Qckslvr’s biocube 32 is off and running.
- Thread starter Qckslvr
- Start date
GeeksReef
Supporting Member
time for some cuc
+1 and keep lights off until you have coral that require it. Lights will only grow alage.
Qckslvr
Supporting Member
So here is my most recent testing! Top is Neptune, bottom I did last night. My alkalinity is apparently to low, but everything else is looking good.
Also I got some snails! Two Trochus, two Mexican turbos, and two Nassarius. The nassarius have buried themselves, and the trochus seem to be on a mission to have my rank spotless by nightfall.
I also did a 10% change (after testing) and vacuumed up half of the algae on the sand. Right now you can see a path of where the snails have been.
Also I got some snails! Two Trochus, two Mexican turbos, and two Nassarius. The nassarius have buried themselves, and the trochus seem to be on a mission to have my rank spotless by nightfall.
I also did a 10% change (after testing) and vacuumed up half of the algae on the sand. Right now you can see a path of where the snails have been.
PjFish
Supporting Member
Nice! Keep an eye on the turbos since sometimes they can’t tip themselves over with the smaller substrates so they need help! Also since Nassarius Snails don’t eat algae only dead things and detritus drop a few sinking pellets in for them every day or so since your not feeding any fish atm!
Qckslvr
Supporting Member
Skimmer is in section 1, and the filter stack is in section 2. Running basic white and blue filter media in the top, bio balls in the second, and Rowa Phos in the third. The filter media media I got from Amazon is only about 1/2 thick where the media that came with the stack was about 1 inch. I doubled up the Amazon stuff.
And I have been feeding my tank twice a week… is that enough for the Nassarius?
PjFish
Supporting Member
I have been feeding my tank twice a week… is that enough for the Nassarius?
What and how much?
If u see them eating the food then should be good. Ive never used Rowa phos in any of my tanks so can’t share experiences.. Ive been through plenty of bio balls in the long past and do not think they are needed anymore with sand and good quality natural rock. Real Estate better used for carbon down the road. Get good carbon do not buy Petco carbon fyi simple search will tell why…You should be ready for a fish if not now but very soon if ur parameters are stable? But some beginner corals for sure toss in and start the fun!
What and how much?
If u see them eating the food then should be good. Ive never used Rowa phos in any of my tanks so can’t share experiences.. Ive been through plenty of bio balls in the long past and do not think they are needed anymore with sand and good quality natural rock. Real Estate better used for carbon down the road. Get good carbon do not buy Petco carbon fyi simple search will tell why…You should be ready for a fish if not now but very soon if ur parameters are stable? But some beginner corals for sure toss in and start the fun!
Qckslvr
Supporting Member
I almost thread jacked my own thread on calcium 
But I ran over to Neptune last night and got my water tested. Everything tested the same as my last test from Saturday. So indeed user error, or bad test kit.
I think I found the source of my high phosphate issue from when I started my tank. When I started, I used ocean water, and live rock from Michael (thank you again!). I did this to try and start the tank faster. Well as posted my first two weeks the phosphates were too high, and thus I put RowaPhos in the tank which brought it into spec, and has stayed there for two more weeks.
Last night before heading to Neptune I decided to test the ocean water. And there it was, the phosphate level of the ocean water was .35. I have 2 gallons of ocean water left, a bucket of salt, and 7 gallons of RODI. I figure I will do a 50/50 fix of ocean to my own for the next water change.
But I ran over to Neptune last night and got my water tested. Everything tested the same as my last test from Saturday. So indeed user error, or bad test kit.
I think I found the source of my high phosphate issue from when I started my tank. When I started, I used ocean water, and live rock from Michael (thank you again!). I did this to try and start the tank faster. Well as posted my first two weeks the phosphates were too high, and thus I put RowaPhos in the tank which brought it into spec, and has stayed there for two more weeks.
Last night before heading to Neptune I decided to test the ocean water. And there it was, the phosphate level of the ocean water was .35. I have 2 gallons of ocean water left, a bucket of salt, and 7 gallons of RODI. I figure I will do a 50/50 fix of ocean to my own for the next water change.
Qckslvr
Supporting Member
A couple updates.
I did a 10% water change over the weekend with my own water. Saw a noticeable drop in phosphates which nice.
And second update is we picked up a pair of Snowflake Clownfish. I drip acclimated them each for about a hour. They are getting TDO and LRS Reef Frenzy.
I did a 10% water change over the weekend with my own water. Saw a noticeable drop in phosphates which nice.
And second update is we picked up a pair of Snowflake Clownfish. I drip acclimated them each for about a hour. They are getting TDO and LRS Reef Frenzy.
Qckslvr
Supporting Member
Update time!
My wife all of a sudden decided she wanted more fish. She has this dream of breeding our two clowns, but I think she gave up on it.... So! Yesterday we picked up 4 fish.
We got a Longnose Hawkfish, Six Line Wrasse, Ruby Red Dragonette, and a Bangaii Cardinal. So far everyone is doing good. We picked up the dragonette from AC, and they were kind enough to put some frozen food in it's tank, which it ate right up. I did pick up some Hikari Spirulina Shrimp. The Wrasse and the Hawkfish show no interest in the LRS Reef Frenzy, but go nuts for the Hikari.
Also the first night we had the Wrasse it freaked us out because it hid itself in the sand. Couple nights in, and now we know where it goes to bed.
We have also, somehow, somewhere, got a bristle worm.... free of charge... With any luck the Wrasse will have a nice snack of it.
My wife has picked out her favorites, which are the dragonette, and hawkfish. The behavior of both of them fascinates her. She was staring at the tank for a good hour last night.
My wife all of a sudden decided she wanted more fish. She has this dream of breeding our two clowns, but I think she gave up on it.... So! Yesterday we picked up 4 fish.
We got a Longnose Hawkfish, Six Line Wrasse, Ruby Red Dragonette, and a Bangaii Cardinal. So far everyone is doing good. We picked up the dragonette from AC, and they were kind enough to put some frozen food in it's tank, which it ate right up. I did pick up some Hikari Spirulina Shrimp. The Wrasse and the Hawkfish show no interest in the LRS Reef Frenzy, but go nuts for the Hikari.
Also the first night we had the Wrasse it freaked us out because it hid itself in the sand. Couple nights in, and now we know where it goes to bed.
We have also, somehow, somewhere, got a bristle worm.... free of charge... With any luck the Wrasse will have a nice snack of it.
My wife has picked out her favorites, which are the dragonette, and hawkfish. The behavior of both of them fascinates her. She was staring at the tank for a good hour last night.
MolaMola
Supporting Member
Also, you would need to remove or cover the powerhead. These nems roam.
What a nice tank you have!
Could you tell me more about the Amazon skimmer you have?
Qckslvr
Supporting Member
The skimmer I have is an older generation of the one I linked.
Protein Skimmers for Saltwater Aquariums, Hang On Protein Skimmer for Fish Tanks up to 80 Gallons, DC Pinwheel Pump with Controller, Not for Rimmed Tank https://a.co/d/0qsqHoZ
And thanks it is still a very young tank at 3 months old
Qckslvr
Supporting Member
It has been a hot minute since my last update on the 30...
It is pretty stable to say the least right now. So it 's hard to complain. I will post a pic this week, but the clowns are a mated pair now and big! Watching them grow was fun. The six line and hawk fish are both about the same size and well. The tang got moved to the 90 along with the bengai.
Some gear updates.
-cheap Amazon skimmer is still crappy, but at least it's stable now.
-chamber 2 filter stack now runs 3 layers of filter media in the top, a foam bio foam is next, then Roaphos, followed by carbon, and in the last chamber of the stack is bioballs, and crushed coral.
-We removed the heater from chamber 2 and placed it in the display.
-In place of the heater we have stuffed it with chaeto, and have an IM chaeto light on the outside of the tank
-dosing pump is dosing 2ml of NoPox daily, parameters ok. might stop the NoPox and switch to Microbakter 7. We want to see how it performs in the 90 first.
-The VEGA HAS BEEN REPLACED! We picked up a used Radion XR15 Pro G5 over the weekend. Now all of our reef tanks run Radion XR15s.
We are still doing weekly 10% water changes once a week with a deep cleaning once a month. We don't need to dose Calcium or Magnesium as they stay in range through the week. I do need to give a Alkalinity bump on Wednesday though.
It is pretty stable to say the least right now. So it 's hard to complain. I will post a pic this week, but the clowns are a mated pair now and big! Watching them grow was fun. The six line and hawk fish are both about the same size and well. The tang got moved to the 90 along with the bengai.
Some gear updates.
-cheap Amazon skimmer is still crappy, but at least it's stable now.
-chamber 2 filter stack now runs 3 layers of filter media in the top, a foam bio foam is next, then Roaphos, followed by carbon, and in the last chamber of the stack is bioballs, and crushed coral.
-We removed the heater from chamber 2 and placed it in the display.
-In place of the heater we have stuffed it with chaeto, and have an IM chaeto light on the outside of the tank
-dosing pump is dosing 2ml of NoPox daily, parameters ok. might stop the NoPox and switch to Microbakter 7. We want to see how it performs in the 90 first.
-The VEGA HAS BEEN REPLACED! We picked up a used Radion XR15 Pro G5 over the weekend. Now all of our reef tanks run Radion XR15s.
We are still doing weekly 10% water changes once a week with a deep cleaning once a month. We don't need to dose Calcium or Magnesium as they stay in range through the week. I do need to give a Alkalinity bump on Wednesday though.
Do you even need rowaphos in there if you're dosing nopox? I'd just keep the heater in the back chamber so you don't see it then just do larger water changes. On my similar sized nano I'd do a 5 gallon change since that's how big a bucket is.
My system is full of coral but it's just a light, heater, skimmer, pumps, and rock. No fuge, mechanical filtration, just kalk dripping to manage evaporation. Makes it more simple and less prone to failure or needing to do more "chores".
My system is full of coral but it's just a light, heater, skimmer, pumps, and rock. No fuge, mechanical filtration, just kalk dripping to manage evaporation. Makes it more simple and less prone to failure or needing to do more "chores".