Say hello to the newbie!

[Junfan]

Hey all, I am attempting to setup my first aquarium in like 15 years. I have always been interested just wanted to start small and do a marine tank with corals, etc... Well, today I was at my Local Fish Shop (I assume this is where LFS comes from). I got a Nano Cube and 50 Watt heater. I put the heater in the back of the cube. This ok?

 

I have the live rock setup now and water from the LFS in there. It is clearing up nicely. I will post pictures tomorrow night I think. I removed the ceramic rings and bio-balls.

 

My goal is to have a couple clowns. I was planning on giving this a week to settle in and get the ecosystem stable. I then want to add a few snails, shrimp, crabs and a few different types of corals.

 

I figure the system should be ready for fish within 4-6 weeks. Is this reasonable?

 

I have about 12 lbs of live rocks and 8 pounds of crushed coral in there now.

 

Is there anything I am really missing?

 

Thanks in advance for any the help and comments!

 

Kevin

[NanoReefer10000]

if i were u i would wait 2-3 weeks before adding anything. and then at that time if everything is stable to add the clean up crew. if after 1 week everything is still fine then add a fish or two then wait a week and if everything is stable then add 1-2 corals etc. i would also upgrade the lighting if u want corals

[seaker]

you should also cut some 1/4 in slots above the sump intake so it skims the surface water. A lot of people hear have made mods on these, look some up, get some ideas. You will have a problem with surface scum. I know I did.

[Tempest]

You may want to consider getting rid of the crushed coral and using live sand instead. The cc is a detritus trap and can cause a problems down the road. You'll also need to invest in test kits for pH, alkalinity, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, calcium and magnesium. Salifert and LaMotte make the best kits, but Seachem's are also supposed to be pretty good.

[NanoAmyDee]

You can also add small grain sand in to help fill the gaps of the crushed coral. That might be easier than taking out all the CC and starting over. You could also get live sand from an established tank at your LFS. That will help the cycle out. Make sure you do all of your tests on the water before putting anything in.

 

Some people are also of the mindset that you should add the corals first before adding fish. Do a search and read how others have done it, then make your own opinion on what you feel comfortable with.

 

Definitely upgrade the lighting if you want corals. They will need about 5-8 watts per gallon.

 

Good luck!! It is a fun hobby!

[Junfan]

Here is the front of my nanocube less that 24 hours old

[Junfan]

Here is the right side of my nanocube less that 24 hours old

[Junfan]

Here is the left side of my nanocube less that 24 hours old

[imsuperjp]

i wuold get rid of the crush coral while you have the chance. It was a pain in the butt diggin mine out wit alot of rocks and fish.

[Junfan]

Interesting, a couple of you made mention of that and then I asked my LFS who has a good track record. Been here for over 20 years and they reassured me that it was a good choice and that I should continue to use it. Now I am really confused. I did get a couple testing kits for Nitrate and KH.

 

Well, maybe I will go with it and treat it like a learning experiment.

[seaker]

use live sand, aragonite, It's the one with the water in it. 10lb bag. thats what I got.

[imsuperjp]

My LFS store told me the same, go with crush coral. After reading forums and ppl's advice, I went with sand. Went to the LFS and he had no sand, maybe thats why.

[MGXsport]

Go with sand and IMO it looks a lot better and more natural.