2006 model 12g nano cube dx

[roo]

Since this is my first post, I figure I should introduce myself...my name is roo and I'm located in Long Beach, California. We have no shortage of local places where we can buy anything we need here.....but there is also no shortage of ignorant (or just downright shady) stores that will feed you information just to make a sale.

I've been lurking on the board for the past few days. Being new to saltwater aquariums in general, forums like this are an amazing resource and there appears to be many helpful and very genuine members on this particular board. (this it what encouraged me to join as well as undertake this new hobby)

I was reading through all the posts regarding tanks, specifically nano cubes. For me, the size and dimensions of the 12g nano cube were perfect but as many members pointed out, they are not cheap and may require upgrades. With this in mind, I set out to see what all our local places had available. The first place I visited was quite scary. Small, hole in the wall deal where I wouldn't dare buy anything living from....but I was more concerned with a tank so I went in anyways. Fortunately for me, they had two of the 12g nano cubes...the regular model and the dx. Places like this never have prices on anything and after some arguing between the workers, they told me $119 for the dx. From all my searching, this was close to $50 less than anywhere else so I picked it up. That was quick and easy...they tried to sell me some live rock and live sand but if you had seen the place, you'd understand why I didn't want to buy anything living from them.

The next stop was cleaner but was half empty...not very encouraging. I decided to hit up the place I go for my fresh water setup. (They are super clean, have excellent service, and seem to actually care about what they sell) 30 minutes later I had 12 lbs of live rock, 20lbs of live sand, 10gallons of catalina water, and a bottle of cycle.

So here I am now with the tank getting started and I have a few newb questions...

1.) It looks like I got the 2006 model as this has the moon LED's built into the unit. I know alot of people on here reccomended upgrading this and that on the older models but I saw someone saying the 2006 model might be fine as it is? What do you think, if anything, needs to be upgraded?

2.) Temperature....I live in Long Beach....it's like a giant oven here recently. I've been monitoring the temperature since I set it up about 12 hours ago and it seems to be a steady 82-83 degrees. While I'm unsure about fish for the moment, I want this tank to be covered in corals, anemone, and the like. What temperature should I be aiming for and what do you suggest I use to maintain that temperature, seeing as how warm it is here.

3.) So I'm on day 1 here with a 12g tank, catalina water, 12lbs of live rock, and 20lbs of live sand. I added the reccomended dosage of cycle for a new aquarium. How long should I expect to wait until the tank is ready for adding anything? In what order should things be added?

 

[Anonymous]

welcome - and nice start
temp - if that was your temp with the lights/pump on and it maintains that for a few days you'll be fine - summer temps that high are just fine, just try to keep it under 84/5 for sure, because above that you'll have probs. normally i recommend that you just run the actinic bulb during the cycle phase but just out of couriosity i would leave the lights, pump, and heater on for a couple days and moniter the temp - if it stays at those temps (not big swings between night and day), then shut down the white light. your going to get a diatom bloom pretty much no matter what but this will help to curb the green stuff from getting started yet allow the coraline algae to survive
i'm not sure what mods they made on the 06 version other then i think thicker glass (to avoid the craking troubles they were experiencing) so you'll likely still have surface skimming issues - the cassette case mod is the easiest i've read about to fix that issue. and i don't know how big a pump they put in there so you may or may not need to add another small power head to help the flow
the lighting on the dx is 48W (one actinic one 10K right?) so even without an upgrade to that you'll be fine keeping zoas, shrooms, candies, and most of the lower light corals.
start very slow! 2 weeks just actinic light (3 gal water change) , 2 more weeks with white light (3 gal water change) and test your water at least every weekend for that month to see how it progresses. when no ammonia/NO2 present do another water change and you can begin slowly
bioload - i add critters in this order which is a little outside the norm - if you want a few snails or hermits you add them first, then a few hardy corals like shrooms or zoas, and last a couple fish. most people like to add fish right away but IMO it should be fish last cause this gives the tank a little more time to be ready for the ammonia they produce, and to take care of the nutrients you'll add feeding them. add slowly only 1 or 2 things a week building the bioload up slowly over the next couple months. patience will give you a beautiful reef tank in 6 months instead of an algae farm and graveyard this also gives you time to research any purchases you plan on making so as to develop a cool them for your tank
again welcome to a great hobby!

 

[skipm]

:welcome to the board.
The '06 model should already have a surface skimmer and upgraded return pump. If you want to automate the lighting with timers you can buy an upgrade kit for under $20 from www.nanotuners.com . As I recall running the lights like John and Dawn suggest isn't an option because 1. both lights are on a single switch and 2. I think both bulbs are 50/50s and not an actinic and a white bulb, that being the case after a few days of experimentation concerning what the highest temps are going to be just leave the lights off with the exception of when you want to peek in the tank (hey, we all do it).
I am sure that you have already read about the easy upgrades you want to do like removing all of the bioballs and ceramic rings and all but one of the sponges which you will remove at least weekly and give it a good rinsing out to prevent the build up of nitrates.
From what I could see it appears that you got some nice looking LR. I also like the way you aquascaped your tank. The length of your cycle depends on a number of things with one of the main ones being how well cured the LR you bought already is. If it is completely cured you may have your tank completely cycled in a couple of weeks but I would plan on it taking a month just so you aren't rushing things which could end up with you spending money on livestock that isn't going to make it. I prefer to go for a week after ammonia and nitrite readings are 0 before adding livestock. I also opt for adding cleaners first and I also avoid pre-packaged kits, they always seem to have way to many of eveything and some of the janitors end up dying off. I usually want to start with about 4-6 small nassarious snails, a couple of cerith snails and on e of the smaller snails that stays on the LR and glass like margarita, astrea, or trochus snails. Avoid snails like the turbos because they get way too big and act like bulldozers, especially in a small tank like a NC.
Be patient and don't try to hurry things along and you'll be up and running with a full reef in no time at all. Use this time to decide on the corals and fish that you plan on keeping and if you want you can post them here and we'll do our best to help you make informed decisions about your livestock purchases. Good luck and I look forward to hearing more from you in the future.

 

[Anonymous]

skipm - the JBJ only has one switch and 50/50 bulbs??? thats a bummer, the aquapod i have set up as my QT tank, has independent lighting with 27W dual actinic/dual white bulbs. hmmm, so yea, sorry for the misinformation roo - my bad
- do as skipm suggested with the lights and then slowly build your lighting schedual up an hour or so at a time.........

 

[EDGRAY]

:welcome Roo and well i agree on what skipm said and well sounds like he cover everything well and also just wanted to say that there are alot of nice DIY that you can do to your cube and well for me even with the upgraded pump is not enough you should consider this too mod i keep recommend them to all nanocube owners cause i did it and what a difference on the flow in my tank:

Combo Hydro&pump
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.p ... =58149&hl=

Double combo Hydro&pump
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.p ... opic=59497

thats it and well any further questions your nanotank family is at your service and well also any else that i could help you.... here I'm...and well if you ever want to go LFS hunting tell me i know some Im at Long beach,ca too.... ohh and you dont have to miss going to http://www.aquadesignz.com/softcorals.htm..

ill send you the address later today of that LFS and well is about 45m-1hour drive all depending on trafic a nice place too go and really colorful stuff things that you wont see in our surrounding LFS...also for fish quide check one of the stickis on bigginer or general aread there is one that covers well what kind of fish you can get.. :mrgreen:

So Happy to have you here....

 

[roo]

You guys are correct when it comes to the newer model lighting being all on one switch. Also, it's really odd having the on/off switch on the ballast but then there is a seperate convinient switch on the hood for the moonlight LEDs. So just to make sure I understand, I should leave the lights off except when viewing.....and monitor the temps, so long as they remain where they are, no heating/cooling will be neccesary?

As far as the nano cube goes, the single page instructions were at least helpful in reccomending I remove the ceramic rings and bioballs from the rear section. I didn't remove any sponges though so I will check that when I get home. I need to check the actual specs on the lighting and pump. (though with this size tank and as much LR as I have in there, there seems to be a good current in there)

The LR I got is fiji....it was the best looking and best maintined I could find throughout all the shops. I forgot to ask the shop as far as it being cured, however, the tank they had it in was nothing but LR and looked like what I've seen in some of the curing pictures I've seen online. (I'm sorry, i still don't have a 100% full grasp on what the curing is/does)

The cycle treatement I bought said to add it once a week for 2 weeks with a new tank and then it should be ready to go. (I plan on buying the needed water test kits today and to keep a record of all the data I collect.) The guys at the shop said normally a new tank takes about a month to cycle but with the cycle treatement, it can be shortened to 1-2 weeks. I'm a patient guy and I have no intentions on rushing this but do you think the tank will be ready for the beginings of a cleaning crew in roughly 2 weeks? I also read something about adding damselfish or something that would create waste? Is this reccomended or can you explain this to me?

ED- where in Long Beach are you? I'm right near Bellflower and the 405. I would totally appriciate the local help and that neat shop that you spoke of. Even before my tank is ready for anything, I'm very excited to go to shops and see what's available.

 

[skipm]

The nano fish guide that Eddy was talking about is a sticky in the "Reef Fish" forum. Here is a link to it: http://www.nanotank.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2758 .
On the lights you can leave them on for a couple of days to be able to see the highest temp your tank reaches and then leave them off unless you are tankwatching.
A cycle and waste go hand in hand. Adding a fish or a cocktail shrimp is one way of adding waste to the tank, this waste is then broken down by 2 different bacterias (nitrosomas and nitrobacters). The first converts toxic ammonia into nitrites and the second converts the less toxic nitrites into nitrates. When referring to LR being fully cured it is kinda the same thing, when LR is harvested it is going to have some die-off of the organisms that live on the LR, these dead organisms also produce waste and the waste is processed in the same way and when it is fully cycled the LR is cured. In both cases the bacterias I mentioned grow on the porous surface of the LR. This is also why when you start adding livestock to the aquarium you want to do so in small increments instead of dumping everything in there at once. Your tank only grows as much bacteria as is needed to process the waste your tank produces and when you make additions to the tank you are adding more waste and you need to give the bacteria time to multiply to be able to process the added waste. I hope I haven't made this more complicated for you.

 

[EDGRAY]

Well im located at cherry between 5 & 6st and well what stores you have gone i bet to Strictly Fish (hate that store really rude), Circle pet those are in hour areas but there are 3 that i like alot the one mentioned the other one on your way to LA (main st) Jeff's Exotics & Tongs on fount valley the best for frags!!! and well wenever you need a LFS trip or a Emergency if im not at work im there for any that needs me if im helpful... :lol: :mrgreen:

talking about Light yeah it sucks the way they manufactured ohh well... but you'll be fine with it just get a timer and leave bouth switch on 24/7 and well you can get a timer at ACE they are like the cheapest ones they run around $6-12 or there are also the other kind that LFS sells i bet you have seen it....

About using damsels to cycle .... they say is really cruel is like being in a close room with 25 smokers :lol: but i did it like that and my damsels (really hardy fish) made it all the way and i kept them for a month 1/2 until was time to say good bye and go back to the LFS and get my clown :mrgreen: ....

Happy reefing ohh yeah ill send you the LFS address ..

 

[roo]

Ed, the clean store I was talking about that I bought the LR, LS, and water from was Strickly Fish. Like I said, out of all the places I've been, they were the best kept, and most helpful. That sucks that they were rude to you. They were extremely friendly and helpful when I went there. I actually go there alot for my freshwater tank because they stock alot of goodies and I've never had a bad experience with anything I bought there.

So the Damselfish method is basically to add, say 2 of them, right now and it will help establish the bacteria?

I took the initial readings today....

83 degrees with lamp on

Ammonia .375
Nitrite .15
Nitrate 0
PH 7.9
Calcium 400

I put together a quick spreadsheet with a line graph in Excel so I can easily watch the cycle and get and idea of what's going on...

As far as salinity goes, with this small of a tank, what is the best testing method? Also, since I will be purchasing the Catalina water instead of mixing it, what is the best way to maintain salinity? How long is the purchased catalina water good for in the storage containers? I have about 4 gallons left over from the start of the tank...should I save it or toss it and buy new water again when needed?

 

[EDGRAY]

Well really weird that they are helpful cause normally strictly as@#$ are really rude and not helpful at all and well they havent been rude only to me i ask other people from other threads and they agree with me .. jesse (reefman23) agrees too but is up to the person i guess???? but well they look clean but they dont know nothing really ... and corals are way to over price and not a great variation ... even if you dont believe circle pet is a better place to get fish i had never got a problem with them unlike fish from strictly F. or even Tongs.... i like all the LFS for different reasons...but is up to each reefer to see the good of every store....

The best way and best inversion to read you salinity is a REFRACTOMETER check them on ebay or liveaquaria.com they are some really cheap ones .... but if you want them now i think strictly a@#$ have them for $100 but you can get them for $50-75 at ebay or other online store...
about your water it will be ok just add a pump or airstone a day before using it and you'll be fine but i rather get my water one day before water change so i know is fresh water :mrgreen:

P.S: about damsels not recommended but the way the help is that they create waste that will help your cycle to be faster so if you want to get them get 1-2 but when you plan to take them back you will have to take your LR out cause is really hard to catch them....

 

[roo]

Ed, sounds like you really don't like them hehe. Their prices are a bit higher than other places but if there's one thing I learnied in life, it's that when you have the choice, paying a little more for quality pays off in the long run. I can see how one of their employees seemed kind of stuck up...but the guy that helped me seemed to do his best to be helpful. But....you're right, it's always good to check all the local places to see what's available and what's going on. I'll probably make it to more shops this week to see what's available.

 

[EDGRAY]

Well to be honest i used to like strictly F. everything looks nice like you say.... and well thats the place were i got my tank and my stand and well one guys was really helpful one day too then the other days was only actitude and is not like i didnt try i went like 10 times to their store (always got something) and no always actitud and superiority so i was like fuc@! this you know im not giving my money to them so i went to circle pet not as clean but they are more friendly crew explains everything and more fish that you wont find in stricly fish... alot of goby family and fish for nanoes then found tongs same alot of fish and corals and prices ok in bouth not too bad and then passion of the sea and that guy is great too....alot of colorful stuff the only bad things are that he is too far and most of his corals are wild caught so you have to dip them on iodine & freshwater to prevent pests to get in your tank ....

But anyways you gonna love all the LFS from here sometimes i feel like a visiting a candy store lol full of sweets and treats :lol: :lol:

P.S: Ill try to give you the address of other LFS that i know there is 2 in fount valley 1 huntington, 1 in costa mesa and uhh forgot for best crocea clams prices you have to go to the LFS of cerritos :mrgreen: ... mentioning all so you can see them all and see all that is out there and what to really get..

 

[roo]

Which Tongs do you reccomend?

Tongs Tropical Fish & Pets
8976 Warner Ave
Fountain Valley, CA 92708

Tongs Tropical Fish & Pets
15250 Whittier Blvd
Whittier, CA 90603

 

[EDGRAY]

I just know the 1st one and i love it really... and well ill have to go and check out the second one at whittier,ca..

P.S: Whats up with your avatar why a bunny eating lemon/orange??? lol is cute...

 

[roo]

I just went to circle. It's not big but it was nice and the staff were very friendly. It's super close to my place which helps. I'll have to check out Tongs on the weekend as I need to get to the uni now.

The avatar, well, it's kinda of a joke between my friends. I'm not Japanese but I used to live in Japan and I'm fluent. It's kinda of a stereotype that people that learn Japanese are the hermit otaku type who have no lives other than anime and video games. (which sadly, was true of alot of people I met when I was overthere.) Anyhow, I'm quite the opposite but as a joke on one of the boards I moderate, I made my avatar and sig super cute....and then when I tried to change it, everyone complained so I ended up keeping it hehe. So yeah, that's the story behind it.

 

[proraptor]

The only good thing about Tongs in fountain valley is their frag tank everything else is super expensive...

I didnt really like the tongs in whittier, Their prices were better on corals but no prices were listed and they didnt have a frag tank....

Coral oasis in Irvine is still my favorite store...

 

[roo]

The only good thing about Tongs in fountain valley is their frag tank everything else is super expensive...

I didnt really like the tongs in whittier, Their prices were better on corals but no prices were listed and they didnt have a frag tank....

Coral oasis in Irvine is still my favorite store...

Thanks for the input! I'll have to check out Coral Oasis.

So update on day 3 of my tank.....

Nitrate has gone from 0 to 12

Nitrite has gone from .15 to 0

Ammonia started at .375, dipped to .15 the next day and is now climing again at .25

This is still just 20lbs of LS and 12 lbs of LR. Any suggestions at this point? Is this normal? Should I add something to create waste?

pH is at 7.9 (going to add some pH marine buffer for this)

Temp...now this is seeming like it's going to be tricky. Yesterday it got up to 86! That is with the light on. This morning I woke up at 9:30 and turned the light on, it was at 78. Checked again at noon and it was still 78 (light was on the whole time) I come home from work at about 7 and the temp is back up at 83/84. I tried leaving the front open with a small fan but nothing changed until I opened the whole top and left the fan on it. (now it's down to 80) I plan on keeping the light off for the rest of the cycle and monitoring the temperature but my guess from what I've seen (and read) so far, the temperature in my room is most likely the bigger cause of the heat. I did alot of searching on cooling but not many of the threads had real solutions of follow-ups on what worked and what didn't. What do you guys suggest based up upon what I found so far? Should I be looking at these things? http://www.jbjlighting.com/prod_nanomini_chiller.html

Lastly, the LR is starting to show signs of life. There is one section with two transparent creatures peeking out. I'll attach the best picture I can....not sure what it is as all I can see is tenticles but it has grown a bit larger over the last day or so. The other interesting thing is in certain sections of the LR, there are several tiny white creatures scurrying all over the place. The best way I could describe them would be like super tiny ants. Please forgive my ignorance but any idea what they are?

 

[EDGRAY]

I cant see anything but sounds like aptasia.. is clear and looks like yellow polyps??? if so is a aptasia and well the mini white ants are copepods... EXCELLENT YOU GOT your self some pods :mrgreen: ..

is weird cause i never had heating problems with my tank and used to live in a cube lol a single and no window open! so i guess im not anyhelp on this matter... only thing i can say is get a chiller from nanotuners as mentioned... :roll:

 

[roo]

i have a background in design, among other things so when I wasn't quite happy with the arrangement, and to help out the living things I found so far, I rearranged things abit.....then decided it needed just a tad of tonga.

 

[roo]

I cant see anything but sounds like aptasia.. is clear and looks like yellow polyps??? if so is a aptasia and well the mini white ants are copepods... EXCELLENT YOU GOT your self some pods :mrgreen: ..

is weird cause i never had heating problems with my tank and used to live in a cube lol a single and no window open! so i guess im not anyhelp on this matter... only thing i can say is get a chiller from nanotuners as mentioned... :roll:

the tenticles look like an extremly tiny anemone....they're thicker than yesterday. I'll get some better pics tonight. I've been using my cameraphone until now but I have a good digicam I'll use tonight.