First 8.5G cube tank, ocean water, learning curve.

Hhaynie · Feb 7, 2023

I see your light, and I see algae. You might be able to pull it off, but you are giving yourself an unnecessary challenge. Fluval has a decent nano light, so does Kessil. if you really are dead-set on that light, grow some macros and treat it like a planted tank.

MikeCRK · Feb 7, 2023

Hhaynie said:
I see your light, and I see algae. You might be able to pull it off, but you are giving yourself an unnecessary challenge. Fluval has a decent nano light, so does Kessil. if you really are dead-set on that light, grow some macros and treat it like a planted tank.

You are absolutely right, Thursday is arriving HIPARGERO 2nd Gen A029

I was reading on R2R that those are good budget lamps. I will be able touse it later as a spare, as if this will work well I will go bigger cube.

As for now, the first three days it should survive under that one, me think. I put it to 20% and 7hrs.
Just came back from glass maker and brought the cover with me too.

Is it a good plan to start with zoas and palys and maybe some mushroom?
I am also thinking of putting 3-4 turbos on week 4-5 to keep algae under control. Good idea?

I need to find some cheap but decent circulator, will 2000l/h make a whirlpool inside of this baby?

Hhaynie · Feb 8, 2023

MikeCRK said:
You are absolutely right, Thursday is arriving HIPARGERO 2nd Gen A029 I was reading on R2R that those are good budget lamps. I will be able touse it later as a spare, as if this will work well I will go bigger cube.

As for now, the first three days it should survive under that one, me think. I put it to 20% and 7hrs.
Just came back from glass maker and brought the cover with me too.

Is it a good plan to start with zoas and palys and maybe some mushroom?
I am also thinking of putting 3-4 turbos on week 4-5 to keep algae under control. Good idea?

I need to find some cheap but decent circulator, will 2000l/h make a whirlpool inside of this baby?

your filter should give enough flow for your tank. the tidal 35 has 500 lph. if you need more, Sicce, Hygger, and Jebao have affordable models. Aim for the ballpark of around 20 times turnover per hour.

MikeCRK · Feb 8, 2023

Hhaynie said:
your filter should give enough flow for your tank. the tidal 35 has 500 lph. if you need more, Sicce, Hygger, and Jebao have affordable models. Aim for the ballpark of around 20 times turnover per hour.

I was originally looking for something more powerful so I cut it to limit, but wow controllers for these units are priced insane! I will have a look at the options you listed and try to find something affordable. As you mentioned, with this HOB it should be all good, but I am starting to be paranoid

edit:
SICCE Voyager NANO 1000 ordered

bit stronger than 20x but I could not find much for such a small tank. We will see how it will go. If needed at all but I will not worry anymore.

Hhaynie · Feb 8, 2023

MikeCRK said:
I was originally looking for something more powerful so I cut it to limit, but wow controllers for these units are priced insane! I will have a look at the options you listed and try to find something affordable. As you mentioned, with this HOB it should be all good, but I am starting to be paranoid

edit:
SICCE Voyager NANO 1000 ordered bit stronger than 20x but I could not find much for such a small tank. We will see how it will go. If needed at all but I will not worry anymore.

If you want more controllability, you could rig a timer to your pump.

MikeCRK · Feb 8, 2023

Hhaynie said:
If you want more controllability, you could rig a timer to your pump.

So it does not have to be up and running all the time? I have some wifi sockets I could use for it.
I just got a contact with a local (shocked!) coral farmer and will go there to see what he has to offer.

I am aiming at zoas, clauvarias, mushrooms at start. I think this should do for start, after cycle completed.

MikeCRK · Feb 9, 2023

New lamp arrived and it does work really nice.
I also got the suspenders for the cover glass.

Tomorrow the Red Sea marine tests are arriving so I will be able to take samples and test the water (I hope so!), wavemaker is arriving tomorrow too, to be able to compare in a week. I also got that 25 liter DI water which turned out to be EUR13 for a refill (12 is cannister). Not bad!

I know that currently there is no point to turn on the light, but what settings would you recommend, please?

Kaisentlaia · Feb 10, 2023

I love that look! Can't wait to see how it will evolve over time.

I don't think you need a wavemaker in a tank so small, especially if the return pump gives you a good flow already. I added one in my tank because I felt like the flow from the filter wasn't enough. I eyeball it: if the LPS or clove polyps look like they're swaying in a gentle breeze or moderate wind, that's good. If they're mostly still or they look blown around by a tornado, that's either too little or too much.

Suggestion: get an ATO. No need to get fancy with a pricey automated system at first, a cheap hamster bottle ATO (I have this one) and a glass bottle will help you keep the salinity stable.

MikeCRK · Feb 10, 2023

Kaisentlaia said:
I love that look! Can't wait to see how it will evolve over time.

I don't think you need a wavemaker in a tank so small, especially if the return pump gives you a good flow already. I added one in my tank because I felt like the flow from the filter wasn't enough. I eyeball it: if the LPS or clove polyps look like they're swaying in a gentle breeze or moderate wind, that's good. If they're mostly still or they look blown around by a tornado, that's either too little or too much.

Suggestion: get an ATO. No need to get fancy with a pricey automated system at first, a cheap hamster bottle ATO (I have this one) and a glass bottle will help you keep the salinity stable.

THANK YOU! I was thinking last few days how to solve the issue with water evaporating and was not even looking at ATO as my budget is now tight (after buying all the stuff so far). For the circulator, I do not feel the pressure in fairness, just want to have it 'in case'. The rock is well positioned, there is a flow, I am thinking about checking if I can set it up upwards to get better gas exchange and then the current would go around the rock

I have nothing there so hard to tell, but I am now laughing at myself, it turned out that after using hot glue on the rock I missed two snorts and these are hair thin, waving alright, so I use this a my indicator for now hahaha.

Thank you once again for your comment! I might be shooting some PM to you later, as you seem to have good experience in the same size tank and we are both in Europe

MikeCRK · Feb 10, 2023

Can I ask for the interpretation of the water test results?

Day5
NO2: 0.05
NO3: 5
Ammonia: 0.8

I believe the cycle has started and now will need to see the NO2 and Ammonia dropping.

Kaisentlaia · Feb 11, 2023

MikeCRK said:
I might be shooting some PM to you later, as you seem to have good experience in the same size tank and we are both in Europe

Feel free to! It's always nice to chat with fellow reefers.

MikeCRK said:
I believe the cycle has started and now will need to see the NO2 and Ammonia dropping.

I don't have any experience with cycling SW (got my tank already cycled), but after cycling a bunch of FW tanks I'd say that's definitely what's happening there.

brandon429 · Feb 11, 2023

You can't gauge this type of cycle with those test kits it's purely contact time

We expect no peak nor trough, anything reported by those kits doesn't factor because I have a false ammonia stall thread of nine pages using those kits and it's all misreads. The way to judge your cycle is by ability or inability to carry life on the stated ready date either 20 days known already or day 30 if in no hurry

MikeCRK · Feb 11, 2023

brandon429 said:
You can't gauge this type of cycle with those test kits it's purely contact time

We expect no peak nor trough, anything reported by those kits doesn't factor because I have a false ammonia stall thread of nine pages using those kits and it's all misreads. The way to judge your cycle is by ability or inability to carry life on the stated ready date either 20 days known already or day 30 if in no hurry

If not curiosity I would not even bother with tests

Did my cycles in freshwater for years without testing anything

So simply it is only to be able to compare what test will throw back and to see if I can see the difference in how the tank looks alike - learning.

I honestly do not mind the actual results, as long as ammonia is detected or not. I was aiming at 4 weeks cycling, but now I am leaning towards more 3 weeks as it seems it can be all good after that time. The rock is slightly changing color to pinky already too.

brandon429 · Feb 11, 2023

**benthic visual cue indicator, any transferal of growths onto formerly dry rock is a signal of a done cycle

new growths never come after cycling bac adherence, known order of op

we don't need all the rocks blanketed in cyano to tell, the first growth means any rocks in the contact water are cycled and the tertiary growths just haven't expressed there yet

benthic maturation is underway, quickened by using what is basically liquid live rock.

this is no surprise, you're using the best water on the site. based on that one clue I move up all dates to right now, you're as cycled as you'll be in 30 more days right now, importing water with billions of floating diverse bacteria did it

**this is not made up to fit my naturally-rushing cycle tendencies lol

anyone here can read Dr. Reef's bottle bac thread, 100 pages, and see the top three brands adhering within 72 hours immune to the effects of a full water change (its how he proved bac were adhered, truly cycled for surface area, vs common cycle experiments that do not use 100% water changes then reverifying ammonia control)

your water is better than all cycling bac, therefore I can't be surprised if it beat all bac reviewed in studies already. you can carry fish right now, and if you add them they'll live as normal.

I wouldn't think that by your tank being +72 hours it would be less performing than 10000 biospira cycles we've already tracked as fully able on day one.

brandon429 · Feb 11, 2023

if you want to test/prove updated cycling science to your peers install life now, watch it live normally, it's ready. your water wasn't even expressing it's total natural speed cycling ability at the temps you collect it

knowing that your cycle is done off visual cues and known origin of your seed source is updated cycling science...the old cycling science would have you hesitantly adding copious amounts of liquid ammonia there, in total fear it might not be ready--never making the connection of ocean water to live rock to skip cycling.

heating it to 80 just light-sped it up, all metabolic characters in lightspeed, no wonder it's done. any bottle bac cycle on the planet would be done by now too, per Dr. Reef's 100 page thread. *they just wouldn't have benthic cuing this fast, you imported both plants and animals and bacteria and little flocculant rafts (substrate) that no bottle bac seller could concentrate as well.

if someone in my town sold a little 1 oz shot of that water, freshly harvested, I'd buy one ounce for ten bucks every three months to refresh my pico reef for sure, absolutely I would. it isn't going to keep forever in packaging; thats a million different living beings with a high oxygen command per droplet, high food acquisition command, high production rate...from a bottle it would never be that active. has to be the way you're getting the water, fresh as can be.

MikeCRK · Feb 11, 2023

Great news so!

From the moment I collected the water, to tank being set, it took around 4 hours.

So I will push my schedule by an extra week so. I was going to start on week three. This is mostly because of the fact I am still completing the equipment, get used to water top ups, see how the HOB is getting on, what level is most efficient for skimmer. Still some dust on the surface! I replaced floss today and it was catching some small bits and pieces, the color was slightly brownish, so this would suggests it is picking up some diatoms

Let see if the glass will start dusting now.

I am waiting for the wavemaker to arrive too, to check the optimal flows. Trying to figure the ATO, @Kaisentlaia suggested using the hamster type one, why not? I checked some blueprints for automated ones and might try to see if I can gather the components to build a float-pump-relay one. I always believe less is better, less me - better for the tank

I should be then OK to introduce snails at first to see how increased bioload caused by them is affecting the tank and they need to have something to eat too. Those are hardy and relatively cheap, three turbos should suffice in such a small tank (unless someone can advise some other hungry cleaners).

Then following week as per advise from a colleague of mine here who I am going to take corals from I will add the simple ones as listed in the thread. I still need to catch up with: what, when and how and such a small tank does not really forgive the errors.

I have set the light for 7.5 hrs right now and moving towards 12 hours is my plan (to meet the equator) - every second day 10 minutes more. Currently it is at 10% white and 20% blue.

I believe, I have noticed some tiny Hydrozoa species inside - a hitchhiker - good! It it managed to grow to the size of 3mm it is enough of an indicator that the tank is not a death trap and the microscopic life is alive

Please advise if I could do something better, or if I am doing something which will kick me badly later - sharing is caring!

THANK YOU!

brandon429 · Feb 11, 2023

thats all a great plan, any life added will be just fine given your unique bringup here.

MikeCRK · Feb 13, 2023

We all love brexit aren't we?

Customs decided to hold the parcel and add tax on top of it.. I wonder if phytoplankton I got there will survive...
Circulator will surivie.

MikeCRK · Feb 14, 2023

The first living creatures have arrived to the tank.
All have opened in less than two hours from putting in

So it seems the water is good for them! Yuppie!

I know those are mostly mushrooms and I have one morph of zoa. The local keeper I found online gave all easy ones and even some on the rocks! So happy!

Any ideas what are them? I identified Rhodactis indosinensis - the one with green bits.