Well, I have a friend that has decided that he would like to set up a 10 gallon nanno tank for some clown fish and an anemone. Since I don't know too much about nano tanks and their setup this is the advice I gave him.

I told him to do the typical 2-3" sandbed with 10 lbs of live rock. I also told him that he could get a skimmer but many people are choosing not to use them and their tanks work well. I also told him that for an anemone he would require a high amount of light so I suggested a DIY workhorse ballast VHO setup because it is a relitively inexpensive VHO setup. Finally I told him to set up the tank with water and sand, put some powerheads in for and just let it run for a day or two. Then add the liverock and wait a month. After that to add the clown fish one at a time and over a period of 2 months and add the anemone last due to their delicate nature.

I just wondering if I seriously goofed in any areas or if my recomendations seem acurate.

Is there anyone in the club that lives around Utah Valley that could help me help him wire a workhorse ballast? Does that electrical supply store keep those ballasts in stock?

Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

Get ready to see a post by Jon Finch...... 

You rang?...

Is there anyone in the club that lives around Utah Valley that could help me help him wire a workhorse ballast?

I can help if you have questions.  Have you searched the DIY forum on this site for this info.  It's all here, but sometimes it is easier to talk face to face.  Have you considered compact flourescents for a tank that small?  How long is a 10 gallon tank?  Will VHOs fit?

Where are you located in American Fork?  There are 4 of us that have reef tanks (only one at work) here at Authorize.Net just off the 500 East Exit.

 

Edited by Kirklan

I've wired in a workhorse ballast and am down in orem.  I also second the clownfish bit.  Better to buy a pair of small clowns together.  Try from the sea.  They previously had a sale on ocellaris clowns.

 

There are 3 reef geeks here at Novarad in Dentrix building.(look out your window) and working on a fourth. PM me - let's get together. We do runs to aquatica for lunch couple times a week.

Walmart special is a yellow PC "worklight" that has a ballast, plug, bulb(6500K) and crappy reflector, take apart or use as whole. The bulb is 13W so you would have to use 2-4 of them to get anemone happy. Condylat-something anemone is a cheap hardy one, bubble tip and long tentacle come in some really good colors.

Tim

The effective use of LS and LR has brought the reef aquarium hobby onto a new road.

Why do I say that?, you ask.

With the addition of some LS on day two and LR+coral+fish periodically from day 2 through 30 an entire tank can be set up and fully populated within the first month. The only restriction to what one considers fully populated is the condition of the LR and the hobbyists pocketbook!

The proof is July's Tank of the Month which was fully stocked and thriving in one month.

(This is a pic of the tank at four months.)

"A little revolution now and then is a good thing, don't you think?" from Hunt for Red October

I used the 27 watt pc from lights of america at home depot for 30 bucks and it looks great for my nano tank that will be populated with seahorses in the future.

-Cody

Actually I found that it pays to try.
Home Depot replaced my 2 month old Lights of America light, saying that it's supposed to last much longer than that.

I have found that these LOA lights last an average of a year, and I'm not talking about the bulb.

As a big DIYer myself, in the long run I've found that it's more cost effective to buy Workhorse ballasts at Commercial Lighting Supply and wire up my own PC or VHO lights. A reflector made of mirrored aluminum from Advanced Lighting and light tubes from the LFS completes the project. (Both companies are in the SLC phone book)

I'm such a DIYer that I even made my own end caps with underground sprinkler wire and silicone. Solder the wire to the pin and goop aquarium silicone around all the metal parts. Crazy huh!

jfinch - URI makes 18" VHO or NO bulbs:

http://www.championlighting.com/e/env/0001dagHdZETmLA5ig0m6m 5/Products/Lighting/lighting.html?link=/Products/Lighting/ur i.html