Nano 15 gallon build: advice needed

[feresadas]

I have purchased this tank, and aim to build my first aquarium.
The goal is to have a primarily Euphyllia dominated LPS tank, with one or two islands of pulsing Xenia (to avoid spreading). with a small(?) amount of fish.

I live in upstate NY with temps ranging in home from 65-74℉ (18-23°C).

if you could look through my buy list, and give me advice on if things look up to par with my goals that would be fantastic.

Tank Equipment
Tank- Fusion | 15 AIO Cube Aquarium
Screen- SafeScreen™ Preassembled Aquarium Mesh Screen Lid - For Nuvo Fusion 15 Cube
Light- AI Prime 16 HD
Light mount - Prime Tank Mount
auto top off - AutoAQUA Smart ATO Nano (Dont have my heart set on this one, any suggestions welcome, also not sure what type of reservoir to use)
Heater (x2) - EHEIM Jager Aquarium Thermostat Heater 50W
Heat controller - Inkbird Electronic Heating Thermostat Temperature Controller
Thermometer - Zacro Pack of 2 LCD Digital Aquarium Thermometer (will the average of these 2 probably imprecise thermometers be sufficient for reef use?)
Magnetic glass scraper - Flipper Cleaner Float - 2-in-1 Floating Magnetic Aquarium Glass Cleaner (does this go around 90° corners? do I need one for each side?)
Powerhead - Jebao OW-10 Wavemaker 132-1057 GPH with Controller

Filtration
Filter sock Included with AIO tank (200 micron)
Substrate - Fiji Pink Arag-Alive! Live Reef Sand - CaribSea
Live rock from LFS
Bio-spheres - Ceramic Bio-Sphere - Seaside Aquatics
Is there anything else I should add for filtration? there are lots of chemical filtration socks/additives it looks like I could add but honestly I am overwhelmed with the options and do not know what I need.
I don't think I will start with a skimmer, but eventually would like to get maybe this one to reduce how often/volume I need to do water changes (if that's how that works)

Chemicals/testing
Salifert Reef Testing Kit - Salifert Reef Testing Kit (eventually want the HANNA test kit)
Refractometer - Salinity Refractometer
Seachem Ammonia Alert -Seachem Laboratories Ammonia Alert 1 Year Monitor
Salt - Instant Ocean Reef Crystals Reef Salt For 160 Gallons (Guy at LFS suggested a specific brand, cant remember what he recommended so this is what I have for now, open to change)


I still need to decide on what I want to get product wise for my cycling, seems like Dr. Tim's one and only is highly recommended, but need to look into it more.

I am somewhat anxious about killing my Euphyllia when I get them. I want to get torches eventually but after reading about the care requirements I think I will start with hammer and frogspawn for the most part. After reading this post I am specifically worried about BJD, would it be wise to pick up some Ciprofloxacin before hand to treat in case of an outbreak? if so were would I put my fish in the mean time as I have no quarantine tank...

I am unsure on livestock, my tentative wish list is:
- Pair of Ocellaris clownfish
- Pink Spotted Shrimp Goby
- Pistol shrimp (species recommendations are welcome)
- Cleaner shrimp

If this is to much, or I could get away with more, please let me know.
Not sure on clean up crew size or makeup for this tank either.

If you read this tank you so much, im excited to start this journey. I will be trying to keep a fairly comprehensive build thread going once I start

 

[OldRed1]

Hey fellow up state New Yorker! Where abouts? First thing that jumps out is to invest in a media chamber from 3d Reefing. Replace your filter sock with this three-tiered chamber as it will save you a lot of headaches. Filter floss is so much more convenient than a filter sock.

Second thing that jumps out is that you don’t need to cycle your tank if you are buying true live rock. If you are buying dry rock that used to be live, then yes you will need to cycle.

Happy to chat more if I can be of any assistance. You can check out my build thread; I used true live rock from @LiverockRocks which comes straight from the Gulf of Mexico. That said, I’m also a complete novice so take any feedback with caution.

 

[OldRed1]

Get yourself a tunze glass scraper. It’s a little pricier but very worth it. And just get one; you can just lift it out of the water to get to each side.

 

[OldRed1]

Don’t worry about a skimmer in this tank. Your bio load seems very light so your money is probably better spent elsewhere.

You don’t say anything about water. Where are you getting your water? From the LFS?

 

[dstockwell]

TBS doesn’t recommend cycling with live rock, they say use base then live. Skimmer early on won‘t do much, no bad bacterial to get rid of.

 

[OldRed1]

TBS doesn’t recommend cycling with live rock, they say use base then live. Skimmer early on won‘t do much, no bad bacterial to get rid of.

That’s not entirely correct. TBS does not recommend cycling with Premium live rock. They DO recommend cycling with the base live rock.

 

[OldRed1]

TBS doesn’t recommend cycling with live rock, they say use base then live. Skimmer early on won‘t do much, no bad bacterial to get rid of.

You can read their handy New Aquarium Guide here if there is any uncertainty about cycling with their live base rock.

 

[dstockwell]

Should phrased that correctly but yes.

 

[feresadas]

Hey fellow up state New Yorker! Where abouts? First thing that jumps out is to invest in a media chamber from 3d Reefing. Replace your filter sock with this three-tiered chamber as it will save you a lot of headaches. Filter floss is so much more convenient than a filter sock.

Second thing that jumps out is that you don’t need to cycle your tank if you are buying true live rock. If you are buying dry rock that used to be live, then yes you will need to cycle.

Happy to chat more if I can be of any assistance. You can check out my build thread; I used true live rock from @LiverockRocks which comes straight from the Gulf of Mexico. That said, I’m also a complete novice so take any feedback with caution.

Hello! am north of the finger lakes near Canandaigua lake specifically.
TBH I like the idea of the filter sock, as it seems less wasteful than filter floss.

ok, so its either dry rock with cycling chemicals, or just leave live rock sit till it has cycled? which is fast/safer?

my current plan is to buy my initial RO/DI water from LFS, and will look into making my own if its seems like it will be more cost affective.

 

[OldRed1]

Hello! am north of the finger lakes near Canandaigua lake specifically.
TBH I like the idea of the filter sock, as it seems less wasteful than filter floss.

ok, so its either dry rock with cycling chemicals, or just leave live rock sit till it has cycled? which is fast/safer?

my current plan is to buy my initial RO/DI water from LFS, and will look into making my own if its seems like it will be more cost affective.

Nice! We’re in Saratoga. In reefing, nothing is “fast,” per se, and the things that seem faster are much more expensive. That said, a tank cycled with dry rock will go through the uglies for anywhere between 6 - 12 months. On the other hand, a tank cycled with live rock can be ready in less than a few weeks. It’s up to you and what your budget can sustain.

 

[dstockwell]

I started a 55 with dry, use to be live rock, with startup complete. After 4 weeks I added some live rock from GLR had a bacterial bloom from some of the macro dyeing. Two weeks later added 2 Fish, went through ugly stage added CUC. Two weeks later added two more fish. So I’m now at 16 weeks I’m battling an algae stage vacuuming once or twice a week, and checking water. Hopefully in another two weeks I will be good.

 

[LiverockRocks]

TBS doesn’t recommend cycling with live rock, they say use base then live. Skimmer early on won‘t do much, no bad bacterial to get rid of.

Howdy,
Of course we recommend cycling with Live Rock...it is the only way to cycle a tank IMO. Base live rock is live rock, it just has a plain exterior.
We don't recommend cycling with Premium Live Rock because of the delicate lifeforms on the exterior.