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

[steelhealr]

OK.. that coral stank so bad yesterday that it filled up the room with the odor. Would you believe that my nitrates fell to almost 0 today? Go figure. The coral is almost bleached white and I'm not sure how it will fare. You can see one area that has small coverage. Normally I would have put it on the substrate, but I'd have to move the other corals out of the way, so for now..it is on the rock. Now...it is just wait and see.

 

 

 

[Seanewb]

Clean up that PM box!! lol I'll check back later

[limulus]

Originally posted by steelhealr

Great answer from 'Limulus'. I live and grew up near the ocean and we'd see horseshoe crabs on the beach all the time. Didn't know that they came in 'nano-size'.

 

You might say that Horseshoe Crabs are my business. We practically worship them and we are very protective of them. A fellow I work with actually hatched eggs in a 10g tank. They molted a few times before dying. I think you really need proper currents and sun/moon phases as well as a BIG tank.

[steelhealr]

Noted and posted here for future readers. There are a lot of inverts here that are tempting to add to the cube, but, overall, I think it's dicey. IMO, some of these include:

 

1) Sea Stars...least risky seems to be a chocolate chip

2) Various crabs....eg, Sally Lightfoot if you have corals and Arrows

3) Scallops... eg, flame scallop

4) Anemones...definite no-no

5) Snails....Queen conch and bumble bee

6) Nudibranchs and sea cucumbers. Sea cucumbers, when stressed, can invert their GI system and emit a foul substance that can crash your tank very quickly.

 

Just a few........SH

[steelhealr]

Attention Nano Cubers following this thread. Here is an idea for those with money to burn...start a new Nano Cube..but...A PLANTED TANK. Check out this thread. SH

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...&threadid=58176

[steelhealr]

Famous Mod

 

Hi...I added one of the more familiar/famous mods to my tank, Doriftu's surface skimmer which is just half of a cassette tape. I've been using it intermittently to skim off the surface, but, I'm going to keep it for now and see how it does. SH

 

[bennerkla]

Looks good, great work. Keep us updated.

[steelhealr]

Well..thought I'd do a water change tonite to add any help to this coral. I went to dust off some LR with a turkey baster and massive amounts of debris came flying off this coral. The tank looked like a snowball ornament. I suctioned out all the large pieces and ran to get one of my NC sponges and put it in chamber one to help catch debris. I wonder if you guys still think it has any chances...I DON'T..LOL...I think this baby was DOA. Here is what it looks like now:

 

 

I've sent an email to the seller and I'm curious to see if he will make amends or not. BTW, my nitrates haven't climbed (as yet). I present both my trials and tribulations on my thread...this included.

 

There is an old Japanese saying, "sarumo kikara chiru". Translated, " even the monkey falls from the tree". Thanks again for eveyone's help.

SH

[Stanley]

I posted this in your other thread:

 

Yea... I think it's a goner.

 

If you look at the pictures that bobioden posted, you can see that in the top picture the color is very brownish, but it is pretty uniform through out.

 

The amount of brown in a coral's coloration is linked to the amount of photo-synthetic micro-organisms in the coral. So bobioden's coral has a lot of brown in the first picture because it has been in insufficent lighting and has had to increase the number of micro-organisms. The brown color is even though out the coral, and it's extending feeders, so even though it dosn't look so hot. It's pretty healthy...

 

Yours is showing almost all skeleton, there is no color, brown or otherwise, and unless you see some non-white areas you can toss it (my opinion). The pictures of the coral upon recipt didn't look much better, so I think they sent you a bad piece.

 

That's a drag... I'm sorry it didn't work out for you, I know how excited I get about new corals... big let down. Diffentally contact the vendor. If they don't work with you, I'd suggest not buying from them again and letting them know it.

-Stanley

[steelhealr]

Thanks Stanley...agreed. I'm going to pull it when I get home. I got an email from the seller and he is going to work something out for me. All in all...a good example that there will always be risks with ordering corals over the internet. Invertebrates do not always do well as members of the mile high club, er...shipping overnite. Make sure you:

 

1) Read the fine print

2) Know what your guarantee is

3) Check on the seller's reputation

4) if you use Ebay, check the seller's feedback

5) make sure that someone is available to immediately acclimate

 

To date, for me:

1) Liveaquaria, 3/4 corals survived, one I was credited for and I will use them again

2) Ebay, 2/3 survived, the loss was the primary coral I wanted, seller agrees to make good and further purchase will depend on what the final outcome will be.

 

SH

[steelhealr]

Thanks Stanley...agreed. I'm going to pull it when I get home. I got an email from the seller and he is going to work something out for me. All in all...a good example that there will always be risks with ordering corals over the internet. Invertebrates do not always do well as members of the mile high club, er...shipping overnite. Make sure you:

 

1) Read the fine print

2) Know what your guarantee is

3) Check on the seller's reputation

4) if you use Ebay, check the seller's feedback

5) make sure that someone is available to immediately acclimate (which was the case here)

 

To date, for me:

1) Liveaquaria, 3/4 corals survived, one I was credited for and I will use them again

2) Ebay, 2/3 survived, the loss was the primary coral I wanted, seller agrees to make good and further purchase will depend on what the final outcome will be.

 

SH

[artarmon42]

Originally posted by steelhealr

Ebay, 2/3 survived, the loss was the primary coral I wanted, seller agrees to make good and further purchase will depend on what the final outcome will be.

 

Here's what I do on eBay:

1) Only buy from sellers with a high (and recent) feedback rating

2) Looking at their feedback, see what kind of stuff they've had recent feedback on (e.g. if they have only bought stuff recently, be wary, if they have sold alot of cheap or unrelated stuff, be wary, etc).

3) Always pay with credit card or PayPal. They are electronically trackable (you know who cashed it), accountable (the merchant must register real names and addresses with the financial companies) and most importantly you can dispute the charges (so you're not out of pocket). Sending someone cash or money order is just asking them to rip you off.

4) Fraud is a high profile issue that eBay and PayPal does not like. If it is determined to be fraud, contact customer support of either company and they should refund your money (after they check into it).

[revkev6]

I've been checking online for local reef clubs. lots of them have sections where you can trade frags. I just took a 45 minute drive with my brother and found 2 guys within driving distance with beautiful tanks that we bought/traded frags with. from simple beginer pieces to harder more exotic corals.

cost about 30 dollars all said and done for (including gas) for 4 very nice frags.

[steelhealr]

To Artarmon42...thanks for putting that great post on here. That info makes a big difference to people just starting out. Eg, someone told me that some of the sellers use photoshop to touch up pictures or even photo them under special lighting. BE CAREFUL! I still have to wait to see if the seller will make good on his guarantee.

 

To revkev6...that is probably the best and most foolproof way to get corals. SH

[Billio]

Originally posted by limulus

Horseshoe Crabs will bury themselves in the sand.  But I'd say he probably died.  They don't live long in aquariums.  Some things are still not known about Horseshoe Crabs.  One neat fact is they are only found on the east coast mainly from SC to Maine.  Most are concentrated in the Mid Atlantic and some are occasionally found in the Gulf.  It probably has something to do with the moon or the sun.  Another species of them can be found in Asia.  This is interesting that I've now replied to two separate posts about Limulus Polyphemus, the Horseshoe Crab.  I could bore you with more info, but won't.

 

Believe it or not, he is still alive. I bagged him out this afternoon and started to take him in and decided he has a better chance with me than the generic lfs. If the specialty shop were open, I would take him back (they are closed Monday) but I'm out of town the rest of the week on business.

 

My emerald crab gave me quite a scare. I checked the tank this morning and saw a carcass on the top rock. This initiated immediate water testing and a removal of the carcass. As all my readings were 0 with a ph of 8, I thought it might be a bad crab as he was a bit brown when I got him.

 

Then Surprise, I saw movement and there he was, bigger and greener. It appears he molted.

[steelhealr]

Emergency Nano Cube Protocol (or please oh please don't crash)

 

 

What do you with your NanoCcube if you experience a disaster? We all know too well that an ammonia or nitrate spike can cause your tank to crash and burn. Things to consider:

 

--what is the size of the bioload that caused contamination?

--is the inciting factor reversible or, lets say , retrievable?

--do I have the necessary tools and additives available if something occurs that threatens my tank?

 

In my situation, I had a desirable coral with questionable viability, then rapdily became nonviable. Here are some steps you can take:

 

1) Consider temporarily placing a sponge in the first chamber (if you aren't using one) to catch any loose debris

2) Remove the offending coral/fish/invert

3) Have a gravel vac ready and vacuum out any large pieces of detritus. A turkey baster works well.

4) Do a water change

5) Increase your frequency of parameter testing and watch for ammonia/nitrite/nitrate spikes. Repeat water changes as necessary

6) Check alkalinity...this may fall with an increase in DSO's. You can buffer your topoff water using bicarb or pay the extra $$ for marine buffer.

7) Consider using additive media such as PhosBan, Purigen, ChemiPure, PhosGuard, SeaGel...go for the added protection (assuming it works)

8 ) Swap out the sponge frequently to get the debris out of the tank and reduce the volume that could become nitrate. I cut mine in half and rotated them.

9) if an algae bloom occurs in response to the insult to the tank, you can try and reduce your lighting interval.

10) Gulp...uh...skim (don't throw wet towels at me)

11) At the worst, you could move your livestock to a different tank if you have the resources (? or lfs)

 

Hope this helps: FYI...since the death of this coral, my params today were:

pH 8.1, down

ammonia 0

nitrite 0

nitrate 10, up

phosphate 0

dkH 8

s.g. 1.025

Hope this helps anyone new to this. Thanks for the ED consult Trekbear. SH

[Billio]

Originally posted by steelhealr

Billio..sounds like you handled your cycle problem very well. If that horseshoe is dead, it may make your nitrates climb as it decays. Funny thing about the emerald crab...under the LEDs you can sometimes find him at night if you look for a cloud of 'dust' kicking up. My guy picks and eats and kicks ups a mini dust cloud.

 

As for adding corals, you'd be better off to let your tank mature before adding them. I wouldn't put anything in straight off after cycling, but, I know others who have been doing this longer than I have that added them right away.. One recommendation is to wait until your params are stable and you've gone thru the algae blooms (diatoms or cyano or hair). Are you going to add fish? If you are, you may want to do that first and see if you can keep your nitrates down, ie, maintain good feeding technique. If you are stock lighting like me, leathers, ricordea, mushrooms and polyps are good starters. I wouldn't do the $150 purple blastomussa yet. LOL . SH

 

For the crab, I have to look for movement because I have a lot of hiding spaces and caves in my LR. He looked a lot bigger today than the shell I pulled out.

 

The tank has been up for about 2 months now and I have 2 perc clowns, 1 emerald crab, 1 horshoe crab (still alive!), 1 fighting conch, 4 nassarius snails, 3 red legged hermits (that have all replaced their shells and appeared to have grown, 3 magaritas and 4 astrea snails. I also have a large population of pods eating the algae off the glass and I added some caulerpa (not my favorite macroalgae but all they had at the lfs).

 

My tests have shown 0 for about a week with a ph of 8. Today, I might have seen a minor trace of ammonia (maybe 0.10??) but I'm not sure if there really was a color change. I plan on adding a royal gramma and cherub angel or catalina goby as my final fish.

 

After everything settles, I plan on adding some coral.

[yellowbird53]

Hey Frank!

Been cycling, so no speak, just watching the miracle. I have a infant osc. true clown, in need of a host, that can survive in the Nano JBJ stock Lighting, like a hammerhead..etc. What would you suggest? I hear that a GBTA, RTBA will not thrive in my light. Can you give me your advice, as always appreciated? Thanks

Namaste

Richard

[yellowbird53]

Hey Frank!

Been cycling, so no speak, just watching the miracle. I have a infant osc. true clown, in need of a host, that can survive in the Nano JBJ stock Lighting, like a hammerhead..etc. What would you suggest? I hear that a GBTA, RTBA will not thrive in my light. Can you give me your advice, as always appreciated? Thanks

Namaste

Richard

[steelhealr]

Look up bubble corals and tell me what you think, however, these fish do not need an 'anemone' to survive. SH

[lgreen]

hey cool, I didn't realize it was you that started this thread.

 

awesome thread (although i am not a nano-cube owner)

 

still, lots of good info.

[steelhealr]

Thanks L....come back and keep me honest here. SH

[drbegalke]

4) Anemones...definite no-no

 

 

Is this just b/c they move around and grow too large? Or, what is the reason? Thanks!

[steelhealr]

Drbegalke....the reasons for no anemones are several:

1) they require intense lighting, intense care, and most if not all do not survive the 'nano milieu'.

2) they live a long time

3) need near perfect water conditions

4) in 'unhappy' conditions, the anemone will continually move around the tank 'searching for a better spot'

5) when they die, they pollute your tank...I've heard the crash can be very bad. One nano'er posted somewhere that when it died, it got pulled up to the intake grating and was blown to pieces throughout the whole tank.

 

Some animals are not made to be captive ( in this size aquarium). Resist the urge. If you really want an anemone, I've heard that bubble corals are a close second. Hope this helps. Good luck SH

[trekbear]

Steelhealr wrote:

Thanks for the ED consult Trekbear. SH

 

You are more than welcome. I'm glad to help when/where I can.

 

And I agree w/ you on the anemone statement. In tanks this small they are apt to kill more of your stock when(not if) they move.

 

HTH,

Trekbear