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

[tinyreef]

yea I guess your right, talking to a the LFS couldn't possibly be mistaken as research. Also, I came here to research, which I assumed this thread was.

talking to the lfs is research but it's research from a source with an ulterior motive. here or elsewhere (with nothing to sell), it's usually a unbiased/less biased opinion.

 

bd's correct though, you should never get livestock the same day you just started. i rarely make a never or ever comment but that's one of them. can it be done? sure but not very high chance of success for most.

 

this is definitely a difficult hobby (compared to fw or fish-only sw). easing into it saves you a lot of hassle and money.

 

the lfs just isn't the source of information that i would trust wholly when in the same transaction they're soliciting your money. mind you, i wouldn't trust us wholly either.

 

"so this dancing snoopy told you to do what??"

 

it's all just opinions but at least we're not looking for anything in return. hth

[tinyreef]

First off. I bought my cube today from my lfs. I bought cured 10lbs LR, LS, and used SW directly from their tanks. With this deal they included a clown fish. They assured me the tank will be fully cycled upon setting it up, which was done within 15min of leaving the store. This sound true to ya'll?

it could be cycled quickly if the LR is good and nothing/not much died during transfer. but the 15-min comment really leads me to suspect this lfs's knowledge and motives. some microwave dinners don't work that fast.

 

edit: nevermind, i misread your post. i thought the lfs was making that remark. it was just your description of the timeline setup. sorry.

 

that quick of a setup is good. it's unlikely you should see any die-off. that kind of time period is negligible imo. it's like moving the tank across the room. the only thing you would give you any worry is if something was sqooshed.

 

lights, my tank came stock with 24wat 10,000k a 24wat actinic, and 2 led lunar lights. The two 24 wat lights have seperate switches to turn on and off and the lunar lights are always on(no switch for them). What rotation should I run the lights at? like when and how long on each one?

some common photoperiods are 12-hrs for the actinic and 10-hrs for the daylights, with the extra 1-hr before and after the daylight used as a "dawn/dusk" effect. the moon lights are up to you, some people go all out and timed them to actual lunar cycles and others just use them as night viewing lighting.

 

The cassette surface skimmer...what exactly does this do and how do you position the case on the intake? I have read everywhere but just can't find out what this does. It seems to me like it would do the same exact thing.

i guess it's for a more pronounced surface skimming effect. surface skimming removes organics and scum that builds up over time on the water's surface. this crud affects gas exchange and light transmission, "skimming" the surface allows the crud to be re-mixed and dealt with by your filtration setup.

 

and last for now, the clown is very very small, only other creatures I have in there are 10 red leg hermits. Do you think I'll be able to pick another clown up to pair them? Also, what do you think the possibility is of having any hitchhikers? I haven't seen anything yet, only first night though.

pairing very possible, but note that the dominant female will be tough to get along with. (ha, like that's anything unusual! )

 

depending on the cycle and the "freshness" and diversity of the LR/sand they sold you, you could have oodles of hitchhikers or very little. ymmv.

 

as for the filter media of the cube, i'm one to run with media but change it religiously. some don't run it at all. hth

Edited December 10, 2006 by tinyreef

[Sinful]

talking to the lfs is research but it's research from a source with an ulterior motive. here or elsewhere (with nothing to sell), it's usually a unbiased/less biased opinion.

 

bd's correct though, you should never get livestock the same day you just started. i rarely make a never or ever comment but that's one of them. can it be done? sure but not very high chance of success for most.

 

this is definitely a difficult hobby (compared to fw or fish-only sw). easing into it saves you a lot of hassle and money.

 

the lfs just isn't the source of information that i would trust wholly when in the same transaction they're soliciting your money. mind you, i wouldn't trust us wholly either.

 

"so this dancing snoopy told you to do what??"

 

it's all just opinions but at least we're not looking for anything in return. hth

 

 

 

I appreciate all the advice, but its like telling a murderer on death row, you shouldn't have killed that family. Whats done is done and advice about purchasing the tank and fish the same day was from the lfs, I'm sorry there is nothing I can do about it now. Would anyone care to answer any of my questions posted by chance or is there some sort of punishment I must undergo now that I, heaven for bid, took advice from the LFS?

 

all jokes aside, I wont trust the store anymore or give them my business. I understand the concept of cycling the tank, I've had FW for a very long time. I know I couldn't simply add fish to all new stuff which is why I bought cured, LS and used the water directly out of their tank, I was just convinced it was somewhat simular as FW b/c you can easily instacycle a fw tank.

 

again, please forgive my ignorance and let it go. I understand what was wrong about my purchase. Any help with the questions I posted would be greatly appreciated.

[tinyreef]

[...]I understand the concept of cycling the tank, I've had FW for a very long time. I know I couldn't simply add fish to all new stuff which is why I bought cured, LS and used the water directly out of their tank, I was just convinced it was somewhat simular as FW b/c you can easily instacycle a fw tank.

 

again, please forgive my ignorance and let it go. I understand what was wrong about my purchase. Any help with the questions I posted would be greatly appreciated.

no grudges here, it's the beginners forum, a de-militarized zone.

 

some of the basic concepts of fw can be applied here so that's a good start for you. the lfs is a source of info, good or bad, sometimes that depends on the person at the counter, their sales volume for the week, or even the specific subject matter you're asking about. e.g. i'm a complete fish and stony coral ideeot but i can hold my own on basic reef stuff.

 

i think bd's reaction (based on what i've seen of his posts in the past) was not so much flaming but concern that you were getting screwed by the lfs.

[RayWhisperer]

Tiny gave you sound advice.

 

The clown is one cause of concern though. How small is very small?

 

Clowns will go from male to female, depending on the situation. If your clown is super small, it's likely still a male. If you want another, get one slightly larger. This will make the situation less stressful, as the larger is usually more dominant, thus will become the female.

 

Don't mean to harp on you, but wait a few weeks before you add another.

HTH.

[Sinful]

hey thanks for the help!! I called the store and will be taking the clown back. I told them that internet research suggested that I should give it a little time and I would feel more comfortable if I got the fish later on down the road. They told me they would give me store credit for a future purchase. There is nothing I can do about the crabs really, hopefully they will make it. I will buy a test kit today aswell, I'm not sure why I didn't yesterday(maybe b/c I spent a good bit of cash..lol)

 

couple more quick questions. I notice alot of stuff settling on the top of the sand, looks like a bunch of small legs or something..lol, should I vacume this stuff up? Is this dieoff from the rock? maybe they didn't sell me cured rock

[tinyreef]

hmm, that's a good sign for the lfs at least, them accepting a return for credit. some stores are final sales. guarantees and holds are good signs for a store imho.

 

the herms can probably make it. they're mostly tough critters.

 

do you have a pic of the "legs"? could be poo of some sort if there's a bunch.

 

wide-spectrum test kits, a refractometer or hydrometer, and extra water and salt are the most important things you need at this point. psst, splurge for the refractometer. ifit was a larger tank, the hydrometer's ok. but the smaller you go, the higher the "need" for a refractometer imo.

[Sinful]

 

 

and

 

 

[RayWhisperer]

couple more quick questions. I notice alot of stuff settling on the top of the sand, looks like a bunch of small legs or something..lol, should I vacume this stuff up? Is this dieoff from the rock? maybe they didn't sell me cured rock

your choice really.

 

Since you can return the clown, I would leave it for a while. Personally, I never do a water change during a cycle. It just slows/delays/prolongs the cycling. I also don't run any lights during a cycle. This will prevent alot of algae problems if you have high nutrient levels. Try to keep it "stirred", this will give the filtration a chance to catch it.

 

If you choose to vacuum it out, try to keep the water change to a minimum. Many a time I've been sold "cured" LR. And many a time, it's not been "cured". Better safe than sorry.

 

the hydrometer's ok. but the smaller you go, the higher the "need" for a refractometer imo.

If you can't afford a refractometer, the floating hydrometers are very accurate. The swing arm types are garbage.

[Sinful]

I think I'm gonna purchase stuff like that online, would you happen to have a link of what your talking about with the floating one?

 

 

also, when rubbing anything across the rock tons of stuff starts comming off it, I'm beginning to think its definately not cured, or ?

Edited December 10, 2006 by Sinful

[RayWhisperer]

I think I'm gonna purchase stuff like that online, would you happen to have a link of what your talking about with the floating one?

Sure.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod...p;N=2004+113761

you can get a cheepo refractometer for a bit more, your call really. Either of them will be fine.

Here's a cheepo refractometer.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod...p;N=2004+113761

also, when rubbing anything across the rock tons of stuff starts comming off it, I'm beginning to think its definately not cured, or ?

Sounds uncured to me, I could be wrong though.

 

If your water begins to stink in the next few days, you'll know it's uncured for sure.

[tinyreef]

I think I'm gonna purchase stuff like that online, would you happen to have a link of what your talking about with the floating one?

also, when rubbing anything across the rock tons of stuff starts comming off it, I'm beginning to think its definately not cured, or ?

marinedepot.com or premiumaquatics.com (both sponsors) are good sources.

 

petsolutions.com is another affordable one (not a sponsor).

 

it depends on where you're located for some people, i.e. freight cost and shipping time.

 

as for the gunk coming off the rocks, it could just be dust/sand settled into the rock crevices and pores. try "turkey baster" blasting it off and siphon the crud out.

 

the rock looks ok (from a fuzzy pic sort of way ). ditto on what ray said about the stink test. was the rock smelling fresh (like the ocean) or a little stinky when you initially put it in?

 

i can't see any of the "legs" detail you mentioned on the sand though.

 

btw, what ever happened to steel? he just stopped coming around.

[RayWhisperer]

btw, what ever happened to steel? he just stopped coming around

I heard he just didn't like you Tiny.

[Sinful]

can I use my freshwater test kit for saltwater? just for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph?

 

I took the fish back with a sample of my water, all were at zero is what he said...I'm still going to wait a couple weeks or so though.

 

one other thing, I tried replacing the stock pump with a maxi1200. I didn't like it b/c it made considerably more noise and the flow seemed almost identical so I switched it back.

[tinyreef]

I heard he just didn't like you Tiny.

 

and i liked steel. i thought he would've made a good mod. if only he stopped wasting his time doing that silly ER doctoring thing.

 

i think the mj1200 had something loose. the noise level should have been minimal and the flow boost considerable. i thought the stock pump was only like 200-gph or so.

 

i'm not sure if all the fw tests can translate into the sw. iirc, one or two could but i really don't remember which ones. imo, you're better off spending the money for some cheapie tests (e.g. AP's) than trying to using the fw versions.

 

if the water's still perfect at a week, i'd consider that you've skipped the cycle. it's more than probable considering you bought the rock "cured" and tranported it so quickly. as long as there wasn't a "sqooshed" episode, you should be good to go after double-checking it for a few more days.

[Tyrsdottir]

Shrimp

 

3)Camel Shrimp (Hinge Beak Shrimp): has a movable jaw and has multiple white stripes on it's body. Prefers caves and crevices. May pick at certain corals (soft leather corals).

 

4) Peppermint Shrimp (Veined Shrimp): considered a scavenger, these guys might munch on one of the pests we see, Aiptasia. Won't tolerate any nitrates.

 

 

Anyone know a way to tell these two shrimp apart?

 

They look almost exactly the same to me!

[LabJunkieReefer]

Anyone know a way to tell these two shrimp apart?

 

They look almost exactly the same to me!

 

 

Two biggest things I look for is the hump and transparancy. Obviously the camel has the hump back, right? In person, it's really obvious and major. Seriously, you see the hump and there's no question that it's a camel. The Peppermint isn't even close on the hump. Also, one thing I've noticed but doesn't come up in the picks very well is that the peppermint is almost translucent. It's stripped red, but the "white strips" are almost clear and you can see the internal organs. However, the camel has defined white stripping and you can't see through him at all. Hope that helps.

 

Edit: In the pick above of the peppermint shrimp the angle is deceiving and it looks like it has a hump. In person, this is not the case and it's very clear that one has a hump and the other does not. Kind of a bad picture.

Edited January 8, 2007 by LabJunkieReefer

[bdare]

nice hijack.

[rodstar]

SH,

First of all, thanks for ruining my night. I am stuck in a hotel room in Boston (in the freezing rain/snow) and stumbled upon your thread at 5:15. It is now 10:32 and I have not left my laptop. I ordered room service and ate while I read...

 

Obviously, I am kidding about ruining my night! This has been 5, goin gon 6 straight hours of great reading! And I am only on page 46! I don't think I can finish tonight. But, I did have a quick question.

 

On Page 46 (as well as some earlier pages), you go through your filtration system. I am running a BioCube 14g and have 3 chambers.

 

Chamber 1: Stock Filter (Floss/carbon)

Chamber 2: BioBalls

Chamber 3: Small sponge and pump

 

I am thinking about emulating your setup (though not sure how to light chamber 2 yet). Does that make sense???

 

Chamber 1: ChemiPure, SeaGel, Algone, Purigen

Chamber 2: LR rubble, chaeto on top, floss on top of the tray

Chamber 3: Stock

 

I should mention my set-up. 12lbs LR, 22 lbs LS, CUC, chromis.

 

Will be adding 2 false perc this weekend and a cleaner shrimp. Then I will start with my corals. Probably a coral pack beginner or coral pack beginner LPS in the next couple of weeks.

 

Is that too fast? Started the tank right after Christmas. LR/LS on 12/29. So, I am approaching one month.

 

My CUC is a mixture of 12 snails, the standards and 6 hermit crabs (blue leg, red leg and one unidentified).

 

Again, what a great post and thanks for an excellent night of reading. I am sure I will be coming back to this post over and over again.

 

Derek

[RayWhisperer]

Welcome to N-R.com....

Steel doesn't show up much any more.

 

Anyhow, I don't have a Biocube, but I believe the black is painted on the glass. You may end up scraping yours, or put a fuge bulb in the canopy. Not sure..... Nano Cubes have a black vinyl wrap, easily cut by a razor.

 

As a tip, you may consider losing ALL the sponges. They become a pain in the a$$ to keep clean weekly.

 

Also, don't rely on a time frame to tell you when your cycle is done. Test your water parameters. Ammonia and Nitrites should be at 0, and Nitrates should be at 40 ppm or less. (0 there too, but most lose their patience.)

[rodstar]

My cycle seems to be complete. With my LR and LS, I had an initial Ammonia spike and nitrite and my nitrates went to zero. It came up a little when I added the blue chromis, but has since retured to under 10.

 

So, when do I add corals???

[RayWhisperer]

You can start now if you'd like.

[LConte17]

I just read thru this entire thread and GOD god this might be the BEST NANO help i have ever read.

 

honestly, you should type it up and copyright the entire thing.

 

Great work. ill tell you it helped me understand how to maximize the potential of the nano cube

[dizzim]

I just read thru this entire thread and GOD god this might be the BEST NANO help i have ever read.

 

honestly, you should type it up and copyright the entire thing.

 

Great work. ill tell you it helped me understand how to maximize the potential of the nano cube

 

I have a bristleworm just like the one pictured on page 3 or 4. Is this the kind that can attack polyps? I only saw one and it was about a cm long and very thin but it looked just like the picture. Should I catch it and get rid of it?

[e7046v]

I have a bristleworm just like the one pictured on page 3 or 4. Is this the kind that can attack polyps? I only saw one and it was about a cm long and very thin but it looked just like the picture. Should I catch it and get rid of it?

 

Yes, check this out

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...=120852&hl=

I did overreact but I was pretty sure that they were harming my corals and livestock plus their were hundreds no joke. plus you can't always ID the worms as a certain harmless type. I would just get the trap and take it out, better to be safe then sorry like me. I am currently having to almost recycle my tank