Adeeb's 28g Nanocube HQI Build Thread

[adeebm]

So I started out with a 10gal, and within a week decided to go to a nanocube Got the tank about two weeks ago. Everything is stock for now, with an ebo jager heater and a koralia nano.

I was having problems with the temp getting to 86F, but I moved the tank to the basement and now it's good. Well, I have the heater set at 78F so that's the temp at night, and when the lights come on, it maxes at 82F. Will have to experiment and see if I can close the gap.

So far I have 5lbs of liverock, going to get about 30lbs off craigslist soon. Can't wait to have my own piece of the ocean

Here are some fish I am considering:
Ocellaris or percula clownfish pair
Purple firefish
Flame angelfish
Some fairy wrasse
A crocea or maxima in the future XD

Can anyone suggest a good CUC? I was thinking of:
Skunk, Fire or Peppermint shrimp(I seem to remember that one of these can cause problems?)
Red leg hermits
astrea snails

As far as corals, I think I want to start out with some frogspawn for my clowns, and some random shrooms and zoas.

Will have pics as soon as I get more LR.

I would love comments/suggestions!

--Adeeb

 

[pat8you]

Everything sounds good so far. Those HQI cubes can be tricky to keep the temp down on. That light just puts out so much heat. i've never heard of having problems with any of those shrimp.

 

[melosu58]

I would try to make sure you have some nassarius snails in there. They will help to keep that sandbed clean.

 

[adeebm]

Got some more LR today! but not enough. Came with lots of coralline, some baby brittle stars. Also came with 2 aiptasia :/

--Adeeb

 

[adeebm]

Finally got more rock today! I think it's all arranged and ready for fish now. Just have to wait for it to cycle...
What is the proper stocking order? CUC, fish, then corals? And what's a good number for CUC. 2 shrimp, 6 snails, 1 crab?

Finally some pics:

It's not the greatest looking arrangement, but hey, it's my first SW tank...

--Adeeb

 

[pokmijn]

i have 25 snails in total but different species, and no crabs, thats what i went with in my ten and its great.
And for the order i went CUC then corals then fish i think its really up to you what comes after CUC. But i was already comfortable with corals as it wasn't my first time.

And are you going bare bottom?

 

[adeebm]

Soo, I was going to get a CUC first, but I was at a frag swap and couldn't resist, so I got 2 zoas and frogspawn... I guess my first piece of LR cycle a month ago, and the rest is mostly cured rock, so i should be about ready for zoas.

^my catfish

Did anyone hear the news that lionfish are taking over in the Florida region, so the feds are asking people to basically go hunt unlimited amounts of them. I wish I was in Florida...

--Adeeb

 

[iDream]

haha i never heard that! i'm in florida, maybe ill go grab some..

 

[adeebm]

So, I think I'm getting the hang of this tank now
Went to the LFS today and finally got my CUC:
4 Astrea snails
2 Nessarius snails
1 Margarita snail(I think)
2 Turbo snails(one was a hitchhiker with my LR)

Also got a skunk shrimp and a fire shrimp. Having been FW so far, it's pretty amazing to see all these ocean critters. All the different worms and critters running around... And the shrimp are just fantastic

They guy at my LFS wouldn't sell me a clownfish Said I could only get a 1in fish in 28gals and needed atleast 50gallons... He was an old guy, must be one of the old school reefers. I didn't feel like arguing so I guess I'll have to get my clown another time.

Oh, and I've been having massive amounts of evaporation. The temps are finally stable at 79, but I'm losing like 1/8-1/4 gallon a day, which causes the water level in the sump to drop and the heater to go crazy So I ordered a floatswitch kit for ATOs.

--Adeeb

 

[ChizerBunoi]

What bulb temperature do you have in the hqi?

 

[adeebm]

The 14K that came with it.

--Adeeb

 

[ChizerBunoi]

If you put a blue light on the tank, your corals will show their true colors. I have a blue light on during the hqi off hours and its amazing.

Liking the tank so far and can't wait for future updates.

 

[adeebm]

Finally some updates. I just received a bunch of frags from Mr. Coral, as well as a Carpenter Wrasse from LiveAquaria. They all seem to be doing great so far, so it looks like they survived the cold! Lots of pics:

Carpenter Wrasse:

New frags:

 

[adeebm]

And more:

The temps are pretty stable now. I ordered an ATO kit which is working out great. I also got an upgraded media basket, so I can hopefully fit purigen and chemipure in it. That's about it for now. Oh, and my Fishmate F14 feeder worked great when I was gone.

What do you guys think? I would appreciate comments/criticism.

Also, could anyone suggest new corals for me?

--Adeeb

 

[iDream]

is the white patchy stuff on your glass or something else?

 

[Hinds04]

I want them... Looking good man

 

[adeebm]

is the white patchy stuff on your glass or something else?

Oh, that is salt or coralline or something. I just got a scraper to get rid of it. The cam kept on focusing on it, so some of the pics are blurry.

I want them... Looking good man

Thanks!

--Adeeb

 

[ChizerBunoi]

Looks great. Nice aquisitions too. How long do you run the light for?

 

[adeebm]

Looks great. Nice aquisitions too. How long do you run the light for?

I run them for 10hrs I think.

Finally got my wrasse to start eating! He is incredibly shy and afraid of the surface

--Adeeb

 

[uscamaro]

Looks great! I really like the Biocubes and thought about getting one for the hallway.