General questions and we'll check.

[absowry]

Hi everyone,
Tank has been going strong for a couple months now. After an out break of Brook from a Molly, I now have a solid quarantine procedure in place and have my Molly and 2 occy clowns in there waiting for the fallow period to end.

I now have a porcelain crab, blood red shrimp, three small blue leg hermits, and a few frags that all are doing phenomenal.

Pineapple sponges abound, iso/copepods, a couple brittle star hitchhikers and quite a few bristle worms of the white / red variety all living in harmony.

My chemistry all checks out except phosphates which were 0.2 last time I checked.

Now my questions:
For the next month, will my tank do ok just feeding twice a week with soaked mysis and reef roids? I'm trying to get my PO4 down because of algae outbreaks, but I've read this is just the tank maturing.

A skimmer is incoming. Just waiting on magnet and time to mod my hood.

Is chaeto + alternate lighting schedule worth it in a 32g Biocube? Anything should help right?

Can a nem be kept in a cube tank with stock LED lighting? Just a smallish one that might host clowns.

Ultimately, a Mandarin is on my short list, and I have plans for a pod farm. Should a nem be avoided with a Mandarin?

Thanks everyone!

*Edit* Title meant well check.

 

[sde1500]

I'd skip the roids completely, and feed the fish daily. I wouldn't ever feed my fish just 2x a week. I prefer 2x a day. I have a nem in my tank with a mandarin, a healthy fish should be smart enough to avoid them. Can't speak for the lights or using a fuge in the tank, not familiar with biocube setups.

 

[absowry]

I'd skip the roids completely, and feed the fish daily. I wouldn't ever feed my fish just 2x a week. I prefer 2x a day. I have a nem in my tank with a mandarin, a healthy fish should be smart enough to avoid them. Can't speak for the lights or using a fuge in the tank, not familiar with biocube setups.

My fish get fed daily in their qt tank. I have another month to go on the fallow period so my tank has nothing really to feed other than corals and blood red shrimp.

Why do you say skip the reef roids?

 

[sde1500]

They may or may not benefit the tank, but they are an added food source. And if you are struggling to keep nutrients in check, adding more isn't ideal. Focus on improving/managing import/export and find a balance, then you can start adding new inputs knowing you can manage removal as well.

 

[Mjrenz]

Hi everyone,
Tank has been going strong for a couple months now. After an out break of Brook from a Molly, I now have a solid quarantine procedure in place and have my Molly and 2 occy clowns in there waiting for the fallow period to end.

I now have a porcelain crab, blood red shrimp, three small blue leg hermits, and a few frags that all are doing phenomenal.

Pineapple sponges abound, iso/copepods, a couple brittle star hitchhikers and quite a few bristle worms of the white / red variety all living in harmony.

My chemistry all checks out except phosphates which were 0.2 last time I checked.

Now my questions:
For the next month, will my tank do ok just feeding twice a week with soaked mysis and reef roids? I'm trying to get my PO4 down because of algae outbreaks, but I've read this is just the tank maturing.

A skimmer is incoming. Just waiting on magnet and time to mod my hood.

Is chaeto + alternate lighting schedule worth it in a 32g Biocube? Anything should help right?

Can a nem be kept in a cube tank with stock LED lighting? Just a smallish one that might host clowns.

Ultimately, a Mandarin is on my short list, and I have plans for a pod farm. Should a nem be avoided with a Mandarin?

Thanks everyone!

*Edit* Title meant well check.

I have a 32 led biocube and haven't had any problems keeping soft corals or lps corals with the stock lighting. I've also had a small rbta in there for over a year and it's done just fine. I piped the tank to a sump last year but before I did that I kept chaeto in the bottom chamber in the filter section and illuminated it with a magnetic led refugium light, it grew well on a reverse lighting cycle. I would totally avoid a mandarin in a biocube, it would be nearly impossible to keep enough food in there for him. I have been successful with a diamondback goby but only because he took to eating pellets to supplement his diet

 

[absowry]

I have a 32 led biocube and haven't had any problems keeping soft corals or lps corals with the stock lighting. I've also had a small rbta in there for over a year and it's done just fine. I piped the tank to a sump last year but before I did that I kept chaeto in the bottom chamber in the filter section and illuminated it with a magnetic led refugium light, it grew well on a reverse lighting cycle. I would totally avoid a mandarin in a biocube, it would be nearly impossible to keep enough food in there for him. I have been successful with a diamondback goby but only because he took to eating pellets to supplement his diet

I've been contemplating doing a sump. How did you do it? Did you end up drilling or using a siphon?

 

[Mjrenz]

I've been contemplating doing a sump. How did you do it? Did you end up drilling or using a siphon?

I drilled the tank, I don't trust a siphon at all. I actually drilled it by dropping the water level and doing it with all the livestock still in it in my living room. I use vegetable oil to drill instead of water, it only takes a small amount and doesn't make a mess if you're careful.

 

[absowry]

I drilled the tank, I don't trust a siphon at all. I actually drilled it by dropping the water level and doing it with all the livestock still in it in my living room. I use vegetable oil to drill instead of water, it only takes a small amount and doesn't make a mess if you're careful.

Man that looks good. Makes me nervous doing it full like that lol. I'd like to about double my capacity (say 25 gallons of water after rock and sand so a 25-30 gallon sump) but I'm thinking about getting mine stable and then starting another build with an old 29 tall that needs drilled as well. GF wants sea horses.

 

[Gonebad395]

Your tank is still pretty new hold off on the nem and a mandarin should be on your long list establish the tank. Water weekly and feed more then twice a week.

 

[absowry]

Your tank is still pretty new hold off on the nem and a mandarin should be on your long list establish the tank. Water weekly and feed more then twice a week.

Oh absolutely. With the smallish nature of a 32g aio I only meant Mandarin on the short list as keeping room open for one. More than likely, the Mandarin will wait for the next tank. Def holding off on nem as well. It was more a question of if I had the correct lighting needed.

Housing the quasi exotic species of corals and inverts takes planning when you don't have an unlimited budget. I just wanted to be able to plan on a lighting upgrade if I decided to go that route. But thanks for the input! It's the same as everything I've been reading so I know it's solid.

 

[Mjrenz]

Thank you! I was a little nervous drilling it but I had drilled a few tanks with vegetable oil before and knew how well it worked. It took about one cap full for each hole, I used masking tape on the inside of the glass to keep debris from getting in the tank and taped paper towels below to catch any drips. My main concern was if the power decided to go out at the worst possible time while the stock return pump was running and keeping the water level low where the holes were going. Luckily it worked perfectly

 

[absowry]

Thank you! I was a little nervous drilling it but I had drilled a few tanks with vegetable oil before and knew how well it worked. It took about one cap full for each hole, I used masking tape on the inside of the glass to keep debris from getting in the tank and taped paper towels below to catch any drips. My main concern was if the power decided to go out at the worst possible time while the stock return pump was running and keeping the water level low where the holes were going. Luckily it worked perfectly

Whoa whoa whoa. You drilled it while it was RUNNING? Kudos my friend.

I've repaired multi-million dollar machinery as an engineer and wouldn't have the courage you had doing that.

Will definitely consider it in the future and I'll give the vegetable oil a try for the next one.

Any chance you did a write up on it?

 

[Mjrenz]

Yup, I did do it while it was running, I just made sure to come up with a plan for any disasters and had buckets and shop vac close by. I didn't do a write up on it but I'd be glad to share any details about it that you'd like to know

 

[absowry]

Yup, I did do it while it was running, I just made sure to come up with a plan for any disasters and had buckets and shop vac close by. I didn't do a write up on it but I'd be glad to share any details about it that you'd like to know

Oh man, where to start? Did you use a standard design for overflow? How did you decide where to drill it? How big is your sump? It looks remotely located, so where did you hide it?

 

[Mjrenz]

Oh man, where to start? Did you use a standard design for overflow? How did you decide where to drill it? How big is your sump? It looks remotely located, so where did you hide it?

I piped it to a sump I already had on another tank about five feet away that's not visible in the pic I posted. I'll get some more pics and a good description written up for you after I get home from work tomorrow

 

[absowry]

I piped it to a sump I already had on another tank about five feet away that's not visible in the pic I posted. I'll get some more pics and a good description written up for you after I get home from work tomorrow

Much appreciated!