My Biocube 29G Log

[Miller_Time03]

Hi everyone,

I started my bc 2 weeks ago and added 24#'s of live rock from my LFS and 30#'s of sand. I then added my dead shrimp.

My ammonia jumped to .25 and stayed there until earlier this week and it started declining. Today it tested at zero.

Nitrite, same story, was .25 and held steady until this week. It tested at zero tonight too.

Nitrate started its rise last week and has been at 20 yesterday and today.

And I'm seeing a good algae bloom, so from what I have research it appears I'm at the end of my cycle and after a PWC I should be good for a CUC. Am I correct in this thinking??

Here are a few crappy pics from the iphone, first from 2nd day, next from 1 week, and 3rd from tonight.

Let me know what you think.







Thanks!

[Bige]

Looks good. You are well on your way.

[Mitchell0605]

Yes you are correct. Do you have any ideas? A good CUC would have:
10 Nassarius Snails
20 Cerith/Trochus Snails
1 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
2-3 Hermit Crabs (Scarlett or Blue legged)
And a Brittle Star never hurt.

[Miller_Time03]

Thanks! I'm not 100% sure on the CUC yet. I know I'm going to start off slow to make sure I have enough growth in the tank to sustain the CUC. Then after a few weeks I think I will add a fish or two. And then a few days later maybe some coral.

[misskeeter2766]

I love my nassa snails... I love my skunk cleaner shrimp... I love love love my emerald crab...

I loved my tail spot blenny ... till he died. (he was an amazing algae cleaner.. and the most entertaining thing in my tank)

[Mitchell0605]

Aww when did he go? You never mentioned it on your thread.

[misskeeter2766]

Originally Posted by Mitchell0605

Aww when did he go? You never mentioned it on your thread.

yesterday. I'm bummed out about it. I knew it was happening.. moved him back to the main tank so he could at least be less stressed (and I was secretly hoping he might have a fighting chance).... I watched him go.

I didn't even tell my hubby cause I was too sad. He was an awesome little guy.

[Mitchell0605]

He was.

[Miller_Time03]

The temps are starting to warm up here in Atlanta and I noticed the tank temp was climbing up near 82 degrees. What should I do to help control the heat better?

[Mitchell0605]

You can run a fan over the surface of the water, this cools it really well.

[Miller_Time03]

Yeah that's an option. But Im wanting to keep the hood on the biocube. Anyone got any other ideas on how to battle the heat. I've looked at some of the nanocustom upgrades but I'm concerned about noise.

Thanks!

[jcmelski]

Just run the back portion of the hood open with the fan.

[Miller_Time03]

I adjusted my heater down a bit and it seems like temps have settled down to 78 at night and 79 during the day. I think thats acceptable.

Here are a couple more pictures. As you can see it looks like I need to expand my CUC. I have 4 snails right now.



Also after the CUC my levels stayed perfect so after talking it over with my LFS they suggested I go ahead and put in a pair of clowns. So we went with on black and one orange and they've paired up nicely. But as you can see in this pic they tend to hang out in the back corner of the tank by my Hydor. Is this because they haven't fully settled into the tank yet? Or should I play with my K2 to see if I can move the flow around the tank some more? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'd love to see these guys playing around the rocks more.

[Bige]

If the temp goes up you can open the back part of hood. It will help some. If temp still goes up, you can put a small room fan (the little 5") on top of the open part. This will fix problem as long as you have stock lighting. Thats what I do with mine and I did not make any cuts or adjustments. So when temp goes down or company comes over, you can remove fan and close top. Like new. As for the fish, they will adjust. They just have to find their spot.

[Mitchell0605]

I agree with Bige, they will find their spots. They are Clowns arfterall.

[Miller_Time03]

Thanks! I will just have to be patient. Time for a 5 gal water change today and then going to up the CUC tonight to help fight off some algae!

[Mitchell0605]

Grab some Cerith Snails. They are really good.

[misskeeter2766]

I love my emerald crab for algae... that guy is amazing... I mean.. AMAZING>>>>>

[Miller_Time03]

Originally Posted by misskeeter2766

I love my emerald crab for algae... that guy is amazing... I mean.. AMAZING>>>>>

And I got one last night! But he ran for cover as soon as we put him in. I also got a scarlet hermit 2 more ninja snails, and 3 sand sifting snails (forgot their name).

I decided to hold off on my cleaner shrimp after talking with my LFS. My water is consistently testing perfectly other than a little low on alkalinity, but he suggested waiting one more week to make sure the water is completely stable. So next week cleaner shrimp and a new fish! This weekend we should be getting some coral frags from a friend, I can't wait!!!

[austinsdad]

OK, 2 clowns already. What are your thought about the next fish(es)?

Blenny. Goby. Both small.

If it were me, I'd look for a pair of neon gobies and consider a canary blenny. Got your orange (and black), neon blue (gobies), and bright yellow (blenny). Between the 3 fish I just added to your tank, we're talking about 3 inches total - full grown. That would be about all you can fit in a 29g IMO.

Clowns will hang out in certion areas. The blenny will always swim out front, and the gobies will perch on rocks and do some out front swimmig too.