New to the Nano reef

[Illuminati]

I mixed the water first in seperate buckets and added that to the tank, then sand then rock.

Now I wish I would have added the sand first, put a plate or dish on top of the sand so when you put the water in it hits that, not the sand directly, limiting the sandstorm. I had a 2 day sandstorm. You can toss the rock in there after the sand and water and reaquascape it later.

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

Take a look at my thread...I just yesterday put the water in and after I did that there was 0 sandstorm, only clear water...granted, mine is only a 10g tank but the principle is the same to limit the sandstorm...just make sure you have a plastic garbage bag under a bowl or some object to fill the tank...take a look, the pictures explain it perfectly...

My 10g Block O' Da Sea

Good luck...Salifert are probably the best brand for test kits...they offer a basic kit that is like $50 that has ammonia / nitrite / nitrate / phosphate...those are your 4 basic tests...they also sell a reef version that also includes other tests like calcium but those are a little more expensive...you can't go wrong with those tests though...

Like I said, good luck...asking questions in my honest opinion will probably give you more information and at a faster pace than reading through a book...but the books listed are really good sources of info as well...

Oh, and

to Reef Central...

 

[Illuminati]

D'oh, I knew I forgot one, yeah phosphate is an important test.

 

[slukach]

Ok, but back to one question I had before. If I fill it with water first, how full should I fill it if I plan on having 25lb of rock in it? If I put in 24 gallons of water, that would fill it to the top (I assume..still haven't gotten my hands on the cube yet). If I then put 25 lb of LR in, the water will flow out of the tank, a la' displacement...like getting into a tub full of water would cause water to spill out on the floor.

How do I know how much water I should put in, so that when I put the rock in, the water doesn't go everywhere?

 

[Illuminati]

Depends on the rock, there really isn't a proven number of gallons that you need to start with because of some variables. Some rock is very dense and would displace more water (Tonga Branch Rock) while others are more porous (Marshall Island).

I remember when I did mine I used four 5 gallon buckets and filled them just about full, had about 18 gallons total. Do that, it will get you close, then if you need more you can make it and adjust it from there.

Now's the time to think about the rock you want. Are you planning to get it online or locally? Any idea what type?

 

[slukach]

I have been seeing different types of rock online. Is "Fiji Live Rock" a generic term that encompasses all LR or is it a specific kind of rock? I also saw mention of the Marshall Island rock that you talked about. Do you know if it is any good? I really didn't know there was an assortment to choose from.

As far as online or local....a store in the area has fiji live rock for $5/lb. I believe it is already cured. That price seemed a little steep compared to what I saw online. I'd like to get about 25lb for the tank. Do you have any place that sells it in those quantities and it is quality stuff? Any leads you can give me about any of these things would be excellent. BTW...what do you recommend...online or local?

Also, as far as partial water changes....if I have rock or coral, zoos, etc. near the top, are they affected if I change so much water that they are exposed to air because the water level drops?

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

As far as the water goes...fill it about 3/4 of the way...put in your rock...then, pour the rest of the water in...pour it on the rocks that way you minimize your sandstorm...

As for the live rock is concerned...Fiji, Marshall Islands, Hiatian, it all simply says where in the world it came from...so simple you probably would have never thought of it... :lmao:

But seriously...as for what to buy, that is up to you...I personally like to mix and match to get what I want from my aquaculture...

 

[slukach]

What rock would you recommend? Is there one type that is a better filter than the others? Also, where to buy? I need about 25 lb of it. One of the aquarium stores in Philly has Fiji for $5/lb. Is that a decent price or should I keep looking?

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

That price is about average I would say...you just have to watch with getting ANYTHING from a LFS...some places may sound like they know what they are talking about but when you run your question by people on here you find out the LFS was dead wrong...plus, you never know what they have had in their tanks...

With that said, you can get live rock from almost any of the online aquaria suppliers, like Drs. Foster & Smith, Marine Depot, Dr. Mac's, etc...just go through the sponsors list here on RC and you will find a few that will give discounts for being a RC member as well...

As for which filters better than another, they all filter the same essentially...live rock is live rock when it comes to filtering...live rock is populated with denitrifying bacteria, which is what makes it "live"...so again, it comes down to what you feel looks the best...I like to combine Fiji, Marshal Islands and Tonga Branch rock to get a varied look, varying coralline colors, etc...

Good luck and enjoy the holidays...

 

[slukach]

Thanks for the info and happy holidays to you as well. A few posts ago, Colinadam suggested some products that would help my tank. I grabbed a bunch of stuff from Dr. F&S, but there were one or two things I had questions about. First, how much filter floss is used in a week. They sell 7 and 14 oz. and then it jumps right to 10lb of the stuff. Just wondering what I should go with. Also, the purigen...not sure what size I would need. That comes in 100ml (mesh bag), 250ml, and 1liter. Not sure how much I will use and how often, so I don't know what to buy. Any assistance with these questions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again.

PS. At the risk of sounding absolutely dumb...what does "LFS" stand for? I see it all over the forums and I guess it is some type of pet store or aquarium store, but I wasn't sure what the letters stood for.

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

LFS = Local Fish Store

 

[slukach]

Right on. I should have been able to figure that out. How often do you test your water? And, what is specific gravity and how do you test it?

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

Best way to test specific gravity (or more correctly, salinity) is with a refractometer...you can get it at any of the online marine stores aquaria stores...water tests are more of a personal preference...I know people that test daily, religiously...I also know people that do every 2-3 days and I know people that do weekly...you definitely need to test more during your initial cycle to determine at what stage your cycle is at...then, once your cycle is over you can get in to a more habitual routine...just make sure after your tank is cycled, you check more often for a week or so after adding any livestock to make sure you don't cause a mini-cycle from the added bioload...

 

[slukach]

What are your thoughts on the filter floss (do you use it?, if so, how much a week, etc.) and also the purigen (same questions)?

I have been checking out some livestock on Marine Depot and I was noticing that some coral and polyps are poisonous. Is it possible to keep these in a tank without them causing too much damage? Some of the Zoanthids are beautiful, as the some of the coral (brain, etc.) If I place them in the tank, these types of livestock won't move, will they? I know some things like anemone and such can move around, but the polyps and coral, as I understand it, will stay where you put them. So, if I space them out enough, there isn't much chance one will sting the others, is there?

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

The corals will stay where they are put...in time, they will grow and expand (mushrooms will overtake a tank in time if allowed to)...anemones are really the only thing you have to worry with "moving" throughout the tank...although, unless you have a really small anemone and ultra-perfect tank conditions it is not recommended to keep an anemone in a nano tank...it can be done, don't get me wrong...but more than likely success is not very likely...can be done, just with extreme difficulty...

As for the filter floss and purigen...I don't use either personally...my understanding is though, you can remove and rinse the filter floss and return it...it will degrade with time (if I'm thinking of the same thing) and this is why is it recommended to replace it occassionally...how often I don't know...purigen, never used it so I don't know...

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

Forgot to add, some corals will sting other corals when they are placed next to each other...but if you allow plenty of space between them you are fine...

And which corals were you told were "poisonous"? Are they poisonous to the other animals or to humans?

 

[slukach]

The Zoanthids, reading it from Marine depot, they can be poisonous to humans, if the poison enters the bloodstream. Also, the brain coral (pineapple coral), I believe the MD site said they could sting other animals in the tank (mainly other coral...when they expand). I don't know if that meant they were poisonous, or that they could just harm other livestock with a sting. What other types of inverts do clown fish attach to besides anemone? The woman wsanted some clown fish and I thought an anemone was the perfect pairing. Also, I would love to get one or two starfish, maybe the serpent or brittle variety. Do you think I could pull it off with the 24g nano? Also, what is the lifespan of some of these things we are discussing (coral, polyps, fish, anemone, starfish, etc.)?

and, I recently saw these cool little goby's at a LFS. They were called scooter gobies and they looked like they were "hopping" instead of swimmming. Do you anything about these? I would like to get a few, but I am not sure if they are reef compatible, etc.

 

[Illuminati]

Filter Floss - Use 1 clump about the size of your hand, replace with new floss weekly, can't rinse.

Purigen, get the small mesh bag quantity, you can toss the entire bag in the back chamber.

I got a brittle star, lasted about a week before I yanked it out of there, it was way to big. Serpent stars are just as big. Not recomended.

Zoa's are toxic, there are some horror stories about people getting the toxin in their eye or mouth and causing a lot of problems like rapid heartbeat, numbness, stroke like symtoms. There is a sticky topic at the top of the zoanthid forum that talks about it.

Never heard of a scooter goby, look up a picture of a scooter blenny and compare. If it's a scooter blenny you cannot keep it. Scooter Blennies belong to the dragonet family along with mandarins. They are very picky eaters and do better in bigger tanks that have huge pod populations. Odds are it would starve in your tank (Ask Biggeysmalls, he got one against my advice and it starved to death on him).
The "hopping" behavior makes me think it's a blenny.

 

[slukach]

Colinadam,

I have a few questions for you. Numero uno: Are there any varieties of starfish I can keep? What are you thoughts on the sand sifter? You are probably correct on the blenny/goby issue. I may have thought it was a goby, but it actually was a blenny. But the LFS had them in a 20 gallon rectangle tank?!? Do they feed them separately and just work hard to keep them alive...or do they sell them fast enough that they don't have time to starve?

Ok....possible minor problem....I went to the woman's house for dinner today and saw my cube. BUT...I am not sure it is a deluxe. The website (printed out receipt) and the receipt that came with cube in the box says, "jbj 24 gallon nano cube deluxe 2006 with free stand" or something along those lines. But the box doesn't say deluxe...and there is no MSS Skimmer (which I may have incorrectly thought came with the new model) or any skimmer at all for that matter. The lighting is the 2 x 36watt. Did your box say it was a deluxe? Also, I took a few pics of the box it came in along with the UPC number and another number on the same side as the UPC, but at the other end (lower left corner...as you're looking at the box). If I call JBJ, could they confirm it is a 2006 (Not so worried about a lack of Skimmer...but I am concerned about the cracking in the pre-2006 models). I am staring to think that the company (ACI Corp.) was selling the older model cubes as 2006's, and throwing in the stand for free to sweeten the deal.

Please help...and let me know what you think. I am so eager to start and I am worried I may have to send it back...but I may also be worrying about nothing.

Thanks for any help you can give me and happy holidays.

 

[Illuminati]

It's a deluxe, only the JBJ 12 gallon comes as deluxe or original. All 24's come as deluxes.

Check out the back of the tank, there should be a white sticker that has a 7 Digit serial number and a build date. If you have that it's an 06 with the better glass. Mine, for instance, says made in October 05 but they did change the design at the end of 05, the old style that had the cracking problems doesn't have the serial number or build date info on the back.

Odd that the surface skimmer didn't come with, mine I think was with the bioballs in the white box that was taped down. This is what it will look like (just a piece of plastic that covers the intake grill) :

http://www.nanotuners.com/index.php?cPath=50&osCsid=91f28ec772b68211b0a52605153d74f7

If it is nowhere in your packaging (dig through everything, it's small) you can go old school and use an old cassette tape as your surface skimmer:
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=50900&hl=

But the new ones should come with it, odds are if you contact the company you bought it from first they will just tell you to go to JBJ, I'd cut to the chase and ask them for one.


As for the starfish I have no clue. I am sure there are some nano sized starfish but from experiance the brittle is not one of them.
You can see one leg of mine here to get an idea how long it was

I read on liveaquaria.com that serpent stars can get to over a foot long, way to big.
The main thing with mine was that it was a detrius eater and with the cleanup crew I had there wasn't much left for him. If they get hungry they will eat what they can, or they can starve to death and ruin your water quality like nothing else.

Check out this one:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=578




Gobies and blennies are often confused because they share the same size and some habits (burrowing, bottom dwellers). Odds are the LFS gets them in and supplements the pod populations until they are sold. Sometimes you will find one that can eat frozen prepared food but those are few and far between.

Let us know what you find out about the skimmer, can't wait for you to get this going