Marine Moron: First Nano Reef

[buddythelion]

Yes. Let's. It does appear that it is the stock lighting. Two Flourecent Tubes and a set of 3 LEDs. I have yet to power them up.

 

My hope is that this is enough to get me started? And maybe do a few basic corals? And then I can upgrade the lighting later, as money and time better allows?

I'm liking this thread, glad to have you on N-R. Welcome aboard.

 

The two fluorescent bulbs, I'm guessing are two power compacts? Power them up and see what are the colors for them. If you can find the wattage (I'm guessing 24w each?) that would help too. Just look at the bottom where the light pins are, there should be a description and it will tell you the wattage. Stock light is definitely enough to get you started on some softies and a few LPS. And like you said, you can always upgrade later when money and time allows and when you get the feel of where you're going with the hobby and what kind of livestock you'd like to keep mostly.

[Bedowyn]

Yes. Exactly. I hate to take the easy way out, but I long ago learned that the best way for ME to approach new systemic situation or process - and that is how I see any hobby - is to begin at the basics, and grow out from there naturally.

 

My tropical background gives me a good grasp of the Nitrogen Cycle. To me, it is familiar and important, and I will at least test for excessive levels. The rest is new, so I will stick with basic fish, basic corals, a basic setup. Hardy, common, affordable. But hopefully pretty.

 

Than in a year or so I can get a Great White and put it in there

 

Where I'm coming from is I get the feeling the OP just wants to get started and keep it simple. He probably wants to have a few fish and some beginner corals and go from there. I would agree with the refractometer suggestion.

 

I think you're probably a little more anal than I am. I used to buy the fancy test kits and mix this and add that, but then I realized that all I need to know (as far as ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite) is if it's more than 0, it's bad- the exact number doesn't really matter, unless I'm trying to observe the progression of the cycle. And like you said, you're probably not going to use them again after the end of the cycle.

[capitolcityreefer]

Haha i'm enjoying this thread. Stock lighting, as said before, will be good for low and medium light corals, like shrooms, rics, LPS, most softies. But I would look into getting new bulbs from them for aesthetic reasons as well as benefits to your corals. Have you thought at all about circulation inside the tank? As a low-cost, high quality powerhead I would suggest the hydor koralia line. Looking forward to seeing your great white tank in a year or so!

[RC1313]

QT new arrivals. I used to not then lost about 300 in livestock to ich. My QT that i just set up cost about 30 dollars total. (10 gallon tank, heater, and some PVC parts) I also just purchased a HOB filter for the QT

[Bedowyn]

So tell me about this power head. My impression was that water went through the back at one end, was filtered, passed the Fuge, and was then pumped back in at the other end.

 

Do I need more?

 

Haha i'm enjoying this thread. Stock lighting, as said before, will be good for low and medium light corals, like shrooms, rics, LPS, most softies. But I would look into getting new bulbs from them for aesthetic reasons as well as benefits to your corals. Have you thought at all about circulation inside the tank? As a low-cost, high quality powerhead I would suggest the hydor koralia line. Looking forward to seeing your great white tank in a year or so!

[BustytheSnowMaam]

I don't know how a Biocube works (I've seen them but never worked with one), but I would put a small powerhead at the opposite side of where the water is pumped out. You don't want a hurricane-force current, obviously, but you do want to keep the water moving and avoid dead spots. A Koralia 1 should do you fine. I angle mine so it breaks the surface of the water a bit to help eliminate surface slime and promote gas exchange.

[Bedowyn]

So, this is what I think I am hearing.

 

1. I need to stage the aquarium. Place it where it will go, clean it up. What have you.

2. I will order the media baskets, a couple of new PC tubes, a new pump and pick up a heater.

3. I will visit my friendly neighborhood marine shop and pick up 30 gallons of premixed salt water, some RO water to have on hand and a 20lb of live sand, as well as my Media. Sand will go in followed by water. And then we will let the tank run for a while.

4. Once the water has stabilized I will go pickup as much live rock as I can swing to start with, place it in the tank, making sure I make good contact with the floor of the aquarium. I will then let THAT go for a while, and continue to monitor levels.

5. Once those levels are good, I will go pick up a clean up crew. More waiting.

6. In will go my first fish.

 

Does that sound about right?

[Mstefa1]

Yes. Let's. It does appear that it is the stock lighting. Two Flourecent Tubes and a set of 3 LEDs. I have yet to power them up.

 

My hope is that this is enough to get me started? And maybe do a few basic corals? And then I can upgrade the lighting later, as money and time better allows?

 

 

Not much power but it will certainly get you started. You don't need to run out and get a new light but you need to replace those fluorescent tubes by the time your tank is done cycling or you won't grow anything but algae.

[BustytheSnowMaam]

So, this is what I think I am hearing.

 

1. I need to stage the aquarium. Place it where it will go, clean it up. What have you.

2. I will order the media baskets, a couple of new PC tubes, a new pump and pick up a heater.

3. I will visit my friendly neighborhood marine shop and pick up 30 gallons of premixed salt water, some RO water to have on hand and a 20lb of live sand, as well as my Media. Sand will go in followed by water. And then we will let the tank run for a while.

4. Once the water has stabilized I will go pickup as much live rock as I can swing to start with, place it in the tank, making sure I make good contact with the floor of the aquarium. I will then let THAT go for a while, and continue to monitor levels.

5. Once those levels are good, I will go pick up a clean up crew. More waiting.

6. In will go my first fish.

 

Does that sound about right?

 

Sounds fine, but you want to put the rock in with step 3. Put that in first, then the sand, then the water. If you have more than 1 fish store that's local to you, check out their live rock as well. Some have better LR than others. I like a mix of branching rock and the rounder "rock" rock, but whatever you prefer aesthetically. Branching rock is lighter so you can get more for the $$.

[Bedowyn]

So wait... I put the LR in at the same time that I am starting the water and sand? And what if I have problems with my tank or the water? Does that not endanger the LR? Hence my thinking on the LR coming later?

 

Also, does anyone want to coach me through the picture posting process?

 

Sounds fine, but you want to put the rock in with step 3. Put that in first, then the sand, then the water. If you have more than 1 fish store that's local to you, check out their live rock as well. Some have better LR than others. I like a mix of branching rock and the rounder "rock" rock, but whatever you prefer aesthetically. Branching rock is lighter so you can get more for the $$.

[BustytheSnowMaam]

Yep, you want it all to cycle together. You're going to have a lot of die-off on the LR. That's what causes the cycle. Also, sitting there and watching whatever life came on your LR makes the pre-fish waiting time more entertaining. Shine a flashlight in there when the lights are out and you'll see all sorts of little fauna.

 

Below, instructions from Liveaquaria's website- the only thing I wouldn't do is scrub the LR, because I'd be afraid of scrubbing off some of the life/tubeworms that came on the LR.

 

Method B: Curing process of live rock for the new aquarium that DOES NOT contain fish, corals, or any other marine animals.

Live rock may be used to cycle a new marine aquarium. Follow the manufacturer's directions on the installation of all filtration devices and accessories. Fill aquarium with freshly mixed saltwater with a specific gravity of 1.023-1.025. Activate all filtration equipment, check for leaks, and set heater and/or chiller to the desired temperature of 72-78°F.
Note: Mechanical filtration will need frequent cleaning during this cycling process.

1. Rinse each piece of live rock in a small bucket of saltwater to remove any loose organic matter, debris, or sand.
2. Place live rock into the aquarium to create a stable foundation for corals or decorations.
3. Keep the lighting system off during the cycling period in order to reduce the likelihood of undesirable algae growth.
4. Gently scrub the rocks periodically with a new nylon bristle brush or toothbrush to remove loose white film or dead material.
5. Perform 50% water changes weekly while siphoning out any organic matter and loose debris that accumulates at the bottom of the aquarium.
6. Measure and monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels in the aquarium weekly.
7. When both ammonia and nitrite levels are zero, perform a 50% water change on the aquarium.
8. After 24 hours, check the pH of the water and adjust as needed to achieve the desired level of 8.1-8.4.

[Bedowyn]

what if my local store is selling me cured LR and I am transporting it directly to the tank? Still going in at the same time? Am I still expecting a death and rebirth cycle?

[BustytheSnowMaam]

what if my local store is selling me cured LR and I am transporting it directly to the tank? Still going in at the same time? Am I still expecting a death and rebirth cycle?

 

If it's cured, you're almost good to go right from the beginning. You won't have a cycle, because it's already cycled. You could go ahead and add some clean-up crew if you wanted. I'd let it go a week or two, check your levels and if it's all at zero, go ahead and add a fish.

[Bedowyn]

Interesting. That might make things a bit easier. But it also means hauling and paying for more, all at once.

 

Time to get the credit card out. And my wife thought wine making would get expensive.

[BustytheSnowMaam]

Lol, it's worth it.

[BustytheSnowMaam]

Pics- I upload my pics to Photobucket. After you upload a pic, you'll see a drop-down menu below it. Click "direct link" and it will automatically copy it to your clipboard. Then click the image icon in the NR post toolbar, in the box where it says URL, right-click and select "paste". Then post. I hope this makes sense.

[Bedowyn]

small tank, heater and how what?

 

Do you QT your live rock too? How do you know when you are good?

 

QT new arrivals. I used to not then lost about 300 in livestock to ich. My QT that i just set up cost about 30 dollars total. (10 gallon tank, heater, and some PVC parts) I also just purchased a HOB filter for the QT

[BustytheSnowMaam]

No, you don't need to quarantine LR. You can take a chance and not quarantine the fish the first time you put fish in the tank (since they're the first, they're not going to make anyone else sick). If they are sick, they could leave little nasties behind and then you'd have to wait before adding more fish.

 

If you want to set up a quarantine tank, you can just put the fish in a 10 filled with saltwater with a PVC pipe as a hiding place for a couple of weeks.

When I buy fish, I ask them to feed the fish there in the store so I can see that it's eating. A sick fish generally won't eat.

[Bedowyn]

If you want to set up a quarantine tank, you can just put the fish in a 10 filled with saltwater with a PVC pipe as a hiding place for a couple of weeks.

 

No filtration? Just a heater? What do you use for water?

[BustytheSnowMaam]

Just the regular saltwater you have on hand, and for filtration, you can just do water changes. I should add you need a powerhead or something for water movement.

 

I should say, I don't have a quarantine tank and I've never been burned by this, but I don't buy fish very often. I nearly always buy them online from Liveaquaria (Drs Foster and Smith) which has an outstanding facility and quarantine their fish for 2 weeks before selling them. When I do buy from a fish store, I ask them to feed it so I can see that it's eating. I know that I *should* have a quarantine tank, but I just don't have the space or place for one. When I've lost fish, it's because they jumped out.

[Bedowyn]

Im sorry... you guy fish online?

 

er....

 

Yes... I cant wrap my brain around that one.

 

Just the regular saltwater you have on hand, and for filtration, you can just do water changes. I should add you need a powerhead or something for water movement.

 

I should say, I don't have a quarantine tank and I've never been burned by this, but I don't buy fish very often. I nearly always buy them online from Liveaquaria (Drs Foster and Smith) which has an outstanding facility and quarantine their fish for 2 weeks before selling them. When I do buy from a fish store, I ask them to feed it so I can see that it's eating. I know that I *should* have a quarantine tank, but I just don't have the space or place for one. When I've lost fish, it's because they jumped out.

[BustytheSnowMaam]

Yep, lol. People do it all the time! Why do you find that strange, if you don't mind my asking?

[Bedowyn]

I had a hard time with the idea of shipping steaks via UPS, and they were frozen. I had to see it to understand it.

 

Fish, on the other hand, are living. Indeed, they swim, last time I looked. My experience is that if a fish from the local store sits in its bag for too long, you have a problem.

 

So how do they sell them remotely?

 

Yep, lol. People do it all the time! Why do you find that strange, if you don't mind my asking?

[BustytheSnowMaam]

They put them in a styrofoam cooler (like the type bait comes in) with heat packs, put a box around that, and ship it overnight. I've shipped coral frags and critters to people here too.

 

I live in WI, so I usually don't order fish in colder months, because I know it will sit on a cold truck or cargo area overnight and a heat pack won't compensate if it's below zero for an extended period of time.

[buddythelion]

I had a hard time with the idea of shipping steaks via UPS, and they were frozen. I had to see it to understand it.

 

Fish, on the other hand, are living. Indeed, they swim, last time I looked. My experience is that if a fish from the local store sits in its bag for too long, you have a problem.

 

So how do they sell them remotely?

Well, fish do come from the ocean thousands of miles away. I'm pretty sure they were shipped to multiple countries and then to wholesalers and then shipped to your LFS or your LFS picks them up if the wholesaler is local. It's not that hard to imagine if you realize that they're transported from far away initially.

 

Fish packed at the LFS are packed with the idea and preparation that they will be there for no longer than an hour or two. Fish that are shipped are packed with much thicker insulated bags, the bags are about 2-3x larger, and filled with oxygen. The place where the fish are in (the box) is also very dark so the fish will also be inactive. It's a whole different bagging procedure vs how you'd get a fish bagged at the LFS.