24G Nano Cube DX Startup, Setup, Manual for newbies, in the works

[sNEIRBO]

SH -

 

Our tanks are running parallel paths! Here's my Aiptasia story and solution -

 

I had a couple Aiptasia show up in my tank a few months ago, and like an idiot I thought they were kind of cool. They kept mostly to one area in the corner of the tank, I didn't think it was a big deal. Then I noticed a couple of more on the other side of the tank, started me wondering what these weird things were. A little internet research, and voila Aiptasia the reefer's pest. I started looking around for the common fix it solution to Aiptasia - a Peppermint Shrimp - but apparently LFSs can't keep the little buggers in stock. In my quest for a Peppermint Shrimp I did quite a bit of driving a few weekends ago. I stumbled upon a great LFS all the way over on the other side of Detroit - Ocean & Seas in Roseville. A great old dude working behind the counter asked why I was specifically looking for a Peppermint Shrimp. When I said Aiptasia, he said "I've got a better solution for you - Joes Juice." He sold me this bottle of Joes Juice and I'm telling you the stuff worked miracles. You put some of the juice in the provided syringe and feed it to the pesky little bastards. Within minutes they're shrivled up DEAD. I've been seeing little tiny baby bastards popping up still, but I found a Peppermint Shrimp about 10 days ago, and he seems to be keeping the newbies in check. This stuff worked wonders, did not harm my fish or my corals. It's the bomb! I highly recommend!!!

 

Here's a website that I found for Joes Juice if you want to check it out.

http://www.aquaticcritter.com/Reef/JoesJuice.htm

Edited November 6, 2005 by sNEIRBO

[whitney]

I just used JJ on a pair of very small aiptasia that came in on a zoo rock I won at auction. It seems to have worked perfectly. There has been no further evidence of the aiptasia since.

 

A word of caution about JJ: it is strongly alkaline so be very careful about how much you use at any given time without WCs in between. In a large tank you could go nuts with the stuff and not do too much harm. In our smaller tanks it is not recommended that you kill more than a half-dozen at a time.

[scarf_ace1981]

finally read the whole thread. only took me a week LOL. lots of helpful info. i will be starting my first 40br reef tank in a couple of months. thank you very much for all the insight. your tank looks awesome.

[Bonebrake]

RH, I really appreciate your thread. Unfortunately I ordered 40 lbs. of Fiji for my 24 gal. DX before I read how many lbs. you have in your tank. It will be interesting to see if I can get it all in there. *LOL*

 

P.S. - How do you safely remove the hood without being too invasive? I would like to do this to place the cords in the proper slots and to get the stock pump out of there without cutting the cord.

 

[NanoDog]

The hood hinge pins have flat spots in them .. when the hood is pushed almost all the way back you should be able to just pull it toward you and have it come out... a little wiggle is needed sometimes...

[steelhealr]

Back. Who said Disney was a vacation????? I need a vacation from the vacation.

 

to SNEIRBO..welcome back and long time no see. I am going to order the JsJ. Have not seen either peppermint since adding them so, they may have been shrimp cocktail for my sixline. Thanks for the heads up Whitney. Will do.

 

to scarf ace...thanks for the support. Keeps me going. I did the same as you....read others posts and STILL do to learn.

 

To Bonebrake...I never had to remove the hood to pass cords/wires, thank goodness. All my cords were able to slide between the hood and tank wall with a little upward lift on the hood. SH

[sNEIRBO]

SH -

 

I see my Peppermint on occasion, usually looking for food when I feed the fish. TMine's definitely a lot more private than the Skunk Shrimp that's for sure!! But he's a veritable social buuterfly compared to the Emerald Crab!!

 

Thanks for the "welcome back" - I've been busy with life. You know that stuff that happens in between staring at the Aquarium for hours!

 

Cheers-

sNEIRBO

[sr71pav]

Between? You mean, you actually stop!?!?

[steelhealr]

(Sigh)....while I was away, my nephew and BIL never topped off my tank. When I got home, the water level was almost an inch below the rim and I'm estimating that my s.g. was at least at 1.028. Suprisingly, didn't seem that I lost anything. I've been slowly catching up now have my s.g back down to 1.025.

 

Sadly, tho', I haven't seen my yashia goby peeking out anywhere which he usually does at feeding time and he is not in the sump from what I can see. The pistol was there tonite grabbing mysid...even the sun corals were open...and the feather duster reappeared in his old tube. Hope he's in there somewhere. Would be a shame to have lost him. SH

[steelhealr]

Some updated notes. Some pix of the black longspine sea urchin:

 

 

 

Here is an example of the extensive spreading of the red macro hitchhiker in my tank. I have my euphyllia ancora perched on a pillar of LR that is now being covered. The macro has been great for my nitrates tho...I'm sure you can imagine with that large surface how it acts as a nutrient exporter. Sadly, I think my yashia haze bit the dust. Why, I don't know?

 

 

SH

[lgreen]

Steelhealr,

 

I haven't checked in on your thread forever. WOW! This has to be the best thread ever made. It really covers a lot of good info! Your tank is amazing! I am very jelous. I have been reefing for about 5 years now and your tank far surpases any of my reefing accomplishments. Great job.

 

btw, what's that sticking out of your urchin?

 

lgreen

[steelhealr]

Thanks l....I believe it's an eye. I appreciate the compliment. Coralline and the macro makes it difficult now to give it that clean white substrate look (sounds like a Crest commercial). It's funny..I look at the tank everyday and it doesn't look as nice as your compliments. Anyway, I hope to try a pico sometime. Adding another tank right now will put me in the doghouse...lolol. SH

[gjones]

Long time no see SH, just caught up to the thread. Kool macro, I like that urchin too. That's too bad about the yase hase, my four-lined wrasse seems to be doing well, i've had her for about 2 weeks. I myself am also in the apistia predicament, it's growing off the back of my red open brain even though i've nuked it 2x with lemon juice. I'm torn though, pep shrimp, or pixey hawkfish. The hawk well most likley eat the shrimp, so I'm holding off for a bit.

 

Almost bought a fox coral the other day, but it was a fairly large colony, and i'm a bit on the broke end of things now so I left without it, yours looks great by the way. Keep up the great work. Reading your thread back in may got me started on the idea that SW isn't impossable. Good choice on the fuge light upgrade, I'm trying to get some chaeto, the calupera soaks up my calcium. I'm starting to draw up plans for a possable spring upgrade to a not-so-nano tank, I'm getting addicted to LPS and yumas. Somewhere around the 40BR, 50, or 65 gallon range, with T5HO lighting.

 

Great looking tank, it always inspires me.

[steelhealr]

Gjones....hey..thanks so much for the nice post. I try to keep it going to keep other starters informed. It'll never compare to a Tigahboy acan tank or sumped out special, but....hey....it's relaxing to look at and work on.

 

I'm not sure why the yashia disappeared. He seemed very healthy and always ate extremely well. He did get battered in shipping tho'. Maybe that had a part.

 

I'd lean more towards peppermints and avoid the hawkfish. Although I've never owned one, I've read more 'headache posts' than positive ones..mostly as you described, pecking at snails and going for shrimp.

 

I'm envious that you are going for a larger tank. It's my hopes someday to do one up in the basement when we win the Megamillions Lottery (cough). Between family and job, a nano is enough work. I DO have a 10G and 46G FW. I'm thinking about shutting down the 10 and moving those guys into the 46, and maybe trying a pico or setting up a prop tank. Pipe dreams for now. Thanks for coming back and reposting again. Keep up the good work. SH

[gjones]

I had to scrap the plans in my sig, the 72 doesn't have the africans in it yet, they're in the 55 for another week or so. If I didn't say already, I got a full FW 72 bowfront setup for FREE from a guy who comes into my work who couldn't take care of it anymore. I got tank, stand, versa-tops, flouressant strip light, 2 emperor 400's, and a boat-load of stuff. I tried to offer him something for it, but he said he was well enough just to give it to me, no matter how many times I offered. It turns out he ownes several very popular bars in the rookwood/okley area.

 

The last lotery around here was around 90,000,000! If I won that, I wouldn't upgrade to a 40, It'd be in the several hundred gallon custom accrylic range, but I don't expect that anytime in the future.

 

I'm trying to breed compressiceps, but my LFS sold the large female I had been eying for a while. My male is about 4 inches, I think I'll get a few babies, and grow them out for a while then add my male to the tank.

 

Oh yea, right now this is my baby...

I got it for a deal... yuma wise. The pic stinks, but I should be getting a new digital camera for the holidays.

Edited November 19, 2005 by gjones

[steelhealr]

Some good news. I had committed my yashia haze to Davey Jones locker. Tonite, I decided to tear off more of the black vinyl on the back of the sump to allow more light to enter. There he was sitting on top of the chaeto. I had searched for him back there to no avail. Looked a bit leaner but still alive. Fished him out and put him back in the main tank where it looks like he found his pistol buddy again.

 

Anyway, I'm sick and tired of having the fish get back there so, I did a quick sump jump protector:

 

 

 

It's not pretty or perfect..but..for now....closes off the back sumps to jumpers.

 

SH

[MillerLite]

I wonder what the going record is for the thread with the most views? This one is at 81,838 and counting.

 

The thread with the most views should get a prize or something! Maybe some of the sponsors can kick in

 

Nice job!

[gjones]

Good idea using that weather seal tape, how many times have fish gotten back there total, I think earlier in the thread your 6-line wasback there, and your firefish.

[steelhealr]

Here is the total:

1) clownfish 1X

2) firefish 1X

3) Sixline wrasse 2X

4) yellow striped clingfish 2X

5) yashia haze 1X

 

The hardest to fish out was the clingfish. The others could be 'encouraged' to jump and you could catch them with a net. However, don't forget that there is a slit opening between chambers 2-3. That had to be blocked off or you'd be there all day.

 

SH

[NanoCube-boy]

I heard that some Mandarin eat prepare food and still fat, is that true?

 

About the submerg refug. light, where did you get that from? So there is no wiring involve? you just plug in and that's it?

 

I upgraded my pump to a 1200maxi too. That thing is strong but since going through all that tubing, it slows down a bit like 150-200gph. I think that's one of the best mod i did so far for my tank since i'm working on my refugium. Looking for a light that can be safe in a og series.

 

Why do you want to put a weather strip on that? doesn't it increase heating in thank when the canopy is close?

[ClowningAround]

Hi SH, This is my first reply after reading your thread the past two days. I have been absolutly obsessed it was like a Harry Potter book i had to keep reading. Finding this site and reading your thread has gave me pure insipiration. I have been looking to do a marine aquarium but was under the influence that you couldnt really do it with out 50+ gals. I soon realized by the name NANO its just the opposite. I have always been obsessed with clown fish and watching yours really has motivated me to do research and learn as much as possible. Im still in my last year of college .... so i have some time to do research and find out information before go for it. I just wanted to say thanks and that i enjoyed your little captions on your pictures, "strength and honor snail plowing through red slime algae ah VICTORIOUS! " and "My clown fish eats everything he's a pig" I really did enjoy it completly and cant wait till i get a tank set up and just perfect before i add a nemo of my own....tear..tear. Haha here is a little thank you i made in photoshop with a, no pun intended, "filtered" image of your full tank shot ...<insert dry laugh here> haha, thanks man as i have seen others in here say...ROCK ON!

 

[steelhealr]

To Nano Cube Boy...Mandarins require very special attention to care. Some are able to keep them but the number of failures in a nano are high. Search out the threads...they are numberous. I've avoided adding them in.

 

There is no wiring to the submersible fuge light I had. It's called an Egglite and you can find them on Ebay. I got mine from a local nursery/landscaping place.

 

Weather stripping was placed to keep fish from jumping into the back sumps. When they get back there, they can be VERY DIFFICULT to fish out and can starve. I have been fortunate and have not had any heat issues. The weather stripping does not obstruct the fans and air can pass around it.

 

To ClowningAroundGreat reply..thanks clowning around. Nano's ARE do'able as you can tell from the presence of this entire website. They DO require patience, checking, constant 'tweaking' and most importantly, smart choices when it comes to stocking one's tank. Also, recognizing a potential threat and acting quickly on it is important. I admit tho' that I HAVE taken a conservative approach:

 

1) avoided anemones

2) avoided nudibranchs, cucumbers, sea apples, etc

3) excluded aggressive corals (galaxea, eg)

4) avoided aggressive fish (damsels, dottybacks, hawkfish, etc)

5) tried to keep consistent with water changes.

 

Eventually, when time allows, I'm going to make the jump to metal halides and SPS, but, not sure if that will be in a nano or a mini reef. Future thoughts.

 

ROCK ON !!!!!! SH

Edited November 23, 2005 by steelhealr

[Cuba Libre]

Some good news. I had committed my yashia haze to Davey Jones locker. Tonite, I decided to tear off more of the black vinyl on the back of the sump to allow more light to enter. There he was sitting on top of the chaeto. I had searched for him back there to no avail. Looked a bit leaner but still alive. Fished him out and put him back in the main tank where it looks like he found his pistol buddy again.

 

Anyway, I'm sick and tired of having the fish get back there so, I did a quick sump jump protector:

 

 

 

It's not pretty or perfect..but..for now....closes off the back sumps to jumpers.

 

SH

 

I got sick of fishing my clownfish out of the sump, so about six months ago i cut a small strip of clear plastic off of the packaging of a calculator I had bought and taped it to the splash guard in the same position that you have your tape. I have had zero sump jumpers since then and its hardly noticeable since both the plastic and the tape are clear.

[steelhealr]

Get a pic and post it...I can add it to the DIY thread. SH

[Cuba Libre]

need to borrow a digital camera, but will try.