30 gallon hex reef...possible?

Hey guys,

my father recently gave me his 30 gallon hexagon tank and what I would like to do is make a nano reef out of it.

My first question is, is it possible to turn not only a hexagon into a reef but one so small as a 30 gallon?

any idea on how I could go about doing so would be greatly appreciated. I have a canister filter rated for 90-100 gallons available to me so I was thinking I could use that for flow and any kind of filter material I would need. I'd like to set up two small powerheads on alternating timers facing the opposite direction of each other so I get a somewhat circular current going.

I'm planning on getting a 16" reefbreeder with 90 degree optics, I think this would be sufficient to get lighting to the bottom of the tank.

what I'd like to do is build a pillar of rocks in the center of the tank so that it can be viewed from all sides of the tank.

I haven't come up with a skimmer yet, I'm thinking maybe a nano skimmer? but I'd like to try and stay away from anything that hangs on the back of the tank, I'm not sure thats possible though without a sump and the way the stand is set up I'm not sure a sump is in the cards. If I can do a sump then I'd have to nix the canister filter in order to make room in the stand.

again any thoughts you guys might have as whether or not this is even possible I would greatly appreciate.

thanks, Tony

 

If the tanks empty, drill it, use some type of overflow, and make a DIY sump of at least 10-15 gallons out of a plastic rubbermaid type container.

IIWY- TWID

(if I were you, that's what I'd do)

;-)

 

hmm never thought of a plastic rubbermaid, would you drill the bottom or the sides?

 

Tony, I'm pretty sure I read somewhere on here of someone doing a hex reef.....did you try searching the forum?

 

Yeah I found a thread that was 2 pages long but wasn't very informative. It was also an old thread and was hoping to get some fresh ideas

 

I am also here searching for the same answer regarding a small reef setup with my 30gal hex. I am curious if the OP did end up getting this project off the ground? Did you drill the tank? Any info and advice on gear for this type of project would be great!

 

Any tank size and dimension can be used as a tank for corals.

 

+1

Also, depending on what types of corals and fish you plan to keep, you may not really need a sump or skimmer. FTR, I have none on my 29H reef. If it came down to a sump or the canister however, I'd go with a sump.

And yes, you can DIY a sump out of most anything non-metallic that holds water.

If you plan to drill the tank, drill the back. Most tank bottoms are tempered and will usually shatter if you try to drill.

 

I have a 20 gallon full of SPS. So yes, it can be done. I also have a sump, skimmer, phosphate reactor and chaeto for filtration. I have an ATS to stabilize salinity.

 

Did you mean ATO? Auto top-off stabilizes SG; algae turf scrubber (ATS) is for aggressive nitrate/phosphate removal.