Well I killed all the aiptaisa I could find with a chemical designed to kill aiptaisa I hope I got it all. I left a feather duster like creature that withdrawals whenever I walk by it. I figured that wasn't aiptaisa. I am definitely getting Peppermint Shrimp whenever my tank evens out. I didn't take measurements today because I added chemicals. I read BigJay's posting about what he plans on building sounds like a good idea. I am not sure I am going to do that I might just stick with some live rock rubble. The protein skimmer I am looking at getting sounds like it functions similarly to the amora but I'll check it out before I purchase it. Not much else going on except I saw some worms moving around when I turned off the lights and powerheads. I don't think they were fireworms as they were small in diameter and length though one end was reddish in color. Hopefully, it isn't all that I would be missing would be a Mantis Shrimp and I would have ever live rock pariah I can think of, maybe make a species specific tank *twirlysmi . I didn't get a picture because it went into a hole as soon as I turned every thing on. That's all have as far as updates for now.
My first SaltwaterNano
- Thread starter kendakr
- Start date
So, I took measurements again today.
pH: 8.2
Alkalinity: 300
Ammonia .09ppm
Nitrite: .05
Nitrate 5.0
Salinity 1.024
I have some green algae growing which I cleaned off the glass but left on the rocks. I have some brown on the rocks as well. I really want to get some snails to get rid of the algae and some peppermint shrimps to keep any hidden aiptaisa under control. I am hoping my tank is finishing up the process of cycling since it has been about two weeks with the live rock and the measurements are leveling up. We'll see tomorrow.
pH: 8.2
Alkalinity: 300
Ammonia .09ppm
Nitrite: .05
Nitrate 5.0
Salinity 1.024
I have some green algae growing which I cleaned off the glass but left on the rocks. I have some brown on the rocks as well. I really want to get some snails to get rid of the algae and some peppermint shrimps to keep any hidden aiptaisa under control. I am hoping my tank is finishing up the process of cycling since it has been about two weeks with the live rock and the measurements are leveling up. We'll see tomorrow.
My tank is still cycling I have hit zero with ammonia everything else is the same. I do have a variety of algae growing, not out of control, but it is there. If anyone wants pictures let me know. Anyways, I gave up on waiting on this protein skimmer that my LFS recommended as I don't know much about it and haven't gotten much information on it. So, I am going with a Aqua C Remora. Here is some information I found:
Aqua C Remora Protein Skimmer
with Maxijet 1200 Pump
$164.00
Aqua C Remora Protein Skimmer
with Rio 800 Pump
$159.00
Aqua C Remora Protein Skimmer
with Maxijet 1200 Pump AND DRAIN FITTING
PHOTO (new window) $174.00
I was thinking of getting the one with the 1200 pump or do I need a drain fitting? These were some of the better prices I found. It came from this site: marineandreef.com/ Aqua C Remora Protein Skimmer. Oh, it has been about two weeks since I added live rock, is this cycle going slow or am I on track? Thanks for all the help.
Aqua C Remora Protein Skimmer
with Maxijet 1200 Pump
$164.00
Aqua C Remora Protein Skimmer
with Rio 800 Pump
$159.00
Aqua C Remora Protein Skimmer
with Maxijet 1200 Pump AND DRAIN FITTING
PHOTO (new window) $174.00
I was thinking of getting the one with the 1200 pump or do I need a drain fitting? These were some of the better prices I found. It came from this site: marineandreef.com/ Aqua C Remora Protein Skimmer. Oh, it has been about two weeks since I added live rock, is this cycle going slow or am I on track? Thanks for all the help.
Here are some new pictures from my recently cycled 29 gallon tank. Oh, and I got my Remora C Protein Skimmer which I will set up next week as I have to do some modifications to the lid to fit the skimmer.
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I plan on getting my CUC, at least snails, after next week is over. I was thinking of 29 astaria snails, 1 per gallon too many, I am not sure how many cerith snails, probably 10, a cleaner shrimp, and something like 12 Peppermint Shrimp. Let me know if this is too many or if the shrimp or not compatible. Thanks for the help*SUNSMILE* .
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I plan on getting my CUC, at least snails, after next week is over. I was thinking of 29 astaria snails, 1 per gallon too many, I am not sure how many cerith snails, probably 10, a cleaner shrimp, and something like 12 Peppermint Shrimp. Let me know if this is too many or if the shrimp or not compatible. Thanks for the help*SUNSMILE* .
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I'd say your CUC plans are too heavy. Go with a half or a third of that of the ceriths, and add some other snails (turbos, nassarius). That is definitely way too many shrimp. The cleaers get to about 4" each. One or possibly two shrimp for the whole tank is all you'll need. If you get two of one kind, they'll produce eggs, which is food for corals. They also tend to be less shy if there's another in there with them.
Thanks for the suggestions. So, now I plan on doing 1/3 of the ceriths. 29 Astaria still okay? I was hesitant to go with turbos as I have heard they get too large for a small tank such as mine. How many nassarius should I get? I wanted to get Peppermint Shrimp as I have been struggling with aiptasia and was hoping they would help control it so I guess I'll get two of them. Also, I want to get some good sand shifters in addition to the nassarius. I was thinking of getting a Brittle Star and/or a goby-shrimp pair. Oh, and has anyone heard of Garden Eels? My LFS had some for sale and they appeared tiny sand burrowers. I am not sure of these are appropriate or if they are aggressive like every eel I have heard of. I haven't really decided what fish I am going for yet. I was thinking maybe a pair of Tomato Clowns, sometime of goby, maybe a goby/shrimp pair and 3-5 Cleaner Gobies, or instead of the clowns a pair of Firefish. I know Firefish job but the lid is completely enclosed so I should be okay. Sorry, for the long post and thanks again for the help.
Sorry, I think I got a bit muddled on the snails. I think even fewer snails than that. Maybe 5 asteria and 5 nassarius and see how it goes. The "one per gallon" rule is way too many, IMO, and refers to the total number of snails. It's easier to add a few snails later on, if you need them.
The nassarius will keep your sandbed turned, no need to get anything else really. A sand sifting star won't work in anything but a really large tank, and even then, they often starve to death in a few months.
There are a lot of sites (mostly sales sites) out there that seem to want to sell you a ton of different critters for cleanup. Most aren't needed or desired.
As for the goby or goby/shrimp pair, get it if you want it. You have a limited number of fish you can get, so only get things you want, not because you want them to clean the tank. Your snails and maintenance should be enough to keep things clean.
The nassarius will keep your sandbed turned, no need to get anything else really. A sand sifting star won't work in anything but a really large tank, and even then, they often starve to death in a few months.
There are a lot of sites (mostly sales sites) out there that seem to want to sell you a ton of different critters for cleanup. Most aren't needed or desired.
As for the goby or goby/shrimp pair, get it if you want it. You have a limited number of fish you can get, so only get things you want, not because you want them to clean the tank. Your snails and maintenance should be enough to keep things clean.
I would opt for a few turbos maybe 3 or so.....maybe a dozen nassarius and about 5 ceriths if they are the small ones........I am not crazy about the astrea snails as they are unable to right themselves if they get upside down and need to be righted by hand.......that should be all you need for a cuc.....
looks good....and good luck with the remora you won't be sorry
looks good....and good luck with the remora you won't be sorry
I have two turbo's, 4 nassarius that are fun to watch, 5 tiny blue legs, 4 scarlets, 2 yellow tip hermits, 1 unknown hermit, 1 peppermint shrimp that molted already, 1 fire shrimp. I feel they are doing a great job. Some people don't like the hermits but I think it's all about preference. So far this CUC is keeping up with the job at hand. If anything I might get a few more nassarius snails and maybe a cerith snail or 4.
So, first sorry for the late update, Thanksgiving week had me occupied out of town. First, my tank finished cycling before last week and was good when got back on Sunday so I got snails today. I got 3 turbos, 12 Narssius, and 5 Ceriths. I think I got the spelling right. They seem to be doing well. I plan on getting two Peppermint Shrimp tomorrow. The only bad thing is my lights are acting strange. This afternoon my Actinic light was on instead of the regular light. I checked the timer and everything was fine there so after testing the lights I finally got the regular light to come on but no Actinic. I have a moonlight right now but will get a new bulb tomorrow and see if that fixes it. I hope it's not a big deal I dropped it once when I first got the tank and this is the first problem I have had to date. Anyways, here are some pictures of the massive algae growth and snails. Word of advice make sure you have a solid commitment from a friend who says they will watch your tanks for a week finding a sea of algae and partial evaporated tanks is not a fun welcome home
. Oh, and I haven't put in my skimmer yet cause I got to do some moding to the lid to fit it. Pictures at last:
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. Oh, and I haven't put in my skimmer yet cause I got to do some moding to the lid to fit it. Pictures at last:Front:
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You should remove the plate that separates the bottom section from the top in chamber 1. That way you can put your heater in there. It takes a little force but just push down on the plate. It is just siliconed in place.
I would ditch the stock filter pad. Build a stand of some sort. There are many ways to do it. This was mine. I still have the bioballs. Personal choice.
Stand made out of 1/2" pvc
Eggcrate
Chemi-Pure Elite
Filter pad
Drip plate
I also ditched the stock blue sponge in chamber 3 and the false floor in chamber 2. The floor in chamber 2 is not glued in just lift it out. This will give you extra space for rubble, balls, a fuge or what ever you end up doing.
I would ditch the stock filter pad. Build a stand of some sort. There are many ways to do it. This was mine. I still have the bioballs. Personal choice.
Stand made out of 1/2" pvc
Eggcrate
Chemi-Pure Elite
Filter pad
Drip plate
I also ditched the stock blue sponge in chamber 3 and the false floor in chamber 2. The floor in chamber 2 is not glued in just lift it out. This will give you extra space for rubble, balls, a fuge or what ever you end up doing.
So, my Actinic lights work in the other socket so I must have broken the socket when I dropped it. I have no idea if I can get that fixed. The snails have worked great. The only algae they haven't touched is the feather and bubble, not sure if anything eats that. My LFS was out of Peppermint Shrimp until Friday so I'll pick some up Saturday and that should do it for my CUC. Other then that still debating what fish to get. It'll be after Christmas when I get anything else as I'll be out of town for two weeks and will not have time to added them. I think that's it for updates.
Slight problem
So, I have a slight problem. My remora C protein skimmer is too big to fit on my tank with the lid. Since my Actinic socket is broken I ordered a new lid for the tank from my LFS. I was thinking of doing a lidless tank and just getting a lamp, maybe a hilade, so I can fit the skimmer. I don't really want to do a sump, even though a ref. would be useful, due to my lack of skills in drilling/acrylic. I know without a lid my fish choices are further limited but I want coral more then fish. Anyways, any suggestions would be great. Thanks.
So, I have a slight problem. My remora C protein skimmer is too big to fit on my tank with the lid. Since my Actinic socket is broken I ordered a new lid for the tank from my LFS. I was thinking of doing a lidless tank and just getting a lamp, maybe a hilade, so I can fit the skimmer. I don't really want to do a sump, even though a ref. would be useful, due to my lack of skills in drilling/acrylic. I know without a lid my fish choices are further limited but I want coral more then fish. Anyways, any suggestions would be great. Thanks.
So I am really considering buying a 20 inch 250 Watt metal halide SunPod lighting system. I liked that it had lunar lighting, legs, and a timer. Here is the link: 20 inch metal halide aquarium lighting fixtures The only thing that concerns me is safety I don't have a GFCI outlet close enough to my tank to run the lights into so I was going to get this 5 prong GFCI adapter: Aquarium Electrical Safety: Shock Buster Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter GFCI.
The tank is grounded but I have to use an extension cord to reach my GFCI outlet and I don't think that is safe enough for halides. Any comments are much appreciated I am new to this high voltage lighting.
The tank is grounded but I have to use an extension cord to reach my GFCI outlet and I don't think that is safe enough for halides. Any comments are much appreciated I am new to this high voltage lighting.
Thanks, for the suggestion BigJay. Does anyone have any experience with halide lights in a nano tank. Any further advice would be appreciated. I did get two peppermint shrimp and they are currently hiding in some live rock. Speaking of live rock does it disintegrate over time in the tank? I have noticed new holes and bigger spaces. Here some pictures of the tank.
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