chewbaccca Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 Hey everyone. Well i have my nano-cube set up and have had it running for a while (few days almost a week). I was told to put in about 15 lbs of live rock. Then i read about different kinds like fiji, etc. and to make it even more confusing the website told me to make sure it was "cured". What does that mean. Anyway I need some tips and even better advice. Link to comment
Neon Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 cured means it's live and has none,if any,decomposing organisams it's alot easier Link to comment
holyherbiness Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 To elaborate on Neon's response: Cured Live rock is live rock taken from the ocean and is cured in large vats, that is, all organisms that can't survive in a tank will die during that stage. typically takes many weeks. When you buy cured rock, your tank cycle should be minimal uncured live rock is rock taken straight from the ocean and into your tank, and stuff like sponges, filterfeeders, etc will most likely die in the tank. Live rock is given many names (fiji, tonga, kaelini, marshall). Some of the rock types are less porous and are shaped better, etc. Link to comment
chewbaccca Posted September 8, 2004 Author Share Posted September 8, 2004 What do you suggest, I am starting with 2 clowns, some blennys and some cleaner shrimp. I was told fiji or is it personal preferance or are some better than others Link to comment
balla816 Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 personal preferance.....i like fiji Link to comment
Kogut Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 Do you actually have the fish in now!!??? If so, then you had better find some really cured live rock, otherwise those fish are toast. You normally put in Live Rock first and allow it to cycle for at least 2 weeks on pre-cured rock, then start putting things in. Fiji is basic, cheap rock. I'd call your local fish store and get some rock from them. That is probably your best bet... Link to comment
MarLooney Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 i suggest you don't start w/ " 2 clowns, some blennys" in a nano cube? how many gal are we talkin bout here? also, uncured rock isn't that big of a deal. take a toothbrush & a hose to it & it shouldn't be much of a problem. the main thing is to not settle for ugly rocks. if you LFS doesn't have nice pieces in when you're ready to buy your LR then wait till get some quality pieces in. i made that mistake when i first got started. Link to comment
holyherbiness Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 Uh oh. chewbacca, i hope you haven't put all that fish in there the first week. If you did, shame on you. Return some and do some research on cycling =) Link to comment
chewbaccca Posted September 8, 2004 Author Share Posted September 8, 2004 i dont hve the fish right now, i (petty much certain) that i will get the 2 clownfish, i was thinkin about 1 blenny, why is that a bad idea for beginning? Link to comment
holyherbiness Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 If you put them all there in the first week, they will probably experience ammonia/nitrite poisoning, as your aquarium is not cycled yet. In the long run, after your cycle is over, i'd say that the two clownfish and one blenny would be acceptable, but don't stock too much over that three fish line for the cube. Link to comment
bonecrusher71 Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 Hey chewbaccca i let my 12g nano cube cycle 1 wk before adding live rock(fiji).after adding lr let cycle another wk i took out all filtration that came with tank accept carbon bag and pump added 1 o-clown and clean up crew 1wk later added 1 coral banded shrimp 1 yellow watchmen gobbie(which is my favorite to watch no pun intended)and finally 1 more o-clown and lr rubble in place of old filtration that came with tank oh yeah almost forgot sand is arogonite.key is to take your time adding livestock,hope this helps Link to comment
EtOH_is_good Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 chewy, there are many ways to start a nanoreef. although bonecrusher was successful, it may not necessarily work for you. as you learn more, you'll understand that going slow is really the best option. this way you make sure that your tank is stable which gives your tank inhabitant the best chance at living. also gives you a chance to double check what your doing so that things go correctly. usually the cheapest rock you can get is base rock (taken out of ocean and not put back, all living things dead). next is uncured rock (lots of living things originally, but stuff is dying because the duration of transport time). uncured rock is pretty good to cycle a tank with because it is seeded with a ton of life that may eventually come back given enough time. the bad thing is that even though some life may come back, others will not because your tank does not have sufficient capacity to sustain that life ie filter feeders such as sponges. partially cured is next. vendors essentially start the curing uncured rock for you, so that already some die-off has occured and it'll just take a couple weeks to a month to finish. by this time some of the coralline algae loss has started reappearing. fully cured is last. everything that won't may it is gone and there should be some nice coralline algae coverage. so the other thing that matters is the source. atlantic or gulf of mexico stuff is rather dense and you'll need more lbs per gallon for good filtration and tank filling. the pacific stuff is usually lighter and can be more colorful (fiji, tonga, etc) with pacific rock you don't need so much because it is less dense. Link to comment
EtOH_is_good Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 oh and if i didn't give you enough try this link for additional info. Link to comment
chewbaccca Posted September 9, 2004 Author Share Posted September 9, 2004 thnx everybody that does help. So i probably will wait 2 or 3 weeks before adding fish, and will start with 2 o clowns and maybe some cleaner shrimp. Link to comment
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