1 month old 24G JBJ Nano Dx...need some opinions! :)

[shark_bait]

Would you like some opinions on my 24g JBJ Nano which is only a month old...
I put 19 pounds of live rock, is that too much?
How does the live rock structure look?
After an initial diatom attack, my Ph, Amonia, Nitrate, Nitrite levels are all good, and the diatoms are dying out and green algea has taken over. The purble, green, and blue coraline that originally came on the live rock, looks like it has also started to spread. Lastly, I noticed some white little bugs popping up on the glass of the tank, which I assume are some sort of pods. Has my tank fully cycled?
I have already added a clown fish, cleaner shrimp, 8 snails, and 6 hermit crabs. I added a small yellow tang 2 days ago, but I found him dead this morning. He was swimming normally, his color looked great, and his fins looked fine as well. Not sure what happened to him, any ideas?
At what point should I start adding corals, and to name a few, what would be best for starters? Are there any corals that I should avoid due to the lighting in a JBJ Nano Delux?
Thanks for anyone's opinions!

 

[treybomb]

you should proably add a little more lr depending on what type of system your gonna setup
and you should have never put a yellow tang in a 24 or any kind of tang

 

[shark_bait]

Thanks for your reply...I'm working on setting up a reef tank.
Coral...how much more rock would you consider adding? 10 pounds? Would you continue to stack it higher?
Tang...The LFS said that as long as the yellow tang is small, it will do fine. Once it get's bigger, in about a year, we'll trade it in for another small one. I've seen several LFS that house a small yellow tang in a 12g Nano for display purposes. What is the reason you would not do it?
Thanks Much! :happyfish

 

[treybomb]

o i ddint hear that part of the trade in story but make sure once he starts to grow trade him in yeah i would say about 10 more pounds higher

 

[tuningvis]

double the gallons is what people usually put in there tanks.. of any size... but that all depends on the density of the rock
as for the tang... there is so much stress that comes with putting a fish that needs so much more swimming room than you can offer in a 24.
please no tang. no angels (pygmy's maybe)

 

[exile415]

my friend has about 38 lbs of LR in his tank 24nano dx

 

[shark_bait]

So more live rock for starters, but what types of corals would be good? Also what types of unusual fish? How about Pipefish? Dartfish? Mandrins?

 

[shark_bait]

Does anyone know where I can find some good example pictures of Nano cubes for ideas on how to build the rockwork?

 

[exile415]

no madarins,no pipefish .. maybe you can put a firefish or something. get at least 25lbs of LR, some easy corals are shrroms and polyps.

 

[mimzy]

SharkBait, that is really a beautiful tank - it could be even more beautiful with the right additions. You rock is looking good so far, but adding more (1.5lbs to 2lbs per gallon) would be a great idea (be sure to cure it THOROUGHLY or u might start another cycle and kill off what you've got in the tank)- creatures need places to hide, and pods need places to multiply.
The clownfish was a great starter fish - perhaps you might want to think about adding a slightly smaller clown of the same species to create a mated pair.
As for fish that go well in a nano and are compatible with clowns - firefish (red, black, purple and helfrichi) are all excellent choices.
A Neon dottyback would also be beautiful in that tank - these are very striking fish.
There are a good number of gobies (all of the clown variety, for instance) that would fit nicely as well.
Please keep in mind that each fish has very specific spacial requirements - while many places like to suggest a standard practice of 1 inch of fish per 10 gallons of water, each species has its own needs.
For instance, the yellow tang you originally chose - it may not grow to be terribly large, but they need at BARE MINIMUM 55 gallons (and many would argue 75) b/c the nature of their species is to swim freely in open water.
Research each fish you are interested in - make sure your system is suited to it. The size you have chosen limits you - but it can still be full of colorful life.
If you've got the right lighting - you can have some truly amazing corals. I suggest focusing on inverts such as corals and colorful shrimp, more than fish.
Check out the rest of this forum, there are folks in here with GORGEOUS nanos that might give you some good ideas.
Good luck...keep us posted! :joy:

 

[pclown]

I have the 24g Aqaupod, and I have 27# LR and 20# LS and I am in my 3rd week of the cycle process. I was told to only put only 1 - 1.5 pounds of LR per gallon for a tank that size if you were going to put fish in there. Becuase to much rock and not enough water and swimming room. But you will need additional filteration to help out which you should have with Nano Cube.
Also on the yellow tang, that is my wife's favorite fish and she wants one real bad but from what I have read and what the owner of the LFS has told me is to stay away from it unless you have at least a 75 gallon tank and will give it the attention it needs. Alot of them never make it a year and in a tank our size they most likely will not make but a few months (even the small ones).
I do love your tank, another fish that you may want to checkout is the Royal Gramma.

 

[lbaskball]

Originally Posted by shark_bait
Does anyone know where I can find some good example pictures of Nano cubes for ideas on how to build the rockwork?
If you want some ideas, check out my 24gal nano thread. I have lots of pictures. Please leave feedback. Thanks.