Chemi-Pure or Carbon?

[lando]

Do you know if this a Nano Cube or Nano Cube Deluxe? the difference wll be in the lighting. I would ditch all of the sponge filters, bioballs and ceramic rings that came with the unit. Here is what I did...I fillted the first chamber halway up with LR rubble. On top of that goes my Chemi-pure and Poly Filter pad. the second chamber is filled up completely with LR rubble. The thrid one holds more LR rubble, the return pump (upgraded to Maxi-jet 606) and my heater. I also added a second powerhead to in the inside of the tank.

 

[lando]

Here are some pics...

 

[L2]

nice tank! very cute and you've got some great looking fish as well. what's the purple one with the green tail called? six line wrasse or??

so no sponges eh? but i have OCD!!! what will trap all the crap? are sponges really that bad? i hear so many mixed messages about sponges. some of them think they are fine others say ditch them. can it really make your NO3 sky rocket? can i keep one sponge?

also, i'd love to throw in some live rock in the back..rubble that is. i have some questions though,,, can i just throw some in now that my tank has finished cycling and i'm putting things in it (i just got 7 snails)? or do i have to cycle the LR seperatly (like in a bucket) and then put them in my tank? also does the live rock ever need to be replaced? does it need light? prob not, right?

i have the nano 12 gallon delux... 2005 model...late 2005. i upgraded my pump to a maxi-jet 900... 230 gph... the pump that came with the cube was awful... only 100 gph...

how do you manage keep your tank cool? mine tends to overheat when the lights are on.

Lloyd

 

[lando]

what's the purple one with the green tail called? six line wrasse or??

Yup! It is a grat fish. I origianlly got it for isopod control but decided to keepit long-term.

so no sponges eh? but i have OCD!!! what will trap all the crap? are sponges really that bad?

they are not the best. They really can cause a big increase in NO3 if not cleaned properly. Just cut some Poly Filter pads or PURA pads to fit in the first chamber. Much better.

also, i'd love to throw in some live rock in the back..rubble that is. i have some questions though,,, can i just throw some in now that my tank has finished cycling and i'm putting things in

As long as the rubble is fully cured from the LFS there sould not be a problem.

how do you manage keep your tank cool? mine tends to overheat when the lights are on.

Has not been a problem. Mine is in the family room in the basement where it is cooler.

 

[tecwzrd]

The Poly Bio Media Pads in particular. Other filter pads don’t compare. I use these as well in the sump and they change color as they absorb the chemicals. Great product as well

If you can’t keep the room temp around 70 and still have problems you can make a DIY chiller

 

[L2]

So I did some test today:

pH 8.0
Amonia 0
NO2 - 0
NO3 - about 10
Alk 3.20
Calcium 470

My first question is should I do a PWC (20% and squeeze out my sponges seeing as my NO3 reading was 10 or leave it be?) ?

And how do I get my Calcium down? Does it matter? It's slightly high. Can't imagine that being bad?

Thanks guys!!!
Lloyd

PS: if i use a poly pad or Magnavore PURA Filtration Pad then ummmm,,, is that in addition to the Chemi-Pur or do they do the same things? Or do I use both?

 

[tecwzrd]

CA readings between 350-500 ppm are OK. Anything above or below should be corrected and you want to try to keep it around 400-450 ppm for a reef setup. Personally I use C Balance to maintain ca levels. I’d test the ca reading from the pwc water and if it’s above 400 ppm then you might want to try a different salt. Most salts have a lower reading and need to be supplemented slightly.

You can use the pad and media and yes they essentially do the same thing but the pad will also help trap waste.

I forgot to mention that as long as your temp doesn’t go over 82 then cooling isn’t necessary. It’s more important to maintain one temperature then to have it constantly fluctuating. Keeping your heater setting at the maximum temp your tank gets during the day so it maintains that temp at night would be ideal as long as it doesn’t go over 82.

 

[L2]

What about the NO3 reading of 10? Should I do a water change? Squeeze out my sponges?

 

[tecwzrd]

Squeezing/cleaning them is only a short term solution. As lando recommended I’d ditch them once you get lr rubble. An no3 reading of 10 isn’t too high for fowlr but you definitely wouldn’t want it any higher then 10 ppm for a reef tank.

You can either do a pwc or wait till it gets to the next level. It won’t have much effect on your lr or snails. How long did you acclimate your snails for? Did you get any hermits? What type of snails did you get? Have you removed any algae yourself?

 

[L2]

Sounds like sound advice. Thanks!

I acclimated my snails for an hour... slow drip. They are doing fine. I got 3 turbo snails, 2 bumblebee snails and 2 sand sifter snails... to start. They didn't have any red hermit crabs in stock. I'll have to pick up those next week.

I removed some algae. Yes. But right now the snails are hard at work and look like they are enjoying themselves!

Question. Can I keep prepared saltwater (water I've prepared in 1 lumb some bi-weekly) in a bottle and ready to make PWC every week? Or does it go bad if it isn't moving constantally? I'd only be keeping 1 bottle of it bottled for 1 week. The other bottle would go str8 into the tank until the next week when I'd prepare two PWC again and keep one for the following week... Thoughts?

 

[tecwzrd]

Hopefully an hour was long enough. Snails ime need a longer acclimation of 3 hours to adjust to the differences of ph/sg from the lfs to your tank. Of course if the lfs keeps their tanks close to the same sg/ph that you have then it’s less of a big deal. Since I keep my sg at 1.025 and my lfs keep theirs at 1.018-1.020 I don’t trust anything less then 3 hours myself. Once properly acclimated snails are very hardy. Just watch them closely over the next two weeks and if you have no deaths then you should be fine after two weeks.

Well since I have a larger tank I keep SW mixed at all times in a 30 gal uncovered trashcan on wheels. I just roll it out once a week to perform my weekly 10% pwc of 6 gal in less than 10 minutes. I keep a ph/heater in it at all times personally and keeping premixed SW on hand is always a good idea, especially when dealing with smaller tanks which can be harder to control.

I’d keep a 5 gal bucket mixed with a small ph running in case you come home one day and your readings are way off so you would be able to do a quick 40% pwc. Mixing water for at least 8 hours and preferably 24 hours prior to using is recommended for the salt to fully dissolve. Adding newly mixed SW to a tank can be toxic to fish/inverts/coral if not properly dissolved. Of course matching new water’s ph/sg/temp to the main is critical also so you don’t send your fish into osmotic shock.

If you don’t want to keep a ph running in the bucket all the time then remix the water for at least an hour before using again to properly aerate it again.

 

[L2]

ok, that makes a lot of sense! thanks, again.

so i've got my bucket here and i'm getting ready to make my water change. i've got it at 1.025 and my pH is 8.0 just — same as my tank... Question though,,, if for example my pH in my tank was 8.2 or 8.3... and my new salt water was 8.0 how would i get my new salt water's pH up to 8.2/8.3? Or does it matter? That's the only thing that really confuses me. Should I test the pH of the new water before putting into the tank... Even if my SG is exactally the same in the tank and in the bucket?

Thanks again! You have been SO helpful. I can't thank you enough.
Lloyd

 

[tecwzrd]

A lot of it depends on the volume of the pwc you plan on doing. If only 10%-20% then getting it “close” is fine. If doing 50+% then having it exact is more critical. Keep in mind that when you first test sg when mixing you will get a higher reading and after 3+ hours your sg reading should be slightly lower and you may have to adjust again.

Also a slightly lower ph is always better then a higher one since fish adjust to lower ph much quicker then a rising one. As long as it isn’t too drastic like 7.8 versus 8.4 I wouldn’t buffer unless doing a 50+% pwc.

Same goes with temp of pwc. If only doing 10% then getting it within 5-10 degrees (colder then main) isn’t going have much effect but if doing a larger pwc please heat the water to within 2 degrees to cause little stress to your tanks inhabitants.

Thanks again! You have been SO helpful. I can't thank you enough.

Glad I’ve been able to help There are tons of other great people on this site that have helped me as well.

 

[L2]

So I hear chemi-pur will raise my pH slightly... The next time I do a water change... and if it's a big one,,, how do I get my new water's pH up from 8.0? do you throw a pack of chemi pur in the bucket with a power head or?

 

[lando]

http://www.boydenterprisesonline.com/pages/2/index.htm
I have not heard of Chemi-pur affecting Ph. Not to say it won't. The best way to try and raise your new SW"s Ph is to let it age and aereate for 24-48hrs. Drop in a powerhead and position it so the current breaks the surface of the water. I also use an airstone when I mix SW. Leaving the lid off the container is good as well. A Ph of 8.0 is not really too bad anyways. Check the Ph of your tank in the morning after all the lights have been off all night and see what it is.

 

[L2]

Do you guys like Phos-Zorb? Or is RowaPhos better? I've got some Phos-Zorb here. I haven't stuck it in yet. So far I've got the Chemi-Pur in and the snails are hard at work on the algae... Should I throw in the Phos-Zorb or wait?

Lloyd

 

[lando]

What is your current PO4 level? The Chemi-Pur will help with PO4 but depending on source water levels it may be a boost.

 

[L2]

I gotta get a PO4 kit... Still don't have one yet.

What brand of fish food do you guys recommend? Kents or??

 

[tecwzrd]

I would vary between quality low po4 flakes like Ocean Nutrition Formula one and two or NutraFin Max Marine Flake but mostly feed a good frozen mixture like Marine Cuisine thawed in tank water and rinsed in ro/di before adding to tank.

Edit: I provided links mostly for photo identification. I wouldn’t recommend ordering frozen from the net since your lfs should have it readily available for around $3-$4 per package. If your lfs doesn’t carry San Francisco Bay Brand frozen then it can be shipped overnight with dry ice.