Brand New 6g Nanocube

[Staaan]

Hey everyone..

Well last night I finally set up the 6g Nanocube!!

I was waiting for my "s" stand to come.. found a great deal on the 12 gallon "s" stand.

Anyway.. I bought 6.5lbs of Fiji Live Rock, and 5lbs of live sand. As well as a small container of Dr. Tim's bacteria.

Here are some pics of my rock work, I think I did a decent job in terms of appearance.

I'm still a little confused on the whole test kit situation.

I currently have..

High Range pH
Ammonia

And I think what I still need is

Nitrite/Nitrate (Do they make combined test kits for this type of parameter?)
Calcium

thats about it I guess?

Are the API Liquid Test kits not good? A guy at the LFS told me that they can be quite inaccurate, but I have no problems reading my pH and Ammonia color cards in a well lit room.

Seems that most people use Salifert for coral.. is this really significantly more accurate?

Salifert Calcium test kit runs for $40 at my LFS. I think thats way too much for just a test kit.

**Should the light be on for a few hours of the day while cycling?

Oh and on a side note, I have a little problem with my 24g Aquapod FOWLR. If any one could give me some advice..

The problem is that I have brown algae or what seems to be called Diatom (which really isn't algae I guess), the tank has been running for a month now... and I have kept the lights off. I figure my problem was using tap water fresh from the sink.. So the phosphates and silicates and such are more than likely causing the problem.

I found a fish store that sells RO water for .50 cents/gallon. So I figured I'd pick some up.. but can anyone recommend a good phosphate absorption pad or some type of phosphate reducer?

 

[JonnyJ]

ill start out by saying the diatom outbreak in your ap24 is normal for a new tank with R/O or tap.... Tap will obviously contribute to break outs in its own so start doing water changes with r/o and it will subside. your obviously still cycling so there isn't really a need for lights.

Test kits,
i use api, they seem to be fine for me but i will get salifert in the future. they are better. Try ordering online from a vendor on here? try saltwatercritters. [russ or jim]

Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
PH
Calcium
Magnesium
Alk

those are all necessary to run a reef. i would suggest buying the salifert instead of the api because youll prob be buying the salifert in the long run.

Also pick up a refractometer. hydrometers arent too good.

 

[JimmyR1rider]

+1 for roks

At first during cycle(should use no lights-will just make more algae grow) Ammonia,Nitrite, Nitrate, KH and PH are the ones to test for. After you are cycled and start adding things should test for phosphates and with a reef- should then test for Calcium, Magnesium. I have 65G with 29G sump- been using Ro the whole time and I have some Diatom and green algae. Those are completely normal to new tanks- even though I drove Russ and Jim from saltwatercritters nuts with obsessing I finally relaxed and let the tank do its thing WC's and good parameters and now the diatoms are not getting worse and have coralline starting to grow all over so just roll with it. You can also do the shrimp thing- I did it and it worked well. Go to a grocery store seafood counter and buy 1 shrimp, wash it of in ro water in case there were any preservatives on it and throw it in there(deshelled). The tank will stink while it rots away but the critters in your rocks pods and such will eat it away. Once the shrimp is gone and you do a water change the smell will go away. Sorry about rambling- will hush about that now lol.

They dont make a combo test kit for nitrite and nitrate- they represent 2 different stages of waste ammonia gets turned into nitrite- then other critters turn the nitrite into nitrate- their waste- For phosphate control I use a reactor with phos ban form Two Little Fishies- you can hang the reactor off the back if you want with a pump in the last chamber and loop it back into that chamber from the reactor, just will have to probably mod the hood a little for the vinyl tubing to go from and to the tank- will get much better results than if used in a bag because the phosban will have more surface area exposed to the water than if in a bag. Im sure I missed a few things also so if I did Im sorry and I hope this helped.

 

[Staaan]

Thanks for all the help guys, I really appreciate it!

In all honesty, I don't think I'll be able to get every single test kit I need from salifert.

Reason being...
<--- poor part-time working college student

Soo, hopefully this will work out alright..

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4345+15473&pcatid=15473

Unless any one knows where to get salifert test kits around the same price? Extremely doubtful.

Chiefmcfuz said that 2-3 gallon water changes per week should negate the need for any type of dosing as I'm using Petco Ocean Water aka Catalina Water, and not RO water that is mixed with a synthetic salt. In my 24g FOWLR, I use(d) tap water, now switching to RO water and synthetic salt.

Another question... just to make it totally clear for myself..

When the cycling is done, the ammonia will be at 0 and nitrites at 0, and I guess nitrates should be high.. should I do a 20% water change and than start adding livestock?

Thanks!

-Stanley

 

[JimmyR1rider]

They should be high yes. Nitrates are the result of ammonia then nitrite. After the cycle should be ammonia-0 nitrite-0 nitrates- mine were at 20. I did weekly water changes during the cycle also.


You can do a heavy water change if no livestock as there should not be- the thing to worry about with heavy water changes is that the ph and other levels are pretty much identical to what the fish and invertebrates are used to so the fish dont go into shock over temp, ph etc. If no fish or any other livestock- no worry. You could do an 80% change if you wanted to. Then once you get your nitrates down you can add fish.

Also keep in mind you get what you pay for- Start with API then if you got my pm or go to their website you see their prices on saliferts- save up and buy as you go and slowly switch over kits 1 by 1.

 

[Staaan]

Sounds good.. thanks!
*Yeah I got your PM btw, thanks for that as well!

Hopefully by this next Friday (2/19) the tank chemistry should be looking well, and I can start adding stuff.

I was planning on picking up an ocellaris clownfish @ Fishtown $12 each.. best price I've seen, and I've been to quite a few places. I've seen them for as much as $20 each.

But before I do that, on my way back from school next Friday (I go to Stony Brook) I was planning on going to GC Fish and Reef to pick up some frags from that dude, $6.99/frag..

Seems to be amazing pricing on corals over there. So that'll probably be my coral shop.

So now my new question is.. haha

The physical aspect of laying out corals.

I've been on Nano-reef.com

They have some decent information on corals for nano reefs (obviously).

I've never bought corals, so I assume they're given to you in a bag w/ water kind of like fish are.. so when I get home, I just grab a coral with my bare hand and just plop it on top of my Live Rock, or do I wear gloves? (I'm aware that some corals sting).

Sorry for all the questions, but its either I'm just not looking hard enough or I really just can't find any of this type of info on the net.

I'd like to try my best and do everything right the first time, so there won't be any big screw ups, and on top of that waste of money.

Oh and adding coral before fish or fish before coral.. or does that not matter?


Thanks so much for all the help!

-Stanley

 

[JimmyR1rider]

Hey Stan. No reason to apologize did you read my signature with the bouncing smilies?- words I live by- only way to learn. In my opinion slow your roll a bit- When you add fish add 1 at a time unless of course doing a mated pair or a pair of firefish- or some other fish that do better in pairs then add the pair of course- but then have to give the tanks filtration time to catch up to the new bioload. I wouldnt buy any corals until you have all the test kits you need to keep parameters all around good-and get those levels stabilized. Weve listed those tests previous

For a reef you have to have all paramaters good
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
PH
ALK-dKH
Phosphate
CALCIUM-especialy for lps and sps
Magnesium
Once you get all of those balanced start with your corals
Just go and pick out the first fish you want- be choosy and get what you really want not what a LFS tries to sell you(as long as what you want is size appropriate for your tank)
You have all the time in the world to build your reef so do it slowly- remember if you buy up everything you can fit in there right away then you see something you REALLY love down the road what do you do then if no room? Make every inch of your tank work for you and count. Happy Reefing

 

[aznt1217]

Hey Stan,

Started out similar to you...

Most guys seem to have scrubbed the surface on your questions.

I'm way too lazy to type at the moment so I'm going to PM you my number and feel free to give me a ring and I'll walk you through stuff. Also I can start you off with some hardy corals for really cheap when you are ready.

 

[masterswimmer]

Stanley,
I'll let Jimmy continue to give you the guidance you're looking for. I'd like to suggest that you remove all of your rock that is leaning on, or touching the glass in your tank. If you don't leave enough room to get a magnet cleaner (or your hand and a credit card) in there to scrape the algae and slime off your glass, it will turn that area of the glass into a very dark and impossible to see through, or clean, coraline mess.

FYI, adding fish or coral next Friday is rushing the process by a couple of weeks. Yes, you have a small tank, and your cycle should be short, but allowing 7-8 days for a new tank to cycle and mature is inadequate. Being a student at SB, you might be able to take out a book from their library by Robert Fenner, The Conscientious Marine Aquarist. One of the best books to help out a beginning reefer. It is well written, easy to understand and offers you the help you need. While your tank is cycling, this is a perfect book to read.

Best of luck,
Russ

 

[JonnyJ]

since both of your tanks are small take your time. choose your fish wisely because once they are in its VERY hard to get out.

Dont rush adding livestock. Fish before inverts and corals....let the cycle run its coarse and your best bet is to pick up the phone and speak to someone offering their help. if you need to talk to anyone id be more than willing to share the knowledge i have.

 

[masterswimmer]

BTW Stanley, my oversight with the omission of Jonny for advise. Between Jimmy and Jonny you should have a world class reef in a little over 10 years. Now that's not too bad considering mother nature took 999,990 years longer to construct, cycle, stock, mature, destroy, rebuild, and evolve the worlds natural reefs. And lets face it, she didn't even have to contend with the trials and tribulations of doing it in a 6g glass box

So when we all say SLOW DOWN, we're not referring to an additional 15 minutes. Patience is a virtue that your reef will reward you with some incredible molecular life, if you just give her an extra two or three weeks.

Take care,
Russ

 

[Imbarrie]

Watch out for the clown fish police if you want to put those in there. A 6g nano may be too small for them.
Also Fishtown has nice prices but closely look at the condition of the fish. Some people have had problems with die off.


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

 

[Staaan]

Thanks for all the help again! This is a great community, glad I found and became part of it!

I'll deff. take my time now.. and let the tank mature/cycle properly. I figured since it was a smaller tank, and the fact that I did use Dr. Tim's (which doesn't seem to have been the best choice according to a few people I've spoken to) I thought every thing should be fine.

1) Should I be monitoring the water on a daily basis right now, as its cycling.. or should I just sit and wait for another 2-3 weeks, and then start testing the water?

2) Are two fish, a shrimp and a snail deff. a no-no?

*As far as fish go.. I was thinking about choosing 2 out of these 4.

Ocellaris Clownfish
Royal Gramma
Firefish (of some sort)
Mandarin Psychedelic Goby or another cool looking Goby.
3) Do all starfish eat corals? And if there is one that doesn't, is there a very small star fish that I could accommodate in this 6 gallon, or is that totally out of the question?

 

[masterswimmer]

1) I monitor my parameters during cycling on a daily basis. This is the time that you can 'see' how things begin to mature. It is actually a good learning step.

2) Two fish, a shrimp and snail are fine, or not. Depends on what fish you're talking about. One tang is a definite no. Two tiny fish, like a Yasha Haze Goby and a firefish could work fine.

Unequivocally, without a doubt, do not add a Mandarin to a 6g tank. Arguably, this is an inappropriate fish for a tank under 75g.

3) Not all starfish eat coral. However, a 6g tank is not large enough to support enough of the algae, slime, film that most stars eat. If you went with a sandsifting star, there isn't enough of a sandbed to support the benthic life that sandsifting stars require either.

FYI, the Yasha Haze Goby and a Pistol Shrimp are a fantastic symbiotic combination for a 6g tank. They'll live in the same hole under the rock.

Russ

 

[Imbarrie]

+1 pistol shhrimp goby pair. I think clown gobies would be cool to.


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

 

[Staaan]

Yeah, I'm actually taking Marine Ecology now in school, and we're talking about symbiotic relationships such as the one you mentioned. From what I understood most Goby's have that type of a relationship with shrimp.

Yeah.. I have a spotted mandarin right now in my 24g which seems to be a big mistake I made.. He is eating frozen bloodworms though, but I guess that won't be enough.

Took a look at the yasha haze goby.. have to be honest, I don't really like it lol.

I really thought it'd be fine to get an ocellaris clownfish in this 6g. My dad really wanted one haha.

Possibly even a mated pair w/ a shrimp and snail.

 

[aznt1217]

Yea realized timing of when I told you to call me is off. Anyway, I'll tell you that I have 2 clowns in a 6 Fluval Edge (very small ones btw) and they are just fine. I don't see why you can't get a tiny clown.

PM me when ready I think I have just the one for you too.

 

[Staaan]

Awesome Ted! Thanks so much! I'll prob. be giving you a call sometime tomorrow.

 

[Staaan]

Soo.. I have been reading around the forum.

Seems that lots of people take their Bio Balls out...due to Ammonia spiking because they trap debris..

Should I have taken out my Bio Balls? And also those ceramic pellet type filtration?

 

[JimmyR1rider]

People usually remove the bio balls because they trap uneaten food flakes and other debris and from what I understand cause nitrate problems.