Adding Fish (or, now can I finally add Nemo)
There is not much room in the cube, so, one has to be very careful about adding fish. This part is the personal part, so, I am not going to do 'stocking suggestions'. Also, to post dozens of pictures of individual fish takes time and space. 'Googling' the image is the best way to go. So, just a few rules on the basics:
1) Make sure the tank is cycled and you've changed out your water. Zero across the board if possible with your parameters.
2) Go slow. No slam dunking and dumping all the fish in at once. Resist the 'just one more fish' urge.
3) Acclimation is extremely important...think drip method. Remember, you have pH, temperature and specific gravity to think about.
4) READ UP ON THE FISH YOU WANT TO ADD. They have differences in aggression, termperament, territorialness, eating behavior, etc. Many don't get along with similar sexes or types of their own kind and should not be in pairs. Some might pick at corals.
5) The most passive fish should be put in first; aggressive last.
6) Don't shoot me....there is the classic 1 inch of fish per 2 gallons still printed out there. Suffice it to say, buy fish that will stay small. On average, for our cube, 4-5 fish.
7) The dreaded word...quarantine. Yes, SW species should be quarantined. Think quarantine tank.
8 ) Resist the 'just one more fish' urge.
9) Know what and how much to feed. Overfeeding is a sure source of nitrates which are not tolerated in SW nano systems compared to FW.
10) Avoid the classic 'dumping the lfs' water into the tank.
Nano-Reef Fish
Here is a brief list of some common or popular nano fish:
1) Gobies: Green and Brown Clown Goby, Catalina Goby,Citrina, Court Jester, Hi Fin Red Banded, Neon Blue, Hector's, Orange Spotted, Two Spot, Watchman Gobies, Shrimp
2) Firefish: Purple
3) Clownfish: Black and White Percula, True Percula, Oscellaris
4) Blennies: Harptail, Barnacle, Black Lined, Red Sea Mimic, Bicolor
5) Wrasses: Six line, golden or canary
6) Basslets: Swissguard, Blackcap
7) Cardinalfishes: Pajama, Banggai, redtail
8 ) Clingfish
9) Jawfish: dusky and yellowhead
10) Damselfish.: can be very pugnacious and aggressive. Look at the Yellowtail Blue Damsel (chrysiptera parasema)
11) Royal Gramma
12) Dottybacks (Pseudochromis): caution, may be aggressive; less aggressive species are the Orchid Dottyback, Springer's and Sankey's (Black-and-White)
13) Hawkfish: flame
14) Assessors: Yellow and Blue
Advanced Projects (or, hey, I'm getting the hang of this)
Almost done with this for the cube owner. Just a few final thoughts, some previously mentioned, for us Nano Cubers who started out stock and want to move up in the world.
Corals and Lighting
This is the Achilles heel of the present 24G Nano Cube DX.....lighting. Many corals including hard ones require moderate to intense lighting. Our cube will support some soft corals (softies). Examples are Ricordia and some Zoonanthids. So..one project is to DIY improve your lighting. Be aware that there are some heat issues involved with the hood. You can always check out this site,
http
/www.nanocustoms.com, run by a gentleman named Chris, who modifies the hoods. However, dont' jump ship if you dont' upgrade. Here is a link for the stock lighting on a 12G Nano.As for the corals, you're on your own now just like me.
http/www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...&threadid=52734
Refugiums
As we talked about earlier, many nano-reefers turn the back middle chamber of the cube into a refugium, an isolated/protected area separate from the main tank. Many place their macroalgae back here, but, again, lighting is the issue. You've seen my DIY which is awaiting setup. Try coming up with something unique. Someone is now looking into a submersible compact fluorescent light that will fit back there. Some have used an AquaClear filter cut into the back. Come up with a new idea.
Water Movement
I saw a post with a rough guide of 10X average flow; 15X good for 'softies'; 20X for hard corals. Design additional water movement for your tank. One of my SW gurus dremeled (a special drill) a hole in the top of the middle chamber and added another pump and outflow nozzle. I tried putting my stock pump in the first chamber but was unhappy with the results--churned up debris from the sponge in the chamber and angling the flow was difficult.
Skimmer
Skimming not only removes dissolved organics but also can removed dissolved nutrients. I think the majority of nano-reefers believe that regular water changes obviate the need for a skimmer. However, if you feel strongly about having one, you can try and design one. As of this date, there aren't any retail skimmers that fit in the cube that function well, unless, you want to open up the hood and use one periodically as an external one.
A surface skimmer is different from a protein skimmer. Here is a popular link on how someone used an old cassette cover as a surface skimmer:
http/www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...ghlight=doriftu
Auto Topoff
Some people have come up with ways to have their tanks 'auto-topped-off'. They add a float switch and when the tank level drops, fresh water is automatically added. Here are a couple of links to ponder:
http/www.autotopoff.com/
http/www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...ht=float+switch
Moonlight LEDs
As you know by now, if you put your lights on a timer, you will not be able to use your moonlights since cutting off the power to the CPF's also cuts power to the LEDs. You could look into a way to rewire the LEDs in the hood or make your own. There are many links for this as well.
Last but not least....cube maintenance. SH
) ).
