My New 12gallon Nano

I

ILoveLlamas

New member
Well, after 2 years of working at the Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab and Aquarium, and working my way up to Senior Volunteer of Education w/ 600 plus hours under my belt, I decided to get a tank in my room. I started with a 10g fresh, and in three months had a 60g fresh. which is now a happy community. Well, the birthday came around, and my parents bought me a 12g AquaPod, and I decided it was time to do what I had been wanting to do all along, and that would be SW. So, here we are. Yes, I will stop with my life story and get to the point.

I have about 15 pounds of live sand.
I took out the bio balls and ceramic rings, put the heater by the pump, went to an LFS and got two 5g jugs with water. Then I went online to eTropicals and got 15lbs of Caribbean LR for 19.99. 43.84 with overnight shipping. Sounds like a steal to me, but it is uncured. I am working on a budget here though. It arrives tomorrow.

I have money for Purigen, KENT Strontium, Liquid Calcium, Iodine, and Phytoplex, and a test kit, which will probably be purchased tomorrow. Can I use the same kit from my fresh? I have plenty of additional carbon from my freshwater tank.

So, if I have this right, I put the sand in, then aquascape the rock. Pour the water in and let it cycle for.. I'm gonna say a month because it is uncured?

So, essentially I am an unpatient teenager, and I am afraid I am going way way way to fast, so if anyone could point out what I am missing (I did my homework, but I am really nervous...), and if you have any advice that would be awesome.

Thank you so much,
Jamie
:rollface:
 
Well add the sand. Then add a new garbage bag on top of it and put something heavy in each corner (a small piece of LR). Put the water on top of that, when it's filled with water carefully remove the bag to minimize the sandstorm, then add rock.

Skip the Stronium and the Calcium in a bottle. I have never used a drop of my liquid calcium. No need to in a nano with weekly water changes. Use a good salt like Reef Crystals and your calcium level will remain in check.

Iodine or Lugols? Get Lugols, good for dipping new corals for pests and depending on if you get shrimp or some corals (xenia) you can add it to the tank.

Heater by the pump? Usually the return pump chamber is the first one to show evaporation levels, I'd either change the plan or make sure you don't run it dry back there, the heater could break and send stray current or break and stop heating.

Gonna upgrade the pump (please)? Maxijet 900's are popular, more reliable than the stock pump. Also if you plan on mixing your own saltwater you'll need a pump, you can use the stock pump for that.

Carbon sucks in nano's. it takes out way to many good trace elements. if you want a carbon alternative check out Chemi-pure.

Easily a month cycle, then I'd add the cleanup crew and wait another 2 weeks before the first fish.

Gonna use the sponge or filter floss? If you stick with the sponge cut it in half so it's easier to clean all the gunk out of it and make sure you clean it weekly.

Hope that helps.
 
Also on the test kit, it should say on there good for fresh and salt, I have a hagen brand kit and it says it on mine. Check to make sure. The main tests you need is Nitrate, Nitrile, Ammonia, ph. Extra's like calcium, alk, etc.. are nice but not needed to start.
 
Also on the test kit, it should say on there good for fresh and salt, I have a hagen brand kit and it says it on mine. Check to make sure. The main tests you need is Nitrate, Nitrile, Ammonia, ph. Extra's like calcium, alk, etc.. are nice but not needed to start.
 
Yes, I will stop with my life story and get to the point.

good I was getting bored kidding

I have about 15 pounds of live sand.
I took out the bio balls and ceramic rings, put the heater by the pump, went to an LFS and got two 5g jugs with water. Then I went online to eTropicals and got 15lbs of Caribbean LR

So far so good.

I have money for
Purigen--get this
KENT Strontium--skip this
Liquid Calcium--get a 2 part Calcium/Alkalinity like B-Ionic or Kent A and B I also dose Purple Up but I like coraline
Iodine--dont dose unless your testing for it
Phytoplex--skip this get DTs Phyto instead
and a test kit, which will probably be purchased tomorrow. Can I use the same kit from my fresh?

Some parts of the fresh water kit will work but not all. SW pH is off the scale of FW I have plenty of additional carbon from my freshwater tank. See comment about Chemi-Pure

So, if I have this right, I put the sand in, then aquascape the rock. Pour the water in

That is how I do it, just pour water slow over the rocks to avoid sand storm

let it cycle for.. I'm gonna say a month because it is uncured?

Leave your lights off (slows algae bloom), keep pH around 8.2, salt 1.025 and test your water after a couple or three weeks. When ammonia, nitrate and nitrite are 0 for a couple of days your ok.

You will see everyone has their own way of doing things. Good Luck
 
Thank you! Glad to see I am on track. I am so so so so nervous it is not even funny. I am afraid everything is going to die.
 
Oh. Wow. Not used to vB, on phpBB it takes you to the first response you missed, not the kast one posted.
Anyways, I will be sure to get Chemipure and I will skip the calcium. I will change the stock pump in a few months, but seriously, I am unemployed and run on allowance and holliday money, so that is one of the last things on my list. Also, I have a cheapo fountain pump from a while back to mix my own water, but I don't see that happening for a couple months.

The test kit is the API master fresh. I know the nitrite works for both, but I am not sure about the others. I think high-range pH should, I do not see why it would not. I will buy nitrate and ammonia individually then.

Thanks again everyone.
 
New Pic

New Pic

Here is a pic of it cycling. I did not like the rock I got from eTropicals that much, so I bought some Fiji too. No hitchhikers on the rock from eTrop, but I got a snail or something on the Fiji from the LFS. So now there is 10lbs of the Carib, and 3.5 of the fiji.

You guys said to let it cycle, then get the clean-up crew, then add fish.

So, what kind of a clean-up crew should I be getting for this 12 gallon?

Thanks,
Jamie

nanotankweek1.jpg
 
Nassarius snails are great for the sandbed (4)

Nerite snails are good glass and rock cleaners (2)

Cernith snails are great for eating all sorts of algae's (2)

Maybe a pair of scarlet hermits to clean up anything the others don't.

Do you have a local fish store you'll get the cleanup crew from?

There was a website, gave away free cleanup crews, you just pay $20 in shipping, Aquatic Island

http://www.aquatic-island.com/index...Path=3&zenid=10cbca5e077a9d60cdec1d7b25194064
 
ilovellamas, how long are you planning to cycle the tank for? i just got mines up and cycling as of the 22nd of this month. instead of the stock hood, i have a 70W MH.
 
The original plan was a month, but I have to be one of the most unpatient people ever, so with daily doses of Stability, I am hoping on 2-3 weeks. I will NOT put an animal's life in danger though, so if it takes 4 weeks, it takes four weeks.
 
After 3 weeks of cycle, it was at 0, 0 and 30 nitrate. Did a water change, waited 24 hours, and I picked up my cleaning crew this morning. Dropped the bag on the ground on the way out, but they all made it home safely (I nearly shat my pants when I dropped it). They are just attacking the algae on the rock. :D I am hoping to go for a clown by the end of the week! :D
 
i've read your first post again. i am also a highschool senior. i should be more nervous than you because this tank is for a project that is required to pass!! everything is great right now. all my parameters are 0 even nitrate. ph is 8.2 and i top off about 4 cups of water daily. how much evap are you having? well, dont be nervous and if you do your research then you should be fine. my LFS recommended on NOT getting hermits with snails because they will kill the snails for their shells. but.. i've read that its only some hermits but not sure which kind.
 
Good luck!

I am having barely any evap, but the aquapod has a full hood, so not much is lost. I find I use just a little every week.

Also, that is a really really expensive school project!
 
yup i already knew it would be expensive but i just couldnt do a project on anything else. i also wanted to set up a SW tank in the future and thought y not do it now? that way i would have something to look at every once ina while in my room.
 
I know what you mean. I have lots to look at in my room. 1 12g salt on my night stand, 60g fresh on the main wall when you enter, and two 10g w/ all equipment, just waiting for the right fishies to prompt me to set them up again. :D

I am so addicted. 600 hours of volunteer work at a local aquarium, + the stuff in my room. I WANT to be a marine biologist, but I just can not function on 50k a year w/ a masters. It will just not work.
 
Yes, none of the tank as it is right now, but from about a week ago. I will work on getting them up right now.

For updates on livestock
Goniopora Lobata
Nice sized Paly and Yellow colonies,
feather duster (green) managed to get himself stuck under a rock
misc. zoo frags
lots of coraline growth
regular red/orange fire fish
and finally, a scarlet skunk cleaner that thinks he owns everything. He walks on all the corals, latches onto and bites my hand... this thing dominates.
 
Scratch that, here are some brand new pics. I apologize for poor quality in advance.

Just so you know, the plans are now for a clown, more dusters, and more corals, all soft/zoos, or lps.

Pics.. in alphabetical order of file name..

<img src="http://millarnet.com/drop/podpics/duster2.jpg">
<img src="http://millarnet.com/drop/podpics/dusterandzoos.jpg">
<img src="http://millarnet.com/drop/podpics/fulltank.jpg">
<img src="http://millarnet.com/drop/podpics/fulltanknoedges.jpg">
<img src="http://millarnet.com/drop/podpics/goni.jpg">
 
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