Starting New Nano-Reef

hey guys, i have been thinking about starting a 10 or 20 gallon nano reef i am leaning towards the 10g. I have only had FOWLR's so far and i want to try corals, specificly some polyps. anyway, some of the stuff is not fully planned but this is what im thinking

-Arag-Alive live sand

-instant ocean reef crystals

-10 pounds of LR

-20 gal. rated power filter

-thinking about some type of flourescent bulb for lighting

-diy nano-skimmer, the plans im looking at say it can handle a 20 gal.

-maybe a small powerhead if i need it


So any thought, tips or suggestions? If not, pointless comments are welcomed.LOL

 

PS: am thinking about using a 5.5 gallon also

 

you should just combine the two so I don't have to jump haha. Your going to need a power head (or two)

 

Power head is a must for corals! Also if your doing a ten gallon i would not do more then one maybe two fish. The smaller the tank the harder they are to maintain!

 

yea, i think i might want to get a baby percula and/or a fire fish of some sort. And i have a 55g FOWLR in case anybody gets too big. But, i have a 5.5, 10, and 20 gallon at my fingertips ( i dont want to use the 20 because i have fw fish in it). Anyway, I would rather use the 5.5 but i am afraid of the extra challenge of it. Is the 5.5 that much harder?

 

I just came up with a good idea! (I think) I can set my 5.5 gallon up as like a fuge/ sump for my 55g but put the right lights over it so i can have my corals and polyps and such maybe put slightly too many fish for a 5.5g alone to handle and i'll have my 55g to keep my parameters stable. Basically a nano minus the headaches that come w/ small size! You think it'll work?

 

Let me see if I understand this correctly, a 5.5 gallon display tank with a 55 gallon sump..... in theory you wouldn't have the problems with the parameters fluctuating that much.

 

I have a full pico reef in a 5.5 not alot of corals I think maybe 7 or 8 diff ones... With two baby percs. about an inch.. some say overstocked but I keep great filtration and do not over feed. The 5.5 is a great tank imo... I love the size and its really not that much of a hassle.