# New to saltwater fish keeping... need some help!



## ashleykn (Jun 24, 2012)

Hello i just recently purchased a 28 gallon NanoCube off of Craigslist, i have had it set up in my house for about 3 weeks. I bought it already cycled with the water live rock and sand in it. It also came with a domino damsel, blue damsel, and a four stripe damsel. there are also various snails and a couple crabs along with a coral banded shrimp. salinity:1.025

Now onto the questions:

i tried to ask pet stores these questions, but they all gave me different answers.

1)There is a lot of live rock in the tank and the previous owner instructed me to rinse out the filter sponge in the back compartment once a week. I told one pet store this and they told me that i needed to by bio balls if i was going to do that. The second pet store told me that it was totally fine if i rinsed it our often because all of the bacteria was in the live rock. so what do i do?

2) how long should my light be on every day? Should i have them on all the time just dim at night or on for 12 hour and off for 12 hours?

3) My tank is generally between 76 and 79 degrees. is that a good range? do i need a chiller?

4)i have noted my live sand getting dirty quickly and the lady at the pet store told me it was because i didn't use reverse osmosis water when i mixed my salt water. is that true or do they just want me to buy the water from them?

5) i am doing a 4 gallon water change every two weeks- is that often enough? that is what the previous owner did. 

6) The lady at the pet store also told me that i should get another powerhead to make sure the water around the bottom is being circulated is that needed?

7) i was informed by my local pet shop that i should get a sand sifting goby for my tank, but when i went to buy one at a different shop they told me he would die in a tank smaller than 75 gallons. is there any other sand sifters i can buy?

I am planning on getting two falls percula clowns once i re-home the damsels (sadly) because i know they will hut the clown fish. 


An andswer to ANY of these questions of helpful advice is greatly appreciated, i just want the best home for my fish!

THANKS!


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## fishguy2727 (Sep 5, 2011)

1: Don't use bioballs, they are just nitrate factories. I wouldn't even use a sponge because it is better for all that debris to keep moving until filter feeders eat it but if you do use a sponge you MUST clean it every week so that it doesn't become a nitrate factory.

2: If there are no corals the lighting should be minimal otherwise you will fuel an algae farm. If there are corals you should have the lights on 6-12 hours per day, depending on what the tank can handle without becoming an algae farm.

3: 76-79 is fine, but I would set the heater to 77-78 so there is less variation.

4: You should definitely be using RO water, no tap water ever. Saltwater made with RO water for water changes and RO to top off. This would not cause dirty sand though. Is it algae, debris, or what?

5: Water changes should be every week. Four gallons is fine, but you definitely want them every week.

6: Yes, another powerhead will help with flow, which may be the problem with debris on the sand. I recommend a Koralia Evolution, one of the nano ones. They have a magnetic mount and natural flow patterns. 

7: I wouldn't do a sand sifting goby, they will eat all the good stuff as well as the bad. I would just use nassarius snails for clean sand. 

Yes, get rid of the damsels. A pair of clowns (ocellaris or percula) would be nice. My top picks for that size tank would also be: tailspot blenny, clown gobies, firefish (red, purple, or helfrichi), and maybe one or two other small fish. The clowns should go in last since they will be the most aggressive.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

ashleykn said:


> Hello i just recently purchased a 28 gallon NanoCube off of Craigslist, i have had it set up in my house for about 3 weeks. I bought it already cycled with the water live rock and sand in it. It also came with a domino damsel, blue damsel, and a four stripe damsel. there are also various snails and a couple crabs along with a coral banded shrimp. salinity:1.025
> 
> Now onto the questions:
> 
> ...


Answers in RED


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## ashleykn (Jun 24, 2012)

fishguy2727 and reefing madness: THANK YOU for your quick replys!

so i know ro/di water is best for the tank, would it be ok to just buy jugs of ro water from the grocery store or from home depot and then mix in my own salt?

:animated_fish_swimm


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## ashleykn (Jun 24, 2012)

reefing madness:

as far as flow in the tank i am not sure.. i bought it off craigslist and to my knowledge its the standard flow that comes with a 28 gal nano cube.. 

you can see the picture of the label, it is attached to my post.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

You need at least 280gph in your tank. Flow that comes with origianal equipment doesn't cut it. You'll need a powerhead in there to get your flow up, and stop dead spots and thus eliminate your build up on the sand bed.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

ashleykn said:


> fishguy2727 and reefing madness: THANK YOU for your quick replys!
> 
> so i know ro/di water is best for the tank, would it be ok to just buy jugs of ro water from the grocery store or from home depot and then mix in my own salt?
> 
> :animated_fish_swimm


Yes, perfectly ok to do. Just dump the water into a container that will hold your water, mix it up at least 24hrs prior to use.


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## Sasquatch (May 29, 2011)

I have a 29 gal nano reef with a 20 gal sump..The pump on my system is rated for 620gph. This seems almost perfect in my tank. I still get a little dirty sand but it comes up when I vacuum during water changes. 

I have a tailspot blenny and I recommend them. I also have yellow tail damsel, 6 line wrasse and green clown goby..They get along fine in my tank.

I have 8 different corals.

one emeral crab, one anemone crab and one red leg hermit

Couple of different kinds of snails (most hitchhikers)

one peppermint shrimp and one cleaner shrimp

my sump has 15 lbs of live rock and is loaded down with cheatomorphia along with a protein skimmer.

Main tank prolly has 30 lbs of live rock in it.

My set up has been running flawlessly for about a year with 10 gal water changes about every two weeks.

Do yourself a favor and get a RO/DI unit!


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## ashleykn (Jun 24, 2012)

thanks for the help!

i added a powerhead to my tank near the bottom to help with the flow of water.

i was looking online at what generally comes in the back three compartments of nano cubes ( sponge, then filter media/cartridge, return pump) and realized that my middle cartridge was empty so i purchased about a pound of live rock and placed it in the middle cartridge. is this a good idea or should i try and order filter media?


also, i was looking into wether to buy test kits (with all the tubes and chemicals) or test strips to check my water quality.. any suggestions? i don't want to spend a crazy amount of money-- right now I'm having it done about every week and a half at my lfs.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

If your going to put something in the middle compartment, Live Rock isn't a bad choice. Although running GFO or Carbon is a better choice. If you have plenty of LR in the DT, you do not need the mechanical filter. Its not necessary.

Aquarium Water Testing: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Saltwater Master Liquid Test Kit


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## Sasquatch (May 29, 2011)

Funny thing with me...I bought a water test kit when I set my tank up to check the water as it cycled...I havent used it since. The only thing I have had die is a emerald crab and a couple of hermits but I think that was due to them fighting. Just make sure you keep up with the water changes and make sure the new water is the same temperature as the tank water before adding it. I bought a spare 12 gallon tank (clearance for 10 dollars at petco) to mix my water in a couple of days before my water change is due. I keep a power head circulating it with a little air mixture and a heater to get it just right. Then just use another powerhead and a hose to transfer it. Make sure you unplug your heater in the mixture tank before you transfer it cause it will burn up if its not in the water.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Just to keep it simple I recommend you balance out the tank with macro and other algeas.


then do the rest.


my .02


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## fishguy2727 (Sep 5, 2011)

No, do not put macroalgae in the display. It will take over and then you will have macroalgae smothering your corals.


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## Sasquatch (May 29, 2011)

fishguy2727 said:


> No, do not put macroalgae in the display. It will take over and then you will have macroalgae smothering your corals.


I bellieve there are some manageable types,,but yeah I keep mine in the sump and alternate lighting between it and the main tank.
I seen some macro algae that looked like a fan or shaving brush, I cant remember the name but I think it would look good in the display tank,,IMHO.


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## ashleykn (Jun 24, 2012)

okay thanks! I'm going to order some replacement filters for the middle compartment..
how often should i change them?


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

When they fall apart while cleaing.


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## fishguy2727 (Sep 5, 2011)

I would rather have corals than decorative macroalgae. If it grows slow enough to keep under control in the display it is probably doing squat for nutrient export.


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## ashleykn (Jun 24, 2012)

i bought a powerhead to increase the water flow in my nano cube. it is a powerhead with a suction cup to hold it on and a magnet to hold it on from the outside. i was wondering if i could suction/magnet it to the back wall of my aquarium (which separates the filter compartments from the whole tank and is full of water). will this be okay?


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

fishguy2727 said:


> I would rather have corals than decorative macroalgae. If it grows slow enough to keep under control in the display it is probably doing squat for nutrient export.


http://live-plants.com/


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Sasquatch said:


> I bellieve there are some manageable types,,but yeah I keep mine in the sump and alternate lighting between it and the main tank.
> I seen some macro algae that looked like a fan or shaving brush, I cant remember the name but I think it would look good in the display tank,,IMHO.


*i/a*


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Sasquatch said:


> I bellieve there are some manageable types,,but yeah I keep mine in the sump and alternate lighting between it and the main tank.
> I seen some macro algae that looked like a fan or shaving brush, I cant remember the name but I think it would look good in the display tank,,IMHO.


+1

With good lighting and maintaining claclium most the hard algaes are fine. Lime fans or shaving brushes and halimeda. They also do tend to be slower growing and therefore not as good at maintaining tanks parameters.

FWIW IMHO the general "dont put ANY.... in the display" should have been a red flag.

but that's just my .02


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## ashleykn (Jun 24, 2012)

ashleykn said:


> i bought a powerhead to increase the water flow in my nano cube. it is a powerhead with a suction cup to hold it on and a magnet to hold it on from the outside. i was wondering if i could suction/magnet it to the back wall of my aquarium (which separates the filter compartments from the whole tank and is full of water). will this be okay?


any answers?


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

As long as the magnet is not in the water your fine where you want to put it.


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