How to Setup a Saltwater Tank on a Desk

Tired of staring at papers and a computer on your desk? Then setup a saltwater tank that will ease your eyes and start conversations with coworkers!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• JBJ 6 Gallon Nano Tank
• 50-watt heater
• 3 prong timer from Home Depot
• Surge protector
• Thermometer
• Sand
• Live Rocks
• Saltwater

1. Find a stable area (preferrably on your desk) that can support up to 80 pounds.

2. Purchase a small aquarium. I would recommend the JBJ 6-gallon nano cube. It can be seen on the Marine Depot website (see resources).

3. Purchase argonite sand, seen here: http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~CS0790.html
   Argonite sand will help keep the pH of the water stable.

4. Purchase live rocks at your local fish store. Obtain about 5-7 pounds of live rocks that have various shapes and sizes.

5. Purchase 10 gallons of saltwater. Although the tank is 6 gallons, the extra water can be stored and used for water changes.

6. Purchase a 50-watt heater, seen here: http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~VA1111.html. You want to make sure the water temperature simulates nature by keeping it between 76 to 79 degrees F.

7. Purchase a thermometer, seen here: http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~thermometers_refractometers_hydrometers_jbj_digi-temp_digi-mag_digital_thermometer_magnet_cleaner.html
   This can be suctioned to the glass so you can see the temperature.

8. Place the JBJ 6-gallon nano cube onto a stable area of the desk.

9. Open the argonite sand bag and place about 1-2" of sand into the tank. Or, you can empty the whole bag of sand into the tank.

10. 
     
    After adding the sand and live rocks

    Place the live rocks into the tank to intrigue the viewer. Besure to make caves and bridges for the fish to swim through.

11. 
     
    After adding saltwater into the cube.

    Slowly add the saltwater into the tank to prevent stirring the sand. Small sand particles will be in the water column, but slowing adding water will prevent redoing the aquascaping.

12. Plug in the water pump into the surge protector to start the filter.

13. Set the time on the 3-prong timer for viewing. This can be during work hours, 8am to 5pm or whenever.

14. Plug the light cord into the 3-prong timer and then plug into the surge protector.

15. Set the heater for 76 degrees and place the heater into the tank. This can be placed in the filtration section of the tank or in the display area. I recommend in the filtration section to prevent any obstruction from viewing.

16. 
     
    After the sand has settled

    Wait a week for the live rocks to fully colonize and mature.

17. Start adding fish and corals.

Tips & Warnings

• Live rocks contain bacteria that will help break down fish waste.
• Excess sand will not hurt the tank, it will only help
• Practice patience as it will take time for the live rocks to spread bacteria throughout the tank.
• Watch the temperature on the thermometer. It should not go higher than 81 degrees.
• Practice patience!
• Rushing too much livestock into the tank all at once will overload the bacteria cycle. The bacteria might not be able to handle the excess load and the fish and corals will suffer.
• Research the type of fish and corals to add in this type of tank.
• If the tank temperature goes higher than 81, add a clean frozen water bottle (without any labeling) to cool the water. Take the bottle out if it goes to 77 degrees.

Resources

• Marine Depot
• JBJ 6-Gallon Nano Cube
• How to do a Water Change

[lschofield]

on 5/18/2008 As a general rule, you should only add 1-inch of fish per gallon with salt water. So - a 6-gallon nano cube would take just 6 inches of fish. Stick with just a pair of clowns maybe, you don't want to overpopulate a tank.

I wouldn't recommend coral for a beginner in this set-up. A smaller tank means less room for error: they are more difficult to keep. Corals also require water additives such as calcium, iodine and strontium & molybdenum. These must be added on a daily basis and wouldn't do well when you go on vacation or even over the weekends initially. Although - you could try an easy invertebrate such as a condy anemone (these don't require water additives and are quite hardy).

It doesn't seem logical, but bigger tanks are easier to maintain than smaller ones. A 6-gallon salt-water tank in an office seems like a lot of work..

You are right to recommend live rock - as m

[AmyJaine]

on 5/7/2008 Great info, thanks.