Newbie

S

skinson

New Member
Hi. I'm new to the world of reef tanks. I live in the UK and have just bought a 12g nanocube. It has 5kg of live rock, the temp is 80-82f, SG is around 1025. How long to cycle the tank? do I need to keep the lights on while it cycles? I would be very grateful for any advice on when to start adding, and how much/what to add.
Regards
Dave
 
R

reefman23

New Member
:welcome to nanotank.com! You shouldnt be running the lights while the tank is cycling other than to view the tank. The only real way to find out how long or when the cycle will end is to test your tank. You are going to want nitrate, nitrite and ammonia test kits. This will allow you to monitor your cycle.

I hope this helps.

Jesse
 
S

skinson

New Member
Thanks for the advice. I have also taken out the bio balls and ceramic tubes is this correct practice?
regards
Dave
 
skipm

skipm

Moderator
Staff member
:welcome to the board.
Like already said no lights during cycling, they will just promote the growth of nuisance algaes. Carbon is a great addition to help keep the water clear and odors down during cycling. You may want to take a look into your tank sometime with a small flashlight, you may find some neat stuff already living there. Do you already have a set of basic test kits? Your test results will tell you when its time to start adding your cleaners and other livestock.
 
S

skinson

New Member
Thanks for all your replies;) I have a full test kit that does, ph, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, kh, salinity. I have put live rock in place of the bio balls, should I put carbon in the last chamber as well?
regards
dave
 
skipm

skipm

Moderator
Staff member
I like to run either carbon or one of the exchange resins like Boyds Chemipure. They take out the chemicals that cause yellowing in the tank as well as some of the chemicals that we are better off not having to deal with in our tanks. Some people like to run carbon only occasionally but I run it continuously with no adverse effect.
 
S

skinson

New Member
Found my first hitchiker!!! It looks like a small umbrella it dissapears into a tiny hole and then reappears and spreads its self probably about 1/4" across when fully opened Also a small brownish anenome thing?...Any ideas?
Regards
Dave
 
KChan

KChan

New Member
Skinson, the umbrella looking thing sounds like its a small feather duster..I recently found one on my new tank I setup. As for the brown anemone looking thing it most likely is Aiptasia which is a bad thing. Those things spread fast and can harm your surrounding corals.

HTH
 
R

reefman23

New Member
skinson said:
Hmm! I thought it might be. It is on a stalk though if that helps?
Dave
Click to expand...
Yeah, probably aiptasia. You will probably want to take care of it before it spreads. Joe's Juice is a tried and true method and is available at most LFS's.

Jesse
 
S

skinson

New Member
Yeah! Trouble is I'm in the UK, we can't get all the gear you can stateside! My test kit was approx $100.00!!!! But it will do around 80 tests. My salinity keeps going up and down is this normal? I found a few more hikers last night, to small to tell what yet though. Did all the tests yesterday and everything was bang on.
Dave
 
S

skinson

New Member
Those test strips look the dogs danglies! I'll see if I can get some sent over to here (UK). Certainly look easier than my test kit.
Dave
 
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