my 12g nano

[dempseyjosh]

well i figured i'd start some sort of log for my tank, so anyone can throw in some input if they feel like it.
i will ask any questions i have too.
i got a 12g nano cube dx
it came with a heater and a fission nano skimmer i did not put either of these parts in as i heard the fission nano skimmer was junk, and i didn't think the heater was neccessary.
i searched all over for some ro/di water to get the tank started, but no where i went sold it, and i didn't have money for a ro filter. i ended up buying the pre mixed water, and 2 gallons of ro water (which was also pre packaged)
so i put the water in the tank straight out of the box and the specifc gravity was at about 1.027 i took some of it out and added a little more than a gallon of the fresh ro water and it was at about 1.022.
Then i added the live aregonite and let that settle. then i put in about 12 lbs of live rock that i got from *****.
the water temp is staying about 79.
that is all further i got right now, i will post pics hopefully later tonight
now for the questions.
i need to know what to test for and how often to test for these
should the lights be on some sort of schedule? can you put a timer on the nano cube?
what should the temperature be at
is there somewhere that lists what the ideal readings are for everything you test for?

 

[lion_crazz]

Everything you said sounds good. I would suggest you bring your specific gravity up higher though. It is best around 1.025-1.026.
As for your questions, I have included all of the ideal readings for the things you may want to test for below. At this point in your tank, I would test your levels 2 or 3 times per week just to know how everything is progressing.
The lights do not need to be on any kind of schedule now, but you might as well pick up a timer and get that all situated before you start putting live animals into the tank. A cheap timer from Home Depot will work just fine.
pH - 8.2
ammonia/nitrite - always 0
nitrate - under 20-30 for fish only, under 10-20 for a reef. Preferably, if possible, 0.
kH - 8-12 dkH, 143-214 ppm, 2.86 - 4.29 meq/l
calcium - 400-460 ppm
specific gravity - 1.025-1.026
temperature - 76-82 (stability is more important here)

 

[dempseyjosh]

thanks for the help
i just got done testing and here is everything i got
PH between 8 and 8.5
kh was between 196.9 and 214.8
phosphate 0
nitrate about 8
nitrite 0
Calcium 540
ammonia 0
temp 78
specific gravity 1.022
i already have water mixing to get the gravity up.
i don't know if i need to do anything at the moment to make any changes to anything else.
pics coming in a few minutes

 

[dempseyjosh]

today i noticed that one of the rocks i bought had algae on one side. then later i noticed there were little white dots appearing on that side as well. that is what the close up pictures are supposed to be of.
what should i do about the algae. what are the white spots, and what should i do about those?

 

[dempseyjosh]

well i attempted to get the salinity up higher closer to 1.025 but i only got it up to 1.023 and i'm done for the night. i will probably try to get it done tomorrow night.
anybody have any tips on what i should be doing? i took about 2 gallons out and upped that water to about 1.030 and when i put it in the tank it put upped the tank to 1.023 from 1.022 i assume its just learn as you go trial and error?

 

[dempseyjosh]

i got the specific gravity up to 1.025 before i left town for the holiday weekend.
when i get home tuesday night i will test again and post the readings.
should i be doing water changes until the water cycles, or does that wait until after that happens?

 

[peef]

Originally Posted by dempseyjosh
i got the specific gravity up to 1.025 before i left town for the holiday weekend.
when i get home tuesday night i will test again and post the readings.
should i be doing water changes until the water cycles, or does that wait until after that happens?
Don't do a water change until the tank cycles....might take up to a month for full cycle. You can help by putting a small shrimp in (the kind we eat from a supermarket)

 

[dempseyjosh]

thanks peef
i just got home from the holiday weekend and here are my second tests
PH about 8.2
kh was about 107.4 ppm
phosphate 0ppm
nitrate about 8ppm
nitrite 0ppm
Calcium 580ppm
ammonia 0ppm
temp 79
specific gravity 1.0255
the only big change i see is the kh dropping. should i do anything about this? what changes am i expecting to see?
nothing seems to have changed much while i was gone over the weekend as far as the way it looks. the algae on the one rock seems to be going away, but a small spot showed up on another.

 

[dempseyjosh]

PH about 8.2
kh was about 161.1ppm
phosphate 0ppm
nitrate about 8ppm
nitrite 0ppm
Calcium 560ppm
ammonia 0ppm
temp 78
specific gravity 1.025
everything seems like it's staying the about the same. when should i expect changes? i have 20lbs of live sand, and about 12lbs of rock. should i wait it out, should i get a shrimp to put in there, or is there a possibility it's ready already. the water i put in was the real ocean water i bought from *****.

 

[triga22]

Looks like a great start!

 

[howardj]

Wow, I like the rockword a lot.
I have a lot of SPS stuck on my rocks.. and they don't look to good.
What kind of sand are you using?

 

[dempseyjosh]

thanks. i left some room to build upwards once i find some more rocks i like the look of
i used live aregonite sand.
i forgot to mention the only changes i can see is that the green algae seems to be slowly disappearing on the rock it was originally on, and small spots showed up in other places but never got bigger.
i don't know if i'm seeing things because i want to see them or if small things are changing on the rocks. the purple coraline seems to be doing nothing but slowly fading and spots are turning white. but i think there are deep red spots of something appearing. but like i said, the only thing im sure of is the green algae, i could just be making up the rest.

 

[dempseyjosh]

well my tank has been up for almost two weeks now. but yesterday and today was the first time i've been running the lights since i was told it wasn't neccessary to cycle the tank. i noticed that with the lights being on for 12 hours it raises the temp of the tank about 2 degrees then when i left the lights off all the time. the temp is up to 82, the room is air conditioned to 76, and that seemed to work fine at keeping the tank at about 79 when the lights were off.
with the lights on there are also a lot of bubbles coming off of the rocks, and i can see some little green things in random spots that look line tiny little blades of grass. i can't tell if the green algae that was there already is going away, or staying, or spreading, but i do notice some brownish/orangeish stuff that looks like some sort of algae. also some white little things that are fuzzy like hair that flow with the current all over the rocks, not completely covering them, but they are on all the rocks. i will try to get pictures up tonight.
but here are my readings from today.
PH about 8.2
kh was about 161.1ppm
phosphate 0ppm
nitrate about 8ppm
nitrite 0ppm
Calcium 560ppm
ammonia 0ppm
temp 82
specific gravity almost 1.026

 

[dempseyjosh]

this one shows the little things that flow in the currents

this one shows all the bubbles

this one shows the brown stuff

 

[peef]

I would say that if your nitrites and ammonia are at 0 and you have a level of 8 on the Nitrates you should be cycled. Did you ever see a spike in either the Nitrite or ammonia? If you did then yes you are cycled. Some cycle quicker than others. Mine only took about 2 weeks. The algae growth is normal and a good start you will have a red algae start growing all over your sand soon which again is a good thing showing that the tank is on its way. You should watch temp fluctuations when you start getting live stock. Try having a fan that blows over the top of the water during the time the lights are on...or invest in a chiller. Good job and keep up the good work.

 

[dempseyjosh]

thanks. so i shouldn't worry about the green algae? will this start to go away? what about the brown stuff, and the red stuff you are telling me to be prepared for, how long will that stick around? whats with the bubbles, and are the fuzzy things some sort of algae too?
what should be the first things i stock in there. and i just want to have one really cool looking fish or two small decent ones.

 

[maelv]

I would say a nice little cleaning crew to start chomping on that algae...as good a starting point as any....

 

[dempseyjosh]

what all is included in a cleaning crew, what and how many should i get. and do you think its safe already?

 

[peef]

If I had a 12 this is what I would get as a cleanup crew
1 emerald crab....eats bubble algae among loads of others.
4-5 nassarius snails
3-4 red leg hermits
4-5 blue leg hermits
That would get you started on good cleaning.
The red algae will last for 1-2 weeks, varies for everyone. Cleanup crew will help take care of it, as well as the tank aging. You will hear it a thousand times here, patience is the #1 thing to have will SW. Keep up the good work!!!!!!!!
As long as you have cycled you should be fine adding the cleanup crew....just NO fish or coral yet. wait for a few weeks or so.

 

[maelv]

I would also get several astreas....but be aware that some of the hermits may kill the snails for the shell.......so a couple of extra shells could help out.