19 Gallon Nano Diary - New Corals And Fish Etc

[QuotheRaven]

Oh and I discovered my tank is 50cm by 29 by 29cm so it's ALMOST 11 gallons which is handy for that extra margin for error...

I was thinking tommorow of buying a hermit crab if the nitrate is below 10ppm.... Im pretty sure the mantis is dead and Im 80-90% sure my tank's cycled but I just need something hardy that can test it out for me that can be kept and not take up much space but is regularly visible....what sort of crab should I get?? and if not a crab is there anything else which is say part of a CUC that is very hardy but regularly visible??

 

[QuotheRaven]

Wow 8 posts by myself in a row without a reply

I made my own backing for the tank now light blue and white...not the best but it does the job

Im considering a little redlegged hermit or blue legged etc if my water parameters are ok...

I also diagnosed some algae I have as CHAETOMORPHA it's beggining to spread to other parts of my LR to..it's quite nice

 

[QuotheRaven]

Bumping just before I leave due to that there are so many members online now I may get a good response than later in the day when your all asleep

 

[QuotheRaven]

I went to the pet shop to get a blue legged hermit crab...walked away spending a months pay on a Tank, Stand, Filter, Heater, lighting fixture and globe for $200

Pictures

The tanks a little dirty but thats from the salt water drying up the tank, The extra heater allows me to nhow properly heat my RO water to the right temp

4 pictures

Oh and the water looks green from the wall and lighting and it's still a little murky

 

[QuotheRaven]

The tank is 60 cms long, 41 cm High and 30 wide...so 19.8 Gallons problem is about the amount of LR I have and the powerhead..me thinks I need another power head and more LR....

Do I or don't I

 

[QuotheRaven]

Well today Im going to see if I can order either some Red Skunk Shrimp or a blue legged hermit crab...which ones hardier as I want something which can really "live" but also clean around the tank....

What would one recommend in regards to the hardiest Shrimp or Crab thats safe with fish and other inverts

 

[QuotheRaven]

Dear God.... I just found out that a clean up crew is going to cost over $200...Cleaner shrimp in Aus are over $40 EACH!!!!!


So Im going to get a Bicolour Blenny or some other Blenny to be a type of CUC instead

 

[littleme1969]

Spend spend spend!! Lol You have to leran to put the brakes on otherwise you will be broke in no time at all..lol
New tank looks pretty sharp though. And lots more rock would be good too. Try getting some base rock to put under your live stuff, it costs only a fraction and you dont see it, so why buy the expensive stuff. Over time it does colour up and become live too.
I would try shopping online for stuff rather than paying Shop prices. I found that my local shop wanted £3.50 for one tiny blue leg hermit, I looked online and found them for 69p each..lol Even with the postage I saved a packet!
Yes I would add another powerhead, or why not get one of the 3 chambered internal filters. You can add live rock rubble, carbon, filter floss etc to it, and you get both circulation and cleaning too
Looks good though, and sorry about the lack of interst from other members, not sure where peoples heads are at sometimes

 

[QuotheRaven]

Thanks littleme my threads are scarcely populated the majority of the time but if I just keep posting what Im up to Im sure that it will help others down the track who want to start up a Nano.

Great idea though with the buying online, it will be a heap cheaper online for powerheads and base rock than at a shop...

Oh and base rock won't actually cycle when in water

The issue is I have NO bristleworms whatsoever or essentially ANYTHING except maybe still that mantis shrimp...so I want to get some cured LR to get some Hitchhikers to clean...but then that could become disasterous

 

[QuotheRaven]

More pictures now the tank is rescaped and with extra coral substrate

 

[QuotheRaven]

I washed my sister and dads cars and got $50 for it so now I can get more supplies!!!

So... issue here is the tank is 20 gallons, I have a filter which does 500 litres per hour and five pieces of LR....should I get a second powerhead or go with a filter? Then if I get the filter do I need base rock or cured LR?? But I have read the horrors of HOB filters and cannister filters being Nitrate factories so Im thinking I go for a second powerhead and a piece of either base rock or cured LR....

 

[QuotheRaven]

Bumping for the late night crowd (well...late in Aus)

 

[fishstick]

When you get round to choosing a fish for your jolly nice looking setup think about a tailspot blenny. I have one in my 35litre with a great deal of live rock for him to hide in and he swims and perches and looks surprised and puzzled by everything. I was going to get a small wrasse but they are much more active fish and I think 35l would be constricting.

 

[nanocubeking]

Bumping for the late night crowd (well...late in Aus)

If youve still got the mantis shrimp you can dose the tank with copper. BUT ONLY IF YOU WANT IT DEADAnd that will kill most if not all inverts in the tank.

 

[QuotheRaven]

Yeah but I could not kill the shrimp unless I had no other option, I hear clicking but still cannot be positive that it's the shrimp as I have not seen the thing for months, with only algae to eat I cannot see how it's survived

So should I go with a largish filter to add to the water flow and have less base rock, or do I go with the another powerhead and some base rock or cured LR?