| There is a new growing popularity in the reef keeping | | | | few drops to top off water to maintain calcium levels |
| hobby called Nano Reefs. As the name implies, a | | | | at 450 ppm. You will be amazed at the growth rate |
| nano reef is a reef aquarium on a small scale; 2.5 to | | | | of SPS corals. Yes I did say SPS corals that can be |
| 29 gallons. The price of a nano reef is also on a small | | | | easily maintained in a nano reef aquarium. |
| scale, from the tank itself, the lighting, and it takes | | | | Fish For The Nano Reef Aquarium |
| less live rock and corals to make a very dramatic | | | | Fish are a great addition to a nano reef, but you |
| reef display. | | | | must take extra care of you nano. You will have to |
| It was often thought that the bigger the aquarium | | | | be sure to keep up with your water changes, |
| the easier it would be to keep the water parameters | | | | because a small body of water can collect nitrates |
| stable. You could not keep corals alive without a | | | | quickly. The following fish are nano reef safe: anthius, |
| massive trickle filter, large efficient protein skimmer, | | | | true and false percula, banggai cardinals, pajama |
| and powerful metal halide lighting lights. The bigger | | | | cardinals, royal grammas, fire fish, clown gobies, |
| the aquarium the more gadgets you could add to | | | | pseudochromis, basslets, and most damsels. While |
| make the water quality pristine, from ozone | | | | you are not limited to just those fish, these are |
| generators, redox meters, ph controllers, and calcium | | | | hardy and good for beginners. Keep the number small |
| reactors. You had to be a marine biologist and a | | | | from 1 to 5 fish depending on the nano aquarium size. |
| chemist to maintain a coral reef aquarium. The nano | | | | Cleanup Crews For The Nano |
| reef aquarium would seem to go against all these | | | | A good cleanup crew will keep your nano reef |
| principles. Can we really keep corals alive in a 10 gallon | | | | running smooth, and free from algae, detritus, and |
| aquarium with no sump filter or a protein skimmer? | | | | other unwanted wastes. Commonly kept cleanup |
| What has been learned through the years more than | | | | crew critters are red leg hermits, red tip hermits, |
| anything is, most of the biological filtration occurs in | | | | sand sifter starfish, sand sifter gobies, turbo snails, |
| the live rock and live sand. Lighting has also played a | | | | and astrea snails. |
| role in enabling the reef aquarium to become smaller | | | | Corals For the Nano Reef |
| with the advent of power compact fluorescent and | | | | There are may corals that are compatible with the |
| the smaller HQI metal halide lamps. Having | | | | nano tank. Soft corals would include zooanthids, |
| invertebrates that sift through and clean the live sand | | | | zenias, star polops, and mushroom anemonies. Lps |
| and live rocks ads to the ecological balance of the | | | | corals would include Fox Coral and Blastomusa. SPS |
| tank. Most of the trace elements are replaced | | | | corals do well with metal halide lighting. Acroporas and |
| through a strict regiments of 5% weekly water | | | | montiporas are the easiest to grow in a 24-29 gallon |
| changes. There is yet to be a salt water mix that | | | | nano aquarium. SPS coral frags are the way to go in |
| has adequate calcium and strontium levels for good | | | | a nano reef. They are much cheaper and easier to |
| coral growth and these elements should be | | | | ship. The benefits of buying corals online is the |
| maintained separately. | | | | greater variety that cannot be found at your local |
| The best products to maintain calcium, strontium and | | | | pet store. Buying several items from the same seller |
| other trace elements are made from aragonite, such | | | | can reduce shipping costs. Simply use some |
| as AragaMilk from CaribSea. So what is aragonite? | | | | Marineland's Hold Fast, which is a two part epoxy |
| Aragonite is fossilized coralline algae that has | | | | similar to plumbers epoxy, to glue the coral frag to a |
| extracted minerals from the ocean to grow. Grinding | | | | live rock. Be sure to give them plenty of space for |
| aragonite into a fine powder and adding water | | | | growth. |
| creates a milky substance that precipitates quickly | | | | For more information visit reefkeepingfever. |
| adding these minerals to the water naturally. Add a | | | | |