Planning a new system: 12g nanocube!

[Newreeflady]

So, i've been feeling like I need something to lift my spirits and a new reef project is just the thing! After keeping some larger and some smaller systems, and being out of the hobby for a while, I have come to realize that what I want is something that is pretty nice right out of the box, no hanging filters or such. What do I need? A 12g nanocube!

Technical plans:

I'm pretty set on the 12g jbj deluxe system. My plans are to run it without the bio-stuff. Possibly setting up a refugium in the back if it seems necessary to handle the bio-load, and going ahead with the skimmer right off the bat. I will see how the stock pump goes, but i've heard it can produce a lot of heat (???).

Stocking plans:

Looking at an indo-pacific specific tank. Not sure what I will use as substrate. I may be leaning toward something between aragonite sand and more coarse crushed coral. I do not plan on another dsb as this got pretty funky underneath in my larger tank. Suggestions?

I will start the cycle with live rock that has come from this area. I will build the rock as to shade the bottom and give coral room on top and plenty of ledges. I will let this cycle until clear and will then add some area specific cleaners (crabs and snails). I will feed very lightly to keep the cycle going and keep the inhabitants from starving.

I am probably planning to stick with soft coral at this point. I love sps, but I remember the calcium hassle and am not looking to get into that again with such a small system. Probably looking to go with species that won't take over (no anthelia! haha)

Later, I will probably make my main inhabitants a pair of fire shrimp. I would eventually like to also add a feather duster worm. Not fully decided on what i'll keep in the tank. Not too concerned at this point, I will be keeping what will do well in this system. I will not be altering the system much to keep certain inhabitants.

So, i'm going to visit a local store tomorrow to see if they have the system i'm looking for, if not, i'll probably have to order online unless someone knows of a good place in the Bay Area to buy one of these cubes. My goal is to only buy tank propegated or cyanide-free caught animals and to not support dealers who support reef-destructive fishing.

So, I welcome comments and suggestions! If you have or have had a similar setup, let me know how yours went/is going. Pictures would be great, too! I will be taking my time to be sure everything goes smoothly and that I don't greatly overpay for anything.

Thanks!
Angela.

 

[smy168]

You're gonna have alot of fun in the next few months. I started big and started moving into nanos about 4 years ago, shame I'll never get that feeling again. .. These little systems are pretty cool considering what people were doing when nanos popped up.

I have a Pod 24 and it's been working pretty well, heat is generally an issue so you need softies that are hardy enough to handle warmer conditions.

I was thinking about getting a 12 and doing a green tank. a slightly deeper sandbed (2.5 -3 inches?) for planted marine algae. at 54 watts(Pod 12) gives you about 4.5 watts per gallon and a deeper sandbed raises the ratio of light to sand penetration should give the abilty to raise macro reds and greens).

what do you think? LR and inverts only..well, maybe some zoos and clove polyps (love these guys).

anyway, my 2 cents, good luck

 

[Newreeflady]

I love planted tanks! But, some of them can grow out of control. After my experiences, for such a small system I plan to lean toward things that are easy to keep under control. I had some great red macro that was a very pleasant addition to a larger tank of mine. It did very well just attached to rock, no need for sand at all. I can't recall the species, but it did well and I traded it with members of the forum. It was a broader species, not the thin one. Maybe i'll try to look up people to see if I can get a small frag back

How bad is the heat in your tank? Do you think it is due to the lights, or pump(s)? Do the included fans help?

What substrates have worked well for you. I had about a 5" dsb in my 65g tank that ended up getting black in some places near the bottom. I don't like the asthetics of that, or the idea of the bed releasing toxins back into the tank. I am thinking of going with something that is No greater than 2" thick (maybe less). I will rely on the live rock and possibly refugia to take care of the beneficial bacteria. What do you think?

I've had fantastic luck with zoos! I used to have a large variety of them and traded with locals in S. Florida. I had blues, greens, orange, reds, etc. They are fun to propegate and you can mix the colors together to make a very nice colorful forest of zoos. Definitely isolate them to a rock or two, though, because they can be difficult/impossible to remove completely once attached.

-A

 

[smy168]

I think the heat issues in these systems are due to both light and pumps, most stock pumps draw a ton of heat and I reallt can be sure if the gph is exact either, I've switched the stock pump from my 24 to a Maxijet 900 to cut down on wattage and heat. I can't comment on the Cubes but the Pods come with fans that help a little. In my 120 I used a finer grain of sand for the first 2 inches and gradually increased the grain size, I'm a fan of DSB systems, I have about 7 inches in my 120 and never had a problem, going on 8 years now. The only thing I wouldn't advise is the packaged LS since they do absolutely nothing for your system and really isn't live at all.

I think you're right about outrageous growth doing a macro tank, i've seen one in hawaii that was 10 gallons and the growth was crazy but man, it was the coolest thing I've ever seen, like an underwater forest.

Can I suggest maybe a 24 gallon system instead of a 12, only because you've done systems before and this hobby makes you want to go bigger, maybe a 24 will give you more flexibility to do different things. The price difference is really not that bad.

 

[Newreeflady]

Hey there. I think I will take your advice and look at getting another pump. It sounds like it's called for on this tank. I can use the stock pump as a back up plan.

Trust me, I love big tanks! But, once you get up above 15 gallons, you are definitely looking at point source lighting to reach the bottom. Then, if i've got halide, i'll want to start dosing and growing sps again. Once that starts, i'll be buying another refractometer, etc. The list goes on. I love them, but they are definitely more work and more money. I will stick with a 12g. I love the flexibility of using a 3g bucket to do a water change! haha!

Besides, I don't mind going small for now. One day i'll have a huge tank, but i've found that in between sizes don't do much for me. I have run a 65, 40, 29, 10 & 2.5g tank and without halide on the 29 and 40 I felt they were lacking. The 10 & 2.5g tanks did great on PC. I even had some sps growing slowly in my 10g. I'm not so concerned about fish, I don't mind not having any. I loved my purple tang, but he'd need at least a 90g by now.

I am looking at the Indo-Pacific "black sand" from Drs Foster and Smith. They only carry this one in "arag-alive" and while I don't necessarily think it will benefit the reef much in its bioload capacity (lol!) I like the grain size and I like the mixed coloration of the sand. I was all about dsb, too, until I noticed the black lines forming under the sand. I bought a lot of sand critters, and I always saw bristles, stars and pods all over the tank, but still got these black layers. I am sure after 8 years, yours is pretty safe and it's great it's done well for you. I'm not willing to do it again, though. I considered bare bottom, but I would rather have inverts that like substrate.

So, i'm going to go get ready to check out this local store. I'm so excited, I hope it's a nice place! I'll update you later

-A

 

[smy168]

good luck and good shopping. one quick note about the Maxijet powerheads...I don't think they build them like they use to, my older models from before 2001 seems to run with less problems, the new models don't work well with wave makers and seem to continue to jam up.(just what I noticed)

anyway, have fun shopping.

 

[FishWife1]

Hi Newreeflady,

Wow, there are soooo many more women in the hobby than there were a few years ago. I think some of it has to do with the nanos, especially the all in one jobs. A lot of the guys and some women like to fool around with equipment and setups but I just love the plug and play of the NanoCube and Pods.

I have a 12DX and I love it. The only mods are MJ900 PH and a Hydorflow on the output. It really does move the water around and is a great little addition for just a few dollars. One of the things I prefer about the NC is the little surface skimmer. It really keeps your surface crystal clear. The Aquapod has a slide pc. behind the intake and I was looking at one at the LFS the other day and it wasn't really skimmng the surface. The slots go down pretty far into the water so it didn't have that overflow effect. AP owners may know how to remedy that but it was just an observation.

I did have a heat problem the other day when the temps outdoors went up into the 80s and we had our windows open. My tank temp went up to 86:eek1: . I lifted entire hood slightly and left it that way all day. I think if I had just propped the feeder door open an inch or two early in the day before the temp rose it would have been fine but getting the temp down after it was up took a while. Nothing looked to be bothered in the least except the kenya tree looked a little miffed. Came back fine, though.

So, if you don't have AC in the summer I would suggest propping up the feeder door by a couple of inches. When the ambient temps are in the low to mid 70's I have no problem - 79 to 81 all the time.

The only thing I don't like about the NC 12 is that I have had mine up for about 3 months now and it is pretty much full. I've only bought a couple of largish corals ( still small by normal standards).

Here it is:

I do know what you're saying about going larger and one thing leading to another. We started about 6 years ago now with a 75 reef, moved up to a 200 plus the 75, plus a 29, plus a 37 - hehe! Never again! These little guys are soooo easy.

Have fun and post pictures.

Laurie

Good luck and

 

[gundo50001]

Nice, fishwife!

 

[myakkareef]

Aahh, newreeflady is back in the tanks again....-A used to follow some of your threads awhile back...As well as the best threaad ever, butt we'll leave that to the pioneers...Actually just ordered a 12 NC DX frm Drs Fosters about 5 minutes ago, can't wait to tinker with it. Good price of 159, and only like 15 shipping....

 

[Newreeflady]

myakkareef, Wow, only $15 shipping, that's awesome! I will definitely consider that. Considering... ok, I think i'll order from them, too. I called my local stores and not much luck.

Oh, memories. I sure do miss the big tanks, too! I love a tank I can submerge both of my arms in, move rock around, and add fish to. haha. But, alas, my large tank days are on hold for now. I'm pretty well decided on this one. I just hope it doesn't crack!

Fishwife, great tank! Having been out for a while, I haven't noticed the change in the amt of women in the reefing world. If it takes nanos to make it happen, great! I know some people like plug and play and it's nice that it's available. I really do prefer a more complicated system, but it's just not an option right now. I hope there's enough for me to do with this one, haha!

smy168: I hit the store today, but wan't terribly impressed. I left a review on the Bay Area Reef forum on here. I am not counting them out, but they will likely not be my first resource here.

They Bay Area Reefers have been so awesome! If you guys aren't a part of your local reef clubs, definitely check them out! I am lucky, this one is particularly active!

Ok, off to Drs. Foster & Smith... **Edit, just checked and their price is $169.00. I have a semi-local store that although I don't want to support them has it for only $159.00 and I need a stand, too, so probably cheaper to take the drive than the shipping charges. *sigh* I guess i'll make a trip down there tomorrow or on the weekend.

-A

 

[Newreeflady]

First purchases

First purchases

Well, i've decided to document my purchases (hell, maybe this'll stop me next time! lol!)

From Drs. Foster & Smith:

Portable Refractometer ($42.99)
Arag-Alive Indo-Pacific Black Sand ($31.99)
Tropic Marin Pro salt ($16.99)
Maxi-Jet 900 ($15.99)
Hydor flo ($9.99)
Stealth heater 50w ($16.99)
Black Diamond Carbon ($13.99)
Filter bag ($2.99)
Digi Thermometer with probe ($4.99)

Shipped ground $163.90

 

[myakkareef]

A- the sponsor page here on R/C takes you to a R/C special for 159..Sorry I did not relay that...But if you can buy locally for 159 that is better that way you don't have delivery guys slamming it around in there truck..I would love to see pics of the black sand in the tank, or a pic of any tank with black sand and the stock lighting on a DX...

 

[Newreeflady]

Hey there. Well, I found a local deal on a used system... just have to wait for him to move into a larger system which he was planning on anyhow. So, I got pretty lucky. I'll post more info once I obtain the tank. ) Luckily, I think the arag-alive isn't really all that alive and it can stay in the bag for a while (I think!) I'll see. If not, i'll be sure to kill it before use, lol! Anyhow, the deal is worth a small wait.

There will definitely be pictures. I have a better digital than I used to (still not the best, but better) so hopefully they won't be all fuzzy like my old pix.


-A

 

[FishWife1]

Hi,

It do add up, don't it? Good for you finding such a great deal. there's an lfs here that's offering the AP 24 with 70 MH, plus sand, RO water, heater (which you probably won't need) and a bunch of other stuff for in the mid $300's. I am really tempted to get one but I keep thinking about doing a 40 breeder since it would give me more room for anemones.

Doesn't this hobby just grab you by the throat?! We were going to do just one little tank and now I'm already planning another.

You will find this is so much easier to take care of than your larger tanks. I still cringe when I think about the water changes I did on my 200 gal. Anywhere from 20-50 gals. of high test saltwater going down into the septic system every few weeks. :eek2: :eek1: Glad I don't live there anymore.:lol: And scraping and cleaning the glass - Oy! It was fun but I'm too old to want to do that anymore.

I do tell my husband once in a while that I miss seeing tangs swim lazily by - oh well, I'll have to content myself with watching a couple of clown play in some anemones.

Bet you can't wait to get started. Have fun.

Laurie

 

[Newreeflady]

Hi, Laurie. It sure does add up. I'm trying to stay within a budget, but I haven't set one. I know me. haha.

Definitely less work with the smaller tanks. Hell, I had an aga 2.5g with a hang on filter and 13w jalli lamp that ran great! My ten gallon with 36w pc did great, too! Those were so easy. Hell, I could use a large cup for a water change in the 2.5g, haha!

Definitely grabs you! After getting into this hobby, I set up and took down 5 different tanks of different sizes in a matter of a year or two. This will be the one and only here, tho. No, seriously.

Anemones are great. I am considering one but haven't decided on which. I had bad luck with a store-bought bta in my 65g, so i'm a little wary. I am thinking bta or sebae, but I have to do more research. Sebaes are more difficult i've heard. But, until I decide and until the water is very stable, this will be a live rock tank, haha. I'd prefer to make the anemone one of the first inhabitants to be sure it goes well. We'll see, I might forego it. Planning is hard.

-A

 

[Newreeflady]

updated shopping list

updated shopping list

(Previous $163.90 at Drs. F & S)


Marine Depot:
Pinpoint pH monitor
Salifert Calcium test
Salifert Phosphate test
Seachem multi-test kit
floating thermometer
tubing & filter floss
(forgot 2nd heater, doh!)
25% off discount (one time only, yay!)
=$124.59

Fellow local reefer is selling me his 12g tank & stand with broken lighting fixture for just $100.00 and will be here soon.

Airwaterice home/reef unit. Now, this is debatable, because we wanted one anyway for drinking water, but $215.00

I still need a second heater. *Also still deciding on lighting for this system since it is coming without.

Total thusfar = $388.49 w/o water filtration system or = $603.49 with water system.

whew, this hobby has not gotten any cheaper

My new plans include possibly a species setup for Bubble Tip anemone(s) and clownfishes.


-A

 

[myakkareef]

A- got my tank from DFS this thing is really cool. Love the setup. Lights look great for softies, zoas, lps and shrooms. Ran it overnight with fresh for a leak test and everything is good. Ordered heater, new MJ 900 and hydor...Cut my starboard for a BB setup. Should be getting some rock this weekend and transfering water from the big tank, then letting the cylce go...
I will post up some pics when I get a chance..

 

[Newreeflady]

Great, Scotty, would love to see the pics!

I gotta say, now that I have this thing in my living room... it's tiny, lol! See, you have your big tank urge satisfied with the 90g, but for me, I can see myself wanting to upgrade this baby in a year or two. I'm trying to decide whether to set it up with a 150W halide so that i'll not have to purchase another light later. But, not sure if 150W halide over this thing would a) look like crap, or b) cook it. I would probably get a pendant and then just keep it as high as need be not to cook the tank, but that is definitely a consideration.

I have to think this through before I purchase lighting. I don't want to spend on new lighting if I may want a larger tank later.

-A

 

[Newreeflady]

Update 3/3/2006

Update 3/3/2006

So, i've been busy with this little system.

Mods:
*70W JBJ Viper Clamp on lamp with 14k bulb
*Drilled hole near bottom center for second return pump
*Running two MJ900s, one with direct flow, one with variable flow via hydor-flo

Rock:
Added 7lbs of cured rock from Magma01's tank (local here in the Bay Area, thanks, Magma!)

Livestock:
-Oscellaris - This guy is a juvenile, just added today. Some of his tank mates looked healthy, some not... let's hope he makes it!

-Fire Shrimp - Probably should have waited, but i'm experienced with keeping tanks so i'm hoping this will prove to be a good move. He is eating, he tried to eat my hand earlier, haha!

So, I haven't tweeked the height of the lamp yet. I just got it today, only ran it for an hour and brought the temp up a half a degree. I will be starting off at approx 8" off the water line, running for 4.5hrs/day until I am sure i'm not boiling anything. The lamp looks awesome, there is a great amount of flow (the clown loves it) and overall this tank is super cute and I believe it will be very rewarding. I will be adding some coral soon, so i'll update with some new pictures later in the week or this weekend.

Angela