Gracie's 10g - Need help with Questions PLEASE!

[Gracie]

Hi,

 

Let me introduce myself quickly. My name is Grace and I have a 55 gal fresh water tank for the last 7 yrs now. It was a ciclid tank and now it's just a community tank. I was gifted with a Cube Master 10g nano tank. The tank started cycling on Jul 10, 09. The saltwater is purchased at LFS.

Here're the spec for th tank

Lighting

8W*3=24W Type T5 FL (one of them is actinic, and the other two full spectrum)

 

Power Head

Output 450L/H

120GPH

 

 

Here's the back of the tank, currently from right to left chambers, I have fine mesh foam, coarse mesh form; bio-ball with carbon, and then pump. They all just came with the tank with no modification.

 

As you can see on the picture, there are some transparent white flakes floating on top. I had tried to use a paper towel, a net to skim them out to no success... What are they? How can I get ride of it? Also, any suggestion on what I should fill those chamber with will be so welcomed. I did check that there is no light on the top of the back chamber.

 

The next picture is the hitchhikers in the tank... are they harmful, how do I get rid of them if needed..

 

 

 

Thank you so much for all your help...

[Gracie]

I have transfered part of Steve's reply to here so that I can follow through and ask more questions...

 

2. The back compartments contains a) white fine sponge black coase sponge and c) bioballs and a bag of carbon, d)pump. Are these sufficient? I will be adding a tank heater this weekend. Currently, the tank water is stable at 80deg. F. I assume the tank heater goes in the pump chamber?

 

Ditch the bioballs and sponges. Use chemical media (chemi pure) and filter floss. You can also create a fuge with chaeto. Heater can go in any area that it fits, flow is important so is tank temp stability.

 

For the Chemi pure, do I want to the normal one or the elite one? Since I don't have light on top on the chamber, I guess I can't do fuge with Chaeto? Can I add light?

 

3. I have heard that I should only change 10% of water per week. So, I should be changing 1.5 gal?

 

10-30% is fine. The more the better actually.

 

4. I have not done a water change yet, and will be this weekend. Noticed that there are some mostly "transparent" "flakes" on the water surface. I try to get rid of it buy skim the water top with a paper towel, but not very effective. I have never seen that on my fw tank. How should I get rid of that?

 

Flow pointed to the top or a surface skimmer. Is this like an AIO tank that has rear filtration chambers? If so it should have some kind of water intake that acts as a surface skimmer.

 

Please see pics above, what is AIO...?

[lakshwadeep]

AIO=all-in-one tank (like a nanocube, biocube, etc.). This is kind of misleading since AIOs are usually modified.

 

Yes, you can add a light to keep Chaeto.

 

The first hitchhiker picture shows an Aiptasia anemone. You will want to kill it soon. Since the rock is new, you can try a slightly drastic method of using a lighter on the anemone while the rock is out of the water.

 

The second hitchhiker is a collonista snail, a nocturnal herbivore which stays small.

[Gracie]

AIO=all-in-one tank (like a nanocube, biocube, etc.). This is kind of misleading since AIOs are usually modified.

 

Yes, you can add a light to keep Chaeto.

Where would I purchase that?

 

The first hitchhiker picture shows an Aiptasia anemone. You will want to kill it soon. Since the rock is new, you can try a slightly drastic method of using a lighter on the anemone while the rock is out of the water.

Will try that tonight..

 

The second hitchhiker is a collonista snail, a nocturnal herbivore which stays small.

Awesome...finally something good!!! I forgot to mention that it does only come out at night...

 

One more question: I seem to heard both side about using gloves or not working around in the tank... So, do I need to wear the gloves? Why and why not... Yes, I will watch my hand religiously..

[lakshwadeep]

For the light, it's kind of tricky, so check the DIY and AIO subforums.

 

You don't need to wear gloves, but they are helpful. Just make sure that you have no chemicals on your hands. If you need to was with soap, rinse thoroughly with water. Rinsing your hands with water before going into the tank anyway is a good habit. Also, having dedicated towels for the tank are good not only for spills but to wipe your hand and make sure nothing gets on your hand while drying it.

[DoubleD]

AIO=all-in-one tank (like a nanocube, biocube, etc.). This is kind of misleading since AIOs are usually modified.

 

Yes, you can add a light to keep Chaeto.

 

The first hitchhiker picture shows an Aiptasia anemone. You will want to kill it soon. Since the rock is new, you can try a slightly drastic method of using a lighter on the anemone while the rock is out of the water.

 

The second hitchhiker is a collonista snail, a nocturnal herbivore which stays small.

 

 

+1

[Gracie]

Okay...New development...

 

Tested the water today and all the parameters are good. Ammonia, nitrate, nitrite are all at 0. pH, hardness are checked as well. Still adjusting the water heater to hold at 82 deg. F. It's currently at 80 deg. F. With the water now in good condition, I set out for another trip to the LFS..

 

I decided to check out a LFS that is closer distance to my house. They have a huge selection of corals and anemones, but not so much for LR. Most of their pieces are too big for my tank, and I was shocked to hear the guy told me to just grab a hammer and smash them to smaller pieces... I guess I didn't know if that's normal, it just doesn't sound right. Please educate me. I did manage to find a couple small pieces that seems to complement the piece that I have, they are covered with Coraline. I also added a pepper shrimp to take care of my Aiptasia.... I hope he get the job done after he make himself a home...

 

I definitely noticed the diatom boom right now... it's a light milky yellow dusting on the sand and on the LR. I hope it will go away soon. Should I leave the light off for the next three days to help with the situation?

[Gracie]

Day 9:

 

Got two more pieces of LR at LFS and they look awesome. (At least to a noobie) Added three blue legged hermit crab as CUC and can't find another peppermint shrimp! It would seem that there is a SHORTAGE of this shrimp as this is the third store that I went to ran out. Hmph!!!

 

After a slow acclimation, I introduced the CUC to the tank and the crabs begin to work right away. My Peppermint shrimp though seems to be too busy swaying sideway inside all the little caves and crannies that I made and not doing much eating... Hmmm...I hope he is okay.

 

Will post pics tomorrow!!!

[BustytheSnowMaam]

Don't add any more livestock to the tank until your rock has cycled. It seems like your parameters are at 0 because you don't have much LR in there, so there hasn't been much die-off. You'll want about 15 lbs of LR in there total. It's ok to smash the rock into smaller pieces so you can arrange it to your liking. Let it sit for at least a month and cycle properly, then gradually add inhabitants.

 

Right now, for more excitement, shine a flashlight in there at night when all the lights have been off for awhile. You'll see all kinds of fun hitchhikers.

 

*waits for Gracie to spot the first bristleworm*

[patrick1234]

This is after having it 3 months

[Audi0s]

Check around for the nano-glo led light for a refugium light. I think force is selling them, but for 50 bucks or so it works awesome. Attaches by a magnet like a mag float, and since your rear chambers are clear glass, you wont need to scrape. Theres probably room in chamber 2 above the balls, maybe some screening will be necessary to keep the cheato in that chamber. In my nanocube 24, I pulled out all the stuff in the rear chambers, and now have been running live rock rubble in the first chamber, some cheato and rubble in 2nd chamber, and heater and maxi 900 in the 3rd. I use poly fiber right below the intake skimmer, and change it every 5-7 days. Youd be amazed at what it catches. Ive heard bad things about the bio-balls after a while, nitrate machines some people say. But all you need to do is rinse in some tankwater and youd be set I suppose,

[Gracie]

Right now, for more excitement, shine a flashlight in there at night when all the lights have been off for awhile. You'll see all kinds of fun hitchhikers.

 

*waits for Gracie to spot the first bristleworm*

 

Hehee... I did use a flashlight for the last few nights .... Seen a couple worms, a "snail" with a flat "cover", a ...hm..centipede? Is that the bristleworm that you would refer to? I did take some picture of the LR pile now... I am going to post it now..

[Gracie]

Check around for the nano-glo led light for a refugium light. I think force is selling them, but for 50 bucks or so it works awesome. Attaches by a magnet like a mag float, and since your rear chambers are clear glass, you wont need to scrape. Theres probably room in chamber 2 above the balls, maybe some screening will be necessary to keep the cheato in that chamber. In my nanocube 24, I pulled out all the stuff in the rear chambers, and now have been running live rock rubble in the first chamber, some cheato and rubble in 2nd chamber, and heater and maxi 900 in the 3rd. I use poly fiber right below the intake skimmer, and change it every 5-7 days. Youd be amazed at what it catches. Ive heard bad things about the bio-balls after a while, nitrate machines some people say. But all you need to do is rinse in some tankwater and youd be set I suppose,

 

My tank doesn't have clear back...nor is anything that I can scratch off.. Seems a solid piece of colored plastic to me. Right now, I have filled the chambers with the followings:

from intake to pump - first chamber: Polyester floss;

second chamber: coase foam;

third chamber: from top to bottom-Activated Carbon and 10 oz of Chem Pure elite

fourth chamber: pump + heater

 

Should I take out the coase foam on the second chamber and just fill it with LR rubbles?

 

What is "force"?

[Gracie]

Okay, here're some new pictures for the tank:

 

Front

 

Left Side

 

Right Side

 

Okay, please give me some guidance on the LR stacking.. I have never done it before and my initial goal was trying to "lift" up the rock as high as I can to provide a platform for some light loving coral, and to make sure that I have "caves" for critters to hide. I left some clearances on both side of the tank for now so that my little magnet float thingie can get to it and wipe the glass. Any advices will be appreciated and welcome.

 

Oh, did the water test, everything is still testing at zero. All the LR that I bought have all been cured at the LFS for more than a month.

 

I am currently waiting for a Koralia nano pump to come in mail as I need more flow movement in the tank. I will also be changing out to a digital thermometer instead.

 

I have more questions now...

1. What temperature do you keep your nano? I don't have a chiller now, the tank seems to be running at 80 deg. F. , is this okay?

2. Should I start water change now?

3. Do you stir up the sand when you do water change?

4. I think I have a polyp on one of the LR, and I have position that LR such that the polyp is upright and closest to the light. I have not seen this polyp open yet. What can I do? It's pinkish in color.

 

Thank you so much for all your help!!!

[Gracie]

Added the Koralia powerhead last night, temperature didn't jump.. but that's overnight temp, will check again during the day if it affect tank's temp. Also, many of you seems to indicate that there is a fan in your nano? I don't have one to dissipate the heat, do I need one? For the Powerhead, I currently aim it high to the water surface to increase oxygen content. Is that what I should do? Or should I aim it down as the pump discharge is already located on the top.

[Maddevil1]

I have more questions now...

1. What temperature do you keep your nano? I don't have a chiller now, the tank seems to be running at 80 deg. F. , is this okay?

 

Anywhere between 76-82 degrees is ok. Whats more important is to keep the temp steady and not have begin temp swings.

 

2. Should I start water change now?

 

You should do water changes every week, 10%-20%

 

3. Do you stir up the sand when you do water change?

 

You dont really want to stir up the sandbed. When doing water changes, you'll want to vacuum the sandbed though. Invest in a "Python - No Spill clean and fill".

[Maddevil1]

Added the Koralia powerhead last night, temperature didn't jump.. but that's overnight temp, will check again during the day if it affect tank's temp. Also, many of you seems to indicate that there is a fan in your nano? I don't have one to dissipate the heat, do I need one? For the Powerhead, I currently aim it high to the water surface to increase oxygen content. Is that what I should do? Or should I aim it down as the pump discharge is already located on the top.

 

Your nano should have a fan, what kind of nano is it? Biocube, NanoCube, etc. I am not sure if you NEED a fan, but removing the heat should play a role in keeping the tank cooler and/or not overheating your lights.

 

Do you have an oxygen problem in your tank? You should get enough surface agitation from your back chambers, if not, then the way you have the pump should work. But you might need another pump to create good flow in the display area as well.

[patrick1234]

Dont add any stuff other then cheto to the back I did this:

And it sucked After about 3 months I fliped it up side down out in the yeard washed out all the sand and re did it with just cheto. Also the backround you can remove its just vinle on the back of the tank I used a razer blade to get mine off.

 

 

 

How I had the rocks:

 

 

 

[Maddevil1]

You can also look into StevieT's media racks and also get one of his submersible under water lights. www.mediabaskets.com

[Audi0s]

Force is the members name whos selling the lights

[Gracie]

Your nano should have a fan, what kind of nano is it? Biocube, NanoCube, etc. I am not sure if you NEED a fan, but removing the heat should play a role in keeping the tank cooler and/or not overheating your lights.

 

Do you have an oxygen problem in your tank? You should get enough surface agitation from your back chambers, if not, then the way you have the pump should work. But you might need another pump to create good flow in the display area as well.

 

Thanks again for all your reply. I guess I really don't know whether I have oxygen problem or not. I just noticed that the flow doesn't seem really strong and I know I wanted coral. So,I guess this will allow it to aim it to where I needed later when I have coral.

 

My nano is a cube master by ocean aquatics. It was a present from my brother in law. It's really not as modifiable as the others. The lid hinges has very very tight gap, it was very hard to slip the wire for the heater in through the gap. There is also no fan for the light fixture. The whole back of the aquarium is solid black plastic piece, no scratching is going to do any good.

 

 

Patrick,

 

Love your aquarium!!! So awesome!!

[patrick1234]

Thanks again for all your reply. I guess I really don't know whether I have oxygen problem or not. I just noticed that the flow doesn't seem really strong and I know I wanted coral. So,I guess this will allow it to aim it to where I needed later when I have coral.

 

My nano is a cube master by ocean aquatics. It was a present from my brother in law. It's really not as modifiable as the others. The lid hinges has very very tight gap, it was very hard to slip the wire for the heater in through the gap. There is also no fan for the light fixture. The whole back of the aquarium is solid black plastic piece, no scratching is going to do any good.

 

 

Patrick,

 

Love your aquarium!!! So awesome!!

Im gussing they changed them since I was able to take mine off. Also as far as the lid gose I do not have pics but I removed the light and thare is room for one to go in helps keep the timps down.

[BustytheSnowMaam]

Gracie,

 

As far as aquascaping goes, I would wait until you have some corals, then arrange your rock (and you're right, it's great to arrange some caves for the critters). Remember that the corals will usually come attached to a chunk of rock. Some corals are low-light, like mushrooms, and some need lots of light. It looks like your tank is coming along well. What kind of light does it have?

[Gracie]

Gracie,

 

As far as aquascaping goes, I would wait until you have some corals, then arrange your rock (and you're right, it's great to arrange some caves for the critters). Remember that the corals will usually come attached to a chunk of rock. Some corals are low-light, like mushrooms, and some need lots of light. It looks like your tank is coming along well. What kind of light does it have?

 

Thanks for the advice.. I finally spotted that bristle worm you mentioned. It is quite a LOOKER Good thing that you warn me ahead of time.

 

Anyhow, here's the spec for the tank

 

Lighting

8W*3=24W Type T5 FL (one of them is actinic, and the other two full spectrum)

 

Power Head

Output 450L/H

120GPH

Content

38L/12 gallon

 

I will include that in my first post too!

[wimby]

I have the same tank as you. I got rid of my hood and got a different light. Open top with a cover made of eggcrate and deer netting. 1 of my bulbs blew out and I really had a hard time finding a replacement so I got a whole new light system. As for my return pump it is stock and I added a nano koralia to the display. I made a media rack out of egg crate for my filter floss( got in walmart pillow stuffing) so it wouldn't get sucked to low to the bottom. I do not have cheato in this tank and I never tried to scrape off the back. I have a little fan on the wall facing the water cause I am in an attick and it gets real hot up here. I only keep softies mostly zoas and mushrooms and 1 blue devil damsel. 1gl water change a week. Hope this helps you out a little bit. Good Luck with yours.