How should I do my maintenance?

[arkodios]

I'm currently cycling a Waterbox Cube 20. It is using CaribSea Life Rock, so hopefully, there will be no phosphates or nitrates introduced from decaying material. The sand is CaribSea Special Grade Aragonite, which is dry so also hopefully brings no phosphates or nitrates. I have a 3-inch sand bed. Nothing in the tank has been used in other tanks. I'm cycling using pure Ammonium Chloride by Dr. Tim. I'm really trying to introduce as little foreign phosphates or nitrates as possible to keep maintenance to a minimum (I am aware I should not have 0/0 readings for nitrates and phosphates once I am cycled, but I do not want it out of control either). I am planning on stocking maybe 3 blue-leg hermit crabs, 2 or 3 trochus snails, 1 pistol shrimp, 1 watchman goby, and a pair of ocellaris clownfish. For now, I will just do everything besides the clownfish (once I am cycled, of course). I am going to be feeding primarily New Life Spectrum pellets. I have no protein skimmer, the tank is a bit small-- but I will be getting one down the line (no time estimate for now). Focusing on keeping stable parameters and a healthy balance between nitrates and phosphates, how much water should I be changing a week? I will be keeping corals too. The first ones I will be adding are the three main Euphyllia corals and some Duncans. Not sure about SPS for now.

 

[xcountryx]

Usually the go to % for water change is 20% of total volume. Being new I would start there. Over they years you will get the feel for when and how much to change. You'll learn from how corals and fish look if one of your parameters are out of whack. If parameters get to far out water changes alone wont bring them down. But that's for your next thread right!

Start with 20% weekly or bi weekly and stick to the schedule.

 

[MaxTremors]

Caribsea life rock is a phosphate sponge, at least IMO, my current tank is a year old and I still have to dose phosphates to keep a tiny amount in the water, the rock has just soaked up a ton of phosphates (it will eventually get saturated, but in the meantime the lack of phosphates has caused other issues, namely high nitrates). Just something to keep an eye out for if you find your tank consistently phosphate limited. I would really recommend seeding the life rock with at least a couple pounds of real live rock (either from the ocean or dry rock that has been in a mature, established tank for at least 6 months), it is the absolute best thing you can do for your tank. The bacterial diversity and microfauna will lead to a much more stable and healthy tank.

A three inch sand bed is pretty deep, I would suggest getting a fighting conch and 8-10 nassarius snails once your tank is established to keep the sand bed sifted. Not doing so can lead to issues in the future. I would also recommend 0.75-1 snails per gallon (not including nassarius), so for your tank 15-20 snails, I would get a variety (trochus, turbo, astrea, cerith, etc), 3 trochus snails is nowhere near an adequate CuC, I would also recommend 0.5-0.75 hermits (blue leg, scarlet, or Mexican red leg) per gallon, so 10-15. Under estimating how big of CuC is needed is one of the most common beginner mistakes. I wouldn’t add all of them at once, but maybe work up to the total number over 6 months or so as your tank matures.

I would recommend doing a 25% water change weekly for the first year or so, and then as the tank stabilizes and matures you can probably go down to 25% biweekly.

I would urge you not to get Euphyllia/Fimbriaphyllia as your first corals. Torches specifically don’t do well in newer, unstable tanks, but all LPS need stable parameters. If you’ve never kept corals, i would suggest starting with some soft corals, and once you’ve kept those alive and thriving for several months, and kept all of your parameters stable, then try some easier LPS (as much as some people claim they are, Euphyllia are not beginner corals).

Overall you plan is well though out, should turn out to be a cool little tank.

 

[polyppal]

That’s a big sand bed in a 20g, I’d prob reduce it to 1.5in before it turns into a nutrient trap

 

[arkodios]

@MaxTremors @zatch Alright I’ve decided I’m going to reduce the sandbed to 1.5-2 inches, it’s probably best anyways because the rock structure is almost coming out of the water from the height. But yeah okay I’ll look into a stronger cleanup crew, I had just heard you should only have 2-3 hermit crabs in a 20 gallon so I didn’t want to do too much

 

[polyppal]

In a 20 I’d do like 7 snails 3 crabs to start, and maybe add a few more down the road if it’s a high nutrient system. The hermits will likely kill and eat some of the snails if they can catch them, but hermits do eat waste like excess food much faster/better than snails

 

[adittam]

Duncans are a great first coral. Euphyllia, not so much. I’d also recommend a few frags of colorful zoas, they’re easy as well, and add some nice color.

 

[CrimsonTide]

Just make sure you're religious about your water changes. Whatever you decide stick to it and you're eventually going to get algea and things so don't freak out let your tank go through its ugly stages and it should be pretty easy maintenance. You'll want to get all the different types of snails as they all do different things and can sneak into different crevices. I would probably do a 5g waterchange on your size tank every week or other week Whatever you decide. If every two weeks seems too long then go to every week. My 30g is a year old and I do a 5g change on it every week.