Beginning of a new 29g tank and questions

[mrdc]

Well I got the tank up and running. Not sure what the salinity is just yet. I will get it leveled out tonight and then add a piece of meat or something so I can get the cycle going. I thought the tank came with a powerhead but I guess the picture on the box was just for display purposes. What size powerhead do you think I should run? I will probably purchase a koralia but just not sure about the gph needed.
 
There is a also a glass cover that I will probably quit using once I start adding life to the tank.

 

[mrdc]

I also have another algae question. Can chaeto release nitrates back into your tank?
 
And a question on kick starting the cycle. I have some frozen silver sides. Can I just add one of those to the tank?

 

[spanko]

If it dies off yes.
 
You can use the frozen fish but don't you have some live rock?

 

[mrdc]

What causes it to die off?
 
I can grab a rock or two out of the big tank. Is that a better thing to do?

 

[speg]

Quote:
Originally Posted by mrdc http:///forum/thread/380104/beginning-of-a-new-29g-tank-and-questions/20#post_3309893
What causes it to die off?
 
I can grab a rock or two out of the big tank. Is that a better thing to do?
Yeah, live rock is just as good.
 
Chaeto can die if conditions in the water are poo poo, if the light/flow is insufficient, etc.
 
I think you can go with the smallest koralia nano for the tank. <--that's what's in my 12 gallon. It's the 240 I believe? If you had some extra money, the vortech pumps are great.

 

[mrdc]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Speg http:///forum/thread/380104/beginning-of-a-new-29g-tank-and-questions/20#post_3309929
If you had some extra money, the vortech pumps are great.

You said extra money!
 
 
Actually I thought the poo poo is what the maros ate.

 

[spanko]

Lack of flow through the ball due to it not being harvested regularly can also cause it to disintegrate. Old light too.

 

[mrdc]

Gotcha!

 

[mrdc]

Well not the best pic since it was taken with my phone but here is the setup so far.

 

[mrdc]

Well after 5 days or so since adding the silverside, I tested the water tonight and no ammonia. Guess I need to wait more or add something else.

 

[mrdc]

Hooray....I finally got a little spike in ammonia. I added another silverside to see if it helps.

 

[mrdc]

Well I never got the ammonia as high as I would like and this is the 6 week of cycling. I'm thinking of adding something next week as a test. What do you think I should add? I was thinking of either a cheap damsel or coral. I don't think the protein skimmer that came with this setup is anny good. Anyone with the oceanic biocube replace the protein skimmer with another brand?

 

[gemmy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by mrdc http:///forum/thread/380104/beginning-of-a-new-29g-tank-and-questions/20#post_3318711
Well I never got the ammonia as high as I would like and this is the 6 week of cycling. I'm thinking of adding something next week as a test. What do you think I should add? I was thinking of either a cheap damsel or coral. I don't think the protein skimmer that came with this setup is anny good. Anyone with the oceanic biocube replace the protein skimmer with another brand?
I would not put in a damsel unless you enjoy getting bit. They are EVIL.

I have heard that the biocube skimmers aren't great, but what can you expect for 40 bucks? I'm not sure what they replace it with though.

 

[mrdc]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gemmy http:///forum/thread/380104/beginning-of-a-new-29g-tank-and-questions/20#post_3318808
I would not put in a damsel unless you enjoy getting bit. They are EVIL.

I have heard that the biocube skimmers aren't great, but what can you expect for 40 bucks? I'm not sure what they replace it with though.
Oh, I know all about the evil damsels. The store that setup my other tank cycled it with damsels and ine lived for several years since I could never get it out because it's a 120g tall tank. The 29g is more manageable so I should be able to get whatever I put in there out if needed. I will get a blue chromis (something like that) or some other type of cheap fish that I wouldn't mine keeping. It definitley will not be a domino damsel!!

 

[gemmy]

Good luck. My first tank was a 16 gallon and when I needed to move the damsels out everything else had to come out to including some water.

 

[slice]

I had a 3-Stripe and 2 Yellow-Tail Damnsels for a while. I used one of those fish traps you can buy (had to modify it to make it work properly).
When baited with their favorite food, it took about an hour to trap the 3-Stripe. A few weeks later, it took about 15 mins to trap both of the
Yellow-Tails.
I let the tank go without food for a couple of days and I think they went for it so no one else could....those bass turds...

 

[levinjac]

i figured out a good way to catch a fish take a water bottle cut were you drink out of of then cut the rounded part off and add the rounded part upsided down into the water bottle add a sinking food that wont fall out of the bottle and place it in the water and fish being dumb will go in and try to get the food then you after the fish is in the bottle scoop the bottle out of the water and you have your fish its cheap and reuseable and you can modify it to suit the size of the fish

 

[mrdc]

If I decide to replace the protein skimmer that came with this setup, which skimmer would you suggest? I'm also wondering if the refugium does well, should I even worry about replacing the skimmer?

 

[mrdc]

Well I went with the SR3 protein skimmer for Oceanic BioCube based on some suggestions from another board. After reading the reviews, I think I should like it.

 

[mrdc]

I installed a fluval 205 yesterday and put the intake and return pipes both in the 3rd chamber. Not how I had really envisioned it but I will let it ride this way for now and maybe think of a way to get the return pipe into the display later. I just wanted to have the option to run more media since my bio-load is getting high with fish. I thought I was done with fish but someone gave me his pair of 8mo misbar clowns for free. They are about 3/4" long and aren't supposed to get much bigger. That makes 7 fish in there now so I am worried that I am overloading the system. All fish are small except for the bar gobies that just stay under the rocks.
Anyway, do you think it will hurt anything by having the intake and return pipes in the same chamber. This is also where the return pump is that goes into the main display so it's not like the fluval will be recycling the same water over and over if that makes sense.