I know what the general sentiment towards nanos is here - so please, I welcome your opinions and comments, but don't be rude. I'm posting this because while I don't think any/everyone should set up nanos, some people will try, and I want to demonstrate that if you do it properly and maintain it dilligently, you can pull it off.
Tank specs:
Eight gallon tank (not a nano cube or anything - just a tank)
10 lbs live sand
15 lbs fijian live rock
One small powerhead
AC 20 filled with LR rubble and cheato
50 watt heater
40 watts, 50/50 actinic PC lighting
DI water with Instant Ocean, always pre-mixed and aerated for at least one day
Calcium / trace supplements
Maintenance routine:
Daily - admire the tank, and top off with fresh DI water (without salt)
Every 3 days - tidy up the tank with a turkey baster, feed my fish
Every week - Feed the starfish, do a 2 gallon water change, do a water test, add supplements if required
Day one, purchasing what I needed:
I picked up 7 lbs of live rock and 5 gallons of tank water from a local supplier, and a 10 lbs bag of live sand from the LFS.
I was going to get "dead" aragonite and let the LR seed it, but my choice was 10 lbs LS for $20 or 30 lbs of aragonite for $30... so I went with the live sand.
I set up the tank, and it was quite cloudy. I didn't have the LR rubble or cheato at that time. Instead, I had the stupid lid that the tank came with - that fit tightly within brackets on the side of the tank, and had the light and filter built into it. I put some filter floss in the filter media cavity to clear the water. Worked like a charm - and I removed the FF.
Week one, cycling begins
I was really hoping that because I started with LR, LS, and established water, the cycle would be very short. But first thing the next morning, my ammonia was off the chart (the chart ends at 3.0). Over this week it declined, and after 4 days the nitrites jumped.
I picked up 8 more lbs of live rock.
Week two, cycle ends. First livestock!
At the end of the second week, my ammonia and nitrites were at 0, and my nitrates were very low, so I went to the LFS and picked up 8 blue legged hermits.
I dripped the hermits to acclimate them, and they settled in well. Very busy the first few days, clearing up all the gunk that had accumulated.
No ammonia registered, but I did a one gallon water change to freshen up the tank.
Week three, first corals.
At the end of week three, I picked up my first corals. I got about 6 zoa frags, some xenia, and some mushrooms. I also got 5 cerith snails to clean my gunky sand, and a brittle starfish.
After these additions, ammonia registered at about 0.05, so I did a (scheduled) 2 gallon water change.
I've really taken to my starfish, called "Legs". He's a blast to feed - I give him a tiny piece of table shrimp, and I just love watching him reach and grab it. Good times!
Weeks four and five, admiring the tank.
I didn't touch the tank, save for weekly water changes, for another two weeks. Partly because I wanted everything to settle in, and partly because I wasn't sure if I even wanted to get a vertebrate (fish). I spent a lot of time browsing forums and researching fish, and narrowed my possible choices down to:
Red Hifin Banded Goby, Royal Gramma, Watchman Goby, Neon pseudochromis.
One of the blue hermits killed a snail for its shell, so I bought the crabs some new shells at the dollar store. Happy crabs!
Week six, more corals and new discovery!
On week six, I noticed some little legs sticking out of a crack in the LR. A new brittle star, apparently! I don't know if he hitched in, or if he is a part of the original Legs, but there you have it. I only noticed him when he reached into my eyedropper to grab a mysis shrimp I was feeding to a coral.
I also picked up a few more zoa frags, a hammer coral, and some brown button polyps.
Week seven, first death
I wasn't able to keep the xenia alive. I was surprised because I had heard they were easy, and everything else was thriving, but there you have it... I asked around and heard various reasons - low idiodine, tank too young, too much current, not enough current... Perhaps I'll try again in a few months.
Week seven, get fed up with my stupid lid
I couldn't stand my stupid lid anymore, so I trashed it. I sawed off the plastic brackets that held it in place, and got a glass lid for a 10 gallon tank cut to fit the tank. Instead of the 20W bulb that fit into the original lid, I put two 20W bulbs in a dual incandescent 10 gal fixture.
My brown button polyps responded beautifully - by turning green!
I also put on the AC 20 with rubble.
Later that week, I picked up a scarlet red and an electric blue hermit crab, a torch coral, and a ricordea mushroom. I also picked up some cheato for the AC HOB.
Week eight, I begin to seriously consider getting a fish
My love is the royal gramma. I love, love, love them, and did want to pick one up for my tank. I went to one LFS, who had some, but they'd only had him for a day. I went to another LFS who didn't have a royal gramma, but I spent an hour looking at the fish they did have. They didn't seem to know what much was (understandable, when it comes to gobies and blennies), so much time was spent looking through books.
I ended up getting a firefish. I wasn't totally sold on him, I have to say (he just wasn't a royal gramma).
But I brought him home, floated him, dripped him, and let him loose. I'm totally turned around on him now. He spent a day being shy and nervous, but now he's come out and he eats right from my hand / tweezer / eye dropper. A very rewarding little fellow to keep.
Week twelve, mantis scare! Ack!
A few days ago I heard clicking coming from the tank at night. I freaked out, sure I had a big bad mantis. To make matters worse, when I got home, I couldn't find my firefish! Turns out my firefish is fine, and the clicking was probably just a snail tapping against the glass in the water current.
Foreseeable future:
I like my tank as it is. My only plans are to get more zoas, and upgrade my lighting to 90W, with the coralife 96W SW 20" fixture. The 20" fixture will stick out 1.5" on either side of the tank but... oh well. They don't make them any smaller. I also placed an order for a few sexy shrimp.
Other comments:
I have to say, I haven't really been bitten by the SW bug. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my tank, but I have no desire to expand to anything larger at this time. Just as well, I guess, as I don't have room for anything bigger.
Expenditure:
In total, I've probably spent about $400 on this tank. I know, I know, I probably could have set up something bigger for little more, but I knew that going in. I love my little tank.
As best as I can figure:
$40 - lighting
$20 - reef salt
$60 - live rock (15 lbs)
$20 - live sand (10 lbs)
$10 - calcium / trace supplement
$20 - getting the glass lid cut (F$*&^ers)
$5 / week - water
$120 - various corals
$30 - invertebrates (snails, crabs, star)
$20 - fish
... And I'm sure I've forgotten a few things.
Next big expense: new light fixture ($130), sexy shrimp ($20 each)
I owned the tank, the heater, a testing kit, and the power head and the AC 20 before starting.
