Ready for a bigger tank.
- Thread starter johannas
- Start date
sweatervest13
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by johannas http:///t/395782/ready-for-a-bigger-tank#post_3530415
Well Flower I did it.Got a new nuvo aquarium....38gl.
Took us about 9 hrs to get everything changed over from my bio cube.
All my fish lived through the trauma.I was amazed.
Been 3 weeks now still have alot of stuff floating in the tank,I now have a skimmer.
I have no idea what I am doing with it.One person says you need to see bubbles another says no ?????
Another thing that is bugging me is how fast the water evaporates. I know with the back open it happens,
but it goes down fairly quickly.
think I am not liking the filter baskets and medium that came with the tank.
So the jury is out on my new tank.Any suggestions.
Did you get the IM Nuvo skimmer?? Or another nano skimmer? There may be some videos on Youtube on the IM Nuvo skimmer you can watch to see if your skimmer is running correctly.
As far as the filter baskets go, it sounds like you are using the filter cartridges that come with. Should be a straight filter sponge, carbon sponge, and phos sponge. You can use the filter basket and just use the filter sponge in the first (top) basket, but then get a media bag and you add your own carbon, and GFO. Those add on's will work better then the carbon and phos sponges.
HTH's
Originally Posted by johannas http:///t/395782/ready-for-a-bigger-tank#post_3530415
Well Flower I did it.Got a new nuvo aquarium....38gl.
Took us about 9 hrs to get everything changed over from my bio cube.
All my fish lived through the trauma.I was amazed.
Been 3 weeks now still have alot of stuff floating in the tank,I now have a skimmer.
I have no idea what I am doing with it.One person says you need to see bubbles another says no ?????
Another thing that is bugging me is how fast the water evaporates. I know with the back open it happens,
but it goes down fairly quickly.
think I am not liking the filter baskets and medium that came with the tank.
So the jury is out on my new tank.Any suggestions.
Did you get the IM Nuvo skimmer?? Or another nano skimmer? There may be some videos on Youtube on the IM Nuvo skimmer you can watch to see if your skimmer is running correctly.
As far as the filter baskets go, it sounds like you are using the filter cartridges that come with. Should be a straight filter sponge, carbon sponge, and phos sponge. You can use the filter basket and just use the filter sponge in the first (top) basket, but then get a media bag and you add your own carbon, and GFO. Those add on's will work better then the carbon and phos sponges.
HTH's
johannas
Member
Thanks ,
I finally have it set were I am getting brown water in my cup.
I think it may be a bit to watery though,so I will do some more fine tuning.
I am wondering about water evaporation in my bio cube it was very slow.
This tank seems to need a refill every couple of days. Can I cover the back to slow it down.
Also is RO water the same as distilled ?
I finally have it set were I am getting brown water in my cup.
I think it may be a bit to watery though,so I will do some more fine tuning.
I am wondering about water evaporation in my bio cube it was very slow.
This tank seems to need a refill every couple of days. Can I cover the back to slow it down.
Also is RO water the same as distilled ?
sweatervest13
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by johannas http:///t/395782/ready-for-a-bigger-tank/20#post_3530448
Thanks ,
I finally have it set were I am getting brown water in my cup.
I think it may be a bit to watery though,so I will do some more fine tuning.
I am wondering about water evaporation in my bio cube it was very slow.
This tank seems to need a refill every couple of days. Can I cover the back to slow it down.
Also is RO water the same as distilled ?
Does the tank have the glass top (BTW, I have a IM nuvo 8, so I am familiar with their products)?? I would not cover the back... You need to have some water open to the air for gas exchange. I would just make sure that there is nothing leaking (like out of the skimmer), and as long as you have no leaks, than that is just the amount that evaporates... So, you may have to topoff every couple of days (most tank's need daily topoffs, so every other day is not bad at all).
RO and distilled are not exactly the same. Both are a lot better than tap water. If you are looking at a reef tank RO/DI is the best choice for water.
For the skimmer, it seems like you almost have it dialed in... Make small adjustments to get it the rest of the way there. PIcs are always nice. Post them up!!
Originally Posted by johannas http:///t/395782/ready-for-a-bigger-tank/20#post_3530448
Thanks ,
I finally have it set were I am getting brown water in my cup.
I think it may be a bit to watery though,so I will do some more fine tuning.
I am wondering about water evaporation in my bio cube it was very slow.
This tank seems to need a refill every couple of days. Can I cover the back to slow it down.
Also is RO water the same as distilled ?
Does the tank have the glass top (BTW, I have a IM nuvo 8, so I am familiar with their products)?? I would not cover the back... You need to have some water open to the air for gas exchange. I would just make sure that there is nothing leaking (like out of the skimmer), and as long as you have no leaks, than that is just the amount that evaporates... So, you may have to topoff every couple of days (most tank's need daily topoffs, so every other day is not bad at all).
RO and distilled are not exactly the same. Both are a lot better than tap water. If you are looking at a reef tank RO/DI is the best choice for water.
For the skimmer, it seems like you almost have it dialed in... Make small adjustments to get it the rest of the way there. PIcs are always nice. Post them up!!
pegasus
Well-Known Member
Yes, you're almost there! If you lower the water level in the skimmer just a tiny bit, it will allow more of the skimmate to collect before it spills over into the collection cup. You want to see dark brown in the cup. The darker, the better. If you're having to add a lot of fresh water to top off the tank, don't forget to check the salinity occasionally. If it's evaporating really fast, you should start seeing "salt creep" in spots around the top of the tank. If this happens, try to remove it without letting it fall back into the tank. Dissolved salt in the tank is good. Dried salt in the tank... not so much. My 2c...
tthemadd1
Active Member
Could be answer these questions
Lighting?
Top off water?
Gas exchange? Covers
Water movement? Change in powerheads add powerheads?
Feeding cycles? Did you add anything?
Old sand? New sand?
Fish?
Lighting schedule?
Parameter?
Nitrate
Nitrite
Ammonia
Phosphate
Calcium
Alk
Salt gravity
PH
Just the old short list
Lighting?
Top off water?
Gas exchange? Covers
Water movement? Change in powerheads add powerheads?
Feeding cycles? Did you add anything?
Old sand? New sand?
Fish?
Lighting schedule?
Parameter?
Nitrate
Nitrite
Ammonia
Phosphate
Calcium
Alk
Salt gravity
PH
Just the old short list
pegasus
Well-Known Member
New sand and new lighting may be the culprit. New sand has to go though a cycle, just like new rocks. If your water parameters are within specs, it might be due to the lighting. I changed from fluorescent to LED on my (established) quarantine tank, and had a MAJOR algae outbreak. It's a 24"-36" Marineland Reef w/timer on a 24" tank, so it covers the entire top of the tank. It turns out to be too much light, and even the moonlights look bright as day in this tank. I've reduced the white LEDs a couple of hours per day, and it helps... but it's still not enough. My only options are to reduce the photoperiod even more, or raise the lamp higher to lessen the intensity. High PAR/PUR is good in a tall tank, but not too good for a shallow tank.
Long story short... your tank is probably going though a mini-cycle. Algae needs light to grow, so cut back on the lighting for a week or two, then gradually work back to your preferred light cycle. Water changes during this time won't hurt, as you'll also remove the nutrients algae need to survive. Feed fish only what they can consume in a couple of minutes. Remove as much algae as possible, and keep your skimmer clean. You should see an improvement in a week or two.
Long story short... your tank is probably going though a mini-cycle. Algae needs light to grow, so cut back on the lighting for a week or two, then gradually work back to your preferred light cycle. Water changes during this time won't hurt, as you'll also remove the nutrients algae need to survive. Feed fish only what they can consume in a couple of minutes. Remove as much algae as possible, and keep your skimmer clean. You should see an improvement in a week or two.
pegasus
Well-Known Member
Time will tell. New tanks can present new problems, even when using seasoned rocks and sand. You never told us what kind of water you are using. You asked if RO was the same as distilled, but nothing else. If you are using tap water, you may have a problem with phosphates. This will cause an algae bloom, also. I used rocks from a mature tank, RO/DI water, and new live sand when I set up my tank. I thought I had done everything right, and I had and outbreak of algae, too. First it was bubble algae, then hair algae. I fought it for months before getting it under control. Once I realized that the "new" live sand was cycling, it was too late. I had used too much light during that time. Cutting back the photoperiod, lots of hermits, emerald crabs, cerith, nassauris, and turbo snails, and a lawnmower blenny finally finished it off. Then came the cyanobacteria... red slime. It completely covered the sand anywhere light touched it. I hate to add chemicals, but I finally resorted to dosing (once) with Chemi-Clean and everything survived, but even that didn't cure it. I built a filter system to siphon it from the sand, and wash the sand that collected in the filter. It comes back after a few days, but each time it is in smaller patches. Oh, and let's not leave out the Ick and Velvet outbreak. It has been a real challenge for me too, but I am determined more than ever to beat it. I understand how easy it is to get frustrated, but anything worth having in life will cause frustration at one time and/or another. Take my wife for instance. No, please... take my wife. LOL!
Seriously... I know it can be frustrating, but once you get past the hurdles, it will be well worth it. Now about the water...
Seriously... I know it can be frustrating, but once you get past the hurdles, it will be well worth it. Now about the water...
johannas
Member
I used only premixed salt water from my reef guy when I set up the tank.For top offs I use distilled.
I think my lighting could be an issue have a new razor led .I used new sand with a cup of my old sand.
You are right it has been frustrating,but I am not giving up,,,,not yet any way.Fuuny how you can build an emotional attachment to
your tank family.lol They are very quiet.
I think my lighting could be an issue have a new razor led .I used new sand with a cup of my old sand.
You are right it has been frustrating,but I am not giving up,,,,not yet any way.Fuuny how you can build an emotional attachment to
your tank family.lol They are very quiet.
pegasus
Well-Known Member
Must be the lighting. Yes, even my wife says she can't imagine not having her fish friends to say "hello" to every morning and evening when she gets home. She even has a swivel barstool at the end of the tank where she can sit and watch. She encourages me to do whatever I need to keep it healthy, which usually means spending money. She's very thrifty, but she doesn't cut corners when it comes to her aquarium. Notice I said "her" aquarium? LOL! Yeah... she's that attached. We both love it. I was never this dedicated when I did tropical fish.