18g Nano Setup

[Lenna]

I've been thinking of setting up a nano for some time now and been lurking here and other places reading up about them. I've finally decided to give it a go. I already had alot of the equipment I would need so I just needed a few bits and pieces. I know people like to see how much everything cost so I'll have a bit of a run down. (all prices are in $AUS)

Already had:
18g tank (24"*12"*15") & stand
aquaclear 150
145lph powerhead
50watt heater
salt (I have a brackish tank)
all test kits (I have a large planted EI)

Bought:
600lph powerhead $25
5kg aragonite substrate (1-2mm) $10
hydrometer $10
power compact (ebay) $170

This tank will be FOWLR to begin with, with the possibility of corals later on (I had this in mind when I bought the light).

First step was premixing the salt water (I use seachem marinesalt) and filling the tank 2/3 way up.
Next I bought three smallish pieces of LR, about 3.5kg worth ($35). I placed these flat on the bottom, 'cause I want to have a stable base to build off. Substrate went in next.
The water was a bit cloudy but it cleared up overnight. Here is a photo as of this morning (day after).

And a closeup of the LR

I had a look in the tank with a torch when I got home from work and spotted my first hitchhiker- a small orange bristleworm.
More LR to go in tomorrow.

 

[steelhealr]

Lenna, welcome aboard. Glad you joined us

Looking good so far. My only recommendations to consider:

-even tho' the tank will be FOWLR to start, you need to have more LR for filtration. On an 18G, you'd need at least 18-27lbs LR, or (?) 9-13kgs.

-invest in a refractometer if you can...you won't be sorry

-I like that you kept a thin sand bed

SH

 

[Lenna]

Sorry I've taken so long to put up the next pics. This is from 24hrs after the first pics. More LR added, 2 larger pieces and 1 smaller piece.
whole thing

from left

from right

Closeup of some hitchhikers. These fellas popped out after I turned on the light, I hope they survive the cycling

Stats at the moment:
pH 8.2
specific gravity 1.025
NH4 0.25-0.5PPM
NO2 1-5PPM
temp 27degC

There are some other things that have hitched a ride into the tank. The look like eggs of some kind. You can se them in the pic of the right side of the tank. They are bright orange and covered by a transparent covering. Does anyone know what they are?

PS got a good deal on a refractometer on ebay (can't get anything better than a hydrometer locally) it should arrive some time in the next 3 days (so should decent light).

 

[Aquascaper]

They are bright orange and covered by a transparent covering. Does anyone know what they are?

Sounds like sponges maybe, a closeup photo would help a lot.

 

[steelhealr]

Lenna....LOOKS GOOD. WTG. Keep up this way and you'll have a stunning tank. SLOW AND STEADY. Marines need patience. Impulsiveness is deadly. When your numbers hit zero, do your first water change, 25% and try and bring the nitrates down. 10ppm and less would be a good time to add the cleanup crew if you have diatoms.
Good job.

SH

 

[Lenna]

Here's a closer picture of the orange egg-like hitchhikers. They don't look like sponges. I can see each "egg" in the sac which looks like jelly surrounding them like a protective coating. They remind me of freshwater snails eggs, just much more colourful.

Sorry I can't get any closer. My camera is not the best and there's a limit to how close I can get to the glass.


And one of the colonial anemones.


I'm getting some diatom formation already.

cycling stats:
NH3 0.5-1 ppm
NO2 1-5 ppm
NO3 10ppm

 

[Aquascaper]

Looks like sponges to me
You'll want to get rid of those Aptasia as soon as possible IMO

 

[Lenna]

Aiptasia . I thought they were the clear ones shown in the stickies. The ones on my rock don't look like them at all. Or am I completely wrong?

 

[akilles-13]

They kind of look like polyps or zooanthids. Nice rock formation. What kind of LR are you using and how much?

 

[Aquascaper]

Search on Google for 'Aptasia' and see if they match

 

[SkiFletch]

I agree that they look more like Zoos, but the pic is a little too small to say for sure

 

[Lenna]

They look a little like these zooanthids

(taken from Moye's Reef)
Except, the colour is reversed (body khaki green, tentacles purple) and the tentacles are shorter.
Unfortunately my camera does not have good enough resolution to get a decent picture.
I'm not sure what type of LR it is; it's the only kind you can get around here and I'm assuming it's relatively local. At the moment there's about 8kg worth in there but I want to add at least another piece (approximately 2kg).

 

[@ombomb]

Fantastic hitch hiker to get, just make sure you are VERY careful if you put your hands in the tank...

Your rocks looks very similar to mine which is Fiji rock.

Looking good so far

 

[Lenna]

I didn't think I had quite enough LR (there was a bit of a space at the back), so I got another piece about 2-3kg. Now there's 10-12kg in the tank which is probably a bit more than I needed but I don't think it's too crowded. The pieces have lots of holes and I've placed them so there's plenty of hiding places. When I was shifting stuff around I spotted another hitchhiker- a small crab about 2cm across. I couldn't get a picture, it hid under one of the base pieces of LR. I can't believe it's alive in there, the NH3 and NO2 are pretty high.
Here's a pic of the tank now.

Stats:
NH3 0.25ppm
NO2 5ppm
NO3 10ppm
NH3 is going down and NO2 is going up so I'm probably around half way to the end of the cycle.

 

[steelhealr]

Lots of LR is a good thing. SH