New to the forum just showing off my new nano tank

[pmcaree19]

Hello everyone i just wanted to show you guys my biocube set up.

my tank has been up and running for 2 weeks now.

im still not 100% sure im diggin the aquascape what do you guys think? any suggestions are welcome.

i have:

20 lbs live sand (fiji pink)

20 lbs live rock (fiji premium)

6 mexican turbo snail

6 hermit crabs

ps:when i first got the live rock i captured 2 mantis shrimp and 2 mean lookin crabs

[Hendo]

Looks to be a good start. how long has it been running?

[nanoreef11]

Hey pmcaree19,

 

Welcome to nano-reef.com. Looks like you're already off to a great start. It can be hard to aquascape a tank with larger pieces of live rock but after a couple of tries you will get a desired look to your tank. Good to hear that the hitch hikers got spotted and taken out before going into your tank or it could have been disaster later on down the road. Look forward to seeing your tank grow and let me know if you have any specific questions as I have a 14 gallon biocube.

 

Jon

[swayd]

 

Looks like you are off to a good start keep up the good work!

[pmcaree19]

Thanks guys, what are some mods that you have done? i think the only one i want to do for the time being is cutting the piece of plastic at the start of the filter to increase flow.

 

ps: i just heard 2 loud clicks i hope it wasn't what i think it was

[ScubaJ]

I would move the rock away from the glass far enough to fit a mag cleaner back there. I made that mistake on my NC12 and regretted it due to the algae build up that I couldn't clean. Other than that, looks good and sounds good!

[pmcaree19]

yeah i read that its not good to have the rock touching the glass, i think it might just make it with the cleaner im looking at getting....i hope

[pmcaree19]

i cut the tab off my tank today and it really helped the flow.

[uxdesigner]

Looking good. You gotta love the BC 14's such a great tank to get started with.

[nanoreef11]

I have my tab cut and would recommend it to anyone as well. Took the floor out of the first chamber as well which allowed me to remove built up detritus from that chamber. Watch out because nitrates will accumulate if you don't suck this stuff out with a siphon.

[ajmckay]

Do you still have the mantis shrimps? Might you be local to me? I'm looking for some for a species tank.

 

Anyways... The tank looks good. 29g?

 

The rocks are arranged nicely, though they don't leave much room on the sand!!

 

What are your stocking plans for the tank? Reef I assume? Do you have any corals, invertebrates, or fish that you're particularly interested in?

[pmcaree19]

im planing on starting out with:

1 pair of Ocellaris Clownfish

1 Cleaner shrimp

Green Bubble Tip Anemone

that will be picked up on the 16th

 

and no i would not be local im from canada eh.

[pmcaree19]

just an update "click click click" mantis must be in there somewhere.

[ajmckay]

Canada eh? That's like 20 minutes from me! Well... Windsor, ON anyways.

 

I need to find someone local who gets them as hitchers... The LFS's by me are charging $40 for them!

 

As for your livestock, I think you'll be pretty happy with the clowns... I think most people would recommend you wait a bit on the anemone though. Remember that clowns don't need an anemone to host them. So if that's the only reason you want one then I would definitely wait. 6 months minimum is typically recommended to gather the necessary research, establish the tank (and develop a successful maintenance routine), and find a suitable specimen. If you have other motives, then be sure to do your research. There's a ton of information out there. I would try to stay away from peoples "experiences" as forum posts are typically short term in nature and usually lack any real documented results or easily repeatable data. Here are some sources (to get started) I consider accurate on anemones:

 

http://www.reefs.org/library/article/r_toonen8.html

http://blog.captive-aquatics.com/captive_a...emone-tips.html

http://blog.captive-aquatics.com/captive_a...hy-anemone.html

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/6/inverts

 

There are other corals which have similar looks such as frogspawn/hammer corals, lobophyllia, ricordia, and other corallimorphs (mushrooms and similar). These are all much safer in nano-reefs, easier to take care of, and usually cheaper too.

 

Oh, and I almost forgot, !! Nano-reef rocks.

[nanoreef11]

Clowns and cleaner shrimp will probably put you at max capacity for that size tank. If you keep up on water changes weekly then you might be able to add another fishater on down the road once everything is stable. Definitely take things slow and research the anemone before you introduce it into a very young tank. Anyways good luck with the additions that you decide on and let us know how it goes.

 

Jon