just starting out 28g nano

blayz77

blayz77

Member
hey everyone,
so today was a big day for me as i just dove into the whole reef tank thing without really knowing anything about it except for bits and pieces i ahve read and seen online. so im pretty nervous about the whole thing.
so my tank is set up and its been running for about an hour now so far so good i guess. nothign to exciting as of yet just water rocks and sand. gonna try to post a picture so you can see it, hopfully it comes out.
so i gotta couple questions mayby you have the answers.
1. i currently have the hqi light running, since all i have is rocks how long if at all do i need to have the light on?
2. i know that around 81 and 82 degrees is to hot for the water but can it get to cold? whats the minimum temperature the water can be for a reef tank. right now the water temp is 71.5
3. there are lots of little particle looking things flying around the tank right now i think they are tiny bubbles.. how long should it take for these to go away..
4. what exaclty is cycling? is that just what you call the period of time that you have your tank running with nothign in it? i plan on running this for about 30 days before i start to put anything in like corals and fish
ohh and one last thing in the instruction book i read that i shouldnt run the protien skimmer until the nitrogen cycle is done.. how long is the nitrogen cycle?
thanks in andvanced for any answers suggestions or advice in advanced!
 
copperhead3690

copperhead3690

Member
i've never heard dont run the skimmer till after the cycle is done. might not be good for it, i'm not sure. some of the other guys should be able to tell you a definate answer but i don't think it would hurt it
 
zoie2

zoie2

Active Member
?#1 I don't know.
?#2 You should have a thermometer and there will be an acceptable temp range on it. Noting what is too hot and too cold. Where YOU want it exactly depends on what you keep in there. Some fish/coral prefer warmer or colder water within that range
#3 Not sure
#4 Cycling is basically just that. Your water will start out pretty much balanced, then your levels will spike sky high (which will be toxic to all fish/coral and inverts. In time they will drop back down and come back in balance. It's a cycle. Every tank is a little differrent, but it can't be rushed.
With my tank I cycled using a raw shrimp from the deli (not a damsel).
It took about 2 weeks for my levels to drop down enough for me to add a clean up crew (cuc) and another week to drop down enough to add my first coral. I waited another week before adding my first fish.
It's not a time thing though, it depends on your levels and how safe your water is.
 
bdhb12

bdhb12

Member
your live rock Should Cycle the tank. Temp needs to be higher 75+. I was told to leave lights off during cycle to Prevent heavy Algae outbreak.
 
mckevinfang

mckevinfang

Member
Originally Posted by Blayz77
http:///forum/post/2953620
hey everyone,
1. i currently have the hqi light running, since all i have is rocks how long if at all do i need to have the light on?
2. i know that around 81 and 82 degrees is to hot for the water but can it get to cold? whats the minimum temperature the water can be for a reef tank. right now the water temp is 71.5
3. there are lots of little particle looking things flying around the tank right now i think they are tiny bubbles.. how long should it take for these to go away..
4. what exaclty is cycling? is that just what you call the period of time that you have your tank running with nothign in it? i plan on running this for about 30 days before i start to put anything in like corals and fish
ohh and one last thing in the instruction book i read that i shouldnt run the protien skimmer until the nitrogen cycle is done.. how long is the nitrogen cycle?
thanks in andvanced for any answers suggestions or advice in advanced!
1. On all my 3 tanks i run the lights on for 12hrs off for 12hrs (1pm-1am) and i run my moon lights 24/7
. Try it this way get your tank used to it. you should start to see diatom algae in a couple days.
2. MH can make your tank really hot
. In a way it depends on your normal room temp. I would get a heater if you dont already have one. large temp flux are bad for the tank. i run a chiller and a heater on my 14g the temp stays at 79'F +/- 0.5'F. For me good range is 77'F-81'F but try and keep your temp consistent.
3. Those little particles are most likely air bubbles. IMO Try adding more SW into your tank slowly until it goes away.
4. Cycling is the process New Tanks go through to fully establish equilibrium. Making the water perfect conditions for livestock. Nitrates/ites and Ammonia should be at 0 at the end of the cycle. 30 days is good amount of time. try the "shrimp method" as other members have had success with this (look at Whisks tank thread) Buy your own test kit and test your parameters every 2-3 days to see how your tank is coming along. once parameters are in the perfect range and you see algae growth add in your CUC.
5. I guess i differs from member to member. I've heard of success with running the skimmer and not running a skimmer during the cycle. Its really up to you! what i did was run the skimmer 2 1/2 weeks into the cycle.
hope this helps. if you have any other questions just ask. SWF members are very helpful.
 
premilove

premilove

Active Member
honestly i know people who keep their tanks at around 85. they have never encountered any problems. all their coral are happy and growing!
with my jbj, i keep the light on for a good 6 hours. i bought azoo cooling fans and tank fluctuates between 80-82. my fish are never stressed, my coral are all happy and growing so i think i am doing something right!
if i was you id convert the center chamber to a fuge, jmo
 
coral keeper

coral keeper

Active Member
1. Don't turn your light on at all because you really don't have to. Your just wasting the life of the bulb if you leave it on during the cycle. also, you don't have to leave your moon lights on 24/7 or all night if you don't want to.
 
blayz77

blayz77

Member
hey guys thx for the replys,
i was a bit nervous last night escpecially when it was time to go to bed, i was afraid i would wake up to a big disaster lol, so today the water looks like it cleared up. still got those micro water bubbles though.. when u say add more water to try and make it go away i suppose i can do that but the main tank is full and already covering half the vent in the back.
however i did look at the very back in the tank and i did notice that the chambers where the motors are arnt very filled up with water. mayby fill that chamber up a little more?
when you say change the center into a fuge you said? what do you mean by that and also if i did do that how would i go about it? and what does it do differently?
ohh yeah and coral keeper i saw that log of yours last night and i was poking through it man you got some nice setups i hope i can accomplish something like that even half as nice
 
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