New to the Nano reef

[slukach]

Guys,

I am new to the whole nano reef thing, but I have been an admirer of SW aquariums for as long as I can remember. I had wanted a nano reef setup for a long time and my woman got me a nano cube 24g dx for x-mas this year. I have been reading websites and forums like a nut and it seems like there is not only a ton of info out there, but then there is another ton of info contradicting the first ton of info. I would like to know some basics. How much LR? I keep hearing 1lb per gallon. Also, do I start the water cycle first and then, after cycling, put in the live sand and live rock or put in the rock and sand and then water and start the cycle? How long should the initial cycling take? One of the posters on here had a wild looking tank after only two weeks. I have alot of patience, so there is no issue there. I will take as long as I need to get it right. I have also read varying opinions on how often to do a partial water change and how much to change. Any ideas? My goal is to have a few clown fish, a few anemone, a star fish or two (reef-safe and only algae and detritus eaters), different types of coral and maybe a few little shrimp, snails, or crabs (for cleaning). That reminds me, what does anyone think about those cleaner packages some places sell (made up of snails, clams, crabs, etc) I appreciate any repsonses and any info/instruction anyone has.

 

[ezcompany]

amount of rocks is frankly upto you, go for what looks best, but the general rule is 1-1.5 lb per gallon.

cycling is caused by the death that occurs on the liverock and livesand due to the transfer from purchase area to your tank. cured rock is rock that have been through a cycle and is alive and kicking. if you can transport cured rock in a bucket of water or wet newspaper you can save most of the life and avoid a major cycle. buying uncured rock from places will cause the greatest cycle. to answer your question simply, place the liverock and sand to start the cycle. Initial cycling can range anywhere from a few days to close to a month.

a 10% water change once a week will be very healthy for your system. you can get away with a 10% change every month.

you can keep a maximum of 2 clownfish, these being paired up. otherwise they are aggressive towards each other. anemones are difficult to keep and you will need very strong lighting. metal halide is recommended, and a mature tank is recommended as well. (at least a few months) starfish are difficult to keep and can be unpredictable. their dietary needs are still unknown, so i would avoid them.

avoid all crabs except hermit crabs, and be careful when selecting snails as you may get predatory whelks.

 

[Illuminati]

ezcompany nailed about everything.

Ditto, in my opinion, on the anemone. Get something else if you keep the stock lighting like a Torch, Frogspawn or Hammer coral. You have a chance of the clown hosting in those.

Also you can get away with more than 2 clown so don't limit yourself. Things like gobies and dartfish add a lot of personality and color to a setup. I would start with the clown though, they are hardier.

I do weekly 5 gallon water changes but I do have 5 fish in my tank, with less fish you could get away with less volume on the water changes.

Tips:
Get your aquascaping how you want it while it cycles. My biggest regret is not having mine how I wanted it, before I knew it it was packed with corals.

Cleanup crew:
Avoid the starfish, you will not have enough room for them to move around and they will starve:Speaking from experiance here.

I got my cleanup crew from Premium Aquatics, one shipment just after my cycle, the other a few months later:
10 Baha Hermits
20 Nassarius Snails (Excellent sand sifters)
3 Cernith Snails
3 Nerite Snails
1 Margarita snail


Good luck with the new tank, I have the same one and love it.

 

[slukach]

Thanks a lot guys. If anything else comes up, I will be sure to post.

 

[slukach]

Couple of more questions:

What type of light would I need to sustain 2 or 3 anemones?

When doing partial water changes, what do I need and how does it work? Basically, I read that I should have a bucket with the new water waiting in it. How do I mix the new water in the bucket and how soon can I prep it before I change it? I got the nano with a free stand (not the s-shaped one, but the cabinet). I was going to set the bucket and stuff up inside the stand and let it mix from there. Also, how do I get the water out of the tank, i.e., do I use a cup or glass or something, and if so, how clean should it be (hand washed, machine washed). I assume I need to worry about soap residue, etc. Same with the bucket and new water. How hygenic should it be?

Thanks for any info.

Steve

 

[ezcompany]

most anemones will appreciate 150 watts of metal halide.
premix saltwater for 48 hours. add salt, put RO/DI water not tap, use powerhead and mix. you can add a heater to match the temp of you tank and this will aid in mixing as well.
use brand new 5 gallon buckets from home depot. just give it a rinse with fresh water before use. transferring the water from bucket to tank i will leave to you.

 

[Hekim]

It is best to mix the water in a plastic bucket that is used only for SW, then throw in a small powerhead and heater and let it mix, atleast untill the salts are all desolved and water up to temp. You can mix in adavance and let it sit until ready to use, just watch the temp.

Sypon the old tank water into another bucket. You can use a vacuum attachment such as a Python, or just a piece of hose.

Do not wash anything with detergent or soap that comes in contact with tank water. You can use a delute bleach solution to clean stuff, just rinse very well after cleaning.

 

[slukach]

I want start by saying thanks and that I appreciate all the help.

Now...

Whats a powerhead and what brand/size/model, etc. should I get?

Also, any suggetsions on heaters as well?

And finally, the cube was delivered today, but to my woman's parents house, so I haven't got a chance to tear into it yet. Does anyone have any experience with this specific type of cube? I was just wondering what was included in the package (filter, pump, heater, etc.), and what I will be needing (salt, etc.)?????

 

[Illuminati]

It will come with the tank, hood (lights already installed), powerhead (already hooked up), surface skimmer (To go over the intake grill), bioballs, 3 large black sponges, ceramic rings & carbon.

Toss the Bioballs & ceramic rings. Outdated technology there.


If you want to this is the time to upgrade the stock pump (The stock pump runs hot and is a cheapy). I upgraded to a MaxiJet1200 and use the stock pump for water changes.
As for a heater you will need to get 1, a Stealth fully submergable 100W is a good choice.

You need salt (www.drfostersmith.com has the best online prices because they do not charge a heavy box fee, go with Reef Crystals). Also get some filter floss, will go in the first chamber to catch debris (sponge does the same thing but is hard to clean).
Also get 2 packages of Chemi-clean (fancy carbon) and 1 package of Purigen. They will also go in the back chambers and help in water polishing/nitrate control.

Tonight I'll send you the link to my tank build thread since I have the same one.

 

[reefarmer]

2 or three anems in a 24 would be 1 or 2 too many IMO. they can mess with each other

 

[Illuminati]

Here's my build thread, hopefully it will help:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=942829

There are dozens of ways people set these up, my way might be great for me but you may find a better way to do it. It's all about trial and error....well not so much the error

 

[slukach]

Dude,

I just checked out the link you gave me. Your tank looks f'ing crazy. And you've only had it for 7 months. I had originally thought it would take forever to get started and get the tank stocked, so it is good to see that you can get a great looking tank without waiting too long.

I am going to look into the Dr. F & S salt and the other add-ons you mentioned. I'll probably grab most of that stuff before I even open the box.

Also, the things you told me to take out, the bio balls and the ceramic ring, I don't need those for anything?

Appreciate the help.

 

[Illuminati]

My understanding on bioballs is this:

They were used a while ago to trap detrius (crap) and let the bacteria in the tank take over and break it down, basically turning the bioballs into artificial live rock. Since you will have plenty of live rock in your display there is really no need for this in the back chambers. Live rock is the main source of filtration for any reef tank.

As for filter floss or the sponge it's just a preferance. Do you want to take out the sponge weekly and try to clean it out real good (when you see how thick they are you will see what a chore it is) or do you just want to pull out the floss weekly and throw it away? For me I go with the floss.

I'd use the carbon it came with during the cycle and add the Purigen and Chemipure once you start stocking.

My biggest word of advise would be to never miss a weekly water change once you get going. You will spend weeks trying to correct the damage.

Thanks for the compliment on my tank, it's a cluttered mess right now, I am actually selling a bunch of stuff off and plan to re-aquascape it next week. I also got an upgraded hood from www.nanotuners.com that I am putting on next week. It's 108 Watts (big upgrade from the stock hood). I'll make a new thread when I get that going.
That might be a solution to your anemone issue. I am sure a BTA can survive under PC's but they do need established tanks. Get the clowns and in 8-9 months when you need new lights just get a new upgraded hood then get the anemone's.

 

[slukach]

Ok, gotcha on the bio-balls and such. I have been seeing mentions of floss as I was going through some info. It sounds like an easier concept.

Few more questions:

Do they sell more powerful bulbs that are compatible with the stock nano hood?

And...can you recommend a test kit brand that would cover what I need to test? Also, can you recommend any books on the subject? I saw a book on Amazon from a writer focusing on 15g and under cubes. Also saw a few "handbooks" on SW aquariums, but none nano-specific.

Thanks,

Steve

 

[Illuminati]

How electronically inclined are you?

Here's a Do It Yourself Kit, instrusction are in a PDF file, check them out and see if this is something you would want to try or could find someone to do for you.
http://www.nanotuners.com/product_i...d=287&osCsid=e48522ea4be10df0e040df469b057c89

This is the upgraded hood I am getting on mine, mine will be here in the morning

Some books:

The Saltwater Aquarium Handbook - George Blasiola. Pretty good all around information. A must have for someone just starting out.

Simple Guide to Marine Aquariums - Jeffery Kurtz. If I had to pick I'd pick Blasiola's book but this is another very in depth read. Covers everything.

Just skip the stuff that doesn't apply (sumps, fuges, skimmers, etc....)


Reef Aquarium Fishes - Scott Michael. Another must have. The best guide to marine aquarium fish. Great care tips.

 

[slukach]

Not that electrically inclined, but I do have a friend who is an electrician...he may be able to assist.

I actually just thought of something. If I were to start the tank with 24g of water, cycle it, then add the sand and rock, wouldn't the water overflow, because of displacement? I mean, if you put something in a bathtub full of water to the brim, the water will overflow. So, should I only put in 12g or 16g of water and then all the rock and sand?

What do you recommend?

 

[Illuminati]

No, "cycling" the tank is the act of letting any dieoff on the liverock happen and letting the good bacteria take over. If you had a fish only tank you could cycle w/o the rock but you will need to add the sand and LR first to start the cycle.
If it's cured liverock you will see a very brief cycle, possibly only 2 weeks. But if you want to add liverock in the future you have to make sure it's "cured", otherwise the dieoff will cause a mini cycle and an ammonia spike that will nuke your fish.

 

[slukach]

As you can see, I am a bit backward with all of this. But the best way to learn is ask questions.

Now I understand about the cycling. And I am going to hit the Barnes and Noble and grab a few books you recommended.

Also, what type of test kit do you use for water quality and what does it cover (nitrates, pH, etc.)? How often do you perform a test?

 

[Illuminati]

I use an all in one test kit, can't remember the name of it but I got it at Dr. Foster & Smith. I covers things like Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrile, PH, Calcium, Iodine and a few others.

Testing during the cycle for things like Ammonia and Nitrate are important, I also test a few times soon after adding a new fish.

I haven't tested calcium in a while, usually I don't have a problem because of my frequent water changes and Reef Crystals is a good salt (Not as good as Tropic Marin but number 2 IMO).

 

[slukach]

I will check out the Dr. F&S site. Sounds like a pretty good source.

Ok, another question. When I first fill the tank, should I put in the sand, then rock, then water (BIG side question---should the water be mixed first, or should I put RO/DI water in and then add the salt---one cup per gallon is what I have been told)? I guess what I am asking is, other than the mixed water question, is there any order as to how o do things?

Thanks for all the help. I was a little nervous to attempt this at first, but the more I learn the more confident I feel.