New 12 gal. JBJ nano DX

[samd8]

Hello All!
I recently just purchased a 12 gal. nano, 4 days agoand i am patiently waiting for the cycle to complete. LR and Live sand is in. About 11 lbs of LR and 4 lbs of LS. About how long will it take to complete the cycle? my LFS told me that itll take 3 days.. HA! Im calling Bull**** but maybe its possible.. All the LR i bought from them was in their display tanks so could this have something to do with a faster cycle??
I am wanting to do a SPS tank, BUT i have read that with a small tank, sometimes SPS are hard to keep. Any advice on this??
Also, is a protein skimmer very necessary on such a small tank? I have the standard 3-stage filter system, Bio-Balls, Carbon, Etc. Any advice would be very helpful, being new to the "Nano World". Thanks!

 

[nikesb]

yes fully cured liverock will help with a faster cycle, sometimes almost no cycle. theres still no telling though unless you test. sps is possible in a small tank as long as you have the right equipment. I'm on a 10 gallon nano with 4x24w t5-ho with better bulbs and its more than enough for sps. take out the bio balls, theyll be a pain in the future and build up nitrates which nuisance algae feeds off of. if you want sps to keep their colors and flourish, i would say that a skimmer is necessary. I'm a firm believer of overskimming and that has led to some crazy coloration of sps in my tank. I nurtured a friends monti cap that was orange in his tank, and in my tank it became pink. Ultra low nutrient systems give sps amazing colors. look up zeo systems and you'll see what i'm talking about.

 

[samd8]

Ya i took out the bio-balls. I haven't heard too many good things about them. Thanks for the advice! I plan on running a test either tomorrow night or Tuesday. What level should my Nitrates be at? I am going to look into a skimmer. Do you know if they make a skimmer for the Nano Cubes?? And also, do they make any T5 lighting fixtures for the Nano Cubes?
I hear that keeping SPS under compacts does work, with great filter systems. Is this true?
Also, I was looking around in my tank today, and there are bristle worms and those little greyish white starfish crawling around. I know the starfish are bad, but could this show my tank is cycled?

 

[nikesb]

Originally Posted by SamD8
http:///forum/post/3237382
Ya i took out the bio-balls. I haven't heard too many good things about them. Thanks for the advice! I plan on running a test either tomorrow night or Tuesday. What level should my Nitrates be at? I am going to look into a skimmer. Do you know if they make a skimmer for the Nano Cubes?? And also, do they make any T5 lighting fixtures for the Nano Cubes?
well eventually you want to keep your nitrates undetectable. if you just started this, you will have to wait for a ammonia spike then a nitrite spike then comes nitrate. theres better skimmers available i believe but some local reefers have opted for an external hang on back skimmer which works much better
Originally Posted by SamD8
http:///forum/post/3237382
I hear that keeping SPS under compacts does work, with great filter systems. Is this true?
its possible to keep them alive but not vibrant. they will most likely become browned out even with good filtration under pc's
Originally Posted by SamD8
http:///forum/post/3237382
Also, I was looking around in my tank today, and there are bristle worms and those little greyish white starfish crawling around. I know the starfish are bad, but could this show my tank is cycled?
i would wait a week and test everyday just to make sure.

 

[samd8]

Thanks for the advice. I hate this waiting game against the tank cycle! Patience, patience, patience. Any advice on a first fish?? Or should i just get a couple chromis, and see if they last?

 

[nikesb]

dont exceed 2 fishes. i tried 3 fishes on a 10 gallon and it eventually caught up to me. they were producing so much poo that my tank couldnt get rid of it fast enough even with weekly water changes. I now only have 1 wrasse that feeds himself so i dont introduce phosphates into the tank. its up to you on the fish, just read on the fish you're looking at before getting it. itll save you a ton of time later on if you decide you dont want it.

 

[samd8]

Ya i didnt think a 12g could withstand too many fish. I can imagine the bio load of having too many fish in a small tank. I was thinking about a pair of black clowns. or maybe a Six Line and a clown goby. Running the first water test tonight so we will see how it turns out!

 

[samd8]

Ok so, i ran a test, and i think I have an ammonia spike. It is not at zero, but its not at a high level either. Everything else has spiked also. Does this mean the cycle is over?

 

[jacknjill]

The cycle is over when the ammonia and nitrites have spiked and gone back to zero. Nitrates will spike as well and will then go down...you should try to get them as close to 0 as well, but below 20 is usually fine.

 

[jacknjill]

Ps this usually takes around three weeks to a month, maybe a little less depending on your setup, how much die off, etc.

 

[samd8]

Alright awesome thanks. I have been running tests and my ammonia has spiked. or maybe its just high because i have feather dusters starting to grow. Any suggestions?

 

[samd8]

Finally! An update on the tank!

All perameters are perfect, rock is cured, for the most part. Already have coraline! woo!

Livestock so far includes:
10 nassarius snails
5 black zebras
1 diamond goby (unfortunately got murdered by my pump)
1 mushroom
Wish List:
2 black clowns or 2 picasso's
t5 or MH lighting
Either full softies with BTA
OR
Full SPS
1 or 2 crocea or maxima clams
Does anyone have any input or advice about this build?? All critisizm helps. Ive been out of the hobby for about a year now, after having to get rid of my 46 gallon. I am excited to see what the nano world has to offer!!