Ok Ladies and Gents I have my new tank and it is set up partially I started it with 20lbs of Black Hawaiian Sand and 9lbs of Figi Live Rock which I know i need about 15 more pds. I did fill up my tank with premixed RO Saltwater instead of Tap water lol! So here is what I am asking I know Friday I need to put more live rock in there! So I know know I need to Wait! but when do i know when to put the raw shrimp in my tank and when to put my Clean up Crew in there! Hope you can help me by awnsering these ?'s Thanks Rusty
Well, I am not sure of your total system set-up, meaning sump, fuge, or both. But I will first say that you do not have to have a specific rock to gallon ratio....meaning don't pile rock into your tank just because you heard of read you need X amount of live rock. Live rock is crucial for tank health but it is not a great filter in closed systems. Live rock is needed for Maine fauna like pods and other micro organisms. Aqua-scape your display to your creative liking and to house fish and coral, keeping in mind that the more sand bed exposure, the less detritus accumulation. Now the actual answer, throw that stuff in the tank and let it cycle. Some now and some later simply starts the cycle over. Read about the Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate cycle first and foremost. After about a week of the shrimp in the water start checking Nitrate. This is important!! Resist ALL urges to place livestock into your tank until the tank cycles. This will probably not be a short 2 week process. Along with the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate spikes your going to get an algae bloom. It will last however long it last. Once the bloom is dying off and Nitrate is stable at less than 10, some may suggest lower, began adding live stock. Add slowly. Be very familiar with the Nitrate cycle and how it begins. You may test Nitrate after a week and have lower level, this is just the calm before the storm. Some fish will survive with Nitrates at 200+, just as you and I would survive someone spiking our food with Arsenic for several weeks. However, eventually the poison wins if not eliminated. Oh, and as stated above, not sure if you have fuge, but I believe they are absolutely necessary for long term success.
I have a 24 gallon JBJ Nano Cube! and i have decided to make the sand bed just a little bit deeper that what it is now i am going to add another 20 lb bag of Black Hawaiian Sand If I can find somone who carries it Friday and then I will finish with my live rock and then Start the Waiting Process of my tank to Cycle my Tank is reading 68 deg right now so what would be a good heater for the Nano Cube So I can pick that up friday as well! RustyÂ
Try PMing Schillerstreetreef or Nanoreefing4fun as they both have nano tanks and familiar with equipment for running them.
Good advise above... most nano tanks won't have problems being to cold, some running chillers - I would suggest setting your temp on 78 & watch how the tank does... On your cycle... get all your live rock that you want in the tank... depending on how porous your LR is, I would suggest around one pound per gallon - get a deli shrimp, mush it up a bit, toss it in & let it decay. start testing... over the next few weeks, depending on the state of your LR, the die off on it & how cured it is... (every LR is different) you should see the ammonia raise & then fall to zero, once this happen the nitrites will start to rise & then fall to zero, then the nitrates will rise - once your ammonia & nitrites are zero - start water changes to reduce the nitrates, 30% for the 1st water change and then 15% weekly. All this will take from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, depending on the state of your LR. Once you have done the above - the tank is cycled... then you can add a cuc (clean-up-crew) and maybe a 1st coral, Go Slow adding fish - fish = bioload, one a month or maybe a pair is a good suggestion. Hope this helps... and Good luck with your new tank !
Here a post I made at Reef Sanctuary - never more appropriate then when starting out... A collection of sw reefing tips for success - can you spot the recurring theme? Be Patient. Ecosystems do not develop over night! Go Slow, relax and enjoy every step of the process. Have lots of patience, don't rush it. Nothing good ever happens fast in a saltwater tank. Learn the art of GO S-L-O-W!! patience will be your biggest virtue. Just remember to go slow and do your research Go slow....slower than you think The trick is to go slow... The best advice anyone here has give me is GO SLOW Rules for Reef tanks 1. Go SLow 2. Go slow 3. GO slow Nothing happens fast in a salt tank except bad things so go slow The biggest advice that I could give you is that you should go very slow Just go slow. Slow, slow, slow is my best advise Go slow and do things right and your setup will thank you for it later Remember the number one rule of reefing,,GO SLOW... Go slow and enjoy..never rush any decisions ever..do nothing on impulse. Go slow, and during that time, read, and practice the maintenance routines of water changes A reef tank is like a race car. The faster you go the harder you crash "gospel" of reef tanks ... go slow...
