100 days of summer- 100 Days of Nanos Contest Tank

[mrmikekim]

100 Days of Nanos Contest Tank!

 

Display: Innovative Marine Fusion Peninsula 14 (12” x 20” x 13”)
Stand: IKEA Alex Drawer Unit

Lighting: Current USA Orbit Marine Pro LED
Heater: Cobalt Aquatics NeoTherm 75W
Circulation: Stock Return Pump
Skimmer: AUQA Gadget Ghost Protein Skimmer

Filtration: Chemipure Blue, Purigen, 3 lbs. BRS Pukani Dry Rock, 10 lbs. Fiji Pink Sand
Auto Top Off: Tunze Osmolator Nano ATO
 

 

Established May 11, 2017

 

Current FTS 6.20.2017:

 

 

FTS 5.16.2017:

 

 

[metrokat]

 

[Coral_chef]

Welcome 

[mrmikekim]

1 hour ago, Coral_chef said:

Welcome 

thanks! although i feel like i'm already out of the race looking at everyone else's tanks...

[Coral_chef]

18 minutes ago, mrmikekim said:

thanks! although i feel like i'm already out of the race looking at everyone else's tanks...

If it makes you feel any better this is my first build. 

[SeaFurn]

5 minutes ago, Coral_chef said:

If it makes you feel any better this is my first build. 

Mine too...if you consider my last salt water tank was back in the early-80's...I think I used a floating hydrometer and the only salt i knew of was Instant Ocean.  So that one doesn't really count....

[rfalk]

Id def cure the pukani rock in a bucket asap before adding it this small of a tank - dont want to spend half your time curing the smelly rock in tank.  You also probably wont need 10 pounds of pukani but you can cherry pick the pieces.

[mrmikekim]

On 5/12/2017 at 10:10 AM, Coral_chef said:

If it makes you feel any better this is my first build. 

haha same here.  i've been on here for a while doing "research" (just lookin at photos)

 

On 5/12/2017 at 10:20 AM, rfalk said:

Id def cure the pukani rock in a bucket asap before adding it this small of a tank - dont want to spend half your time curing the smelly rock in tank.  You also probably wont need 10 pounds of pukani but you can cherry pick the pieces.

hahah i'm hopin to have a polyp in by day 99...but i'm actually gonna go red sea's reef mature route and hopefully cut the cycle time down a little.  i've actually been soaking the rock in freshwater just in case its leaching phosphates, etc.

[rfalk]

Yeah that pukani has some nasty dead stuff in it but its great rock.   Good luck and with a tank this small keep make sure to keep up with weekly water changes its by far the most important, easiest and fool proof way to care for small nanos.

[mrmikekim]

 

A couple photos of the aquascape with Pukani dry rock while we wait for the cycle...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MaineReefkeeper]

Great start! Some nice looking rocks to work with.

[mrmikekim]

On 5/16/2017 at 7:59 PM, MaineReefkeeper said:

Great start! Some nice looking rocks to work with.

Thanks!

[mrmikekim]

Red Sea Reef Mature

 

 

 

I decided to try this kit on my dry rock in the hopes of a shorter and more controlled cycle.  I couldn't find much on this kit on this forum so any input from you would be greatly appreciated.  I plan on following the regimen with the exception of dosing KH Coralline Gro because there is no coralline algae to propagate and the lights will be off since there is no life I'm trying to preserve on my rock.  This kit requires a skimmer and I will be running the IM Ghost Skimmer during the cycle.

 

More information on the kit can be found here

 

Preparation:

I soaked the dry rock in a bucket of RO/DI water (I use BRS 5 Stage Plus) for 10 days with a 50% water change every 3 days in hopes of extracting phosphates and any other chemicals that may have been on the rock.  Unfortunately I did not have a phosphate test kit to see what the levels were through the 10 days.

 

Day 1:  Display Setup

I set up the tank with about 3 pounds(dry) of rock, 10 pounds of live Pink Fiji Sand, and about 10 gallons of total water volume.  The skimmer, heater, return pump, and ATO are the only equipment running.

 

Day 2: Seeding the Cycle

Dose 8 mL Nitro Bac, 4 mL Bacto-Start, and 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X.

 

Day 3: Testing Water Parameters

Dose 4 mL Nitro Bac and 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

I tested the water before dosing with the following results, with the expected kit levels in parentheses:

Salinity:  1.025(1.023-1.025)

Temperature: 80F (78.8F-82.4F)

pH:  8.2

KH:  6 dKH

Ammonia:  0.4 ppm (1.0 ppm)

Nitrite:  0.2 ppm (0.1 ppm)

Nitrate:  15 ppm (36 ppm)

 

Day 4:

Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

If I follow the kit instructions I will be testing the water once every 3-4 days, please let me know if you think I should test more often.  I will be using the Red Sea test kits.

 

Thanks!

 

 

[lkoechle]

very interesting!

[SeaFurn]

I used the Red Sea Reef Mature to cycle my reef bowl. It worked great. I obviously didn't have a skimmer on a bowl but didn't have any problems. The biggest challenge was modifying the dosing for such a small volume of water. 

I never had to use the KH Corraline Gro because my alk always tested above the limit for needing to use it. (Using Red Sea Coral Pro) 

The intent of that  product is to boost lower levels of alk up to a point that would enhance its growth - if it was present. 

 

I think I tested mine every 2-3 days. I was excited at the time to be monitoring what was going on besides just staring at a bowl with rocks and bubbling water! Haha! 

You should be fine with testing every 3 or 4 days.

Just make sure to use the NO3: P04-x every day. 

[mrmikekim]

On 5/18/2017 at 0:18 PM, lkoechle said:

very interesting!

thanks! definitely not as interesting as your awesome tank

 

23 hours ago, SeaFurn said:

I used the Red Sea Reef Mature to cycle my reef bowl. It worked great. I obviously didn't have a skimmer on a bowl but didn't have any problems. The biggest challenge was modifying the dosing for such a small volume of water. 

I never had to use the KH Corraline Gro because my alk always tested above the limit for needing to use it. (Using Red Sea Coral Pro) 

The intent of that  product is to boost lower levels of alk up to a point that would enhance its growth - if it was present. 

 

I think I tested mine every 2-3 days. I was excited at the time to be monitoring what was going on besides just staring at a bowl with rocks and bubbling water! Haha! 

You should be fine with testing every 3 or 4 days.

Just make sure to use the NO3: P04-x every day. 

awesome reef bowl! it sounds like your cycle was super short, we'll see how long mine takes...but glad to know this stuff works

[mrmikekim]

Red Sea Reef Mature (cont'd)

 

Not much to update, but it's nice to know its working.

 

Day 5:

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

Day 6:

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

Day 7:

-0.5 Gallon Water Change (5%)

-Test Results:

  Ammonia: 0.2 ppm

  Nitrite:  0.05 ppm

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

-Dose 10 mL Bacto-Start

-Dose 2 mL NitroBac

 

Day 8:

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

Day 9:

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

Day 10:

-Test Results:

  Ammonia:  0.2 ppm

  Nitrite:  0.2 ppm

  Nitrate:  10 ppm

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

-Dose 2 mL Bacto Start

-Dose 2 mL Nitro Bac

 

Day 11:

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

Day 12:

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

Day 13:

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

Day 14:

-0.5 Gallon Water Change (5%)

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

Day 15:

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

Day 16:

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

Day 17:

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

Day 18:

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

Signs of life!

 

[mrmikekim]

Red Sea Reef Mature (cont'd)

 

Day 19:

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

Day 20:

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

Day 21:

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

Day 22:

-1 Gallon Water Change (10%)

-Test Results:

  Ammonia: 0 ppm

  Nitrite:  0 ppm

  Nitrate:  10 ppm

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

-Dose 2 mL Bacto-Start

-Dose 2 mL NitroBac

 

Day 23:

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

Day 24:

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

Day 25:

-Test Results:

  Ammonia: 0 ppm

  Nitrite:  0 ppm

  Nitrate:  20 ppm

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

Day 26:

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

 

Day 27:

-Test Results:

  Ammonia: 0 ppm

-Dose 1.2 mL NO3:PO4-X

-Dose 2 mL Bacto-Start

-Dose 2 mL NitroBac

 

The instructions say it is safe to start introducing a CUC after day 10 and one fish after day 14, but I decided to keep the tank bare and continued fueling the cycle using Bacto-Start(ammonia source) and NitroBac(bacteria).  It seems 2 mL of the Bacto-Start is getting consumed in about a day or two now, which I think should be able to support some livestock.  The first inhabitants will be arriving next Saturday

 

For this week, I plan on staying busy dosing the NO3:PO4-X(nitrate/phosphate reducer) as usual and continuously doing water changes to try and bring down the nitrate levels to where they're supposed to be.  If not, I guess the livestock will have to be in the QT for a little while.

 

On a side note, I know my goal was to reduce the algae bloom and have a controlled cycle but this seems too clean to be true...

 

 

[Coral_chef]

Looks really clean in there!

[SeaFurn]

To fuel the cycle you only need to use the NO3: PO4-x. 

You shouldn't need Bacto-start any longer. That's probably why your nitrates are at 20 at last check.

As long as you don't dose bacto--start this week and do your water change you should be able to add fish. You'll obviously want to check your params before you do though.

 

Tank does look clean but my guess is you'll get the uglies soon...get that CUC ready! It doesn't last long though. 

[metrokat]

The rockscape looks good. Did it take 18 days to see life?

[mrmikekim]

On 6/10/2017 at 11:47 AM, Coral_chef said:

Looks really clean in there!

thanks!

 

On 6/10/2017 at 5:17 PM, metrokat said:

The rockscape looks good. Did it take 18 days to see life?

thanks! took a little while to get it together with just glue but i'm happy with the way it turned out.  yea not much algae growth but i am running the skimmer and soaked the rock so maybe the extra oxygen/less phosphate's kind of stunted growth?

 

On 6/10/2017 at 4:26 PM, SeaFurn said:

To fuel the cycle you only need to use the NO3: PO4-x. 

You shouldn't need Bacto-start any longer. That's probably why your nitrates are at 20 at last check.

As long as you don't dose bacto--start this week and do your water change you should be able to add fish. You'll obviously want to check your params before you do though.

 

Tank does look clean but my guess is you'll get the uglies soon...get that CUC ready! It doesn't last long though. 

please correct me if i'm wrong, but doesn't the NO3:PO4-X only fuel denitrification/nutrient export?  i figured my nitrates are a little higher because i haven't given much of a chance for anaerobic bacteria to form in there with such a shallow sand bed.  i've been continuing nitrobac and bacto-start just to keep the colony growing, but now i think i have enough to support at least two fish seeing that at least 0.2 ppm of ammonia is getting consumed in a day

[SeaFurn]

7 hours ago, mrmikekim said:

thanks!

 

thanks! took a little while to get it together with just glue but i'm happy with the way it turned out.  yea not much algae growth but i am running the skimmer and soaked the rock so maybe the extra oxygen/less phosphate's kind of stunted growth?

 

please correct me if i'm wrong, but doesn't the NO3:PO4-X only fuel denitrification/nutrient export?  i figured my nitrates are a little higher because i haven't given much of a chance for anaerobic bacteria to form in there with such a shallow sand bed.  i've been continuing nitrobac and bacto-start just to keep the colony growing, but now i think i have enough to support at least two fish seeing that at least 0.2 ppm of ammonia is getting consumed in a day

Yes, you are correct about the NO3: PO4-x. My only point was as far along in the program as you are you probably don't need to add more bacto-start - just the PO4-x to feed the anoxic bac. If I remember correctly (which I may not be), I don't think bacto-start is used beyond day 10 or so with the kit but the PO4-x was needed daily until the nitrates were 1-2ppm. 

 

I would say your nitrates are higher  because the bacteria you have established are doing their job breaking down the bacto-start  you've been using and that's what you want!

 

I think your test results look good and the plan you stated is solid.

[mrmikekim]

Red Sea Mature (con'td)

 

Thoughts and Lessons Learned:

 

Red Sea Reef Mature Kit is a great kit to get your tank cycled and stabilized but I think would be better suited for those with larger systems where water changes are a bigger concern regarding cost and effort.  I learned a great deal and the problems I did encounter were either mistakes or lack of foresight on my part.  Please feel free to chime in with advice/corrections to what happened and why.

 

Two main points I've learned:

 

Skimmer: For the last week before I added livestock (2 clownfish and a cleaner shrimp) I only dosed the daily amount of NO3:PO4 and encountered a bacteria bloom.  The hair algae-like bacteria growth covered the rocks and the glass but were easy to remove with a scraper and a turkey baster.  I stopped dosing NO3:PO4 immediately and the growth died off and I was able to remove most of the bacteria with some basting and water changes.  In hindsight I should have broken in my skimmer before I started cycling and made sure it was working smoothly before introducing carbon into the tank.  One thing I did notice was that the bacteria did little to help remove the nitrates, possibly due to a lack of phosphates in the tank?  I would have ran a skimmer just to make sure the tank had an oxygen source if there was any life in the tank, but for cycling dry rock the skimmer wasn't used efficiently on my part.  Additional/larger water changes to remove the nitrates from the system would have been more efficient for me since I am only dealing with 10 gallons of water.

 

Ammonia Source: The bacteria in the tank was capable of removing 0.2 ppm of ammonia in a day before I added my first livestock.  I've read from other people's experiences they were getting about 0.2 ppm of ammonia for two clowns in a 7 gallon tank and figured I would be in the clear, but I did notice a mini cycle after added two clowns to the tank.  I think the two scenarios would be I had not cycled long enough, or the bacteria I did have went dormant/died off during the week I did not add ammonia, with the latter being unlikely.  With the amount of rock and small volume of water, I don't think 0.2 ppm of ammonia in 10 gallons was enough to indicate the system could handle two clowns.  With that said, if I were to cycle again I would have increased the ammonia to 1-2ppm as most people do just to make sure my tank could handle whatever livestock I was introducing.  Larger systems would be able to handle a larger bioload with a 0.2 ppm ammonia level, which I think was the intention for the kit.

 

All in all, it is a great kit that can treat up to 65 gallons, which I think should be the volume of the tank you are trying to cycle.

 

NOTE: No fishes or shrimp were harmed in this experiment, we got through the mini cycle with some prime and all three are doing great!

[metrokat]

Hi there

Almost time for the contest end in FOUR DAYS!!

 

Please post some pictures and a final FTS whenever you get a chance along with your challenges and observations.

Any equipment feedback would be great too.

 

And a summary of livestock with prices

 

Thanks