Newbie with a Nano

[mike31154]

Looking good with the LED light fixture! Something I'd recommend is getting some additional water movement in there asap in the form of a powerhead or two. I purchased my whole system used years ago & it took many years to purge the live rock & sand of nutrients. Hair algae was a problem for quite a while in my tank. The previous owner only had a couple of tiny, inadequate power heads in the tank when I went to pick it up. There was a lot of detritus in the sand & rockwork. Even if you don't have hard corals or other livestock other than hitchhikers in your system now, the sooner you get some good flow in there, the better.

Best of luck with your start up, this forum is a great resource. I wish I had found it before making my leap into the hobby. I had 0 experience with any type of aquarium as well, but with plenty of research, I've managed to muddle my way through.

[Sunee]

Welcome!!

[Dearth]

All rock will have hitch hikers of some sort you will find many additions some good some not so good

If the worms are grey or grey with a red tip they are harmless bristle worms they are a good part of your CuC however once you have them almost impossible to completely remove from your system. I don't like them myself but kinda learning to live with them.

As to aiptasia you have a couple of options as I previously stated you can get peppermint shrimp which are relatively cheap, you can remove and cook the rock but not a guarantee to fully remove unless you cook it properly and it takes a lot of time, manual removal but that is hit and miss.

As others stated get some power heads in there it will help a lot and stir up the detritus

Canister filters are ok in a smaller system but they are a lot of work and honestly getting a skimmer will cut your workload so much

Most importantly don't rush take your time and ask questions if your not sure and take time to enjoy it you will get so much pleasure from it

[JmeJReefer]

Welcome!
Don't like money do ya?! That wallet is gonna thin out quick in this hobby!

I'm a nano reefer as well with a modified biocube. Modified in the respect to better flow, (removed some stock baffles in the back) and made a custom media rack for purigen, chemipur elite and filter floss, and an open compartment for a future cheato box.
That canister filter is gonna give ya some grief later on so perhaps look into some mods.
Perhaps a little pump swap for something a bit quicker flow?
Great start! The creepy crawlies r normal....

[Jessie]

Thanks! I originally wanted a sump however, I do not have a reef ready aquarium - just a plain tank. I was going to try and remodel my aquarium but was told by my LFS that you cannot buy a pre-made overflow to silicone into a tank...they pretty much discouraged me from doing anything other than a) buying a canister filter or b) purchasing a reef ready tank and sump. I picked the less expensive option (canister) since I had just purchased this tank and couldn't return it (had goldies for 4 days in it).

I am looking into hob skimmers and how effective they really are compared to 20% weekly water changes (which in my case equals out to just over a 5g bucket so not very complicated).

Also, I will purchase powerheads tomorrow, I'm not sure if I need 1 or 2. I'm going to do some research later tonight to try and find out exactly what I need and then what I want (and then how much I'm willing to spend lol). I think I need 2 because my tank has quite a bit of rock and it all sits in the center with very little flow around the back.

I do have 2 questions, when cycling a tank with sand and rock from a previous 3 year old aquarium, should I be doing water changes (@ 20%) and cleaning the canister filter weekly?

@JmeJReefer - the canister I have claims a 303 gph flow rate, should I have gone with a higher flow rate canister? or a hob pump? What other options do I have if not a sump? TIA.

[Madreefer]

Welcome to canreef
I say this to all who run with a canister filter. Take out all the sponge filters and media in it and fill it with liverock rubble. It's the best thing thing filtration you can use in a canister filter. When you do clean it just use water from your water change to rinse the rubble. You can also put a nylon sack full of carbon in one if the compartments to polish your water. As for peppermint shrimps, go to a reputable LFS as quite often stores sell camelback shrimps as peppermint. You can put a chunk of prawn in a piece of pantyhose to catch bristle worms if you would like to thin them out.

[Dearth]

Yes water changes weekly

HoB skimmers are good investments everybody has their own personal choices I ran an Aqua C remora HoB on my small tank till I upgraded tanks and I never had issues with it.

[mike31154]

I used to run a canister filter as well, with empty baskets & a bag of carbon. If you run it in a similar fashion it's essentially a mini sump that adds a gallon or so to your total water volume, which is never a bad thing. The main reason I ceased using a canister is they all eventually developed leaks. I've always run a skimmer & seeing the goo that it collects, it's really a no brainer to have one. It doesn't have to be anything fancy or costly, I use an old wooden air diffuser counter current skimmer & it works well. Fine bubbles & maximum contact time are the key to effective skimming and a wooden air diffuser run by a good air pump will create some of the finest bubbles you'll ever see. Then all you need is a small pump to circulate the water slowly through the skimmer body for maximum contact time & you have a nice quiet unit that does the job. The thing runs 24/7 so what it misses on one pass, it will eventually capture during another. Since you don't have any livestock yet, you can take your time & do some additional research on skimmer technology. Once you get a couple of power heads into the tank, your cured live rock will be the first stage of filtration. You probably won't even see a cycle since everything is already matured.

[JmeJReefer]

Originally Posted by Jessie

Thanks! I originally wanted a sump however, I do not have a reef ready aquarium - just a plain tank. I was going to try and remodel my aquarium but was told by my LFS that you cannot buy a pre-made overflow to silicone into a tank...they pretty much discouraged me from doing anything other than a) buying a canister filter or b) purchasing a reef ready tank and sump. I picked the less expensive option (canister) since I had just purchased this tank and couldn't return it (had goldies for 4 days in it).

I am looking into hob skimmers and how effective they really are compared to 20% weekly water changes (which in my case equals out to just over a 5g bucket so not very complicated).

Also, I will purchase powerheads tomorrow, I'm not sure if I need 1 or 2. I'm going to do some research later tonight to try and find out exactly what I need and then what I want (and then how much I'm willing to spend lol). I think I need 2 because my tank has quite a bit of rock and it all sits in the center with very little flow around the back.

I do have 2 questions, when cycling a tank with sand and rock from a previous 3 year old aquarium, should I be doing water changes (@ 20%) and cleaning the canister filter weekly?

@JmeJReefer - the canister I have claims a 303 gph flow rate, should I have gone with a higher flow rate canister? or a hob pump? What other options do I have if not a sump? TIA.

Im always astounded that an LFS promotes this canister on a saltwater tank...

Agreed to lose media in canister for plain live rock. Your Live Rock once mature and cycled will begin to act as your biological filtration.
Perhaps some sort of Chemipure Elite in there will help if cleaned regularly.

for Flow. a friend has put 2 240gph hydor K's in a 29 gallon with one aimed behind rock and low with another high and aimed toward front. Have seen no ill effects and the flow seems to be just right as he has never battled algae produced from lack of flow. (a thin film of red or green stuff with bubbles under it is an indication of poor flow)
Water changes during a cycle. I heard of doing both. Leaving until cycle completes (the water and rock and sand has "matured" in a sense) and water changing a little just to remove some nutrients and die off...since youhave no livestock or anything yet, a water changeless cycle wouldnt affect ya. the Remora Nano, and the REd sea prizm have been notably the best HoBs as far as microbubble control goes (it bugs some people, and other ppl are like,"bubbles!!!yay!" so wutever floats ur boat so to speak.
An idea for later once you've explored some options is an overflow box like Eshopps or CPR to a sump. Very simple.

Have u any test kits to monitor ur water? If not, u can take a sample to a "Top Notch" LFS like Marine Aquaria, REd Coral to test ur water for ya and offer any "real" advice in regards to ur tank. A good test kit from Salifert, REd Sea or Elos to test for nitrates, phosphates, nitrites would benefit ya.

I will say this. Things go wrong quick in nanos so once ur off to the races, weekly water changes are a must regardless of what anyone tells ya. 20% is a good start. I do almost 50% on my 14g biocube every 7 days. Have seen no ill effects from doing so, and my water parameters always stay in check.

Nice rockwork, and if ur aptasia gets going crazy, a peppermint shrimp has always worked for me but its hit or miss sometimes with the little crustaceans!!!

Nice one Bruv!!!!!!

[Madreefer]

You should give one of those WP25 powerheads a go. You'll probably only need one. Guys are giving good reviews on them. I'm not a big fan of the Hydors, I use them to mix my salt for water changes and have got some nasty shocks from them.