MY 1ST MARINE TANK - WATERBOX 20

[leovin13]

Hi guys,

 

I'm a newbie.

 

Got the tank, live sand, rocks (stax), light (AI Prime 16), pump, wave maker, refractometer and 7in1 test kit.

 

Will be getting the saltwater from a marine shop nearby probably this or next weekend to start the process.

 

Taking my time but hope to have it running with fish by Christmas.

 

I just have a number of questions to kick start the process.

 

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[leovin13]

Please excuse my lack of knowledge. 

1. I bought both FILTER SPONGE FILTER MEDIA and BIO-FOAM. Are they the same and to be placed inside the back chamber together with the CARBON WITH NET FILTER MEDIA? 

2. During the water cycling process, do we need to turn on the light? 

3. I hear a few mentioning about adding bacteria and other stuff inside the water. Is that necessary for a nano tank?

4. What type of corals should I start with? 

5. Any other tips?

Thanks in advance, mates. 

[JiaEn]

Welcome to reefing! 

1. Generally the media you place inside the aquarium can be classified into 3 groups.

Mechanical (filter sock, fleece, sponge etc)  to trap the solid particles in water. You need to replace them when they are dirty. 

Biological (siporax, biosphere etc) which is where you grow bacteria to break down ammonia etc. You normally should not disturb them. 

Chemical (carbon,  phosphate media etc) which adsorb soluble substances in the water. You need to replace them as they exhaust. 

The sponge and bio-foam can both act as a mechanical filter and a biological filter.  However,  they are probably not the best options around. If you use them though,  you should set them up such that water flows through the sponge first, which you will replace regularly;  then flows through the biofoam,  which you will leave it undisturbed. 

 

2. It's no harm to turn on the light.  However do note that this probably will cause algae to grow (it's a matter of time anyways). Which means you need to be ready to introduce herbivores, such as snails, to keep them in check. 

 

3. Bacteria may help to speed up the cycle process. It's not necessary though. 

 

4. I do not see any cooling solutions for your aquarium. Do you have any planned? In SG,  temperature is a big factor. 

In any case,  what corals do you fancy?  It's makes more sense to decide what you like, then make sure the aquarium can support it. 

 

5. There are a million and one tips in reefing. Some are based on facts, while some are just like old wife's tale. Keep an open mind and think for yourself, that would be a good place to start. 

 

Happy reefing! 

[leovin13]

Thanks for the advice mate.

Cheers

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[leovin13]

By cooling solutions, do you mean chillers. I got the portable fans.

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[JiaEn]

6 hours ago, leovin13 said:

By cooling solutions, do you mean chillers. I got the portable fans.

This is sufficient. 

[SubzeroLT]

Congrats on embarking on this journey. Fun days ahead.

A couple of points :

 

Refractometer - I hope you got the optical refractometer (not the swing arm type which is inaccurate).

Since you will be using a cooling fan, there will be a lot of evaporation per day. An auto top off system is probably necessary.

For corals, what do you have in mind?

Suggestion is to start with zoanthids, Green Star Polyp (GSP) & duncans. Then proceed to other colorful LPS later on. It really depends on your system setup to be able to support it. Personally I'd avoid things like leather toadstools (release a lot of toxins in a small tank)

[DottyClown]

Any Skimmer?

[leovin13]

Thanks for the tips subzero

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[leovin13]

Any Skimmer?

No mate. What's that for?

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[leovin13]

Congrats on embarking on this journey. Fun days ahead.
A couple of points :
 
Refractometer - I hope you got the optical refractometer (not the swing arm type which is inaccurate).
Since you will be using a cooling fan, there will be a lot of evaporation per day. An auto top off system is probably necessary.
For corals, what do you have in mind?
Suggestion is to start with zoanthids, Green Star Polyp (GSP) & duncans. Then proceed to other colorful LPS later on. It really depends on your system setup to be able to support it. Personally I'd avoid things like leather toadstools (release a lot of toxins in a small tank)

I got this refractometer

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[DottyClown]

Skimmer helps “plucks” the organic nutrients out from the water.

[leovin13]

Skimmer helps “plucks” the organic nutrients out from the water.

Will check that out, thanks.

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[leovin13]

Does anyone know of a substitute for filter socks?

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[dtdream]

1 hour ago, leovin13 said:

Does anyone know of a substitute for filter socks?

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Filter cup and put filter floss inside 

[leovin13]

My 1st day of water cycling.

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[leovin13]

Got a skimmer too as advised. Using the Haqos - Nano Skimmer - PS-50.

1st chamber skimmer with bio bricks at the bottom.

2nd chamber bio black sponge at the bottom, lots of bio bricks in the middle and 3 layers of white filter sponge on top.

3rd chamber just the pump.


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[leovin13]

Just a query. My tank is near window but no direct sunlight. Would using sunshades (like the ones used for car windows) at the sides of the tank help?


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[DottyClown]

Usually you want to have the mechanical filter (ie. Filter sponge) in the first chamber before anything else. So it can filter out most of the detritus before it runs through the rest of your system. You can have your bio bricks in first chamber, after your filter.

If you have your bio-bricks in front, then it will become clogged with detritus very fast.

Not familiar with WaterBox, but is the water level in the compartments meant to be so high in all compartments?

 

Noted that you will be using fan for cooling. So you will have significant water level drop daily, which may affect skimmer operations. Might want consider get an ATO to counter that, unless you monitor very frequently.

[DottyClown]

1 hour ago, leovin13 said:

Just a query. My tank is near window but no direct sunlight. Would using sunshades (like the ones used for car windows) at the sides of the tank help?


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If you manage to block the light, then should not have issue of excessive algae growth through sunlight. But you may have issue with temperature and water loss.

[leovin13]

Thanks Dottyclown.

So you suggesting that i put in the bio bricks at the bottow of the 1st chamber followed by the filter sponge on top?

Then where should i place the skimmer? 2nd Chamber with bio bricks below or in the tank itself?

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[DottyClown]

Yes, the tank water should go through the sponge filter first, before going to any other media like your bio-bricks.

So have to move your Skimmer to 2nd chamber.

I’m not familiar with bio-bricks, but you maybe can consider placing them in a media bag (or tie them together) before putting at the bottom of the chamber. This way, easier to remove from the narrow chamber if you need to take them out for rinsing. Or if they do break into smaller pieces, you have less headache “fishing” for all the loose pieces.

[leovin13]

Thanks for the advice. Will do so shortly.

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[leovin13]

Week 2- Skimmer shifted to middle chamber as advised.

1st chamber - few bio media brick below in bag and filter sponges

2nd chamber - lots of bio media bricks in bag, black media sponge and skimmer

3rd chamber - charcoal and pump

Salinity spot on as measured via refractometer.

Almost there with Nitrite.

Perhaps cleaning crew next week.

Thanks for the advice.

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[leovin13]

Changed 20% water. Continuing with water cycle.

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