my first nano AP12 70W HQI (pictures i promise) - Page 2

StunnaShadez · 03/03/2007, 03:50 PM

i have a question about cycling, my livesand and liverock was originally from an established reef tank so they are both cured. does that still mean that i have to cure them for a long period of time? and does that answer my problem of no ammonia, nitrite, and low nitrates? fellow RC reefers, please help!

jnarowe · 03/03/2007, 11:58 PM

why cure it? what would be the purpose? Keep the flow good, lights running, and watch your parameters like you already are. Do water changes. When Nitrate is zero you can introduce your first inhabitant.

Your tank is cool man, just take it very slow, OK?

StunnaShadez · 03/04/2007, 12:22 AM

oops my mistake. from my question that i posted up there "does that still mean that i have to cure them for a long period of time?" what i meant to say was do i still have to cycle the tank for a while or is it okay to start introducing livestock in there now? < need answers please =]

jnarowe, thanks for the comment and advice, and yes i will take it slow. isnt patience the main ingredient in this hobby of ours? especially when trying to grow sps ;]

jnarowe · 03/04/2007, 12:29 AM

Even when your nitrates are at zero, you could still experience an algal bloom. I would make sure there is no phophate and posibly try to use some Rowa to ward off a bloom.

Just don't put any corals in until you have gone quite a while with no HA or cyano. Are you planning on putting in any fish? If so, I would try one or two hardy fish to start. Then you will get a better idea of how your cycle situation will pan out.

iBryant · 03/04/2007, 01:48 PM

Supposedly (I think I heard this on the TalkinReef), when one moves live sand from one tank to the other all the anerobic bacteria dies in the DSB. That is it dies off when exposed to even small amounts of oxegeninated water.

But it sounds like your doing good with your tank - I agree about taking it slow and that your tank is nice. I've moved really slow with my tank too.

iBryant · 03/04/2007, 01:50 PM

Jnarowe, I moved from Sacramento CA, where m1enbo1 live, to Seattle WA. lol. How far is Poulsbo WA from here?

jnarowe · 03/04/2007, 02:19 PM

Well I tell ya, I grew up on the SF Peninsula and we used to keep our boat in the Delta during the Summer months...I would leave too! It's too friggin' hot there!

Poulsbo is about an hour West of Seattle. If you actually live in the city, then you could take the Bainbridge ferry to get over here. I just set up a new 40+g tank last night for my snail breeding...so that's my "nano" right now!

StunnaShadez · 03/04/2007, 09:48 PM

jnarowe-how long is quite a while? im asking this because this tank is a project that is for school. i need to introduce a couple of corals in this tank by the middle of this month. which is a couple more weeks! i know not to rush though, as it will lead to problems. im thinking about only corals (maybe zoos) in this tank and then introduce a small damsel in the near future. maybe a CUC first before anything is added

ibryant-thanks for the kind words. i appreciate it. guess ill have to establish the dsb bacterias again then? how long will that take?

jnarowe · 03/04/2007, 10:57 PM

well, zoos should be OK and typically fare better in an algal bloom than SPS. Tough to do tank projects for school because of time limitations so you have to try and make it work.

It may be better to introduce the damsel now. That will help the cycling issue if there still is any.

StunnaShadez · 03/05/2007, 02:52 PM

yea, i dont think ill keep sps in my tank anytime soon. by the looks of it, im saying its working out good so far? dont you think? before the damsel i want to introduce a small clean up crew. a couple of hermits and a couple of turbos, cerith, and/or nass snails.

jnarowe · 03/05/2007, 03:08 PM

I would skip the hermits entirely in a small tank like that. They will probably harrass your zoos anyway. ceriths, nerites, and columbellids would be the best snails for that tank IMO. Clean up crew you mentioned do not eat detritus so it doesn't really matter whether you put in the damsel now or later.

StunnaShadez · 03/05/2007, 05:57 PM

oh yea, i've read about hermits harassing zoos. ill probably go out today to see what kind of snails my LFS has. usually, i only see turbos and they are huge!

1pix4c · 03/05/2007, 06:55 PM

very nice

jnarowe · 03/05/2007, 08:10 PM

Large Turbos are probably not warm water snails and will have a short life span in a small tank. They also knock stuff over all the time. Tell your LFS you want nerites and columbellids. They will do the best in a nano. Don't let them talk you into large Turbos!

StunnaShadez · 03/06/2007, 05:20 PM

whoa. i almost got a conch yesterday. 2in in length. the guy ALMOST talked me into getting it. he went as far as bagging it for me. great aquarium though i'll go there all the time if i need something, and he has great deals. good thing i had to go somewhere but i dont think i want a conch.

right now, im working on a side project. its a small hang-on refugium. my first DIY project. i was thinking about just getting an AC70 and change it into a chaeto holder, but the project is much more cheaper because i already have some clear plastic lying around that was originally used for a 20G cover. im almost done with it, just need to buy a small pump and a pvc elbow for the water to return into the tank. maybe some silicone too

jnarowe · 03/06/2007, 06:33 PM

cool. post a pic when you are done!

saltycreefer · 03/06/2007, 06:37 PM

More pics!

StunnaShadez · 03/07/2007, 01:12 PM

i am just short on silicone. man does that sucks? looks like this project have to be delayed for a while. i have the walls siliconed except the bottom. dont look like much, but im proud of it since its my first DIY project. im still missing a small powerhead, a tube, and the pvc for the return. plz comment, good or bad i dont care i wanna know what people think =]

after cutting:

siliconed inside components

so close to being done, yet still so far!

spleen93 · 03/07/2007, 04:47 PM

Was the refugium going to be in or outside the tank? If it's outside the tank, I'm worried about how well it'll hold together - silicone and plastic don't adhere together well. Generally, if you're working with plastic/acrylic, you should use plastic/acrylic cement. If you're working with glass, you should use silicone. If the refugium is in the tank (or if you're putting baffles in a sump, for instance), there's not as much pressure on the walls and you can get by with using silicone to put together plastic but if the pressure gets higher ...

Spleen

truk · 03/07/2007, 04:51 PM

Looks good.

StunnaShadez · 03/08/2007, 02:58 PM

spleen:its going to be outside of the tank. its not very big and the pump will be a small one. the whole thing is about 8x3x5(LxWxH) there wont be alot of volumes of water. hopefully it will hold out :fingers crossed:

thanks truk

my tank is probably fully cured by now. im looking at getting some snails for the tank in a couple of days.

drjuice28 · 03/08/2007, 03:11 PM

I built a weir out of acrylic and silicone. While I see what spleen's saying, it's held together really well. The flow/pressure just isn't enough to stress it out if you've taken the time to seal it well. M1enbo1, I'm trying to piece together the flow of that fuge system. Where does H20 enter and leave? Looks like the baffle on the far left may be too short...unless I guessing the function incorrectly.

StunnaShadez · 03/08/2007, 05:35 PM

ill have the water entering from the top of the left side through a tube attatched to a small powerhead and returning on the hole you see on the right side using a small pvc elbow. i sealed it very carefully and very well hopefully it wont fall apart. im going to put a sponge in between the small baffel and the middle one.

as for the livestock, how does a coral banded shrimp sound for my AP12? a small one but not so small. will it bother any corals when i get them?

jnarowe · 03/08/2007, 05:39 PM

CBS are not as reef freindly as a cleaner shrimp, but I know a few reefers that keep them.

StunnaShadez · 03/09/2007, 09:39 PM

i just got 3 astreas in the tank now. on one of the shells of the astrea, theres a hitchhiker and it looks like an abalone. im still looking for cerith and some nerite to put in there now but i couldnt find any at my LFS only mostly turbos and astreas. i dont know if i want to put in a hermit or not, just one?

03/03/2007, 11:58 PM	#27
jnarowe Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Poulsbo, WA Posts: 14,710	why cure it? what would be the purpose? Keep the flow good, lights running, and watch your parameters like you already are. Do water changes. When Nitrate is zero you can introduce your first inhabitant. Your tank is cool man, just take it very slow, OK? __________________ Jonathan--Recovering Tankaholic. Current Tank Info: 70g fresh planted

03/04/2007, 12:29 AM	#29
jnarowe Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Poulsbo, WA Posts: 14,710	Even when your nitrates are at zero, you could still experience an algal bloom. I would make sure there is no phophate and posibly try to use some Rowa to ward off a bloom. Just don't put any corals in until you have gone quite a while with no HA or cyano. Are you planning on putting in any fish? If so, I would try one or two hardy fish to start. Then you will get a better idea of how your cycle situation will pan out. __________________ Jonathan--Recovering Tankaholic. Current Tank Info: 70g fresh planted

03/04/2007, 01:48 PM	#30
iBryant Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Seattle Posts: 15	Supposedly (I think I heard this on the TalkinReef), when one moves live sand from one tank to the other all the anerobic bacteria dies in the DSB. That is it dies off when exposed to even small amounts of oxegeninated water. But it sounds like your doing good with your tank - I agree about taking it slow and that your tank is nice. I've moved really slow with my tank too. __________________ "Best fishes!" - Steve Martin Current Tank Info: Nano

03/04/2007, 01:50 PM	#31
iBryant Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Seattle Posts: 15	Jnarowe, I moved from Sacramento CA, where m1enbo1 live, to Seattle WA. lol. How far is Poulsbo WA from here? __________________ "Best fishes!" - Steve Martin Current Tank Info: Nano

03/04/2007, 02:19 PM	#32
jnarowe Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Poulsbo, WA Posts: 14,710	Well I tell ya, I grew up on the SF Peninsula and we used to keep our boat in the Delta during the Summer months...I would leave too! It's too friggin' hot there! Poulsbo is about an hour West of Seattle. If you actually live in the city, then you could take the Bainbridge ferry to get over here. I just set up a new 40+g tank last night for my snail breeding...so that's my "nano" right now! __________________ Jonathan--Recovering Tankaholic. Current Tank Info: 70g fresh planted

03/03/2007, 03:50 PM	#26
StunnaShadez Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: sacramento Posts: 584	i have a question about cycling, my livesand and liverock was originally from an established reef tank so they are both cured. does that still mean that i have to cure them for a long period of time? and does that answer my problem of no ammonia, nitrite, and low nitrates? fellow RC reefers, please help!

03/04/2007, 12:22 AM	#28
StunnaShadez Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: sacramento Posts: 584	oops my mistake. from my question that i posted up there "does that still mean that i have to cure them for a long period of time?" what i meant to say was do i still have to cycle the tank for a while or is it okay to start introducing livestock in there now? < need answers please =] jnarowe, thanks for the comment and advice, and yes i will take it slow. isnt patience the main ingredient in this hobby of ours? especially when trying to grow sps ;]

03/04/2007, 09:48 PM	#33
StunnaShadez Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: sacramento Posts: 584	jnarowe-how long is quite a while? im asking this because this tank is a project that is for school. i need to introduce a couple of corals in this tank by the middle of this month. which is a couple more weeks! i know not to rush though, as it will lead to problems. im thinking about only corals (maybe zoos) in this tank and then introduce a small damsel in the near future. maybe a CUC first before anything is added ibryant-thanks for the kind words. i appreciate it. guess ill have to establish the dsb bacterias again then? how long will that take?

03/04/2007, 10:57 PM	#34
jnarowe Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Poulsbo, WA Posts: 14,710	well, zoos should be OK and typically fare better in an algal bloom than SPS. Tough to do tank projects for school because of time limitations so you have to try and make it work. It may be better to introduce the damsel now. That will help the cycling issue if there still is any. __________________ Jonathan--Recovering Tankaholic. Current Tank Info: 70g fresh planted

03/05/2007, 02:52 PM	#35
StunnaShadez Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: sacramento Posts: 584	yea, i dont think ill keep sps in my tank anytime soon. by the looks of it, im saying its working out good so far? dont you think? before the damsel i want to introduce a small clean up crew. a couple of hermits and a couple of turbos, cerith, and/or nass snails.

03/05/2007, 03:08 PM	#36
jnarowe Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Poulsbo, WA Posts: 14,710	I would skip the hermits entirely in a small tank like that. They will probably harrass your zoos anyway. ceriths, nerites, and columbellids would be the best snails for that tank IMO. Clean up crew you mentioned do not eat detritus so it doesn't really matter whether you put in the damsel now or later. __________________ Jonathan--Recovering Tankaholic. Current Tank Info: 70g fresh planted

03/05/2007, 05:57 PM	#37
StunnaShadez Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: sacramento Posts: 584	oh yea, i've read about hermits harassing zoos. ill probably go out today to see what kind of snails my LFS has. usually, i only see turbos and they are huge!

03/05/2007, 06:55 PM	#38
1pix4c Moved On Join Date: May 2004 Location: Appleton WI Posts: 209	very nice

03/05/2007, 08:10 PM	#39
jnarowe Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Poulsbo, WA Posts: 14,710	Large Turbos are probably not warm water snails and will have a short life span in a small tank. They also knock stuff over all the time. Tell your LFS you want nerites and columbellids. They will do the best in a nano. Don't let them talk you into large Turbos! __________________ Jonathan--Recovering Tankaholic. Current Tank Info: 70g fresh planted

03/06/2007, 05:20 PM	#40
StunnaShadez Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: sacramento Posts: 584	whoa. i almost got a conch yesterday. 2in in length. the guy ALMOST talked me into getting it. he went as far as bagging it for me. great aquarium though i'll go there all the time if i need something, and he has great deals. good thing i had to go somewhere but i dont think i want a conch. right now, im working on a side project. its a small hang-on refugium. my first DIY project. i was thinking about just getting an AC70 and change it into a chaeto holder, but the project is much more cheaper because i already have some clear plastic lying around that was originally used for a 20G cover. im almost done with it, just need to buy a small pump and a pvc elbow for the water to return into the tank. maybe some silicone too

03/06/2007, 06:33 PM	#41
jnarowe Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Poulsbo, WA Posts: 14,710	cool. post a pic when you are done! __________________ Jonathan--Recovering Tankaholic. Current Tank Info: 70g fresh planted

03/06/2007, 06:37 PM	#42
saltycreefer Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Fairfield,CT Posts: 1,696	More pics! __________________ I love being a turtle!!! Current Tank Info: Got out of tanks for a little while.

03/07/2007, 01:12 PM	#43
StunnaShadez Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: sacramento Posts: 584	i am just short on silicone. man does that sucks? looks like this project have to be delayed for a while. i have the walls siliconed except the bottom. dont look like much, but im proud of it since its my first DIY project. im still missing a small powerhead, a tube, and the pvc for the return. plz comment, good or bad i dont care i wanna know what people think =] after cutting: siliconed inside components so close to being done, yet still so far!

03/07/2007, 04:47 PM	#44
spleen93 crabby hermit Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: somewhere at the end of the rainbow Posts: 1,363	Was the refugium going to be in or outside the tank? If it's outside the tank, I'm worried about how well it'll hold together - silicone and plastic don't adhere together well. Generally, if you're working with plastic/acrylic, you should use plastic/acrylic cement. If you're working with glass, you should use silicone. If the refugium is in the tank (or if you're putting baffles in a sump, for instance), there's not as much pressure on the walls and you can get by with using silicone to put together plastic but if the pressure gets higher ... Spleen __________________ Spleen "Put that in your Mag Drive and smoke it." - jnarowe "Beware of the banter" - mpoletti "Now I know that some things are just out of our control and we should enjoy the good parts as much as we can." - pookstreet Last edited by spleen93; 03/07/2007 at 04:56 PM.

03/07/2007, 04:51 PM	#45
truk Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Orlando Posts: 54	Looks good.

03/08/2007, 02:58 PM	#46
StunnaShadez Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: sacramento Posts: 584	spleen:its going to be outside of the tank. its not very big and the pump will be a small one. the whole thing is about 8x3x5(LxWxH) there wont be alot of volumes of water. hopefully it will hold out :fingers crossed: thanks truk my tank is probably fully cured by now. im looking at getting some snails for the tank in a couple of days.

03/08/2007, 03:11 PM	#47
drjuice28 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Springfield, il Posts: 246	I built a weir out of acrylic and silicone. While I see what spleen's saying, it's held together really well. The flow/pressure just isn't enough to stress it out if you've taken the time to seal it well. M1enbo1, I'm trying to piece together the flow of that fuge system. Where does H20 enter and leave? Looks like the baffle on the far left may be too short...unless I guessing the function incorrectly. __________________ ~nj~

03/08/2007, 05:35 PM	#48
StunnaShadez Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: sacramento Posts: 584	ill have the water entering from the top of the left side through a tube attatched to a small powerhead and returning on the hole you see on the right side using a small pvc elbow. i sealed it very carefully and very well hopefully it wont fall apart. im going to put a sponge in between the small baffel and the middle one. as for the livestock, how does a coral banded shrimp sound for my AP12? a small one but not so small. will it bother any corals when i get them?

03/08/2007, 05:39 PM	#49
jnarowe Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Poulsbo, WA Posts: 14,710	CBS are not as reef freindly as a cleaner shrimp, but I know a few reefers that keep them. __________________ Jonathan--Recovering Tankaholic. Current Tank Info: 70g fresh planted

03/09/2007, 09:39 PM	#50
StunnaShadez Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: sacramento Posts: 584	i just got 3 astreas in the tank now. on one of the shells of the astrea, theres a hitchhiker and it looks like an abalone. im still looking for cerith and some nerite to put in there now but i couldnt find any at my LFS only mostly turbos and astreas. i dont know if i want to put in a hermit or not, just one?