Starting a 12gal Nanopod

[DRoy1124]

Hello, this is my first post on AA so be nice

My brother has a 55 gal SW tank with tons of live rock, fish, cool plants, etc. I've been admiring it for about 2 years now. So i decided to go out and try to start one myself. I bought the 12gal nanopod becuase i thought it was an all around good deal and a great size. I bought live sand and put in the tank with good ole tap water with some de-chlor in it. The water temperature is around 79 degrees, so im good on that. My 3 lights are all set on timers, so that should be pretty awesome. What is the next thing i should do? I believe i am ready to begin the "cycle". My brother said i could take some of his live rock and put it in my tank, and he told me to buy 1 or 2 clown fish to start off with becuase they are "hardy" fish and can withstand the tanks first cycle. Is this correct? could you guys give a newbie some advice on how to start the cycle properly and fast? Thanks a ton.

David

 

[melosu58]

Moved to Nano forum

 

[Scottm]

Do the fish a favor and wait untill after your cycle to put them in. If you get established live rock and some live sand to seed your sandbed then your cycle should be limited or non existant. once it is set up throw a cocktail shrimp or two in there and let them rot up. Testing your water periodically to see what your parameters are. when ammonia and nitrite are undetectable and your nitrates start to rise then do a PWC and you are ready to stock. a word of warning though, you will not be able to stock many fish in that tank. In fact I would only recomend one and maybe 2 if they are small and stay small.

 

[melosu58]

No that is not correct. Please read the article on fishless cycle. Dont subject your fish to that type of punishment.

 

[jasno999]

Really now-

Suprising you brother can't help you more and that he is not more knowadgable if he has a tank that is setup and working well.

Move your liver rock into your tank. Keep an eye on the water parameters. Shoot for 1.5lbs of LR per gallon. SO around 18lbs.

I would go out and get some store purchased LR to get your total to around that 18lb mark. I am assuming that your brother does nto have a full 18lbs to give away. If you get stuff from the store there will be die off and you will have to allow the tank to cycle after thsi rock is placed in the system. Goign to take a few weeks at a minimum. I would test yoru water parameters every few days and watch you levels to see when the cycle is over.

After that I would make sure to get a lighing scheme setup and goign if you did nto do that already. I would wait for soem algae to build up and then go out and purchase a clean up crew. Let them live in there for a while and get used to doign bi weekly partial water changes and keepign the tank maintanance up.

In reality you are lookign at around 4-6 months before yo uadd any fish or coral to the tank. After you clean up crew is in there and you are comfortable takign care of the tank and your 4-6 months is up then add a fish if you want to.

But again make sure you have al lteh proper equipment. DO you have or need a skimmer? DO you have money set asside to purchase htings liek a skimmer a RO or RODI water purifier, salt mix, foods, ect???

Trust me in abotu 90% of the cases where people use tap water to fill theri tank they end up havign issues. YOu may be in the lucky 10% but most tap waters have high amounts of phosphate and other algae causing ingrediants. RO purifier will be the answer if your algate gets out of control.

 

[DRoy1124]

Im sorry that im a noob, but what does a protein skimmer do? How can i install it in my nano. And what is a RO?

Thanks everyone

 

[melosu58]

A skimmer removes DOC from your water that ends up being nitrates in your tank. Very important part of the tank. RO is reverse osmosis water where alot of the impurities from tap water have been removed. I recommend RO/DI water. But Jasno is very much correct about having issues down the road from using tap. ESP in a nano it wont cost you much.

 

[lando]

Welcome to AquariumAdvice.com!!!
Good info so far. I also recommend the fishless method of cycling. Using existing LR from your brother's tank should speed the process up.

Suprising you brother can't help you more and that he is not more knowadgable if he has a tank that is setup and working well.

No need, that is what we are here for

In reality you are lookign at around 4-6 months before yo uadd any fish or coral to the tank.

That seems a bit extreme. Fish can be added slowly once the cycle is complete and corals after a couple months of consistently good water parameters.

Im sorry that im a noob, but what does a protein skimmer do?

As mentioned, it removes DOC from the water. They attach to oxygen molecules created by the skimmer and are removed as foam created in a collection cup. When you are at the shore and see brown foam along the water's edge or around water breaks (such as rocks) you are seeing natural protein skimming. As the water is aggitated and mixed with air the DOC attach and form the brown foam. A skimmer does the same thing for your tank.

 

[DRoy1124]

wow. this is some very good information. Thanks everyone. Lando, what protein skimmer and what RO/DI filter would you recommed for my 12 Gal Nano-Cube Deluxe. How could i install them? Thanks

 

[lando]

what protein skimmer and what RO/DI filter would you recommed for my 12 Gal Nano-Cube Deluxe. How could i install them? Thanks

ebay has some decent and inexpensive RO/DI units. I would look there or check our sponsors at the top of the page. As for the skimmer, a small skimmer is available. check www.nano-customs.com for info. Installing on a 12gal nanocube will be tricky. THe hood covers the entire top f the tank so some modification will be needed.

 

[DRoy1124]

Do you think i could fit this (Current USA "Fission" Protein Skimmer) in my tank without modding it. I'm not experienced in cutting stuff lol.

http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_protein_skimmers_current_usa_fission_nano_skimmer.asp?CartId=

Go there to see if that protein skimmer will work.

And what kind of RO/DI Filter do i need. How do i set it up. Is 61.99 a good price for one. I was just look around, what do u think about this one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Reef-6st-10...6QQihZ001QQcategoryZ20684QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

How can i could it to my nanocube. Thanks.

 

[lando]

I do not think the skimmer will work without modifying the tank. The RO/DI filter looks good.

 

[DRoy1124]

is there any other way of making my water "not tap" besides a ro/di filter. maybe a cheaper way? Im 16, so im poor :-(

 

[lando]

For a 12gal you can just buy your water from the LFS or in gal jugs from a grocery store or wal-mart, providing it is RO/DI as well.

 

[DRoy1124]

i just went to the store today and bought 8.5lbs of live rock to start out with. I plan on getting about 12 pounds or so. About how long should it take to complete a full cycle. Should i add a cocktail shrimp to it so i can decompose and give of ammonia to help speed it up. or even buy a damsel or 2.

Also, what should my parameters be during the cycle. How will i know when a cycle is complete. what do i do when the cycle is complete.

how will the nano fission skimmer made by current fit into my current 12gal aquapod nano? does it just suction on the inside glass totally submerged into water and then the AC cord just runs through a hole in the back? could someone with who has one of these nanoskimmers tell me a little bit about them.

Thanks everyone for their help and support. You've made this job ALOT easier

 

[lando]

About how long should it take to complete a full cycle.

That really depends on the amount of biological filtration. In general, allow 4-6 week for a good hard cycle. The addition of fully cured LR will speed up tyhe porocess.

Should i add a cocktail shrimp to it so i can decompose and give of ammonia to help speed it up. or even buy a damsel or 2.

You can add a raw shrimp from the grocery store to really get things kicked off. Skip the damsels.

 

[DRoy1124]

i just added a raw shrimpie today wow i never thought starting a sw tank would be this fun, lol

 

[maxwell1295]

Can you add bottle ammonia to provide ammonia during the cycle (like we FW guys do) or is that a no-no? I'll be starting up a nano pretty soon myself and I'm wondering if that would be okay.

 

[lando]

I have personally used this method to kick off a cycle. The raw cocktail shrimp method has worked for me.

 

[jcarlilesiu]

we have the fission skimmer in our 12 gallon nano. It has 2 different attachment methods

#1 with a clip like a hang on (wont work on our fully enclosed systems)
#2 a suction cup system

You won't have to mod anything just keep the top of the cup on the skimmer above water level. There is a small space between the top of the water and the bottom of the hood. It works fantastic btw.