Starting A Nano Tank

[SkiFletch]

The Live Rock rubble is there for its biological filtering capabilities. It does not require light for this function.

There are some things that can survive on LR which is why we light it in the aquarium. This does not matter if just being used as filtration.

There are also certain filterfeeding organisms that do not survive well in an environment with light. They will tend to congregate in the canister and filter water themselves. Things like sponges and tunicates love dark areas and will really help your tank by eating organic particulate before it can decompose to nitrate and phosphate.

 

[hwoarangtag]

I read a lot of ppl place an extra powerhead in the first chamber of the JBJ nano cube. But how do you position it (facing back, left, front, or right)?
And wouldn't that make the current so quick that the water doesnt have enough time to traverse to the other chambers so it would flood over from above the chamber?
~ ------>
~ |
|~|~~|~~~|~~~|
|~|~~|~~~ ~~~|
|~|~~|~~~|~~~|
|pump LR ~|pump|
|____|____|____|

Sorry for the art...

 

[hwoarangtag]

I am starting to see white + brown little bugs swimming in the tank; is this ok?

 

[TigerIssey]

Perfectly Norrmal, that is your bug supply that can act as food.

 

[hwoarangtag]

woohoo! I guess i am getting near the end of cycle! nitrite seems to be decreasing.

 

[seffieuk]

I think half the fun is in the waiting and planning

Seffie x

 

[hwoarangtag]

what is weird is nitrite is going towards 0 ( i think 0.1 now since the color is between 0 and 0.25) But Nitrate is ALSO at 0. I thought that nitrate should spike sky rocket when nitrite is decreasing during cycle. is that not correct?

 

[Musho3210]

what is weird is nitrite is going towards 0 ( i think 0.1 now since the color is between 0 and 0.25) But Nitrate is ALSO at 0. I thought that nitrate should spike sky rocket when nitrite is decreasing during cycle. is that not correct?

With all the algae that was created during the cycle, you probably wont get a super high reading of nitrate as it has been processed by the algae. Plus you probably have some anaerobic bacteria deep in your live rock that can process nitrates into harmless nitrogen gas.

Its nothing to be worrying over.

 

[hwoarangtag]

alright! i think the cycle is done.
Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 0
PH = 7.8
Salinity = 1.021

How much water change should i do go? 10%, 20% or 50%?

Thanks

 

[TigerIssey]

Are you doing waterchanges now with higher SG water. I would aim for 1.025-1.026 as stated earlier in the thread by Ski.

Otherwise it looks like CUC time. I would add corals till have the SG up a bit though.

 

[owlbassboy]

agree with tina id work on getting the sg up before adding corals. just do water changes of slightly higher sg and when topping up use salted water instead of ro until you reach 1.024-1.026

i would now add some clean up crew first mate

 

[hwoarangtag]

I am! I will probably do 20% (about 2 gallons) @ 1.030 to level out the SG water to ~ 1.025 - 1.026.

 

[hwoarangtag]

Added one red leg hermit and one blue leg hermit + one domino damsel (will be removed eventually)

I have about 7 pounds of LR and 15 pounds of argonite sand.
PH is always @ 7.8 - 7.9. How can this be raised? I read that is should be > 8

Thanks

 

[youngfisher]

Am I missreading, or have you just bought a fish that your planning to remove anyway?
Seems a bit pointless IMO.

YF

 

[hwoarangtag]

I just bought a cheap one to test the status of the cycle - e.g. i will remove him once i do not see any amonia or nitrite spike.