Frag Tank Setup

[jd]

Well, I'm sure most of you have heard me talk about it for months, but I finally have everything I need for my frag tank. I had an epiphany in the hardware store that a frag tank doesn't need a sump!

So my plan is as follows...

A 20L with a 175W 14000K MH.

A .5" layer of sand throughout. I hate the BB look.

A 12" x 12" eggcrated section that hold a few pounds of rock and cheato.

A rainford's goby for both pod and algae control.

25% weekly water changes by skimming the top of the water via a bulkhead on the tank a few inches down.

My questions are, with 25% weekly water changes, macro-algae and only one small fish, do I need a skimmer? could I use a RDSB in its place? How much live rock will I need? Comments on this setup?

[HUNGER]

cool  cant wait to see it up and running

[cyberwollf]

cool  cant wait to see it up and running

Are you not plumbing this into your main system? More water togeather is alway better for stablity.  You didnt say what you were using for flow.  Why do you hate bare bottom so much? its a frag tank... its suppose to grow frags, not look good. Maybe others can comment on the flow rate vs sand bed they use in their frag tanks.

I'd go more like 25% twice a week water changes... Especially if you only got 20Gallons of water and lots of corals, Trace minerals will be gone quick.  Maybe Nikki can comment on that from her little tank. 

[jd]

Are you not plumbing this into your main system? More water togeather is alway better for stablity.  You didnt say what you were using for flow.  Why do you hate bare bottom so much? its a frag tank... its suppose to grow frags, not look good. Maybe others can comment on the flow rate vs sand bed they use in their frag tanks.

I'd go more like 25% twice a week water changes... Especially if you only got 20Gallons of water and lots of corals, Trace minerals will be gone quick.  Maybe Nikki can comment on that from her little tank. 

I'm not plumbing it into my main system for two reasons, its a pain to do and I already worry about spills; and this way if something happens it doesn't kill everything in both tanks.

Flow will be a koralia 3 most likely along with a small HOB for particle removal.

You had convinced me to go BB until I realized that A) the light on the tank shines right down onto my SW storage tank and B) the rainford goby likes to forage. I've also read they have a hard time in captivity so I may go with a Hectors instead. Anyone know if they are jumpers?

I'm leaning more toward a 30%-40% water change weekly.

Pictures of the tank so far tomorrow, camera batteries are dead.

[ScottyC]

I have had a rainford for a couple of years and he is great, I never even see him near the top, didn't know they were jumpers

[jd]

Thanks Scotty. They sound like the perfect fish for a frag tank, eating both pods and algae.

[Kenn]

We LOVE our rainfords. not a jumper at all in my system. all over the water column. up and down. You will definitely want a sand bed of some type for him as he is a constant sifter. Mine also browses on any hair algae in the tank but I think he is mostly sifting pods out of it ( you can see him searching through it before he grabs a piece

overall great fish

[jd]

Thanks Kenn, I knew someone had a rainford but couldn't remember who

Take it take prepared food as well?