My 10gal Nano Diary

[Opcn]

If you are going to have digging critters its best to lay down something on the glass (like a thin piece of acrylic) then the first layer of Live rock, then pour the sand in around the rock. People have had critters dig out from under the rocks, causing a rock slide that kills the critter and can break your tank.

 

[fish_keeper2]

Yup I did spend 50 bucks on it. It was the only place near me that had them at the time besides walmart but I didnt feel like driving for 30 min when i can walk for 10. I would just go into your local phone book and call up all the lfs intown and ask if they carry LR and RO water and what thier prices are. I wouldnt worry about premixed salt water, I would just get a bag of salt.....why pay 25 cents more per gal when you can mix it yourself.

I forgot to add: Mag_float $8

 

[fish_keeper2]

If you are going to have digging critters its best to lay down something on the glass (like a thin piece of acrylic) then the first layer of Live rock, then pour the sand in around the rock. People have had critters dig out from under the rocks, causing a rock slide that kills the critter and can break your tank.

SH suggested that i get 3 astraea and 3 Nassarius snails and I also want a cleaner shrimp and a couple hermits. Im not sure if any of those are digging or not, i would think the nassarius are since liveaquaria says they like to hide in the sand.

I cant believe Im going to ask a question now ) but is there anything I need to do after I have the whole tank set including the live rock besides monitering the water stats?

 

[steelhealr]

That's it..set up, aquascape, and don't forget that you'll now have to do something different that FW tanks don't need....topoff with pure water. So, s.g. checks now become routine..until you know how your tank evaporates water.

BTW...just to always keep things interesting, my setup was done all at once and in the same tank. SW was mixed first (after a week of testing the tank for leaks, heat, pump operation, etc). I took a 1/3rd out....placed my first layer of LR straight on the glass bottom, then added a layer of my LR base, filled in with sand, then did the rest of my aquascaping. Made it easier getting every thing in at once. You can always readjust your aquascaping after. Why did I do this? I had read several texts that suggested that doing this will reduce blind spots underneath the rock, and, if you have some burrowers, this my prevent the aquascape from shifting. FWIW. SH

 

[fish_keeper2]

oh ok. thanks for the help. since I got the tank ive just been running every thing(except live sand) on declhorinated tap water and i kept the SG around 1.022 and temp at ~78 degrees F. BTW im will empty all this water out once I get the RO water and LR.

So if i put some good sturdy pieces of LR on the bottom then the sand and then the rest of the LR then the aquascaping should be pretty safe?

 

[steelhealr]

It should be if you do a good job of interlocking the rock, but, not too tightly to alloww flo thru. Caves, ledges are all good. Check out your lfs to see if they have some aquarium epoxy putty. That can really help to secure it. I think we've all suffered at least one rockslide. SH

 

[fish_keeper2]

Ill check that out. BTW do you or anyone else here know any great sites that I can order marine fish, inverts, and soft corals from that will ship to the US besides liveaquaria.com. Im sure I can get everything from my fav lfs that im going to get my RO water and LR from but just incase you know.

 

[parker313]

Check out www.aquabid.com - it's like ebay for fish stuff. There's not much for SW, but there is some. The benefit is that you can find sellers who will ship USPS Priority instead of Overnight and you can save a TON of money. It's getting a bit chilly for that now, but when the weather is milder, it should be just fine especially if your stuff isn't coming from too far away.

Another one I've had good luck with is www.seacrop.org - they have a great selection of nano sized corals.

I like liveaquaria a lot b/c they have a $25 shipping charge, which is less than the $45 overnight that many places charge.

 

[steelhealr]

Also, checkout marinedepot.com; there is also etropicals.com, but, a division under Drs. F/S. SH

 

[fish_keeper2]

I just got back from my fav lfs. I picked up 15lbs of fijian live rock for $75 and 20 gals of RO water for $5(he changed the price from when I was in there last ). I just found out that I now have a small black snail and a baby feather duster. I also think there is a sponge.....its pale yellow, has a honey comb look to it and is firm to the touch. WOW, Im so happy now.....the tank looks wonderfull. The owner of the lfs said that the live rock has been in the holding tank he keeps them in for about 2.5 months so there wont be too much die back.......I hope the feather duster does well(Im sure its a feather duster because I touched it lightly with a fish net and it shot into the whole in the live rock it was in)..............I cant get over how wonderfull the tank already looks

 

[fish_keeper2]

Tank is going well. The feather duster is still alive. Dont know about the snail, i didnt see it this morning. The water has cleared up quite a bit but i think the sponge is dying, this morning it was pale almost white and there was stuff comming off of it.

I tested the water last night before I went to bed and here are the stats:
Temp: 25C/77F
SG 1.024
PH 8.3
Ammonia .25
nitrite 0
nitrate 0
ALK "normal"

I also noticed that there is also another small(like around 1cm) sponge growing. Its red and kinda looks like a tree brach. There is also a small soft coral of a simmilar size that looks like a tree. I cant wait till i can start stocking the tank.

 

[steelhealr]

Some thoughts:

1) don't add any livestock until your ammonia and nitrite are at zero and nitrates are

2) depending on what you are going to keep in your tank, 77 degrees seems a little cool to me. I keep mine at about 80, but, 78-79 would be better IMO. SH

 

[fish_keeper2]

Some thoughts:

1) don't add any livestock until your ammonia and nitrite are at zero and nitrates are

2) depending on what you are going to keep in your tank, 77 degrees seems a little cool to me. I keep mine at about 80, but, 78-79 would be better IMO. SH

the nirates are at what?

and nitrates are

I know that the temp is a bit low. The RO water was about 65 or so when I got home and I checked the temp a few hrs after I had the tank set up completely. Its probly about 80 now.

I know I cant add livestock yet. I just cant wait till Im able to.

I have a question: do I have to worry about feeding the feather duster now? if so what do I feed it?

 

[parker313]

Nitrates in a nano can be anywhere from 5-10. You're not going to get a perfect 0 for that.

Yes, you should feed the feather duster - some phytoplankton would be good. You can spot feed with a dropper or syringe.

 

[fish_keeper2]

Thanks parker313. Ill pick some up soon. BTW I think its safe to say that the sponge is dead, I think its because it was out of the water for too long. Its now bone white and only a little bit of "stuff" comming off of it. The snail, baby feather duster, baby "tree" coral, and the other baby sponge are still alive. I had a good look at everything today and there is some good looking red and purple coraline algea growing .

I was wondering if I can get an ID on my snail. Its almost flat, oval shape, black and on the back side is a white spot. It also is always staying near little holes on the LR.

Tested my water again today:
Temp: 80F(just like i thought )
PH: 8.3
ALK: "normal"
Ammonia: 0-.25(cloor is too green to be zero but too yellow to be .25)
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0