Guidance requested - Nuvo Pico 4 startup

[kjwcpm]

Hello all. I'm not new to aquariums (thanks plenty to this Forum community!), but I am starting my first reef. I've been handling a freshwater 10g aquarium for about a year, and now have taken interest in starting up a Nano Reef in my living room. I frequent Aquatic Wildlife and I trust them as they have taken good care of me thus far.

I got the start up items from them with their guidance. The base setup includes:

Nuvo Pico 4 aquarium (including built in filtration and 14k clamp on light)
5 lbs. Carribsea live sand
5 lbs. live rock provided by the store
Pico sized tank heater
Traditional tank thermometer
Live rubble to add for filtration media
Chemi-Pure bagged filter media

I set up the tank per store instruction, and filled it with store provided bottled ocean water. Based on the store bought water and tank set up, the store also provided very light livestock as a CUC to help the cycling process.

1 Peppermint Shrimp
3 Hermit Crabs
1 Snail

After the live sand settled, I started up the filter and let things run for a few hours. Once water clarity and temp stabilized, I added the livestock. The snail has remained contracted but I understand they can do that for up to a week. The other livestock are thriving so far.

In the past, I have not been a patient aquarist, but based on my experience with the freshwater tank I've learned. I don't plan on doing anything dramatic for a while until I feel confident that the tank is stable. The store felt by using the bottled water and preseeded rock/sand/media it would probably accelerate the cycling process. I know they are right, but I also know I need to be careful and measure twice, cut once on this one.

First parameters were taken this morning. The readings came back:

Salinity - 1.030
Ammonia - .25
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
Ph - 8.2

So my immediate questions for the group include:

1. While I already know I need to see the Ammonia-Nitrite-Nitrate conversion happen, I need to know what appropriate readings should be for Salinity and Ph for a Nano Reef.
2. In helping the livestock provided survive as well as helping the tank cycle, what should I be using as food? I know the crabs will eat just about anything, but this is my first experience with an ecosystem where foods can float and end up sitting on the surface by the filter intake.
3. What is the best way to clean and maintain the surface area where salt foam may build up at first?
4. Outside of the sound advice found in various noob threads (yes, I'm reading them daily), is there anything they don't include that I should be aware of for a Pico sized tank?

Thanks in advance for your help. Look forward to getting plenty of sound advice, and maybe doing some preservation work on a very small level!

 

[spoonman]

1. Salinity should be around 1.026. PH around 8
2. The cleanup crew should not be in there. They will most likely die during the cycle.
3. Just wipe it off or mag float.
4. You should dose with pure ammonia to cycle. Watch ammonia go down and nitrIte spike and go down. When you can dose to 4ppm ammonia and it dissapears overnite with no nitrItes, you will have high nitrAtes. Do a big water change and you are cycled and ready for livestock.

 

[kjwcpm]

An update for all - the cycle is brewing. Some spikes in ammonia and nitrites so I've been relegated to heavier PWC's daily. I know it will slow the cycle but I'm trying to be mindful of the critters at this stage. They all look healthy and the snail has become pretty active.

I diluted the store bought water and got the specific gravity down to 1.024. With PWC's I think things are going ok.