Critique My Nano Plan

[jpmazzone]

You have a well thought out plan. It's going to go great. Just make sure the live rock you're referring to. Is actually live rock and not just some rock that's been wet a week at your LFS. It should have lots of different hues and possibly some coraline on it. It SHOULD NOT be white.

You're doing fine. I am just pointing out some things to save you some money and keep you from wasting it.


Have your water change equipment ready for when you bring your rock home (buckets, pumps, heaters, salt and water.) Monitor it and change a little water out daily. You should only have to do it for a few days. Be completely prepared for when you bring that rock home. Have a refractometer. Don't even waste your money on a hydrometer. I threw mine away.

Thank you for that advice. I am getting all of the ancillary support equipment ready ahead of time as you suggest.

 

[bvanfish]

I would just cook your rock with bacteria and not buy any from LFS. I think it works just as well and brs has an awesome video here. I’d highly recommend watching the the whole thing.

also 100% get the rodi. I was buying water from LFS but it’s 30 mins there 30 back gas money, water money etc. then I got a batch of saltwater that was 12.8 dkh when usually it was 8.4. Threw it in and ya learned my lesson.

there is nothing like knowing with 100% certainty what is going into your tank water wise

 

[Genetics]

It’s a very good plan. As others suggested, if you’re buying live rock and sand I would add it straight to the tank and let the skimmer get broken in. Adding a fish at the beginning or waiting a few days won’t make a huge difference in cycle time.

RO systems at home are incredibly nice. I use the one plumbed into the fridge for a 28g. With care these things will last years.

 

[bnord]

Hey JP - slow and steady wins the race... and you are off to a great start

Agree that live sand and "rock that has been in water, and exposed to tank normal ammnifying/nitrifying bacteria and algae/coraline" will allow you to avoid your curing program. Might want to add from MicroBacter 7 or similar product and if you add you critter slowly you can take 3 months off the plan.

And I have a tailspot blenny in a 13.5 G and he takes the place of a lawn mower

By the way I set up a 13.5 for Christmas, Build Thread Not my first build, but my first thread, and this might help a little

Best of luck

 

[GatorGreg]

I would just cook your rock with bacteria and not buy any from LFS. I think it works just as well and brs has an awesome video here. I’d highly recommend watching the the whole thing.

also 100% get the rodi. I was buying water from LFS but it’s 30 mins there 30 back gas money, water money etc. then I got a batch of saltwater that was 12.8 dkh when usually it was 8.4. Threw it in and ya learned my lesson.

there is nothing like knowing with 100% certainty what is going into your tank water wise

I'm glad dry rock "cooking", bottle bacteria and 3 months in a bucket works for alot of yall. I hope to one day learn how to build a reef that way with dry rock because some of yalls aqua scaping is out of this world. Unfortunately I broke down and sold two expensive set ups twice trying this method. I fully regret not doing ocean rock in my cadlights 45g shallow. I kick myself in rear all the time when I think of it. The reason I went with such a small setup this time is because my wife is still gun shy from the multiple 1000s of dollars I spent on the Cadlights setup. Lol


Heck today I just found a 4 polyp cluster of zoas that came in on my aussie ocean rock. Black looking color (probably brown) with a florescent yellow dot in the center and florescent yellow tentacles or whatever they're called on a zoa.

 

[jpmazzone]

I would just cook your rock with bacteria and not buy any from LFS. I think it works just as well and brs has an awesome video here. I’d highly recommend watching the the whole thing.

also 100% get the rodi. I was buying water from LFS but it’s 30 mins there 30 back gas money, water money etc. then I got a batch of saltwater that was 12.8 dkh when usually it was 8.4. Threw it in and ya learned my lesson.

there is nothing like knowing with 100% certainty what is going into your tank water wise

I am going to do that. I am going to buy a 7 stage RO/DI because we have Erin Brockovich water in my town.

 

[Sabellafella]

I am new to the hobby and have spent a great deal of time researching what I want, can afford and method of attack. I've settled on a 20 gallon Waterbox AIO with one AI 16HD LED light. My plan, which I hope will solicit criticism or affirmation, is as follows:

1. Mix 20 gallons saltwater using a 6 Stage Deluxe Plus 75 GPD RO/DI System and hw-Marinemix Professional Salt Mix in a Rubbermaid garbage can with a heater set at 78 degrees and a small cheap powerhead.

2. Purchase approximately 15 lbs of cured live rock from my LFS and live sand and cook it for three months in the 20 gallons of salt water heated to 78 degrees, flow from a cheap powerhead in a small rubber garbage can with the lid over it. Maintain salinity at 1.025 with no water changes.

3. After 12 weeks, test water for ammonia. If no ammonia, move live rock, sand and approximately 10 gallons of water into new Waterbox Cube 20 Nano AIO Aquarium along with 10 gallons of newly mixed salt water. Perform leak check and ensure that return pump and other items are working correctly. Setup Osmolator Nano 3152 Auto Top Off system and install VorTech MP10mQD powerhead.

4. Test water, if no ammonia is detected, add one clownfish (purchased from LFS) and operate with no light over the next four weeks while testing water parameters.

5. After 4 weeks perform 50% water change and install Prime 16 HD LED Reef Light and acclimate to approximately 100 PAR.

6. A week or so after, add three small frags of zoanthids.

I plan to not use a skimmer and run a filtersock, carbon and some bioballs and/or dark live rock rubble.

Long range fish plans include the clownfish, a lawnmower blenny and a peppermint shrimp.
Clean up crew will consist of snails and hermit crabs as algae starts to grow.
Long range coral plan are zoanthids, neon GSP and montipora.

All livestock will be added slowly over a year. I have the patience of a statue.

I'm grateful if any experienced reefers can offer any advice and tell me where I might have a bad plan. I purposely kept this brief in hopes that someone would read it!

Kind regards,
John

This is probably the best most simple way to go forward with setting up a system. Definitely got a great understanding.

Often times people just loose it with all the equipment, potions, ammonia dosing, all types of very efficient but not at all necessary start of a system.

 

[jpmazzone]

This is probably the best most simple way to go forward with setting up a system. Definitely got a great understanding.

Often times people just loose it with all the equipment, potions, ammonia dosing, all types of very efficient but not at all necessary start of a system.

Thanks. I really can't over complicate it. The point of getting into this hobby is to reduce stress. I plan to take it easy, go slow and enjoy.

 

[jpmazzone]

Hey JP - slow and steady wins the race... and you are off to a great start

Agree that live sand and "rock that has been in water, and exposed to tank normal ammnifying/nitrifying bacteria and algae/coraline" will allow you to avoid your curing program. Might want to add from MicroBacter 7 or similar product and if you add you critter slowly you can take 3 months off the plan.

And I have a tailspot blenny in a 13.5 G and he takes the place of a lawn mower

By the way I set up a 13.5 for Christmas, Build Thread Not my first build, but my first thread, and this might help a little

Best of luck


View attachment 2987208

Thanks for this!

 

[Sabellafella]

Not sure about you guys but. I have a cure bin thats been up for 7 years now. If you let the sg rise up to like 1.032 all of the unwanted critters die out. All of the coral pests eventually die. Urchins for the die off on the newer stuff.

I've set up many tanks for fellow hobbiest, including myself had started my newer system with dry rock. And had all types of stability issues for the first years.

I will never not use live rock on startup again. I rather have that 500 million year old bacteria on and inside the rock instead of sewage treatment liquid.

Just bought Jakarta rock, had some old fiji and Haitian from a breakdown that I'll be using on a 300 reef savvy. I cure untill the po4 runs clean a few days after a water change and skimmer runs clean.

 

[bnord]

Not sure about you guys but. I have a cure bin thats been up for 7 years now. If you let the sg rise up to like 1.032 all of the unwanted critters die out. All of the coral pests eventually die. Urchins for the die off on the newer stuff.

I've set up many tanks for fellow hobbiest, including myself had started my newer system with dry rock. And had all types of stability issues for the first years.

I will never not use live rock on startup again. I rather have that 500 million year old bacteria on and inside the rock instead of sewage treatment liquid.

Just bought Jakarta rock, had some old fiji and Haitian from a breakdown that I'll be using on a 300 reef savvy. I cure untill the po4 runs clean a few days after a water change and skimmer runs clean.

View attachment 2987352

I too keep a horse trough running with mixture of rock from various sources... some pieces in there are 3 years old - drop a KP rock in there every now and then - this had been to help out new reefers, or selling to LFS when they ran out. NOW it is to build up a new tank I am planning for my own self - best and cheapest investment one can make, in my opinion

 

[jpmazzone]

Based on what Sabellafella and bnord posted I opted for a change in direction on the live rock. Instead of going to my LFS, I am going to go with live base rock from Tampa Bay Live Rock (they said to use "base" rather than "premium" for a new tank) and TB live sand as well.

I don't have a lot of faith in my LFS's live rock so, I'd rather spend the money and get off to a better start.