Brand New 8 gallon bio cube

[anon9896]

You should check out the watchman goby and the pistol shrimp. I have both in my tank... They are cool to watch together and sometimes I hear him call for his buddy which sounds like a loud snap of your fingers.

I have them , I know it is morning when the pistol shrimps calls in for food.
They are nice to watch but my watchman goby is SO SHY and the shrimp doesnt even care about anything,
I wake up at frags broken, placed everywhere else in the tank and the shrimp even snaps at fishes when they get too close. I even had an about 50+ snail population wich I raised from eggs ... and they are now down to about 10 or 15, I suspect she eats them becose they all have the same top shell broken pattern.

 

[MrWheelock]

You should check out the watchman goby and the pistol shrimp. I have both in my tank... They are cool to watch together and sometimes I hear him call for his buddy which sounds like a loud snap of your fingers.

I loved my yasha goby

 

[living_tribunal]

Thank you sir!! That Goni has almost managed to turn me into an actual reefer. Tbh I felt like I was fumbling blindly in the dark and got lucky with a lot of decisions I made early on...like the Tree of Life. (My rockscape got a name too!).

I like that name!

Suits it for sure.

 

[living_tribunal]

@living_tribunal 2.5/10 lol

it’s an old acrylic tank with a MH bulb, all scratched up. Cheap corals because I thought I would kill everything. Just wanted to get my feet wet and learn! Of course, now I’m addicted and there’s no turning back

Hey, mines just a 2/10 so it's better than mine!

 

[sfin52]

I was gonna ask you about the toby puffers since you have one, they seem pretty hit/miss depending on the individual fish itself.
From thorough reading it seems it may have more to do with energy expended during feeding/hunting.
If you put clam on half shell or mollusk on shell they'll spend time working for their food and grinding their teeth down simultaneously win/win.

I'm not sure about half shell. They will flip over and just pick off the clam. A whole shell they have to break it open to get to it. Well that's what mine does. It also eats algae.(nori sheets). It pics things off the rocks all day. Oh they love food.

 

[living_tribunal]

I know I'm late to the party but I do want to address this. Trying to figure out if one "cycles" faster or slower is a completely wrong mindset. We use the term cycling because of the term "nitrogen cycle", it has nothing to do with something being started and then complete. It is an ongoing process. The rock maturing and reaching a chemical equilibrium is an ongoing process. Even the "ugly phase" is actually an ongoing process that we can repeat without taking precautions.

All other factors being equal, a nano will be ready for a pair of clownfish at the same time as a 180g system (unless you are relying on dilution from the 180g system to keep your fish safe).

I disagree, semantically. A single nitrogen cycle is just that: bacteria eliminating the ammonia and nitrite from the single source that caused the ammonia.

All cycles have ends so maybe cycling isn't the correct term.

Regardless, my one complaint is users apply the term cycling to everything on here. The nitrogen cycle is not the same thing as a tank maturing its homeostasis. I get a little itch when people use 'cycling' to discuss tank maturation.

My early morning petty complaint, sue me.

 

[Why-Me]

I'm not sure about half shell. They will flip over and just pick off the clam. A whole shell they have to break it open to get to it. Well that's what mine does. It also eats algae.(nori sheets). It pics things off the rocks all day. Oh they love food.

Thanks for the advice

 

[living_tribunal]

I'm hoping for a valentini or blue spot puffer from my SS.
I would so scream like a girl.

I don't doubt this.

 

[anon9896]

I disagree, semantically. A single nitrogen cycle is just that: bacteria eliminating the ammonia and nitrite from the single source that caused the ammonia.

All cycles have ends so maybe cycling isn't the correct term.

Regardless, my one complaint is users apply the term cycling to everything on here. The nitrogen cycle is not the same thing as a tank maturing its homeostasis. I get a little itch when people use 'cycling' to discuss tank maturation.

My early morning petty complaint, sue me.

tehnically we can speak of a cycle
the 02 and carbonate cycle used in the tank denitrification process
oh and the nitrogen too obviously

 

[anon9896]

If I recall correctly , it's the Nitrogen cycle wich is normally correctly used
NVM , I just read back and realized we say the same thing.
My english is only clever and unfortunately , we might never get the chance to debate in my main language lol

 

[anon9896]

There is one cycle I wish I could elucidate,
phage <-> bacterias
I'm sure there could be some applied benefits into our aquariums.
Let's pray our god CRISPR/Cas9 for GMO bioluminescent corals

 

[anon9896]

ok fun fact here ,
Did you know that every ml of ocean water contains between 2X10^6 and 10X10^6 Virus (2 000 000 - 10 000 000)
(1ml = 0,0610237 square inch )

 

[Brew12]

I disagree, semantically. A single nitrogen cycle is just that: bacteria eliminating the ammonia and nitrite from the single source that caused the ammonia.

I think we actually agree, even semantically. I'm not saying that the nitrogen cycle isn't a true cycle, it absolutely is.
The issue I have is that it is an ongoing cyclic process, its not a process where we can say it is complete and our tank is ready for fish. Makes me cringe when I hear people say their tank has cycled. They sure better hope that it starts cycling again when they add fish!!!

 

[anon9896]

I think we actually agree, even semantically. I'm not saying that the nitrogen cycle isn't a true cycle, it absolutely is.
The issue I have is that it is an ongoing cyclic process, its not a process where we can say it is complete and our tank is ready for fish. Makes me cringe when I hear people say their tank has cycled. They sure better hope that it starts cycling again when they add fish!!!

maybe people tend to say the cycle is completed when the amonia tends to zero wich.
that's a differential question , and answer too as it appears.
Ok , i'm out I have things to do see you later lol

 

[living_tribunal]

I think we actually agree, even semantically. I'm not saying that the nitrogen cycle isn't a true cycle, it absolutely is.
The issue I have is that it is an ongoing cyclic process, its not a process where we can say it is complete and our tank is ready for fish. Makes me cringe when I hear people say their tank has cycled. They sure better hope that it starts cycling again when they add fish!!!

Oh definitely 100%

Like when it takes them 5 days to complete a 1ppm ammonia cycle. Just because ammonia and nitrite are 0 doesn't mean they are done.

With you on everything there.

 

[Why-Me]

Should be called the initial cycle since A converts to B then to C and C to Zero...the initial cycle has been completed but as you both point out @living_tribunal @Brew12 it's a cyclic process, thus never truly ending.
We usually just watch for that initial process from A to Zero.

 

[living_tribunal]

Should be called the initial cycle since A converts to B then to C and C to Zero...the initial cycle has been completed but as you both point out @living_tribunal @Brew12 it's a cyclic process, thus never truly ending.
We usually just watch for that initial process from A to Zero.

Everyone needs to watch HOW FAST it clears. You need everything cleared at least at 1ppm a day.

 

[Magellan]

Hey, mines just a 2/10 so it's better than mine!

I was just messing with you..at the ridiculousness of your “2/10” rating! this is what 2 out of 10 would look like

 

[Brew12]

Everyone needs to watch HOW FAST it clears. You need everything cleared at least at 1ppm a day.

I agree that how fast it clears matters, just not in these terms. If I were adding a pair of clowns to a 20g system I would want it clearing 1ppm in a day.
If I were adding a pair of clowns to a 200g system it would be overkill if it cleared 0.5ppm per day. A 200g system clearing 0.1ppm in a day processes just as much ammonia as a 20g system clearing 1ppm per day.

 

[anon9896]

OK I feel like I must admit something to you guys.
When I start an aquarium, I dump rocks and salt in the water(as wanted), 1 week after I start dosing vodka slowly raising it for a week then I ad things in there mainly the most sturdy inhabitants.
3 weeks after everything is in there and I have fish.
not a single test has been made.
In this process I do have
-skimmer
-weekly 10% water change
-food added incrementally
And I think that's pretty much it.
In my main aquarium I didnt do a water test for like 1 or 2 years except for salt and temperature....
i'm lazy , very lazy.
For me a cycle is waking up , feeding aquarium and going back to sleep.
I hope I raise many questions and people question my ways lol.
I know I should do tests and I do some for others on startup but in my overal experience ... No stress is given about those cycles, EVERY AQUARIUM will have some algaes problems , peaks in the denitrification process and the best way to deal with a problem , is to understand the SOURCE not the outcome.
here is my aquarium live
You can see the rumbles I added for my pistol shrimp to play around with, im a nice guy.