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Octo-friendly Corals

The only problem with the skimmer is that I can't find anything for something that size. I want to start the corals with a 20L or a 29 gallon, and theres nothing I could find that small. Recently I read something about the possibility of "over skimming" in tanks with corals. Correct me if i'm wrong, I just don't wanna screw em up.
 
Nano farming is an art, or maybe witch craft. I have seen some really beautifully setup displays but when I return 6 months later, either there is a new display or it is gone. We started with a 25 gallon Nano when we reintroduced ourselves to saltwater and added extra lighting with dreams of keeping lots of corals all crowed into a beautiful scene (like in the fish stores) :roll:. After moving on to bigger and far better tanks, it went unused for several years but has been operational again for about a year and houses some interesting polyps that multiply like crazy and our little mantis. It is NOT my favorite tank but it is interesting. Twice we have had great xenia that grows like crazy then after about a year, dies off. Sometimes I think I change out too much water but our filtration is myserable.

On the other hand, Nancy has had good success with one and recently upgraded to nano about the size you are thinking about. I know she has a small skimmer for it and maybe my post will goad her into showing some photos.
 
Keith;129016 said:
The only problem with the skimmer is that I can't find anything for something that size. I want to start the corals with a 20L or a 29 gallon, and theres nothing I could find that small. Recently I read something about the possibility of "over skimming" in tanks with corals. Correct me if i'm wrong, I just don't wanna screw em up.

Yes, you can over-skim a reef tank. It will remove some of the beneficial elements, food, etc.

In a tank that small, I would say you could probably get away without a skimmer if you kept feeding to a minimum and don't have any fish in the tank. If you use that HOB filter it's only going to be for the carbon cartridges and turning over the water. The carbon is great for keeping the water clear and absorbing junk, but as mentioned, it breaks down pretty fast and you'll need to replace it often or it will just become another source of polution in the tank. I tried using one as a refugium but it's hard to keep from getting sand into the motor, and once that happens, it will be a pain in the butt.

If I may give you some advice on this idea, get a good grip on one or the other first. Don't start them both at the same time, given you don't have much hands on experience with either.

I am starting to regret my decision to take on the coral propagation biz (of course I have 3 displays setup). It's a LOT of work, time, money. Water changes, topoffs, dosing, replacing equipment, cutting corals, waiting for them to grow, hoping they don't die (and some will inevitably) ...and then off to my day job. Oh yeah, and then there's the display tanks to maintain! And I'm setting up another display in the living room currently... truly a labor of love.
 
Wow. For all that trouble and the difficulty of having a small tank for corals, I may just want to wait and do it in my 75 gal. I'd want to wait a few more months to get my octopus, but I suppose it would be better in the long run for it. I just want to make it as natural of a home as possible so I have as happy of an octo as I can. From the sounds of it, they have a cool interaction with xenia. I'd definately like to see that. Oh yea, one more question I keep forgetting to ask, and i'm almost at that stage. What grade of sand should I get? Standard sand, fine, or the crushed coral?
 
Don't get crushed coral. It will become nastified and you will curse it.

Aragonite sand, or, if you can find it, Pavestone brand crushed limestone (Home Depot used to sell it for $5 per 50lbs) is what I use in my tanks, except Kalypso's black sand, which I hate now. The black sand is pretty coarse and I haven't noticed any downsides to it, other than it just sucks the light out of the tank.
 

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