Ethos' Nano Diary

[Ethos]

My first chamber contains the following media: Chemipure, Purigen, SeaGel, Algone and PuraPad.

Where do you get them, how much $, and what are they for? Can you use just one? Or are you supposed use all?

All the corals you mentioned will survive under 'moderate' lighting.

What is considered moderate lighting?

How do you like the begginers coral pack I noted the post before?
What are your thoughts on it?

As for the photos, they are OK for 'personal use'. LOL. SH

Good to know

Thanks SH,
Ethos

 

[Ethos]

Another quick question; (I love how I can double post in my threads..)
When can I add corals?
What do I put the corals on when I place them in my tank? (Sand, LR, ect)

Where would I get filter cartreges?
How many do I need?

Most importantly - What chemicals should I use to make this process go as quickly as possible?

Edit: The light Idea - will leaving the light on for 18 hours help the algy come any sooner?

 

[steelhealr]

Hi Ethos.....I didn't add my first corals for almost a month and a half. Many people rush them in as soon as they are cycled. I recommend against that. All new tanks will go thru some phase of maturation would could include hair algae, bubble algae, cyano bacteria or an unwanted hitchhiker. Have patience.

Most corals come attached to small pieced of LR called frags. You place them in the tank in the position that the particular coral prefers (time to start reading what corals you want and where they go in the tank).

Not sure what you mean by what filter cartridges....do you mean 'what filter media should I use in my tank?'

What chemicals?...that's easy....water changes are all the chemicals you need right now. SH

 

[Mr Miagi]

You sound very keen to get things going. All i can say is, even with the limited time ive been in the hobby, you need to take things slowly and as they come. Its when you rush things they go bad.

Ive read alot, about others experiences, others tank journals, and time taken in the first stages is time and money they dont have to spend later changing and fixing alot of things.

(Although im lucky, i just bought a complete cycled set-up, kind of cheating in a way! ) MUHHAHAHAH

 

[Ethos]

'what filter media should I use in my tank?'

Yes.
So I can attach it to a peice of LR?
I've heard some people put it in the sand?
So, after I add my 'clean-up crew' do I then add the fish, and then the corals?

You sound very keen to get things going

I am, and I'm not always the most patient person


I'm seeing some small bits of hair algey on the LR, but nothing on the sand or glass.
Will 18 hours of light help the Algey bloom or w/e move quickly along? I think the next time I go to the LFS will be in about a week, maybe this weekend.
That is, of course, if I have my algey bloom.
How much algey makes it considered as an "diotom bloom?"

 

[parker313]

You'll know when you get the diatoms. They're not green, but brown and will pop up pretty much overnight. I wouldn't recommend leaving the lights on for 18hrs right off, but start low and build up. Again - you don't want to rush things.

Add a couple inverts when you get your diatom bloom, wait a week or so, add a fish and then from there, you can SLOWLY (like something new every couple of weeks or so and waiting a month or so between fish) start to add fish and corals.

That pack from liveaquaria should be good.

Oh, and I answered what you had asked about in my nano thread as far as price and care of the corals. In general, I've found the information given in the liveaquaria description to be pretty accurate.

 

[Ethos]

Yeah..
The only think I'm concerened about is that if I buy all those corals at once (which seems like a good deal, because just a single polyp at my LFS is like $70), I wont have room for more, and after a couple of months of seeing nothing new, I'll get bored?
Or are there good surprises every once and a while to keep it interesting and fresh?

 

[parker313]

Then try checking out the frag packs at www.seacrop.com - they're really nice.

 

[steelhealr]

Back to filter media....I recommend a phosphate binder for one. Some people use activated carbon but most use ChemiPure. It's up to you what else, if anything, you want to use additionally. I have four inserts. SH

 

[Ethos]

Ok, I just noticed there's this brown stuff covering some of my LR? Its not very thick.
Also i've noticed some small patches of brown grass, also some green hairs poking out of my LR.
The biggest is just the brown stuff covering the rock.
Is this the algey bloom?
I didn't think it woul happen this fast?

 

[parker313]

Sounds like the diatoms, which technically are not an algae...

 

[Ethos]

Isn't that what I'm waiting for to add my cleanup crew?

 

[afireinside]

Hey, were are the pictures!?

 

[Ethos]

I dont have them yet, my silly sister won't bring the camera home for me.

Sounds like the diatoms, which technically are not an algae...

Wait, but I thought I just had to wait for my diotoms bloom?

 

[parker313]

Here is a good link explaining more about diatoms.