Fresh To Saltwater Nano

[didz04]

Hi

I just recently started up this nano a few weeks back now and still in cycle and its a 60lt Hailea tank.
However its now a completely different layout as on last week on Thursday I changed around all the rock work but ended up taking two pieces out, thinking of placing one of them back in. To me it looks much neater as I've left space around the sides and the current moves around it and through the rock build. Actually I had it planned out in my head before everytime I looked at it thinking on how to make it more of an eye catching setup.
Also what else is new I bought my first 2 Clean Up Crew last week on Wednesday

- Turbo Snail
- Red legged Hermit Crab

My turbo snail is funny lol even to say he's slow moving the positions he ends up in makes me laugh, sometimes I think that he thinks he's king of the castle, ends up on the highest rock I think he's loving it in there.
However, my red hermit was on the opposite side at first wasn't sure what was wrong with him or if its natural for them to be like this. When I first put him in he was sat there for a few minutes obviously a bit cautious and he moved a few inches to sides of the glass. He didn't move for hours until I saw him at the back left side underneath a rock and since Wednesday he was just sat there but moved an inch to the left but thats it. I knew he was definitely alive because he stuck his eye out which looks funny and then slowly brings them back in. I was going to move him but wasn't sure if I could reach with my hands but just left him to feel more comfortable and get used to the setup. Then realized why he was acting this way because he was molting and he has fully molted just hardening up his claws, I'm leaving molted hermit in because he will eat it after his claws have hardened and good in calcium for him to grow back. Will be making my sand bed deeper soon.

My next Clean Up Crew is going to be 1 more turbo snail and 2 blue legged hermit crabs the guy from Hemswell telling me they look stunning but they are struggling to get them in now including brittle starfish. Showing us the cleaner shrimp everytime he puts his fingers in straight away the shrimp swims up to clean, probably thinking, ahh new customer lol.

It used to look like this before

The skimmer I'm currently using suitable for nano's..

Very cloudy at first and before this pic we couldn't see nathall after we added live sand.

Start skimming thick bubbles straight away

We found corals coming out of the sand lol..

Here is my newly transformed setup so Enjoy

The pictures quality is rubbish time to upgrade camera, looks way better in the flesh.

Thanks, will appreciate comments or whatevea

 

[-Nemo-]

Hello, welcome to the saltie side.

The tank is looking great so far.

I think those "corals" you have coming out of the sand are actually the pest anemone, aiptaisa! I think I spotted another one in one of your pictures. Google some images and see if they look like it. Those things are the devil to get rid of!


What fish are you looking to add later on?

 

[didz04]

Thanks your tank in sig love the corals.
Yeah the pic of the coral coming out of the sand isn't aiptasia but the one shown on the rock is I haven't been affected by them as I haven't added any coral in myself yet but see them slowly building up to 6 of them around tank. Going to add Peppermint Shrimp to clear off the aipvasion.

here's what I have planned soon

x2 Turbo Snails
x2 Blue Legged Hermit Crab
x1 Cleaner Shrimp
x3 peppermint Shrimp, help clear off the aips
x1 Brittle Starfish
x3 clams
Deeper sand bed
Soft Corals
Buying 12 different selections of shells from ebay for the hermits to decide which they prefer, only cheap, and hardly go to beaches so.

Updates so far

With which fish to choose I'm thinking of

x2 small clownfish
x1 watchman goby

any other suggestions will be happy to know so please comment.

 

[-Nemo-]

What kind of clams where you looking at? Most clams will get fairly large- and quick! They also need fairly high lighting.

Your fish look good. Can never argue with clowns

 

[didz04]

I'm not sure yet I was thinking of trying out the clams you buy from Sainsbury's which you just slowly drip them with saltwater and they should become live. I will have to find out what type they sell but people have kept them alive for 8 months and they do a very good job.

Also forgot to mention the Tiger Snapping Shrimp as they have good combination with smaller goby's including the watchman and would be interesting to watch how they work as a team with the goby on guard. I think it will interest the people watching the tank.

 

[seffieuk]

to the salty side of TFF

What tank is that and how big?

It's looking interesting one tip, try not to mix your species of hermits, it is just asking for trouble

Seffie x

 

[didz04]

to the salty side of TFF

What tank is that and how big?

It's looking interesting one tip, try not to mix your species of hermits, it is just asking for trouble

Seffie x

Thanks its a 60lt Hailea tank and I am still waiting on my 2 T5 lights to come in from Viscum, will be adding marine LED lights in later. So mixing red and blue hermits will be a bad idea? I know there are many more types but just sticking with the commons.
Sorry if I will be a little slow in replying on here but will definitely reply back also posting on ultimate reef forum.
I'm not sure yet but possibility chance that I may have Eunice I have seen them but can't tell because I can't see the tentacles on the face. They are very quick moving back into the rocks. Someone said on ultimate reef it could be but they not sure from the pics as its not to clear and couldn't get a better shot at the worm. I am a bit worried because I will have to destroy my build nooo lol if I can't catch without moving any rocks because my Turbo Snail died and the shell of it was on its side and saw the worm in the shell. Everytime I scared it by tapping on screen it hides back into the rocks and few minutes later straight back into the shell, must be hungry lol. Does anyone have any idea on how to get rid of them without having to smash open my rock. Any chance a hermit will kill a turbo snail?

HEre's a pic of the worm if anyone can identify it if possible, I'll try to get clearer pics.

Thanks

 

[Harry1996]

it doesn't look like one to me. i have one and it looks a bit like that but mine has a bigger head with 2-4 stick things on the front. i need to get mine out but last time a saw mine was 2 months ago and it could of moved rocks. tip: if the worm moves then it wasn't born in that rock. these worms never move their home when born in it.
my worm also has a red stripe on it as well. their are many types of those worms some eat corals fish and just about any thing else and some dont.

 

[Donya]

Hermit warning: what you've got is not what would normally be called a red-leg. Red-legs are ususally either Paguristes cadenati or Clibanarius digueti/erythropus/ransoni, and yours is none of those. Unfortunately, the stripes and yellow eyes combination isn't ringing any bells off the top of my head. I was about to ask if it has its pinchers intact, but is that a really massive and hairy right claw tucked under the shell?

EDIT: if it's a super-massive claw, I'm going guess Pylopaguropsis fimbriata or a close relative.

 

[didz04]

it doesn't look like one to me. i have one and it looks a bit like that but mine has a bigger head with 2-4 stick things on the front. i need to get mine out but last time a saw mine was 2 months ago and it could of moved rocks. tip: if the worm moves then it wasn't born in that rock. these worms never move their home when born in it.
my worm also has a red stripe on it as well. their are many types of those worms some eat corals fish and just about any thing else and some dont.

Thats interesting to know because since I haven't got a deep sand bed I can see them moving around through the sand. I moved the shell nearer to the front glass to see if they come out to the front then hour later after sticking their heads out now and then probably thinking where the snails shell gone, they travelled through the sand and back into the shell lol. If it isn't what I think it is then thats just a big relief, but I just get this feeling that they could be after I saw the snails shell on its side. Actually never saw them until the snail died. Those 2-4 tentacles you see on an usual Eunice I can't see either on these, could be a chance that they are another type of predatory worm just below the Eunice.

Thanks

 

[didz04]

Hermit warning: what you've got is not what would normally be called a red-leg. Red-legs are ususally either Paguristes cadenati or Clibanarius digueti/erythropus/ransoni, and yours is none of those. Unfortunately, the stripes and yellow eyes combination isn't ringing any bells off the top of my head. I was about to ask if it has its pinchers intact, but is that a really massive and hairy right claw tucked under the shell?

EDIT: if it's a super-massive claw, I'm going guess Pylopaguropsis fimbriata or a close relative.

It was named red-legged hermit at the shop but since they were all in their shells so never got to see them until I brought them home. It has a big claw on its right looks very closly to the Pylopaguropsis fimbriata same colours just like this one, looks prettier than I thought lol. They going to be harder finding the right type of hermit when they are hiding under their shells. Thanks

 

[didz04]

I had been busy for a while so not had much time on the tank. So yeah I had expected the statues to be high as they were (nitrates 40 & nitrites 0.5). However I have made some new changes and added a few more things to the tank. I still need to buy an ammonia test kit since it didn't come in with the package. My nitrite and nitrate stats have gone down, if they are good will I really need to check my ammonia because there should only be any traces at the start when my tank is still settling in.

My tank
Nitrate 20
Nitrite 0

Viscums water
Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0

I went in to Viscum..

1) First thing finally my T5 light were instock but only the white tube since they didn't do blue in t5 (30cm) so I have added the new white tube and the standard blue tube I already had.
2) Secondly I bought another 3.6 kg of 1mm coral sand and its much lighter in colour. My hermits grazing around in sand much more.
3) I did my last rock re-scape yesterday I think lol but hopefully no more, because now there is much more space for my fish to swim around the front, sorry no pic of full tank waiting for it to clear properly, I moved around all the sand and cleaned the screen.
4) Fourthly I swapped a few pieces of my LR for some nice pieces of pulsing xenia coral on a small piece of LR from Boneface from Ultimate Reef forum (nice fella). I got told on ultimate reef xenia should be fine for my t5 lights and they all seem to be thriving since I put them right near the top for enough lighting for them. see pics.
5) I bought more saltwater from Viscum since they take it out of their 5+ year running marine system and I done a 60% water change. This Wednesday going to do 20% and Saturday another 20% and check to see if the stats look good before adding in any fish.

Here are some pics but will try put more on once it clears up :thumbsup:

Flatworm 4"

Brittle Starfish 3cm

Worm also see deeper sand bed

Pulsing Xenia Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

Pic 4

Pic 5

 

[the biffster]

love the set up i am just setting
out in the salty side i am starting
with a 32 ltr micro reef tours looks
sweet i was just wondering how often
do you have to do water changes

 

[didz04]

This is my final rock build and I'm not changing it at all not even one bit lol I've added all the sand and it has gone over all the holes but going to leave it because next week getting my first fish Watchman goby and leaving it to the goby to find all the hidden holes and tunnels JUST KEEP DIGGING just keep digging digging lol.

love the set up i am just setting
out in the salty side i am starting
with a 32 ltr micro reef tours looks
sweet i was just wondering how often
do you have to do water changes

Thanks, if you have a skimmer just keep emptying it once the cup fills up then you wouldn't have to do much, it really depends on your stocking because every tank is different. At the start during the cycle you should be doing 20% but a minimum of 10% of water changes per week because of the high nitrates, nitrites and ammonia, however, once its fully established and the bacteria has caught up you would be fine doing 20% every month. Its best to do smaller water changes every few days working up to the 20% rather than 20% all at once.
Like I said though every tank is different and you will find out yourself how much water change you should be doing and really the only way you're going to know is by checking on your water parameters everyday especially during your cycle.
Have you thought about which fish you want to keep first because in a 32lt setup you wouldn't be able to stock many fish.

 

[jameshiggins]

hi, tanks looking great realy good insperation for me as im in the middle of setting up my river reef 50l which is very simular to yours.

Wot powerhead is that your using? im stuck between the koralia 900 or the 1600, i dont wont it to be to powerfull and the fish blown all over the place lol.


James