Newbies guide to the nano reef

[spy_i]

HEY!!>>>

That's one mortal sin newbies always commit... too excited to put the scape immediately. I ALWAYS FORGET ABOUT THAT. But anyway I'm still quite disappointed to see that my new zoo is still close. I'll take your advice for that. Give it more time to acclimatize in my nano.

And I mean it's the brittle star not the bristtle worm. So is it safe for the brittle star to be in my nano?

WAAHHHHHHH!!!!


I tried to attached my pix but I have a problem with the file size. Anyway I'll try to resize my pix tomorrow and hope to post my first ever pix.

see you guys tomorrow...

 

[4251cpd]

HEY!!>>>

That's one mortal sin newbies always commit... too excited to put the scape immediately. I ALWAYS FORGET ABOUT THAT. But anyway I'm still quite disappointed to see that my new zoo is still close. I'll take your advice for that. Give it more time to acclimatize in my nano.

And I mean it's the brittle star not the bristtle worm. So is it safe for the brittle star to be in my nano?

WAAHHHHHHH!!!!


I tried to attached my pix but I have a problem with the file size. Anyway I'll try to resize my pix tomorrow and hope to post my first ever pix.

see you guys tomorrow...

Small brittle stars are fine. I inherited about 10 tiny white ones as hitchers. They hang out in holes in the lr, rather amusing to see these little white legs sticking out of the rock. The star is a sand sifting detritus consumer. Stirs the substrate plus helps out on organic wastes.

 

[4251cpd]

Chapter 3 Pt2

The dress rehersal
....or, should've stayed on south beach my seams are bursting.
1.The practice run. Okay by now, you have your brand new tank, pump(s), heater , thermometer, power strip and GFI all together. Hey Meathead, whats this GFI thing? It's an electrical device that interrupts power to the electrical device that it is connected to, in case of a short. In our case that would be water getting into equipment. This can cause the very real danger of an electrical fire or electrocution. Not good, folks. It comes in different forms, the easiest is a plug in model, or if mechanically inclined there are GFI replacement outlets. Next piece of electrical hazard reducing advice is the drip-loop. No not the plastic friendship rings but very simply taking the power cord, where there is some slack, and making a loop away from the outlet should any water make it down the outside of the power cord it does not fight gravity and drips to the floor. Rubber bands or twist ties are ideal for making the loop. I feel so much better now....
Now that you have all of this, wash your new stuff. Use a diluted solution of clear or white vinegar and wipe down then rinse everything thoroughly. Take a little time to visualize how all your stuff will go together. Then do it. We proceed to fill our new tank with regular tap water, turn on everything and see if it works. Let it be for 24 hrs. This is the time to find any leaks, or bum equipment thats not working. Once satisfied drain the tank, not the lizard. The easiest way is just before you do this obtain a five gallon bucket. DO NOT, repeat, DO NOT, use one that had anything (usually household cleaning products or, horse manure) in it before. I forget to mention but a siphon hose (or gravel vacuum) saves the day almost every time. Keep the empty container lower then the source of the water and give a good suck on the end of it (get your minds out of the gutter people) till the water starts flowing into the empty container. Wipe down your tank and let air dry. You are just about ready for the real thing.
Next up, why is a bag of salt so expensive when I have all of these free salt packs at home?

 

[Maxx]

Ispy,
Glad to see folks from all over the world here on the website and in the hobby! A brittle star would be fine in your tank, but I would avoid a sand sifting star as they are similar to horseshoe crabs and require alot more room and critters to eat than the average tank can afford, let alone a nano. Think small and steady regarding stocking your nano tank. Nothing Good happens fast in this hobby.

Mike,
One of the things I like about Nano tanks is they remind me of Bonsai trees or some of the japanese gardens I saw while overseas....its easy to overlook due to its smaller size, but once you catch onto the beauty inside the small space, you constantly find something new to look at.

I forget to mention but a siphon hose (or gravel vacuum) saves the day almost every time. Keep the empty container lower then the source of the water and give a good suck on the end of it (get your minds out of the gutter people) till the water starts flowing into the empty container.

Another way would be to fill the hose halfway w/ water, place your thumb on both ends, stick one end in the tank, and lower the other to the bucket. Remove both thumbs at the same time, and the siphon effect will pull water from the tank to the bucket...no sucking required. Unless you like that sort of thing.

Where you planning on adding a disaster type portion to the this thread? IE "ya dont wanna do this unless you enjoy waking up in the middle of the night to floods/fires/plagues o' locusts etc....
cause I know I've had more than my fair share of issues I'd be happier to share w/ folks. Its cheaper to learn from someone else's mistakes..and I've made some spendy ones.

Nick

 

[4251cpd]

Chapter 4 Pt1

Salt, salty, salted:
....or never drink a margarita with a cold sore.
1. I'm not here to reinvent the wheel. Therefore I will not get into the science of what makes up NSW (natural sea water). Major, minor and trace elements. If I think its impotent than I'll mention it ,natch. All of the companies that make synthetic salt mixes have sunk quite a bit of scratch into research and developing their own vision of what it should be . Some are higher in calcium, higher in alkalinity (buffer), higher in nitrates and the list goes on. A study is being done as we speak by E. Borneman et al using a blind comparison. Results should be coming out in Sept. but I can't find the link to the article right now, when I do I will post. I myself, have a monthly budget for the tank and I stick w/it exclusively. If I don't use it that month or didn't use all of it then it rolls over. I use Instant Ocean salt. Why, I could baffle you by saying it's been around the longest, is the industry standard and such which is important but it's the most reasonably priced of all the salts out by me. Plus I thought I saw it for sale at CVS once. Never had phosphate, copper problems or pH swings due to lower buffering ability. Mixes easily and Is usually on sale about a month or two before I actually need to buy it. I'm buying the 50 gallon mix bag and have air tight snack containers in which I keep it till its needed. Reef Crystals are fine but if you do a little dosing when you make up a batch, its cheaper to stay w/ the IO. My main beef w/Tropic Marin is their 50 gallon mix comes in a cardboard box, lets all say this together class; MORONS! Thats my take, but as everything else I've discussed, it's your tank. I'm just your guide on this spirit quest.
2. How to mix up your SW: I will go over your initial batch in the next part but for me the KISS method is the easiest: Get yourself two 5 gallon screw on top water containers. Take a marker and label one "SW" the other "FW". Whether you buy a R/O DI(reverse osmosis, distilled) unit to make your own purified source water or as I like to support my lfs buy their R/O water. I bring home the water and immediately add Amquel plus, as a safety measure (neutralizes chlorine, ammonia, nitrates and nitrites) and add a pinch of baking soda to it to bring up the pH. That will be my make up water, to add to the tank for evaporation. The one for salt water I skip the buffer. I pour this into the 5 gallon bucket, get a small power head and small heater that you will only use for making sw(or as a back up to your main equipment). Start the pump and heater then start adding the salt mix. If you go by manufacturers directions 1/2 cup per gallon, the sg will be 1.020-1.023. Way too low for a reef. Get yourself a plastic measuring spoon and start adding a little at a time measuring the sg every time. Once you are satisfied with that, let it be for a few hours. I'm of the camp that aerating the mix all night is not really that necessary since I do very small, frequent water changes, more on that later. Test for pH, phophates, copper and calcium. Then using the siphon hose, get the sw into the "SW" air tight container and cap. Rinse out everything and let dry. See how easy that was.
On deck: live rock will not make you deaf....

 

[4251cpd]

Nick, you are more then welcome to fire away. I sometimes forget things in my dotage and will have a section dealing w/the great 70's disaster films that can and have gone fubar. Thanks for the less Freudian way to start a siphon, I guess my plan of the "Salty Siphon Suckers" club is out the window....crushing my dreams.... hit ya later, Mike.

 

[Maxx]

I guess my plan of the "Salty Siphon Suckers" club is out the window....crushing my dreams

Far be it from me to get between a man and his siphon. I dont judge Mike, I accept you for who you are.....



Nick

 

[Maxx]

One thing I would add to the salt discussion:

A large number of people had some serious issues back in 2003-2004 by switching out salt brands and going to a new one. Apparantly, it doesnt matter so much what salt brand you use, but you should try to minimize the mixing of different brands to as little as possible.

64Ivy lost a bunch of SPS due to a switch from one salt brand to another. Consistancy is the key here.

Nick

 

[4251cpd]

Apparantly, it doesnt matter so much what salt brand you use, but you should try to minimize the mixing of different brands to as little as possible.



Nick

Nick, agree w/ you one hundred percent. I've transistioned from reef crystals to IO and didn't have a problem. I believe my every other day water change/everyday small water changes helped. I will get to the water changes soon after I talk about the cycle. Weekly 10% for the nano is a MUST. For the big boys it's more difficult to do that. I'll go over a couple of ways to do it for the nano, and the way I'm doing them has cut down overall maintenance time in half and is excellent way to adjust salinity.

 

[Maxx]

Reefcrystals is made by IO. Its essentially IO with more Ca, higher Alk, and Mag levels.

I'm definately interested in hearing how you've cut maintenance times down...
I'm doing weekly 5 gallon water changes in my tank, not too bad, but easier is always good.

Nick

 

[4251cpd]

Yup, for 6-8 dollars more a bag. Cheaper and easier to dose and you have control over your initial levels that way. Kent makes a two part called nano reef. Has all of what you're talking about and the 16 oz will last me a year, for 13 bucks. Saving about 24-30 a year which means an extra larger frag or more smaller frags for the tank. Nick, are you just making up 5 gallons at a time for the WC?

 

[Maxx]

No,
I actually found several 55 gallon plastic drums for sale, and bought two.

They are this type...55 Gallon Food grade Containers.

But you can buy smaller ones than that.....Baytec Closed Top containers. I would go ahead and buy the reconditioned ones. Less expensive and they're not exactly going to wear out. My containers used to contain chlorine. One of the LFS nearby gets a bunch in a sells them for $15.00 each after rinsing and storing them dry for 6 months prior to selling.
I've been using them since October and had no issues caused by them.

Typically, I make up about 50+ gallons at a time.

I've found having more water on hand isnt necessarily a bad thing in case of something unforseen.....if you have the space for storage.

Nick

 

[spy_i]

D I S A S T E R ! ! !

disaster I say!!

Guess what happen... I came home only to find out my pepermint shrimp is MUTILATED !!!

well I have to point the blame to my clownfish. I think it might have pick on the shrimp when it was oculating. The evidence is clear coz I found the clown harassing it before. He's very agressive, even with the other clown.

Is there any chance I can stop him being too agressive? I'ts a sebae clownfish. I'm afraid that it will turn its attention to the cleaner shrimp that I have. Though I saw the cleaner shrimp cleaning it sometimes. The thing is I don't wanna lose this shrimps coz they were the first that I bought. They have been with me for the last six months. And the difficult part is I don't want the clown to go aswell. I want to keep them both in my nano. ANY ADVICE?

Down below you may find attached some pictures including the sponge which I want to know how to take care. So the brittle star should be ok, its a small black star > a HH. And the new zoo is still close...

well these are the babies I have in my nano. Except that the pepermint is already dead.

 

[spy_i]

my new zoo....

 

[spy_i]

Ispy,
Glad to see folks from all over the world here on the website and in the hobby! A brittle star would be fine in your tank, but I would avoid a sand sifting star as they are similar to horseshoe crabs and require alot more room and critters to eat than the average tank can afford, let alone a nano. Think small and steady regarding stocking your nano tank. Nothing Good happens fast in this hobby.

MAXX thanx for that...

Think small and steady regarding stocking your nano tank. Nothing Good happens fast in this hobby.


Another thanx.....

Ey MAXX, How much stock's can I put? As long as i can squeeze it in? My aquarium is a micronano ( hope coining that word still makes sense..LOL)

 

[4251cpd]

disaster I say!!

Guess what happen... I came home only to find out my pepermint shrimp is MUTILATED !!!

well I have to point the blame to my clownfish. I think it might have pick on the shrimp when it was oculating. The evidence is clear coz I found the clown harassing it before. He's very agressive, even with the other clown.

Is there any chance I can stop him being too agressive? I'ts a sebae clownfish. I'm afraid that it will turn its attention to the cleaner shrimp that I have. Though I saw the cleaner shrimp cleaning it sometimes. The thing is I don't wanna lose this shrimps coz they were the first that I bought. They have been with me for the last six months. And the difficult part is I don't want the clown to go aswell. I want to keep them both in my nano. ANY ADVICE?

Down below you may find attached some pictures including the sponge which I want to know how to take care. So the brittle star should be ok, its a small black star > a HH. And the new zoo is still close...

well these are the babies I have in my nano. Except that the pepermint is already dead.

Hey spy-i, are you sure the shrimp didn't molt? 1st time my cleaner molted it looked like a corpse from an 80's slasher film. Use a flashlight when lights out and look for him. Nice inverts. The sponge is a filter feeder, no real special advice except for acclimation in that they shouldn't be exposed to air. Watch it though, when they die they release all kinds of nasties into the water, which could be very bad in a nano. Just monitor daily and keep your water parameters stable. In regards to your clown question I'm posting a great link from this site that goes into everything about the clownfish:
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10937

 

[4251cpd]

Chapter 4 Pt2

Live rock and live sand.
....or why are 80s hair bands doing reunion bar dates?
1. Live rock: No, it's not an invention of Ed Wood movie. We refer to rock that breaks off of coral reefs and ends up on the bottom of the ocean live, because of the critters that
that reside in or upon this rock. Some good, some not so good. The biggest benefit of having this natural decoration in your tank besides beauty, is it's natural filtration ability. Nitrifying bacteria take up residence in and on the live rock and break down ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Colonies of said bacteria grow over time (during the cycle) and work to consume these toxins. Please, do not get lulled into a false sense of security in that your tank will have enough of this bacteria to counteract any spike of the nitrogen cycle. We use additional means to export excess nutrients in the tank via skimming, algae, mechanical filtration etc. Liverock is what we use to aquascape our reef tanks. The advantage of nano is: instead of needing 90lbs at 6-10 dollars a lb we can get away w/ a lot less. General consenses says 1-1 1/2 lbs of lr per gallon of tank capacity. Some rock is denser then others. The lighter the rock, more hollow, more surface area for colonies of bacteria to grow. If you want to go a little cheaper, there is base rock to use as, you guessed it, as a base which is essentially devoid of life, not from the water usually and its only purpose is to act as a foundation to build upon w/ your lr. Avoid any lava type rock. If in doubt pay the extra for the lr. (I know some of you still have your communion money) LR comes in various shapes and sizes. The best to get has a lot of "girlie" coloring to it. This is coralline algae some of the best macro algae to have. It's encrusting that needs calcium, magnesium and less light to thrive. Trust old Uncle Mikey when he says it's the bomb. Acts as a deterent to nuisance macros and is the reef's cement. Pinks, reds, and purples are the most common colors. An interior decorators fantasy come true. You also get critters that will survive the cycle that reside in the rock and you'll discover something new in your tank everday. Oh joy....
2. Live sand: Your choice of substrate, depth and size of grains are all on you. Research your choice of livestock and do any of them have to bury themselves. Finer grains might be in order. The benefit of this type of substrate is any type of arag prefixed type of sand will break down as pH goes down releasing carbonate into the water which is a buffer. If I'm a little off in the science of this, oh well....its just general. It will also contain various critters . I'm a little worn out so the the biting humor is down. Anyways I'll talk quickly about aquascaping. Provide nooks, caves, bridges and whatever else you think looks cool. Leave space for a swimming area for your fish. I've always liked tall in the middle w/wings to the sides. Up to you. You want to reconstruct the Great barrier reef, knock your socks off. Its your vision, run w/it. How to add rock, sand salt and water? You can do it the more conventional way: Water, salt-mix till your sg and temp is ideal. Add your lr into the shaping of your choice. Add sand, slowly and it will eventually will settle. Side note:sand bad depth. Do a search on this, I will not get into the great substrate debate. I prefer 2-3"s of depth w/plenty of nassarius snails to stir it up. Some like it deeper, some shallow and some like it bareback, oops, I meant barebottom. Need I remind you this is a primer from a H.S. graduate. My eastern european way was to mix the sw in a bucket, add the sand, put a large bowl on the sand, add the water using the bowl as a target, less of a snow storm, add and scape the rock work and top off the water. Thats just moi. Next episode will be....I want to ride my bi-cycle, tye-die-off and nitrogen funny cars while drinking my old bumpy face and juice.

 

[spy_i]

Discretion is ADVICE.. Contains Explicit Pictures

Here is the horrible picture of my pepermint shrimp when it was eaten alive by my sebae... and the picture before it happen.

I know that this picture is not good for viewing as it is depressing but this is part of the challenge nano keepers has to endure. I believe that my lack of space have made this horrible disaster inevitable. I just think that my sebae has made it's teritory and it will not think twice on attacking any intruder. ---- just my opinion.

 

[4251cpd]

Chapter 4 Pt3

The cycle
....or, not what you did back in little league.
1. The nitrogen cycle: All things living things have a specific life cycle, born, sexually mature, reproduce (or at least attempt it on many occasions) and then die. Nature of the beast. When something dies it starts to break down into various (more like nefarious) compounds that leads further break down into more basic elements. Ever notice how beautiful the lawns in a cemetary are???? Just kidding, but the fertilizer we use for our lawns are chock full nitrogen. Just giving back to mother earth. Nitrogen is good for plant, not good for animal. It feeds plants, poisons animal (and can be used as a WMD). When protein based matter decays it breaks down via the nitrogen cycle. So, I just found the meaning of life for man kind: it's to feed plants. The first product produced in the break down is Ammonia. Ammonia (NH3), you know from your experience w/house hold cleaners, has a warning label: poisonous do not take internally. Well, do you think our salty inhabitants have some super powers that make them able to ingest ammonia w/out ramifications? The answer is no. In the nano it becomes extremely important to be anal about ammonia. Haven't seen your goby in a few days, test for ammonia, locate his carcass post haste and remove to the commode. We nanoists (sounds holy) must be ever vigilant in prevention of the nitrogen cycle once we have put livestock in them. Yet in another paragraph I will tell how to start a cycle when you set up your tank, I know if wishes were fishes.....
Ammonia triggers a blessed event to us marine aquarists, it stimulates a strain of bacteria, Nitrosomonas to grow which breaks it down, releasing the hydrogen molecules. Well, N, being very insecure but very attractive hooks up w/O2 forming a menage a nitrite. NO2, is less lethal but still not someone you want at home during the holidays. Guess what folks, theres another type of bacteria that breaks this down into, nitrate NO3. NO3 is the ex you had a child w/ ,stabbed you in the back but just never goes away. Nitrate can become a problem if you do not deal w/it, algae blooms, shortened life span of your critters. But there needs to be some in your tank for certain coral/micro algae to exist, (later Melvin). I will get to nutrients at a later venture and I come out 2 six guns blazing then.
2. So if the cycle is so bad WTF, why would I want it to christain my new nano this way? Well, lil Timmy, it's because we want that nitrifying bacteria in our tanks before we put anything into the tank. Call it the ultimate innoculation. We prepare our marine critters new home as best we can to keep them as happy as we can. Hey, what else do you expect from an ordained minister of the ULC! How do we cycle the tank? Warning about lfs, if they tell you to place a piece of raw shrimp to start the cycle or tell you to buy a damsel fish to cycle, be very careful of any future advice from them. Thats old skool, the more natural way besides urinating in your tank (admit it, you thought about it), is uncured liverock. Has enough die-off to start the cycle and since you're gonna aquascape with it anyway might as well get more bang for your buck. PLEASE, don't pee in the tank, or public pool for that matter. I know but that warm feeling....I feel the meds kicking in right now. Testing everyday is mucho importo at this stage. You'll get NH3, that will level and go down, then the NO2, up down, downtown Juile Brown. Then your constant nemesis, NO3. Once all of these levels flat line for another week or so, you may be ready for the clean up crew or the ugly aliens as I refer to them. While cycling, you will see how your temps are through the day and if you need to adjust the heater or add a fan for cooling. The lighting period can be 4-6 hrs or smaller then that. It will not effect the growth of coralline algae but will cut down some nasty blooms of the other rat bastards. Brown fuzz on your sand and rock? No worries mate that is just diatoms that snails will make an all you eat buffet out of. You'll be able to detect any "dead spots" in your nano's circulation system, the red/brown slime....cynobacteria and you may need to readjust your pump outlet or the rock work. ALL CYCLE TIME LENGTHS ARE DIFFERENT WITH EACH TANK! So don't ask junior.... Testing will give you a window in which to see the progress of the cycle. Have courage Willow, it will be over before you know it. Do not anything alive to your tank till your levels read zero for at least a week. Next, alien lifeforms, the good, the bad, the really fugly looking clean up crew.

 

[Maxx]

N, being very insecure but very attractive hooks up w/O2 forming a menage a nitrite. NO2, is less lethal but still not someone you want at home during the holidays.

Nick