My First Box of Salt Water

[mjforbes33]

Almost a week in:

Temp - 79.2
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 2.0
Nitrate - 20
Salinity - 1.023

Temp and salinity have barely moved all week. The other 3 numbers have changed a lot. Seems like the cycle is moving along at a decent pace. Should I do like a 10% water change at some point?

 

[mjforbes33]

I have some algae starting to grow on my rocks!

I assume this is the first and last time algea will excite me...

What does algea mean for my cycle? Nothing? Sign its moving in the right direction?

 

[Fudsey]

You will have an ugly phase. It's just part of the process. Don't worry, it will subside. I'm not far away and there are a few of us locals on here. There is also a local club that usually gets together once a month for a frag swap. www.nhfragswap.com It's not a very active forum but we do get together and share stories and frags.

 

[mjforbes33]

Is there any harm in keeping up with the algae? Like can i brush my rocks or should i just let it grow wild and do its thing?

 

[mjforbes33]

Temp - 78.6 F
Salinity - 1.025
Ph - 8
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 5

Algea continues to grow on rocks. But only very lightly.

Kessil spectral controller seems dialed in.

ATO kicks on several times during the day keeping salinity stable.

Everything seems like its going smooth.

Update pic

 

[FragileReefer]

Great looking tank! I'm a similar new reefer starting a nano as well. And it seems our research has led us to make some similar choices. You are just a few weeks ahead of me, cause I'm staring at an empty box of water and rock and dialing in my ato and heater. My clown fish pair will be in some time next week and after a short quarantine period I'll be on my way. I decided on Divinci clowns but those frostbites we're a close favorite.

My plan for dealing with the "ugly phase" is to let it get pretty nasty and hit the tank with a healthy clean up crew. My plan is to start from the bottom of the food chain and work my way up. Algae and diatoms start it, then get a bottle of copepods. They are usually only referred to as a live food but they eat detritus and some of the ugly, and I'm sure the clowns will love a live snack. Being a bit of a snail nut I'll be buying narcissus snails to clean the sandbed and troccus snails to help with the rocks. Personally I'm a bit warry of hermits or emerald crabs, from my research but maybe in the future I'll reconsider depending on how my innitial crew does.

As far as stocking, it doesn't sound like you are as big of a fish nut as most. Most would have a list of 10 fish they wanna try already. I would take a look at some invertebrates you might like. Pistol shrimp really caught my eye. Cleaner and blood shrimp are really cool critters too. Have you considered making it an anenome tank? Then you can see the clowns in their natural habitat and get some sexy shrimp or porcelain crabs. That is the direction I think I may head in tbh. Hope I gave you a few ideas and I'll be watching your thread as inspiration myself. Happy reefing!

 

[mjforbes33]

Great looking tank! I'm a similar new reefer starting a nano as well. And it seems our research has led us to make some similar choices. You are just a few weeks ahead of me, cause I'm staring at an empty box of water and rock and dialing in my ato and heater. My clown fish pair will be in some time next week and after a short quarantine period I'll be on my way. I decided on Divinci clowns but those frostbites we're a close favorite.

My plan for dealing with the "ugly phase" is to let it get pretty nasty and hit the tank with a healthy clean up crew. My plan is to start from the bottom of the food chain and work my way up. Algae and diatoms start it, then get a bottle of copepods. They are usually only referred to as a live food but they eat detritus and some of the ugly, and I'm sure the clowns will love a live snack. Being a bit of a snail nut I'll be buying narcissus snails to clean the sandbed and troccus snails to help with the rocks. Personally I'm a bit warry of hermits or emerald crabs, from my research but maybe in the future I'll reconsider depending on how my innitial crew does.

As far as stocking, it doesn't sound like you are as big of a fish nut as most. Most would have a list of 10 fish they wanna try already. I would take a look at some invertebrates you might like. Pistol shrimp really caught my eye. Cleaner and blood shrimp are really cool critters too. Have you considered making it an anenome tank? Then you can see the clowns in their natural habitat and get some sexy shrimp or porcelain crabs. That is the direction I think I may head in tbh. Hope I gave you a few ideas and I'll be watching your thread as inspiration myself. Happy reefing!

Thanks for sharing.

Its not that I'm not a fish nut, but i did grow up in a house with a freshwater tank so I understand the issues/complications that come with a heavy bio load. So right from the beginning I've been trying to remind myself 3 fish max.

I don't think im going to have any anemone however i have already toyed with the idea of a second small tank on my desk that is a rock flower anemone only tank. My research has shyed me away from any type of anemone for now. They can move around the tank and sting corals and theres not even a gaurentee the anemone will host the clownfish. If I ever went that direction and didnt get the clowns to live with the anemone and it leads to me having less corals i would be ticked hahaha.

Corals are not negotiable for me. They are way to beautiful and the reason I bought this tank. So no anemone for now.

 

[FragileReefer]

Very solid points, I can tell already tell my love for flowy, colorful corals will be a problem in the future. Due to the fact they all sting, and I want to jam them in a nano. It is probably best practices to stay away from stingers that like to take laps around the tank and stick to ones I can glue down.

 

[mch1984]

Thanks for sharing.

Its not that I'm not a fish nut, but i did grow up in a house with a freshwater tank so I understand the issues/complications that come with a heavy bio load. So right from the beginning I've been trying to remind myself 3 fish max.

I don't think im going to have any anemone however i have already toyed with the idea of a second small tank on my desk that is a rock flower anemone only tank. My research has shyed me away from any type of anemone for now. They can move around the tank and sting corals and theres not even a gaurentee the anemone will host the clownfish. If I ever went that direction and didnt get the clowns to live with the anemone and it leads to me having less corals i would be ****** hahaha.

Corals are not negotiable for me. They are way to beautiful and the reason I bought this tank. So no anemone for now.

I understand on the anemone, they are awesome but a little scary with coral. I will say I do have some rock flow anemones and they haven't moved an inch since I placed them. I know there is always a chance of them moving but rock flowers are known not to. Just a thought, they are pretty and easy anemones to keep. Tank is looking good.

 

[Herby’s reef]

If you are happy with the two clowns I would honestly just stick with them and add an algae eater that is appropriate for that size tank such as a starry blenny or a lawnmower blenny. It is so easy to get algae on small tanks that are still young. If you want other fish I would wait a good long time and let the tank age some. You have a great start doing. I think you will have a lot of success. You might consider using epoxy to set your aqua scape. I did this on my last few tanks and it is so nice to never have to worry about a collapse!

 

[mjforbes33]

If you are happy with the two clowns I would honestly just stick with them and add an algae eater that is appropriate for that size tank such as a starry blenny or a lawnmower blenny. It is so easy to get algae on small tanks that are still young. If you want other fish I would wait a good long time and let the tank age some. You have a great start doing. I think you will have a lot of success. You might consider using epoxy to set your aqua scape. I did this on my last few tanks and it is so nice to never have to worry about a collapse!

Thanks for the advice. I actually have some to use and I will be doing that soon.

 

[mjforbes33]

I understand on the anemone, they are awesome but a little scary with coral. I will say I do have some rock flow anemones and they haven't moved an inch since I placed them. I know there is always a chance of them moving but rock flowers are known not to. Just a thought, they are pretty and easy anemones to keep. Tank is looking good.

Yeah I have seen a few rock flowers that I want real bad. So beautiful. But if i had a 20 dollar anemone sting and kill a 300 coral I'd be ready to throw the thing out the window.

I think the workaround is another tank on my desk right next to this one. Something in the 5-20 gallon range (undecided) on my desk. No coral. 1 tiny fish max. Stay with low bio load. This way id be able to keep two different themed tanks and expand what I can keep. I know the thought of someone as new as I am taking on a new tank before this one is established probably sounds like I'm in way over my head. And it may be. But my "fish room" is my office in my home. I work from home full time. My office doubles as my tv room. I conservatively spend 15 hours a day in the room the tank is in so finding time to maintain my tanks will lilely never be an issue.

For now though, this 32 Biocube will be taylored to corals.

 

[mch1984]

Yeah I have seen a few rock flowers that I want real bad. So beautiful. But if i had a 20 dollar anemone sting and kill a 300 coral I'd be ready to throw the thing out the window.

I think the workaround is another tank on my desk right next to this one. Something in the 5-20 gallon range (undecided) on my desk. No coral. 1 tiny fish max. Stay with low bio load. This way id be able to keep two different themed tanks and expand what I can keep. I know the thought of someone as new as I am taking on a new tank before this one is established probably sounds like I'm in way over my head. And it may be. But my "fish room" is my office in my home. I work from home full time. My office doubles as my tv room. I conservatively spend 15 hours a day in the room the tank is in so finding time to maintain my tanks will lilely never be an issue.

For now though, this 32 Biocube will be taylored to corals.

Not crazy to think about the next one already. This is an addiction and a way of life really. Once you've been bit it's just gets worse. I did freshwater for about 5 years and then about a year ago got into salt water. I just ordered a tank to build a frag tank, I'm not sure if I know enough to go down that road, buying and trading but I"m doing it anyways lol.

 

[Herby’s reef]

It's never too early to think about your next tank!

 

[mjforbes33]

All parameters have been holding for several days. Algae continues to grow. Added 12 turbo snails today.

 

[mjforbes33]

20% water change Friday.

Tested everything today.

Temp - 74.5

Refractometer read:
Salinity - 1.025

Cross checked w/ Seachem marine & API:
Ph - 8
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 10

Red Sea Pro:
Calcium - 500
Alk - 11.9
Mag - 1280

Snails look happy eating algae think i need more of them but other than that, all good almost 3 weeks in. I'd say im all cycled and running unless im missing something.

Oh. Added some copepods the other day as well. Just for the hell of it. Maybe they establish a small population, but I understand thats unlikely in a small tank that is so new so I won't hold my breath.

 

[mjforbes33]

The more and more research i do/videos i watch, the more im considering going againt my initial plan of no anemones. I love the movement they add to a tank. Might

 

[mjforbes33]

Bought a smaller skimmer that will be more appropriate for my biocube. The reef octopus 1000 takes up too much space on it and limits a lot of my other filtering options. Also got the intank media basket.

All paramiters are good. Algae growth is stable but the tank is handling it with minimal maintnence required. Gonna do another WC this weekend then add my pair of clownfish.

 

[mjforbes33]

I did a thing today...

Added 2 Gold Lightning Maroon Clownfish.
Bought as a pair so I'm hoping they will get along. The larger one is about 1.5 inches and the smaller one is about an inch. They were getti g along at the LFS for about 3 weeks and so far seem good together in my tank. Will not be adding any more fish to this tank. Corals only.

 

[Fudsey]

Where did you get them??? Looking good