rock thanks for the site ill take a look at it. 
I wont be running a sump though it will be a ehiem cannister i know that people dont like them for marines but my mate has one on his so ill try and give it a go. I would also like to see some pics of your tanks!!


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## PSimmo (Jul 27, 2009)

In my experience the clowns (Ocellaris would be best) are probably the best choice, just get then an anemoe and they will be happy.
The Humbugs & Domino's on the other hand will never be happy NASTY little turds they are.
My 5 x 2 x 2 tank is on the MASS site for sale at the moment so I can get some of my life back and buy more snakes


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## reptilefan95 (Jul 27, 2009)

Hey thanks simmo yeah i was thinking about getting the percula ocellaris but i do like the maroons colour, would they fit in there? or not i would only buy two... but if not i dont mind the ocellaris but are there any other small fish that are nice and easy to keep... at first i was looking into a smaller lionfish like a dendrochirus brachypterus(fuzzy dwarf lionfish) would that fit in that tank? if i did go the lionfish i wouldnt get an anemone or any other fish


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## Shonfield (Jul 27, 2009)

I would never put two fully grown maroon clowns in a 80ltr tank even one maroon would be pushing it. Two ocellaris would still be cramped i think because as adults they can get to 9cm and need their space. I would have to say that one ocellaris with snails would be about the max in that tank. Then again people always tell me that i could fit more fish in my tank...

Also i would have to say that for a first marine setup for anyone i wouldn't suggest any less than a 4ft tank because saltwater fish are affected a lot more by the water quality and if anything goes wrong in a 2ft tank it won't take long for your fish to be gone.


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## Southside Morelia (Jul 27, 2009)

I used to breed Premnas biaculeatus and have only 1 pair in a 6ft tank, the males are VERY territorial, especially around eggs...lol
IMO a 2 ft tank is way too small UNLESS you do a water change every week, which I used to for little box fish & cow fish tanks. That's a cool fish that would do well in a tank that size. Scape up the back of the tank with live rock and atleast you will have some sort of bio filtration. ou can get 2ft tanks with a basic wet/dry filter mounted at the top, that will do for a couple of bizarre box fish & cow fishes.
The trick is NOT to feed too much as the uneaten food is what spikes the ammonia in the tank, that's the bad stuff....On a lighter note there are heaps of chemicals that raise your nitrates (the good stuff) to incredible levels, but water changes on a small tank is what will keep the fish alive. 
I could go on for hours....lol, brings me back!

Do you want some of advice from someone who kept Marines and mini-reef systems for 15 years? I'll give it anyways....don't get one, as you get addicted and once your sucked in, your are ALWAYS putting your hand in your pocket, for supplements, chemicals, stock, corals the list goes on and on!
Reptiles are MUCH cheaper and a better hobby for the hip pocket....again JMO! 
Besides that, they are an unreal setup and I love Marine tanks and the animals and corals. I do miss them....I will get a 6ft tank again one day...when I retire I reckon!


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## Southside Morelia (Jul 27, 2009)

Shonfield said:


> Also i would have to say that for a first marine setup for anyone i wouldn't suggest any less than a 4ft tank because saltwater fish are affected a lot more by the water quality and if anything goes wrong in a 2ft tank it won't take long for your fish to be gone.



.Exactly, this is a little fully enclosed ecosystem and we have seen how much reefs are decimated by what we do on land...fertilizers run off etc, imagine what will happen in a 2ft tank, overstocked, no filtration etc. Anyway give it a go it can be done. PM for any advice as I don't want to bore all the reptile lovers as this is our site,,,,,lol


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## reptilefan95 (Jul 27, 2009)

Yeah i understand the premis of bigger is better but there are so many nano tanks around that i thought i would give it a try. I might try a smaller lionfish as i stated above by himself with a small clean up crew, and eventually buy a 200 litre tank, though ive talked to someone who has owned a D. Brachypterus and said they rarely get over the 14 cm mark which is pretty small. Thanks for the replies and i would love to see some of your tanks!!


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## Southside Morelia (Jul 27, 2009)

Don't be discouraged, as it can be done, no probs at all.
Give it a go for sure!
Good luck!
Oh if you meant me, re the tank photos, I do have 100's of pics all on disks somewhere, i'll see what I can russle up.
To inspire you, I used to have wave makers breaking upon one side of the tank on the reef which was built up to near the surface of the water. All corals were placed in their correct position for lighting and water movement, it is a science...lol
Automated MH lights that come on in sequence and simulates the sun rising and then goes the opposite way for dusk....then the moon lights kick in after that, just blue LED's but actually mimic the same wavelength of moonlight in nature. This crazily enough had a dimmer that dimmed the led's mimicing the moon's 28 day cycle, what you need to help breeding fish and spawning corals. I got most of my stuff from the USA & Germany and I was a bit of a Pioneer here in Australia when it came to this sort of lengths, in the US it was common place for the Marine buffs.
I had mad many stage wet/dry filtration and in the sump I used to grow mangrove plants and have inverts, live rock etc as another form of filtration in the stages, all under special UV lighting. I even used to cultivate my own phytoplannkton which the CSIRO used to send me as starter cultures from Tasmania, this I used to feed corals as well as feeding my cultivation of zooplankton which is another coral food.
It was quite the laboratory, which freaked all my Family and friends out, who thought I was cultivating drugs or something...lol
Must stop writing now, makes me want to get back into Marines...



reptilefan95 said:


> Yeah i understand the premis of bigger is better but there are so many nano tanks around that i thought i would give it a try. I might try a smaller lionfish as i stated above by himself with a small clean up crew, and eventually buy a 200 litre tank, though ive talked to someone who has owned a D. Brachypterus and said they rarely get over the 14 cm mark which is pretty small. Thanks for the replies and i would love to see some of your tanks!!


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## Southside Morelia (Jul 27, 2009)

BlueLine Products - Reef Aquarium Lighting & Pumps
For anyone interested, not the guy I got it from, can't find the link as I have had about 3 computers since then...lol but exactly what I had in my main marine aquarium, awesome stuff!


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## No-two (Jul 27, 2009)

Just a note on the clowns reptilefan... A common misconception is that they need an anemone to be happy. Clowns appreciate anemones but they will happily live in anemone look-a-like corals, and even happily live with no corals or anemones whatsoever. I don't recommend anemones for beginners, not many newbies are successful at keeping them alive and happy for very long.


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## Southside Morelia (Jul 27, 2009)

True, Ocellaris clowns will inhabit "flowering" or fleshy corals and as said by No-two, anemone are NOT for beginners as they move around tanks and if they don't like their position will hide behind rocks and shrivel up to nothing if not being looked after by clowns and recieving food whether by you or your clown...a pain in the a r s e! 
Do you know that your clown will take prawns or whatever food introduced by you in the tank, to the anemone to feed it...they look after it and it is a symbiotic relationship which is awesome to watch & nurture! It's great to see that relationship and these can be a relationship between a pair of clown and an anenome that last for many many years..I have seen this and it is quite an experience.
NOTE: You also need the right type of anemone to be compatible with your clown.....not any anemone will be compatible with any clown, another factor to consider.


No-two said:


> Just a note on the clowns reptilefan... A common misconception is that they need an anemone to be happy. Clowns appreciate anemones but they will happily live in anemone look-a-like corals, and even happily live with no corals or anemones whatsoever. I don't recommend anemones for beginners, not many newbies are successful at keeping them alive and happy for very long.


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## reptilefan95 (Jul 27, 2009)

Yeah ive read and read, at the moment im working at a fish shop but we dont stock marines so thats why im asking all of this, i had quite a large marine tank before but it was a FO so completely different to what im getting into i think i might start of with a FOWLR and a small dendrochirus brachypterus or perhaps an equally sized Pterois Antennata, what ever is available, thanks for all the help and like i said feel free to post some pics!!


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## Shonfield (Jul 27, 2009)

even the small lion fish would outgrow a 2ft tank pretty quickly i think. If i was you i would just go for a bigger tank in the first place. Its up to you though. 

Heres a pic of my longnose butterfly. Its a bad pic cause i suck at photography, its taken on my phone and fish dont stop moving lol...


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## da_donkey (Jul 27, 2009)

This is my tank


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## reptilefan95 (Jul 27, 2009)

Lovely tank donkey what is it like 20 billion litres? just a small sitting room tank ) and shonfield i love the butterfly fish looks sick!! yeah i think i might start out with a smaller tank only because i already have one!


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## PSimmo (Jul 27, 2009)

Here's a pair of Maroons in my tank.
And yes...bigger is better..we have 2 little tanks here that my Mrs kept a blue tang in 1 and seahorses in the other...and water conditions can to to crap in a matter of hours.
Big systems the change is much much slower.


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## reptilefan95 (Jul 28, 2009)

Nice Maroons what size tank do you have them in?


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## Southside Morelia (Jul 28, 2009)

I managed to find an old shot of the tank on disc. This is before the wave makers and all of the mod cons I mentioned in my earlier posts and probably a few years before it was completed, this taken in 2004. I eventually sold the lot in 2007, so it changed heaps from this shot.You see the way I have started to scape the back of the tank, eventually you will see no back and sides, it is filled with live rock & coral. I ended up propagating my own corals although Acropora's were very hard to keep for any long length of time, so I eventually gave up on them. Soft corals flourished as you can see from even these early pics, eventually all rocks are covered with something. This is even before my beautiful preminus were introduced to this tank, looking forward to showing pics of those and the sump of course, brings back very fond memories.
I'm sure I have all those pics on another hard drive which I'll plug in over the weekend and salvage the pics, I too want to see them again, it's been awhile and was quite a work in progress. I used to sit with a beer in fron tof the main tank for hours to de-stress after a hard day, great feeling to watch your animals doing what they do naturally! 
Stay tuned......lol


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## Southside Morelia (Jul 28, 2009)

Here's a 2ft tank I used to have, showing stage 1 building a base and finished with inhabitants.... As I said before it can be done with a 2 footer, but you have to learn how the parameters can be controlled to make it successful. Nano tanks are even smaller and I have dabbled in them before...again i'll find the pics and post.
a couple of inhabitants in this 2 ft tank, an Ocellarus Clown & a Royal Dottyback. This guy who we named Tiger because he was so agro, was famous, he was pictured on a few Marine Websites and even on a Marine Fish ID site...... What a stud!! lol Had a great personality and was the king of his 2ft tank...


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## MatE (Jul 28, 2009)

Southside Morelia said:


> I managed to find an old shot of the tank on disc. This is before the wave makers and all of the mod cons I mentioned in my earlier posts and probably a few years before it was completed, this taken in 2004. I eventually sold the lot in 2007, so it changed heaps from this shot.You see the way I have started to scape the back of the tank, eventually you will see no back and sides, it is filled with live rock & coral. I ended up propagating my own corals although Acropora's were very hard to keep for any long length of time, so I eventually gave up on them. Soft corals flourished as you can see from even these early pics, eventually all rocks are covered with something. This is even before my beautiful preminus were introduced to this tank, looking forward to showing pics of those and the sump of course, brings back very fond memories.
> I'm sure I have all those pics on another hard drive which I'll plug in over the weekend and salvage the pics, I too want to see them again, it's been awhile and was quite a work in progress. I used to sit with a beer in fron tof the main tank for hours to de-stress after a hard day, great feeling to watch your animals doing what they do naturally!
> Stay tuned......lol


Dam Scott you were a bigger freek than i was lol.
Awesome setup,love the yellow tang and lion fish,I cant believe how much the price of fish went up,was only paying $70 for a yellow tang and i used to catch my own lion fish from Lennox head in the rock pools.


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## Southside Morelia (Jul 28, 2009)

MatE said:


> Dam Scott you were a bigger freek than i was lol.
> Awesome setup,love the yellow tang and lion fish,I cant believe how much the price of fish went up,was only paying $70 for a yellow tang and i used to catch my own lion fish from Lennox head in the rock pools.


Ha, thanks Mat, yes used to get called a freak and mad professor as mentioned before by all Family & friends...lol
I tell you a story about the Lion fish who we named Big Gay Al after the SouthPark character (mardi gras head dress) , we had him really trained to eat out of my hand and one day when I was feeding him, I was distracted looked away and he stuck me good under the finger nail. I was home alone, missues was out with friends for the night and I freaked out with all the stories of people dying from lion fish stings. I had had a few beers and was over the limit, couldn't drive, rang the hospital they didn't know anything, so was referred to the poisons information center, who told me people allergic to the venom will only die, so I had to sit back and see what happened. anyways, I wasn't allergic thank God and all I felt was a severe numbing to one side of my arm and it eventually went away...lol Needless to say I was stuck by him once more before I eventually sold him when I sold all my stuff!


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## MatE (Jul 28, 2009)

Southside Morelia said:


> Ha, thanks Mat, yes used to get called a freak and mad professor as mentioned before by all Family & friends...lol
> I tell you a story about the Lion fish who we named Big Gay Al after the SouthPark character (mardi gras head dress) , we had him really trained to eat out of my hand and one day when I was feeding him, I was distracted looked away and he stuck me good under the finger nail. I was home alone, missues was out with friends for the night and I freaked out with all the stories of people dying from lion fish stings. I had had a few beers and was over the limit, couldn't drive, rang the hospital they didn't know anything, so was referred to the poisons information center, who told me people allergic to the venom will only die, so I had to sit back and see what happened. anyways, I wasn't allergic thank God and all I felt was a severe numbing to one side of my arm and it eventually went away...lol Needless to say I was stuck by him once more before I eventually sold him when I sold all my stuff!


My mate had one aswell who got him when he was cleaning out his tank.Whats the saying real men dont cry,thats crap he was a 120kg landscape gardner who had tears in his eyes i can tell you.My bloke would eat out of my hand aswell but i didnt get spined luckely.They grow so fast the ones i caught were no bigger than a 5 cent peice but if fed live food(shrimps)by the bucket load they would grow before your eyes.My tanks i kept simple so as to make them easier to clean,so i didnt have any gravel.I had anenome's the size of a three foot tank,so one to a tank lol.And a whole family of percula clowns,which are cool.I did get them to breed once,but didnt have the setup to keep the babies.


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## Southside Morelia (Jul 28, 2009)

Mat, I have seen anemone that size too, they have housed 10 or more clowns...amazing. I didn't keep any THAT bid because they sting all the coral close by them and obviously not good when buying expensive corals....That's right kiddies, chemical warfare is used by corals!
In my nano tanks I didn't have a substrate either, as they were small and didn't really need the bio filtration with all the live rock.
The hardest thing about breeding fish in a communal tank full of stuff, is waiting till the lights go out and catching them as they spawn. I started by sitting there with a torch for hours waiting and nabbing the buggers. Then as I got smart, I used to keep a tile behind the host anemone for the female to lay the eggs on and then I removed the whole tile with eggs intact just before they were to hatch....bingo easy peasy! lol
BW, your mate was a pussy! lol


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## reptilefan95 (Jul 29, 2009)

Wow awesome tank i really like the liionfish, im guessing either Ptrois antennta or P. Volitan?


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