Nano reefs and carbon
 

Hi, I'm a refugee from freshwater. Many years ago I kept a very
successful 10g Berlin style nano reef. I'm thinking of getting a
Nanocube and starting a tiny reef again, but Nanocubes don't have a
skimmer or even a spot for one. The guy at the reef shop said people
are using activated carbon now to remove DOC in nano setups. Does this
really work? Last time I the skimmer kept the water clean enough that
I had a tomato clown in the setup. Would I be able to have a fish
without a skimmer?

Nano reefs and carbon
 

"Altum" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi, I'm a refugee from freshwater. Many years ago I kept a very
successful 10g Berlin style nano reef. I'm thinking of getting a
Nanocube and starting a tiny reef again, but Nanocubes don't have a
skimmer or even a spot for one. The guy at the reef shop said people
are using activated carbon now to remove DOC in nano setups. Does this
really work? Last time I the skimmer kept the water clean enough that
I had a tomato clown in the setup. Would I be able to have a fish
without a skimmer?

My 12yr old son has a 12g Nano Cube DX with live rock, live sand,1
Clownfish, 1 Jawfish and a cleaner shrimp. Its loaded with zoos and
mushrooms as well as a few Ricordias. Its thriving to say the least and
grows everything like crazy. He gets more frags out of his than I do out of
my 2 large reefs.

The Nano cube has 3 compartments in the back that is supposed to house
sponges in the first and carbon and ceramic rings in the 2nd one and return
in the 3rd. JBJ even tells you to remove the ceramic rings for a reef and
leave the carbon and sponges. We replace the carbon once a month and rinse
the sponges every week when we do a small water change

Works great with the carbon and no skimmer as long as you do regular water
changes to keep the levels down and replenish whets lost with new water.

Sorry for the long reply but yes you can run skimmerless using carbon or at
least we have had good success that way

Nano reefs and carbon
 

Thanks. I'm old school enough that it's hard to imagine going
skimmerless. No more floods! You also answered another question I
had, which was wondering whether the lighting was adequate for polyps
and shrooms. I guess it's time to start saving my pennies. Those
Nanocubes are great looking little tanks.

Nano reefs and carbon
 

While I do not have an actual JBJ Nano cube anymmore due to two of
them in a row cracking (long story and problemematic with JBJ Nano's)
it was common practice and best results were obtaiined without using
the provided biological filtration stuff that they come shipped with,
like the rings etc...Most folks into these type tanks use a chamber to
put live rock rubble and convert it to a fuge. Current USA just
released a NANO sized skimmer which is 6" overall in height and fits
in the chambers in the back of the JBJ as well as the Current Aqua
POd...They retail for under $25.00 and readily available and work
fine. They are a ph driven skimmer. I have one in a 2 gal pico taank
that works great.....I fyou have sufficieint live rock in a nano type
tank yu can get by without runing carbon all the time, which seems to
be the thing the majority of folks do as besides removing unwated
stuff it also removes necessary elements you really want to keep so
usually carbon is run for 3 to 5 days once a month. Still does not
eliminate water changes though.

A skimmer is not a MUST have but they sure do make life easier and
water quality better espeically with a reef type tank.

Check out Current USA's Aqua Pod, which is a nano type tank that is
almost identical to the JBJ NANO cube, but constructed with better
light ballasts, and pumps and thicker glass..all at about the same
price.

On 19 Dec 2005 17:31:26 -0800, "Altum"
wrote:
Hi, I'm a refugee from freshwater. Many years ago I kept a very
successful 10g Berlin style nano reef. I'm thinking of getting a
Nanocube and starting a tiny reef again, but Nanocubes don't have a
skimmer or even a spot for one. The guy at the reef shop said people
are using activated carbon now to remove DOC in nano setups. Does this
really work? Last time I the skimmer kept the water clean enough that
I had a tomato clown in the setup. Would I be able to have a fish
without a skimmer?

--
\\\|///
( @ @ )
-----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------


oooO
---------( )----Oooo----------------
\ ( ( )
\_) ) /
(_/
The original frugal ponder! Koi-ahoi mates....

Nano reefs and carbon
 

Thanks for the tip. Current USA's stuff does look nice and that little
skimmer is perfect. I'm much more comfortable with a skimer for a reef
simply because I know how to run a healthy skimmed system. Removing
biomedia is a no-brainer. I can't imagine running a tank that small
with a built-in nitrate factory!