12 Gal. Nano Cube Deluxe

[whitefish]

I set up my 12 Gal. Nano Cube Deluxe tank on Sunday Feb. 27th 2005 and let the salt water circulate for 3 days along with the a 1 inch layer of small Sea Gravel. On the third day(March 2nd) I purchased 3 Damsels, 1 Live Rock, and 1 Dead Rock.Then 5 days from that, Which brings us to today March 7th.I noticed when I got home from work that the Live Rock turned a rusty color. Early that today my wife called to tell me that the Ammonia was at 0.25. The Nitrites were between 1.0-3.0 and Nitrates were between 0-20.
I also have been checking my Salinity started at 1.024 when I first put my Damsels in the tank and today since then it has been changing as the water evaporates.Today it reads 1.020. How much sould I allow this to flucuate up and down on a daily or weekly bases. Is there a good way to keep at a constant level. I was told to keep a 5 Gal. Bucket of premixed saltwater for water changes.How cold will this back-up water be and will it be safe to just pour water right into tank or could I mix my saltwater minutes before a water change.

 

[taranokc]

I posted this same question on one of the other boards. Some of our rock has turned a light rusty color and we have a newly set up 12 G Nano Dx. One person said it sounds like some diatoms were growing and it is normal. I hope so!

 

[whitefish]

Yes, I heard the same thing outside of here and it is a form of alge which is ok for a new tank going through the process.

 

[clarkiiclo]

Ok- first of all slow down. You are going way too fast. The rust color you are seeing is diatoms. They are a part of your cycle. Dont do any water changes until you cycle is over. If you do it will just prolong your cycle. I personally would have used a raw shrimp over damsels to cycle your tank. Do you have another tank to move them to?
The cycle is so hard on them. They are tought but why subject them to that torture??
As for your salinity I suggest a refractometer. They are much more accurate.
Your salinity needs to stay constant. It needs to stay at 1.025 or 35ppt how ever you choose to read it.
As for your water what kind are you using?
Tap? RO? RODI? Something from a fish store? What kind of salt?
Also do you have a powerhead in your tank yet or just the pump that came with it?
There are lots of things that you need to consider

 

[whitefish]

Your salinity needs to stay constant. It needs to stay at 1.025 or 35ppt how ever you choose to read it.
If my Salinity is over 1.025, What do I do ? If my Salinity is under 1.020, What do I do?
As for your water what kind are you using?
I'm using water from my drinking water system.....Is tis ok ?
What kind of salt?
I'm using the sea salt from the saltwater fish store...As for brand name I don't know. It has a clown fish on the package.
Also do you have a powerhead in your tank yet or just the pump that came with it?
Can you explan better on ths subject ? The waste in my take is blowing out of where the filter is at ?

 

[clarkiiclo]

Your drinking water system- is it a Brita system or something a bit more advanced like Reverse Osmosis? Reverse Osmosis(RO) water is a much better choice.
If your salinity is over 1.025 add FRESH water slowly until the salinity comes back down.
If your salinity is under 1.025 add saltwater slowly until it comes up.
You can make the mix a bit stronger say 1.027 or so and add it slowly.
Once you get is set at 1.025 you can add Fresh RO between weekly water changes. When you do your water change( I do 1 gallon at a time) you will have the water premixed to 1.025.
Another note on water changes. I draw my water for my nano 24 hours in advance. I have a 1 gallon container that I use. I add my salt mix it around and areate the heck out of it all night. By the next afternoon the water is up to temprature and the PH is pretty stable.
Premixing your water and allowing it to mix is a must.
With my 75 gallon tank I start drawing the water 2 days before the water change and use 5 gallon buckets with powerheads. I find that using a powerhead causes too much evaporation overnight.
Sounds like you have instant ocean salt. Good choice they will be around for a long time.
Ok- a powerhead is for circulation. The stock pump in the sump isnt that good. I would suggest replacing that too. I use and Eheim 600 powerhead and a Rio 400 in the sump. I should have got the Rio 600.
Also anothoer question for you- are you using the bioballs and ceramic things that came with the tank??
In the picture below you can see my powerhead it is in the right hand corner.

 

[whitefish]

My drinking water system is much better than a Brita System.It's been a while since we got it but I do remember it costing $400 maybe even $600. The filter is a aluminum canister 3 inches in diameter and 18 inches long.
Yes, I do have instant ocean salt.
The Nano Tank came with a sponge like filter and Plastic Bioballs.Standing in front of the tank the filter is on the left with the inlet up top. Then into the Plastic Bioballs which are in the middle. On to what I guess is a small holding tank for the just filtered water and out thru the standard powerhead.
See pictures below.

 

[clarkiiclo]

Ok- see how you have no surface movement? That is not good in these little tanks.
First thing you can do is point the outlet up so it hits the surface.
Second- get a power head. You can put it in the corner and point it along the back wall.
Third- I would ditch the bioballs and the ceramic pieces. Go to your LFS(local fish store) and get some small pieces of live rock.
I have my second chamber about 3/4 full of live rock.
It is a much better filter.
The bioballs will give you trouble down the road.
Fourth- ditch one of the foam blocks so you only have 2. That way you have room for things like carbon or better yet a bag of chemi-pure.
You may want to add some more rock in the display. It will help with filtration.

 

[clarkiiclo]

One more thing- I see your water leve is way down.
I keep mine so it just covers the entire inlet on the left.
That is my marker. If it gets below that add fresh water.