Adopted 12gal Nano Cube - Need pointers

[mbonus]

Hi all!,

I just adopted(purchased) a fully setup 12 gal Aquapod tank with built in Filter/Pump/3 Lights (White, Blue, Led) and the following:

Protein Skimmer
Live rock
few not sure how many) snails for cleanup crew
three small hermit crabs
1 Clownfish (true or false percula - I don't know)
1 Pajama Cardinal

The previous owner did a wonderful job of setting up the tank in our house and the water is crystal clear two days after move. I am a total newb to all thing aquaria, so I am wondering if I have bit off more than I can chew.

So far I have only been feeding the tank once a day in the morning and the inhabitants seem to gobble everything up with 2 minutes. I have a RO under sink system, but I don't know if it is up to the duty of a nanoreef.

Any pointers you have would be welcome!

Thanks,

Mike

Pictures just after move(sorry - shaky cell phone pics), still a little cloudy...

pic 2

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[austinsdad]

Got a test kit? I'd like to see you watch nitrates regularly and ammonia and nitrites now in case stuff got stirred up. Ph test too.

Find out more about the lighting too to see if you can add some color/corals. Otherwise, nice pickup there and Welcome to AA!!

 

[mbonus]

He gave me a lot of stuff, but I don't think there was a test kit in there. I got the impression he would just take the water to his local shop for testing. I have not yet found a local shop.

I do have an advanced Taylor test kit for pools. I could probably test PH with that, but none of the other stuff you mentioned. What is an appropriate PH level?

Do you have a good all around kit recommendation?

 

[mbonus]

Here is what the manual has to say about the lighting:

The Aquapod includes three lighting schemes:

Dual Actinic - Blue color light which emits a spectrum of both 460nm and 420nm blue light. SunPaq Dual Actinics provide the necessary wavelength for corals and invertebrates.

Dual Daylight - White color light which emits a spectrum of both 6,700K & 10,000K white light. SunPaq Dual Dayights provide the necessary wavelength for plants and photosysnthesis. Cooling fan also works in conjunction with this light.

LED Lunar Lights - Nocturnal Blue Lunar Lights are used for night-time viewing of inhabitants and aid in spawning of corals and other invertebrates.

 

[pat8you]

They have complete test kits at your local fish store for a resonable cost. API makes a master test kit that has always worked well for me. In my opinion it is better to test the water your self so you know it is done right. More importantly it forces you to learn about what each of those tests means and how your tank chemistry works. That little bit of knowledge will go a long way in helping you keep a succesful tank.

 

[mbonus]

Thanks, I got the API kit. Initial readings:

Temp: 79 deg f
pH: 8.0
Ammonia: 0.00
Nitrite: 0.00
Nitrate: 20 ppm

pH was hard to discern on the API kit. It looked like it could be anything between 7.8 to 8.2. I then used my Taylor Pool kit (range 7.0 - 8.0) and it read 8.0 using a larger water sample (44ml)

Is this all ok?

 

[Deep Seven]

That was fast.

I think all those numbers are good. You'll want to read up on water changes so you're ready. Nitrates at 20ppm is good, but you'll want to do a PWC (partial water change) of 25-35% in the next week to keep it from going up too much. It will cause suffering in fish at 50ppm and permanent damage at 100ppm. Most recomend water changes at or before 30ppm nitrates. If you have corals do PWC at 15-20ppm or lower.

 

[mbonus]

Yeah, it was eating at me not knowing what the water was doing so I bought the kit on the way home. Was more expensive than online, but I figure it's money well spent to support the local shop.

Is pH something that you chase in a salt water environment? If so how do you change it?

The previous owner said he did PWC every two weeks with store bought salt water. The shop I went to today is close to work so that might be the ticket to start with.

 

[clark4feathers]

nano

I have a 12 gallon nano. I do a weekly water change. about 35%. Wash the filter sponges about twice a week. I leave the ceramic rings and bio rings alone. Replace the charcol about once a month top off with distilled water when needed. I put some live rock in one of my chambers. I used them when I need to mount something. Lights are on about 6 to 7 hrs a day.

 

[Deep Seven]

Wash the filter sponges about twice a week.

Just to be clear, when you're "washing" your filter sponges, what you're really doing is rinsing them in water you have just removed from your tank. You want to remove organic matter (old feed and feces), but you don't want to kill the benificial bacteria on the filter sponges.

 

[clark4feathers]

Oops

Oops no more rinsing in plain water

 

[clark4feathers]

I thought I was doing the sponge thing correctly. I do my PWC only once a week. Should I do more?

 

[Deep Seven]

If you use RO or distilled water it should be okay, plain tap water will hurt it though. With the bio balls and such it's probably not a big deal losing the bacteria in the filter but every bit counts.

 

[Deep Seven]

I thought I was doing the sponge thing correctly. I do my PWC only once a week. Should I do more?

Oh goodness. I'm really not an expert but I'll answer as best I can. The frequency you should do PWCs can vary a lot, it depends on your unique situation. How many and what type of fish you have, how much you feed/overfeed them, any refugium/plants, skimmers, reactors, and other factors I'm probably forgetting will produce greater or lesser amounts of waste.

If your water parameters stay within safe ranges and your tank occupants are happy then there's no need to do more frequent water changes.

About the sponges. You're probably fine with your bio balls and such, but the sponge will collect benificial bacteria, which will most likely be killed by plain tap water. Gently rinsing them with tank water or RO/distilled water should keep that bacteria alive.

 

[mbonus]

Just swung by the local pet shop and was going to have them test my water but I didn't bring enough. They confirmed my pH reading and checked that my under counter RO unit had 0.00 Nitrate. I'll bring a bigger sample next time.

 

[mbonus]

Regarding the ceramic balls, I don't think there are any in there. I think there is just a bag of charcoal. I'll check when I get home.

 

[iDream]

nanos are cool, i have a 14G biocube that im constantly changing. people say its hard to keep a nano as a first SW tank, but ive had only 1 in tank death (emerald crab) the rest was other stuff (clarkii died in a QT that i didnt keep up with =/) but other than that have fun, unless you wanna drop $$$ stay with low light corals and the fish seem good stocking wise.

keep up the fun, its extremely fun and intriguing. (yesterday i pulled out a foot long bristleworm lol!) and its super relaxing to just watch and observe

 

[mbonus]

I notice that the fish act really weird when the lights go out. The clown is rubbing his body all over the side of the tank by the filter intake and the PJ cardinal went into hiding.

normal?

 

[iDream]

everyone here will tell you that clowns exhibit some of the weirdest behaviors in aquariums, so it is normal, the cardinal is just going to bed lol

my firefish goby comes out only during feedings and the middle of the night, so i bet its just normal

 

[mbonus]

That little clown dude sure is a funny little guy! He goes into his "rubbing wall trance" every night. The cardinal seems happy when he does though, gets the tank to himself. All other times the cardinal is on high alert as the clown is always nipping at him.

Probably not the best choice for a pair of fish, but they mostly do okay together.