Biocube 29, and need advice getting started.

[Will H.]

Hi,
I purchased a Biocube 29 two weeks ago. I filled it with 15lbs crushed coral and 15 lbs of live rock. I added the Quick start solution as i was advised to at the pet store and after a week i purchased an emerald crab and nassarius snail.

After reading alot of forums and reef websites, i am really begining to feel overwhelmed. It seems like even the stores don't agree with what livestock is best for beginners. I really need a few good mentors who would be willing to coach and guide me through this. I have a lot of questions way too many to list right away. Also I have noticed a goldish red growth around my tank. I read that it is likely diatomes and is common in new set ups and will fix itself but i am slightly concerned, i don't want it to get out of hand.

 

[trigger40]

hi, welcom to the forum!
your first mistake is using crushed coral, live sand is much better. one piece of advice i can give you is to take your time. nothing good in this hobby happens fast. did you check your water befor you bought critters? but yes the diatomes should go away soon.

 

[Will H.]

hi, welcom to the forum!
your first mistake is using crushed coral, live sand is much better. one piece of advice i can give you is to take your time. nothing good in this hobby happens fast. did you check your water befor you bought critters? but yes the diatomes should go away soon.

Thanks Trigger,
No I did not check the water before I added them, I am quickly learning that the employees at the local fish store "oceans Paradise" arnt the experts they led me to beleive they were. He told me to set it up, add the RO/DI salt water that they mix, add the live rock and the quick start solution seachem stability, then to come back in one week and purchase some live stock, which I did. While reading i learned that i need to be testing frequently so i ordered the master reef test kit which will come in tomorrow.

I joined this community because im really starting to doubt his knowledge. I really want to do this right, so i appreaciate the help. Now he told me to do crushed coral, now i am reading this is a crap trap. I have read though that buying Live sand from Local fish stores isnt good. that it is often "dead" sand because its been packaged so long. Will the Coraline Algea not move throughout the crushed coral from the live rock?

Another question for right now is the lighting, it has the 10k 18w flourescent bulb, 24w actinic bulb, and the lunar led bar. How long should these lights be on and do i keep both of them on at the same time, and at night is it okay to leave the LED bar on the entire time.

 

[silverado61]

Welcome to saltwaterfish.com

There is a thread in the "New hobbyist" forum titled: Guides For New Hobbyists. I bumped to the top of the list to make it easier to find. It's written by a well known hobbyist and fellow member here named Snakblitz. It will give you a good foothold on the starting points of this hobby.
My suggestion is to read it. Then come back and ask more questions.
If your tank is only a week old, now is a good time to start over and do it right.
Trigger's right. Toss the crushed coral. Read the article.

 

[aduvall]

You're going to read lots of conflicting opinions as well. When you do (especially on the internets), ask what kind of tank and how long. I'm only 2 years in and on some sites I'm a veteran, on this one I'm practically a newb.

 

[geridoc]

You're going to read lots of conflicting opinions as well. When you do (especially on the internets), ask what kind of tank and how long. I'm only 2 years in and on some sites I'm a veteran, on this one I'm practically a newb.

aduvall: LOL! I've been in the hobby for 39-40 years, and I still feel like a newb sometimes.
Will: You will got lots of conflicting advice, but remember-nobody on this site makes a cent from selling you stuff, so you are getting their honest, unbiased (at least financially unbiased) opinion.

 

[eric b 125]

Hey Will, welcome to the site! Joining a forum is a great way to learn. One piece of advice I can give you is that the only advice that anyone can give you is simply a matter of opinion. Something that has worked for me in the past might not work for you or the next guy. It's a challenging hobby in many ways but I think that's part of the reason we do it. I think the only requirements for a successful system are patience, research, and some common sense.

The goldish-red growth you are seeing is most likely diatoms, and they should disappear relatively soon. When you encounter problems like this, it helps us help you if you are able to post a picture. Do you have any powerheads in the tank?

 

[Will H.]

Welcome to saltwaterfish.com

There is a thread in the "New hobbyist" forum titled: Guides For New Hobbyists. I bumped to the top of the list to make it easier to find. It's written by a well known hobbyist and fellow member here named Snakblitz. It will give you a good foothold on the starting points of this hobby.
My suggestion is to read it. Then come back and ask more questions.
If your tank is only a week old, now is a good time to start over and do it right.
Trigger's right. Toss the crushed coral. Read the article.

Thank you, I haven't gotten a chance to read it yet with yesterday and today being the holidays but I will tear it up tomorrow!

 

[Will H.]

Hey Will, welcome to the site! Joining a forum is a great way to learn. One piece of advice I can give you is that the only advice that anyone can give you is simply a matter of opinion. Something that has worked for me in the past might not work for you or the next guy. It's a challenging hobby in many ways but I think that's part of the reason we do it. I think the only requirements for a successful system are patience, research, and some common sense.

The goldish-red growth you are seeing is most likely diatoms, and they should disappear relatively soon. When you encounter problems like this, it helps us help you if you are able to post a picture. Do you have any powerheads in the tank?

No I do not have any power heads at the moment I am trying to figure out what is the most crucial pieces of equipment to buy right now. I think I am going to have to buy a chiller. My heater has a digital thermometer and it has been between 80-82 since I set it up even though the heater is not running. I live in an apartment on an upper floor so it is warmer in here than normal environments. i think some of the excess heat is coming from the submersible pump and the lights. i will also upload a picture of the setup I have right now and I took my levels yesterday and everything seems perfectly fine. The salinity was a little high though so I am going to go buy some more RO/DI tomorrow.

 

[Will H.]

Here are the pictures, also my nitrate levels are 5.0ppm, ammonia is less that .25 ppm, nitrite is .25ppm and PH is a little low so here is my current plan. Tomorrow when the stores are open I am going to get the stuff to; #1 correct the SG, then do a 25% water change, Add 1 more large live rock, and correct the PH. I am also going to take trigger and silverados advice and remove the crushed coral and replace it with live sand (about 15lb for my 29g cube). Is there anything else any of you recommend I should do/buy or not do?

 

[geridoc]

You don't have to change water yet. Just wait until the ammonia and nitrite levels go to zero,then make a water change to bring the nitrates down a bit.

 

[flower]

No I do not have any power heads at the moment I am trying to figure out what is the most crucial pieces of equipment to buy right now. I think I am going to have to buy a chiller. My heater has a digital thermometer and it has been between 80-82 since I set it up even though the heater is not running. I live in an apartment on an upper floor so it is warmer in here than normal environments. i think some of the excess heat is coming from the submersible pump and the lights. i will also upload a picture of the setup I have right now and I took my levels yesterday and everything seems perfectly fine. The salinity was a little high though so I am going to go buy some more RO/DI tomorrow.

Hi, welcome to the site!

Nice piece of rock...it should be on the bottom, and the substrate pushed around it...not sitting on top. Many saltwater critters dig, and shifting rock could crush the critter. Crushed coral is really hard for the critters to keep clean for you, glad to hear you plan to replace it with sand (that's what I did). Crushed coral will always look dirty, and the critters really don't like it as much.

You NEED power heads ... before you need to worry about a $500.00+ chiller. 82 is actually just fine, a fan blowing across the top of the water will cool it down....people want the water cooler to slow down algae growth, but SW tropical critters actually prefer the warmer water. There is less oxygen in saltwater then freshwater... the power heads help circulate the water so there is enough oxygen throughout (the wave is the very life of the ocean, and your saltwater tank.)

What submersible pump?...Do you mean your filter pump?

 

[silverado61]

Instead of getting more large rock, I'd get some smaller pieces and arrange them so critters have a place to hide.
I'm with Flower on getting the rock on the very bottom of the tank. After you get the crushed coral out just place the rock in where you want it. Maybe get some base rock and put that on the bottom and break up the live piece you have instead of getting more live rock and put that on top of the base rock. Then put the live sand in.

 

[Will H.]

So i took yalls advice and did some fixes. I rearranged the rocks, I tried to find some base rock but no one had any so i brought everything down a little. I will post a picture of that when the water clears.

*** Interesting thing though, I beleive i have my first hitch hiker. While moving the coral, i noticed a small sea star. Apparently its hardy as hell becuase the only thing it could have come in on was the live rock, and that sat in a styrofoam cooler while i set up my tank so for over 3 hours. since hes in there though, .. . . . how do i take care of him since there isnt any detritus matter for him to consume?

 

[bang guy]

Does it have thick legs or thin legs? Are all of the legs the same size? How many legs does it have?

 

[Will H.]

Does it have thick legs or thin legs? Are all of the legs the same size? How many legs does it have?

just posted the picture above in my last comment but i believe it is a green brittle starfish.

 

[bang guy]

just posted the picture above in my last comment but i believe it is a green brittle starfish.

I agree. If you want to feed it some fish food it should scarf up anything meaty you drop in front of it.

 

[Will H.]

I agree. If you want to feed it some fish food it should scarf up anything meaty you drop in front of it.

Should I do a small piece of shrimp, or would 1/4 cube of frozen brine shrimp be better?

 

[bang guy]

A tiny piece of a shrimp would work fine.

 

[flower]

LOL...Just a very small chunk of shrimp, he isn't very large, they live wasted food that gets stuck in the rocks that the fish wasted and missed. They also eat the dead and dying, so later on if you go missing a fish, you won't have to tear the whole tank apart to prevent it from polluting the tank....it's a great scavenger to have.