Need some advice setting up a frag tank

[Wade]

I would like to set up a frag tank, but due to space constraints I am unable to pipe it into my existing system which would be optimal. That being said, what kind of filtering system is required in a frag only tank which would need very minimal nutrient export? What's the typical set-up for a stand alone frag tank?

[esacjack]

depends on the type of corals you plan on keeping.. things like chalice, zoas and acans do well with just a HOB filter and a power head or two... but if you're talking about doing an SPS tank it gets more complicated... My zoa/chalice/acan tank is a simple HOB AC50 filter, two powerheads, and my lights with rock.. I do recommend that you keep some sand in the tank, even if its in a small container tucked away.. Ive noticed with a barebottom tank, zoa growth has slowed down.

[Wade]

So you have some live rock under your racks then? How often and what % are your water changes and what the cleaning regimen for the HOB? I'm guessing you started with rock/rubble you already had cured as well as live sand that came from an established tank. Also, you probably started with a 50/50 mix of existing tank water and fresh sw. Kind of like setting up a QT except with some rock and container of sand. No feeding, just good light correct?

[victoly]

you're going to need nutrient input somehow. typically what you see is utility fish (tangs, 6 lines) to keep algae and pests in check which contribute to the bioload necessary to sustain coral growth.

[Sascha D.]

I have seen some people import water from their DT to feed the corals if you don't want to keep fish in there.

[Wade]

I've got a QT set up with fish now that I feed water from the QT into when I do water changes. It's a 20 gallon tank so I drain 8 - 10 gallons from it and then syphon my DT down to refill it and then refill the DT with fresh sw. I do get a lot of algae growth in the QT that I'm usually not too concerned about since, but if I'm going to use it for a frag tank then I'll need to keep the PO4 down to a minimum and get rid of the algae. There are two small chromis in there now so maybe replace them with a small tang and a six line wrasse is the way to go. I've not been cleaning the HOB weekly when I do the water changes so I'm sure that would help too. Any other suggestions? Maybe some macro or mangroves to reduce N03?

[esacjack]

I started with dry rock on my frag tank, and I don't use sand at the bottom. I do keep sand in a small HOB fuge though.. I also wait till my NO3 hits about 10ppm before bringing over any macro of any kind. As for kick starting the cycle. I used a teaspoon of Rod's to get the ammonia going, and a bit of rubble from my main tank. The key is to make sure you wait out the algae blooms.. regardless of how tempted you are... Wait till the algae stops blooming and taking over. For the first few weeks you'll have outbreaks of several kinds of algae. Fight the urge to immediately clean/implement a CUC right away. Wait till the blooms slow down to a crawl. I only keep a corris wrasse, snails, and an emerald crab in my HOB fuge for those bubble infected frags. As for feedings, twice a week, i feed a sieved blend of Rods, Fuel, Spirolina, ZeoFood, Amino Acids, VitC and Pohls Extra. What I do is prep the food a week or so in advance. I just use a few old ice trays, liquify my blend, strain out the juices into an ice tray, and freeze. I also throw some chunks of fish/mysis in the cubes to feed the fish.

[Wade]

Any reason you chose the Coris wrasse?

[esacjack]

I chose the coris for pest control, flatworms, pod control, etc... if you go this route I recommend keeping a small tuooer ware of sand somewhere in the tank. They like to burrow into the sand when they're stressed. Without it, you'll likely find it on the floor one morning.

[Wade]

Thanks for the heads up. I don't need a wrasse thinking its a flying fish!