need help starting my nano - Page 2

niloc16 · #11 04-20-2006, 06:58 AM

i finally got it running, i went to hidden reef and got about 10lbs of some really good live rock, #2 grade crush coral and put about 5 lbs along the front and left behind the rock bare for better circulation, 2 maxijet 600 opposite each other and fired up the light. i just took some pics tonight i'll try and post tomorrow. this might sound like a dumb question, but with fully cured live rock is there still a cycle time on the tank. my 55 i didnt use live rock to cycle, so i'm not sure how long it takes. i've heard from some people that with fully cured live rock, once the water clears they add fish. my plan was to test in couple days and see whats up the ammonia and nitrites but just curious on your experience.

Pan · #12 04-20-2006, 08:40 AM

for cycling a tank uncured is usually preferred but either way it can take 2-6 weeks for your tank to properly cycle. Mine took 5 weeks the first time....

i have crabs · #13 04-20-2006, 01:55 PM

change some filterfloss and mabey a scoop of sand from your 55g tank if possible to seed the bacteria and get things going quicker,thier will still be a cycle period but you could mabey start adding a small clean up crew like some hermits or mabey some snails after a few days or a week.

Matt · #14 04-20-2006, 03:06 PM

I think you'll like the intimacy of the nano. I love the look of firefish, but I"ve lost two to jumping (one through an absurdly small opening). If you keep them, make sure you've got the top very secure.

I have that same light over my 10g. I've successfully kept torch, colt, mushrooms, zoos (not really robust growth though), halimeda, anthelia, and several other corals that don't come to mind. All of these corals have also been fragged and migrated to my larger tank and they ALL did better and grew faster under the MH on that system.

As for skimming, I've dabbled with it on that tank, but the aesthetics suck, and ultimately we just do water changes. I have a small HOB filter and a MJ600 in there for flow.

Good luck. I love my nano!
Matthew

niloc16 · #15 04-20-2006, 06:30 PM

i figured it would still take time to cycle, that's why i wanted to double check with you guys, because when i heard that within a week i could add fish i was kind of weary. i've heard alot of people adding cleanup crew after a week but anyway, thanks for the input guys. the tank looks great today. the water is finally settled after adding the sand a day and half ago. i'm really happy with the aquascaping. at the store i actually had a piece of cardboard the size and was the laying rock out there to pick the right pieces. i wish i could figure out how to get pics on there and i would show you

niloc16 · #16 04-20-2006, 06:38 PM

i think i figured it out. here is a full tank shot last night, no livestock yet just the aquascaping finished. what do you think?

dufferdan · #17 04-20-2006, 07:40 PM

Hey, That's looking good Niloc16! Nice Rock Scaping.

TheReefGeek · #18 04-20-2006, 08:45 PM

I think you need a couple larger pieces in there, and I always like the look of arches/caves, they provide shade for lower light corals, and a spot for fish to hang out.

niloc16 · #19 04-20-2006, 09:15 PM

thanks for the suggestion, i was thinking i needed another piece for the upper rh corner of the tank. its been 3 days now and i checked amm and nitrite and they are both zero, i mean there wasnt a trace of either, can it be cycled already

TheReefGeek · #20 04-20-2006, 09:54 PM

Did you use live rock from an established tank?

If you did then you wont get a cycle.

If not, was there much stuff that died off to create some ammonia for you?

What I would do in either situation is throw in a small chunk of shrimp into the tank and let it rot, creating ammonia. If you tank is cycled, then it will break down the ammonia without a spike. If it is not cycled, then this will kick off cycling the tank. Either way you know what is happening.