Newbie Nano Cube

[sangria517]

Deets on the Tank

12g Aquareeza Cube
Aqua top skyaqua nano slim led
Oase bioplus thermo 50
10lbs of Caribe live reef sand
About 6-7lbs of live rock.

Long time freshy wanting to take a stab at saltwater tanks. Got this tank bundle for 150 plus sand, water and rock.

Long term goals
Clown, royal gamma, yellow goby, candy cane pistol shrimp and maybe a sexy or skunk shrimp and corals.

Plan to upgrade the light once I am ready for coral but since that will be a while, might as well use what I got.

Open to suggestions on tips, tricks or anything I might need.

 

[ieatbugman]

I would probably go with either the clown and the goby, or the royal gramma and the goby. The tank is just a little small, clowns can be either model citizens or the demon of your tank, and i have read the royal grammas have angsty personalities. Gobys are almost great fish. Other than that do water changes

 

[sangria517]

Weekly update

Starting to see some life coming to the tank. Also, found a hitchhiker.

 

[kevgib67]

Coming along nicely! If you do choose sexy shrimp they do better in a group of three or more and of course a nice rock flower anemone to host them. O-H!

 

[sangria517]

Coming along nicely! If you do choose sexy shrimp they do better in a group of three or more and of course a nice rock flower anemone to host them. O-H!

Most definitely will be doing some shrimp. I love my inverts. Still waiting for the tank to finish cycling before adding them.

 

[ieatbugman]

Nice!

 

[phillyb614]

Coming along nicely! If you do choose sexy shrimp they do better in a group of three or more and of course a nice rock flower anemone to host them. O-H!

I-O!!

 

[phillyb614]

Weekly update

Starting to see some life coming to the tank. Also, found a hitchhiker.

Good stuff! Good luck on your first go at SW!
On your hitchhiker, that looks like it might be a bristle worm (bad hitchhiker). If that is in fact what it is, you will want to try to get it out of there.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Weekly update

Starting to see some life coming to the tank. Also, found a hitchhiker.

Love the aquascape in your tank!

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

I have 2 nanos in my office. My 7g does not have a skimmer and my 20g does. My only suggestion is to do mandatory 50% water changes weekly if not using a skimmer and test test test. Looks like a great start!

 

[sangria517]

Weekly update!
We had a solid week of no ammonia spikes or nitrites spike so, I added some livestock. Got some blue legged crabs, a troch snail and a top crowned snail along with my little clownfish. Obviously still testing everyday to make sure everything is perfect for these little guys.

 

[sangria517]

Weekly Update!
Let there be light!!

I upgraded from the aqua top stock light to a kessil 160. This sucker is crazy powerful! I have the intensity as low as it goes.
Also, my goal this weekend is to pick up a nassarius snail!

 

[Flameback Pair]

Weekly Update!
Let there be light!!

I upgraded from the aqua top stock light to a kessil 160. This sucker is crazy powerful! I have the intensity as low as it goes.
Also, my goal this weekend is to pick up a nassarius snail!

Hi @sangria517 ! How do you like your Kessil? I have a 160 sitting here in the original box waiting to install. Do you know the par level at lowest intensity?

 

[sangria517]

Hi @sangria517 ! How do you like your Kessil? I have a 160 sitting here in the original box waiting to install. Do you know the par level at lowest intensity?

My husbands love it. He finds the blue very calming. I do not know my par as I have not been able to find a meter near me

 

[sangria517]

A little bit behind but not much has changed. Did add a new live rock and 3 Nassarius snails to the CUC. Got a bit of the uglies going to just doing some water changes. Thinking of added a YWG and Shrimp buddy this weekend. Maybe a Zoa. Kinda just to what I am feeling when we go to my LFS. Did also add a bottle of tigger pods to boost the ecosystem.

 

[sangria517]

Weekly update!
We are now officially a reef tank! Just some simple zoas and GSP.
Also added a YWG and candy cane pistol. Not sure if they will pair. My little goby looks like he was beat up. We shall see what happens. Still trying to figure out if he got stuck in some rock or if the clown fish attacked. Nico has seemed curious but I have not seen any actually aggression .
And if anyone has any tips with the Goby, I am all ears.

 

[Flameback Pair]

@sangria517 good luck with the goby/shrimp pair. Always had bad luck with gobies. Seems to they either jumped out of the tank or went down the overflow. And then the pistol shrimp would only “click” at night!!! Although I did enjoy them for quite awhile before all that.

- Mitchell.

 

[sangria517]

@sangria517 good luck with the goby/shrimp pair. Always had bad luck with gobies. Seems to they either jumped out of the tank or went down the overflow. And then the pistol shrimp would only “click” at night!!! Although I did enjoy them for quite awhile before all that.

- Mitchell.

Sad report the Gobi passed away a few hours after this. I panicked and had my local fish store check my parameters, but they were all normal and good. I’ve got mixed reviews on what it was that caused the death. The LFS where I bought him said trauma of some sort. Another LFS said it was my acclimation. The LFS where I bought him said 30 min drip then hydroplex. (Their salinity is 1.021 mine is 1.025. So I did that. But the other guy said it should have been over a period of 90mins.
He also was wild caught and had just came in on Friday and I got him on Saturday. It honestly was prob a mix of a bunch of things.
My big take aways are just not to get any fish unless they have been at the store for at least a week.

 

[sangria517]

Well once bitten and twice shy. I still have not tried to add another Goby. However, my peppermint pistol shrimp is doing great. It has been dubbed Ting Ting. Lucky for me, it made its home in the corner so I get to see it every day!
Also, the corals look fantastic. My lfs sold me a little mushroom it found floating around the tank so I added it to mine.

 

[sangria517]

Went to my first frag swap! Won a raffle and walked out of there with a bunch of Zoas, shrooms, and a crocea clam!