newbie question - what filters should i use for nano 28g?

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mike2016

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Apr 12, 2010
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hello everyone, i'm a newbie here..this is my 2nd saltwater tank and i'd like to get some suggestions....

i have 4 fish(1 clown, 1 small blue tang, 1 naso blonde tang, 1 small cubic puffer), some corals (3 frags), 1 annemone, 6 hermit crabs, and about 15lbs of live rock, 15lbs of live sand in this tank.

what type of filter should I use for the stock media basket of the nano cube?

i currently have the stock sponge filter, then carbon and ceramic rings. i'm always worried that the stock filter media is too small and won't get all the crap out fast enough for the number of livestocks in my tank.
 
Welcome to AA Mike. I'm more worried about your fish ATM. Both those tangs need to be in 6ft tanks regardless of their size for two reasons. One they are always swimming and need lots of room and two they are very heavy waste producers and could quite easily pollute your tank enough to kill your other inhabitants and even themselves.
What kind of lighting do you have over your tank? The anenome might not be getting enough light.
Also I think the same goes for your puffer, it might not have enough room either. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. :(
 
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Welcome to AA! :)

That is good information above. Do you have any liverock?
 
:puppydogeyes: It's tooo early... I guess I should wait to read boards until I'm a bit more caffinated.
 
I dont think anything you could fit in a 28 would really provide adequate filtration for those fish. I recommend moving those tangs and the puffer out asap. I don't know what a cubic puffer is, but it probably should not be in 28g.

I'm with mitchell, i'm also a bit worried about the nem too.
 
Mike2016, first I really hope you stay around and are willing to discuss your tank. Secondly, welcome to AA!! :) :)

But mostly, you said it yourself as you talked about your filter media not getting stuff out fast enuf for the livesock in your tank. You got too much livestock There is no tang that should be in a 28g tank.

How old is you tank BTW?
 
HN1 said:
:puppydogeyes: It's tooo early... I guess I should wait to read boards until I'm a bit more caffinated.
Click to expand...
I have that problem all the time. Just ask Mitch!
img_1097367_0_641d1782dd918d0e9e08333db3e44321.gif
 
wow thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions. i have a great feeling about this forum! this is my first time on a aquarium related forum.

to answer some of your concerns

i have the stock power compacts that came with the nano cube 28g.

i also agree the fish dont belong in the nano cube, but my wife insist she wants the tangs when we visited a LFS over the weekend, i had no choice but to take them home...

i don't plan on leaving them in there for long though, i'm already searching for a 150g+ tank setup.

and about the cubic puffer i mentioned earlier, it's actually a cubicus boxfish....

i have some concerns about my tank, i hope you guys can tell me what's wrong..

the bigger naso blonde tang isn't very active, he likes to hide behind the live rocks and he doesn't come out to eat, but since we just got him for 2 days, and the lfs told me it takes a few days for the naso blonde to get used to the new tank.

the clown fish is getting a little weird, he used to be active and swims all over, and when we first got the anemone, he swims near it all the time. now he just stays near the top around the left nozzle, and he's not eating.

the small blue tang and the boxfish are the most active, they eat a lot and go everywhere.

the anemone, (not sure what it's called, its got red base and pink tentacles) i can't figure out if it's doing ok, it kind of buried half of itself into the sand. i tried moving it a few times onto the rocks but the current always move it away and end up near the rear of the tank.
 
Under these circumstances, i think i would blame all the problems your seeing on the size of your tank. I mean.. putting a tang in a 28G tank is like shoving a 4ft child in a 2x2 wooden box. Pretty sad.

About the anemone, i doubt that the current is moving it considering nems can move wherever they please, and when they feel comfortable, they station themselves with their foot(which happens to be that "red base" you identified). When anemones are comfortable, they do not move, and they stay in one position of their liking. When they are stressed out, they will move around trying to find a spot to their liking. If you see the nem constantly moving around, that's an indication that he's really stressed out and a stressed out nem, is never a good thing to have.

Just as reference for the tangs, like Mitch said, they need a minimum of 125G.. preferably the 6ft 125's, not the 4ft ones.
 
Yup, i agree. But take in to consideration that VHO's don't have as good of reflectors as T5HO's do, so your best option, especially with a tank as small as the 28G, would be T5's or Metal Halides like Mitch said. Personally, i think one 150w or 250w Metal Halide pendant for that 28G tank would allow you to keep any corals you wanted, the nem, and even clams. You can accomplish the same thing with T5's, but you would most likely need a fixture with many bulbs to match up to the Metal Halides. Metal Halide pendants only need one bulb. ;)
 
cubicus boxfish Is only for the most advanced Aquarious and needs at less a 125g tank. When stressed it will release a toxin called "ostracitoxin" which will quickly kill all inhabtance of that tank. Not good at all for a beginner. I would not put one of those in my tank.
 
You still have not answered my question about the age of your tank and if how you cycled it?
 
thincat said:
You still have not answered my question about the age of your tank and if how you cycled it?
Click to expand...

sorry i was overwhelmed by the enthuthiasm of this forums :D

The tank was cycled for about 2 weeks then i started adding stuff in it, i bought ocean water from lfs, and then i put in api's stress zym to help bacteria growth and calcium 5 for the live rock.

i know it's not cycled long enough, reason is i bought the tank used from someone locally, he had the tank running for 6 months, it was still running just days before he put it up for sale. it had live sand and live rocks in it and a little bit of water when i got it. then i added some more live rocks to it.

i brought some water from my tank to the lfs and they tested it and it was ok.

about the cubicus boxfish, i was told the same thing by my lfs, they said it's hard to keep and is poisonous when it dies. but again, my wife wants it in the tank no matter what... 8-O

i can't really tell if the boxfish is stressed, he seems to be the most active fish in my tank so far ...

i'm planning my new tank already so hopefully by that time i can move some of them to the new tank if they are still alive... :(
 
I tried to explain it over and over... how sensitive saltwater aquarium is and how they will eventually die.. but she just doesnt get it. another reason i can't convince her because i'm a newbie, and i'm not experienced, my last tank was a disaster.... lol i had too much stuff in a 15g tank plus 120+deg summer, the fish were cooked.
 
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