Need some insight

[efinjammin]

I am new to nano's not new to the hobby of salt water though. I used to be into it years ago & recently got back into it with a Bio Cube. I know , I know lots of people hate the bio cube. I personally have not had a problem with it " YET " I have had my system running for 5 months now. I cycled a good four months ago . I made the mistake of over stocking & learned quickly that I am limitted . That being said , what exactly are my limitations ? I have Replaceable two-stage filtration cartridge. Uses mechanical and chemical filtration , Poly-Woven pre-filter to trap free-floating materials and waste , Activated carbon inside to remove odors and discoloration . Integrated wet/dry biological filtration ,1 Coralife 10,000K 36Watt Compact Fluorescent lamps, 1 Coralife Actinic 36Watt Compact Fluorescent lamps , 3 ¾ Watt Lunar Blue, Moon Glow LED lights . Dual filter intakes one to skim the surface and one on the bottom . Sealed light lens cover , 316 GPH submersible pump with adjustable discharge nozzle. 1 small fluval running carbon only . A 35 gallon bio life trickle filter , skimmer & finaly one oscilating power head & a small wave maker. My subtrate is crushed coral @ 10 pounds & @ 25 pounds of live rock. 1 leather coral ( thriving ) 1 mandarin goby ( girl friends idea not mine ) 2 peppermint shrimp , 6 hermits , 12 snails , 1 feather duster & last but not least , my going concern a Kole yellow eyed tang (Ctenochaetus strigosus) .
I test with 2 differant kits. Instant oceans for ammonia , ph , Nitrite & nitrate. Now with all of this , taking into consideration that I realise the need for frequent filter changes. I am wondering how to go about keeping more live stock , if in fact I can ? I realise that the amount of live rock does benifit my bio load because I have a vast area of bacteria growth. That in turn limits me as far as water capacity. Am I limited to reef only with only one or two fish ? Invertebrates ? What exactly do nano keepers do to maintain proper water quality & how do you keep the tank from stressing ? Other than frequent water changes , is there anything else that I am missing ?
Hope you can help
Greg
P.S. I am of the thought that the kole tang must go. I realise it is too big for the tank.

 

[efinjammin]

oops almost forgot .I test Calcium , KH , phosphate along with Nitrate with aquarium pharmaceutical test kit. Calcium sits @ 440 - 460 & ph @ 8.0 . all other parametera are great.

 

[TimSchmidt]

Well, you only have two fish listed. The inverts (for the most part) are ok and don't really add to the bio load. Both fish you listed are not normally part of a nano tank (tangs like wide spaces to swim and mandarins normally need tons of LR for food). Gobies and blennies normally are a good choice for nanos but you must research a fish and see what it prefers. Water changes are our best friends with smaller more frequent being better than larger ones. I assume you have the 29 gallon bio cube so the best way to get more live stock is a larger sump for more water, or just get a bigger tank. Just my 2 cents.

 

[efinjammin]

Yes a bigger tank is the solution. The Tang is going.I simply cannot watch it die.It was a bad choice but it was sick when Igot it & it's healthy now. So because it never cost me anything & it's better now , I'lljust take it my LFS & give it to someone that will take care of it. The mandarin is another story. I am feeding it prepared food while my copepods mature. I am starting to breed copepods just for a food source . What I am wanting to know is just how much of a bio load we can put onto a tank this size . What would be the maintenance schedule .What can be done to maximise my system ?

 

[TimSchmidt]

Protein skim, surface skim, refugium, diligent water changes,automatic top off, and maybe some carbon (or chemi-pure) will help maximize your system. I'm not a big user of supplements to tanks, but that is a personal choice. The top amount a tank can hold varies tank by tank but you should be OK with 3 or 4 small fish. Just remember that each fish determines what kind of environment it likes.

Oh and if your mandarin take prepared foods it should be ok to keep in tank. Mine takes mysis and still hunts. Your plan sounds pretty good to me.