Help me with my new 2Ft nano tank

[Naraen]

Hi Friends. Am brand new to this forum. Had a marine tank about 5years back but due to bad advice and impatience it lasted only 4 months. After long consideration decided to recon an old 2ft x 1ft x 1 ft tank to setup marine. Only after buying sme essentials I realised I was getting nto the hobby of Nano Reef tanks and am very glad i m in it. Just for the records on 28th June I washed my old tank and purchased the following from a shop at Yishun:

Bio Sea Salt

pH testkit

NitrateMinus

Cooling Fan

Powerhead with Filter

Coral Sand

T5 light with 2 white tube

Bacteria

Hydrometer

Instructions from the shopkeeper was to stabilise water at 1.023sg and pH8.3 then add rocks.

He also advised to cycle tank for 4 weeks.

Since Jalan Kayu was selling rocks at a dollar less I purchased 6 kg of rocks at Jalan Kayu on 1st July 2007 and scaped the tank on the same night.

Advise from Jalan Kayu was to cycle tank for 2 weeks before adding fishes....confused

Ons shop say 4 weeks and another say 2 weeks...which to follow....

Finally today went to Reborn at Lavender and just enquired the price of 1 coral which was $8 then told him I just added rocks yesterday and waiting for water to cycle and he said if water is clear i can already add the coral more confused....anybody can tell me next step to do???

PS. I am not having and not intending to have a Filter and Skimmer cos i read at www.nano-reef.com that the best filtration is biological filtration and am trying to go by it. Understand that for biological filtration need to change 20% water once a week...Fridays are water change days..haha

Willing to listen to any advice and question any advice that sounds controversial for clarification

[Naraen]

[Naraen]

sorry for big picture..will resize the rest

[glim18]

Patience...having an extended cycling time won't do any harm as compared to a short cycling time in which the tank may not be ready. Just ensure that the water in the tank is always moving. You didn't say how deep your sand bed is.

[hammy]

Cycling period is about a month . However, u need 3 testkits, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, to verify that ur cycling period is over.

Ammonia will peak first and decrease significantly, then nitrite will peak and then decrease significantly , your cycling period is over when ur ammonia and nitrite register undetachable value and the nitrate show some elevated value .

it is still good to have a skimmer IMHO because it does help the system when u are slack in some tank husbandry.

IMPOSSIBLE TO CYCLE IN 1 DAY.

[Naraen]

Thanks alot hammy and glim18..anyway my sandbed is about 2inch thick. I am attaching a pic of my tank taken on 1st July 2007. Pls advise me on the scaping and if there are enough rocks..So just out of curiosity..once the tank is cycled fish first or corals??what are anemones...what pattern to stock up on LS???

[Crept]

Definately fish first bro....

[Naraen]

Any idea how much a good quality test kit will cost fo Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate..and best cost effective place to purchase it?

[hammy]

Any idea how much a good quality test kit will cost fo Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate..and best cost effective place to purchase it?

east side -- petmart

west side -- C328

try salifert .

[Naraen]

Hammy> Where is C328

[Naraen]

Hi Friends...Need some advice again...Saw some Living Stuff on my rocks...Believe it is an anemone if i am correct...took a picture of it...This is happening in 3 days of adding live rock...What is it??can somebody ID and what does this mean abt the water condition. Attached is the photo taken on 3rd July 2007

[hammy]

Hi Friends...Need some advice again...Saw some Living Stuff on my rocks...Believe it is an anemone if i am correct...took a picture of it...This is happening in 3 days of adding live rock...What is it??can somebody ID and what does this mean abt the water condition. Attached is the photo taken on 3rd July 2007

The pic is not too clear .. it may be a hitchhiker zoa, apstasia, or mushy... seem like it is reaching for light.

No one can tell u your water condition based on the pic other than your test kit =)

C328 == Clementi Block 328

[aha8]

kpo abit, resize the pic.

looks like rock anemone or button polyp coral, not sure if harmful?

[jasment]

its a paly.

seeing that your tank is without surface cycling you might have a layer of oil-liked film on the water surface in no time and it will deter water-air exchange which is crucial to your livestocks.

I had a 9'', then 16'' then 2' and have been battling with this problem.

it will at least be good to have those cheap atman hang-on type thing to cycle the surface water, and a hang-on skimmer like the prizm to work..

my 2 cents

[ambystoma82]

kpo abit, resize the pic.

looks like rock anemone or button polyp coral, not sure if harmful?

hey nice blasto u gt there..

a colour variation rarely seem..

still in ur tank ?

[aha8]

Off topic,

ambystoma82, i thought the blasto was dis-color-ing, from red to orange. Thks for the compliment.

[Naraen]

jasment> thanks for ur advice. Got a Atman Hang on filter last weekend. Water condition looks better. Replaced the cartride with Carbon and cotton and

ambystoma82> yup it is stii in the tank...lloks rather healthy. Added 3 damsels last weekend and everything looks good Also got some 'freebies' with the live rock i think. Spotted a crab last night but couldn't have a good look at it was hiding. couldn't find it in the morning and also spotted something with feelers just now but also got no idea what it is. it is in a small hole in the rock...

[Naraen]

what is a blasto anybody?

[monpire]

Doesn't look like a blasto...do you have a better pic of it?

[ClOwNy_LoVeR]

i think it looks lik red button.bro how about getting a canister filter?and definately try to get a skimmer:)