Nano Tank Start - Step by Step Journey

[rhpmiller]

Hey all,

I just started a 20g nano tank and figured i'd post my steps along the way to see how it goes, as well as field feedback and advice from more-experienced reefers.

Start - Day 1 (9/19)

• Tank: Red Sea Max Nano 20g
• Sand: Caribsea Arag-Alive Fiji Pink
• Skimmer: Yes
• Media: Yes (Carbon/rock)
• Rock: Dry (Marco Rock)
• Saltwater mixed at LFS - Requested 1.026 (read 1.024 when i tested it at home--maybe I'm blind with my refractometer)

Added in my aquascape, sand, water, and little clarifier packet that came with the sand. Turned on the heater, and let the pump (no skimmer) run.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Exciting!

 

[rhpmiller]

Day 2 (9/20)
Tank is a bit clearer this morning, and turned on the skimmer (bad idea?), and tank started to get a bit cloudier again, but will just give it some more time.

(sorry for my reflection being in all the photos--the perils of a Brooklyn apartment and not a ton of space for angles or where light doesn't reflect)

Ran my first water test, and here's what I got:

• Salinity : 1.025
• Ammonia: ~0.3
• Nitrite: 0.05
• Nitrate: 2

Does my "scoring" look accurate to folks? Also a little confused how my nitrate could be higher than my nitrite, but maybe that's just the ebb and flow of the cycle.

I was going to turn off the skimmer, add in some Bio-Spira today, let it flow and circulate for a bit, and then re-test the water on Wednesday. Any thoughts on if that's a good idea?

Was also going to add in some Microbacter7 tomorrow, to try and give the tank some diversity of bacteria, but is that overkill on the additives?

 

[JumboShrimp]

If you add the bacteria, you won’t want to ‘skim it out’ right away. Let it settle and begin to colonize on surfaces (rock, sand), for about 48 hours or more.

 

[rhpmiller]

If you add the bacteria, you won’t want to ‘skim it out’ right away. Let it settle and begin to colonize on surfaces (rock, sand), for about 48 hours or more.

I turned off the skimmer, but was going to turn it back on in a few hours, so thank you for the tip! I'll be sure to leave it off or a couple days.

 

[Gedxin]

Tank and scape is looking great! You're in the wait phase right now. Could be as little as a week or as long as three, depends on how well that bacteria you've got does (and how much/little ammonia you added.)

I wouldn't turn on the skimmer until you've got fish either.

 

[rhpmiller]

Tank and scape is looking great! You're in the wait phase right now. Could be as little as a week or as long as three, depends on how well that bacteria you've got does (and how much/little ammonia you added.)

I wouldn't turn on the skimmer until you've got fish either.

I haven't added any ammonia, but was going to drop a bit of fish food 1-2x a week to try and introduce it that way. Would that be sufficient, or is dosing ammonia better?

Good note on the skimmer too. Thanks!

 

[Gedxin]

Adding fish food is very unpredictable, there's no way to know how much you're adding. Plus it takes significantly longer for the food to break down and go through the nitrogen cycle.

Liquid or powder ammonia to max 2ppm is a much more precise method.

Both work, completely up to you.

 

[rhpmiller]

Day 3 (9/21)

• Did absolutely nothing. Was surprisingly difficult. Ha. Have a strong feeling that reefing will help me learn more patience.

Day 4 (9/22)

Ran my water tests this morning:

• Salinity: 1.025
• Ammonia: 0.2-0.3
• Nitrite: 0.05
• Nitrate: ~7
• pH: 7.8
• Alkalinity: (Honestly, couldn't figure out how to read this one with the Red Sea test kit. Ordered a Hanna)

Since my pH is low, I was going to add some baking soda. Is that a good solve, or are there other recommended actions to take?

My nitrate has gone up significantly since adding in Bio-Spira two days ago, with ammonia and nitrite unchanged. Is there anything I should do? Maybe add some ammonia, or just be patient and test again in a couple days?

 

[Gedxin]

Rule of thumb for reefing: don't add anything to the tank that you cannot test. I wouldn't bother chasing pH at this point. Maybe in the future if you want faster coral growth.

Params look good. Personally I'd suggest adding a bit of ammonia to see how quickly you can process it. It's a good indicator if your cycle is ready for fish.

 

[brandon429]

to save you a headache: your cycle is already done lol biospira is instant cycle.

I could post several threads of complete dry start reefs set up on day one with biospira...so don't toil over the levels above as you're done, and those aren't digital kits they're going to string you along for weeks on a done cycle.


Where you are at in the cycle: waiting more days doesn't carry more fish, you're all set on the max fish the tank can carry right now. Disease preps is where its at: spend your days reading in the disease forum what happens when new tanks add pet store fish skipping qt and fallow.

regarding instant cycle: if you changed all your water right now, to export the floating dosed bac, whats left on surfaces is the filter and it can't be removed by water changes. that's what I mean by instant cycle. you paid for that ability from the bottle

 

[brandon429]

I better deliver the click goods lol quick cycling is controversial agreed

Bio-spira works great

I just started a new tank a little over a week ago. I started with all dry rock and new sand. I added a bottle of Bio-Spira and put fish and coral the same day. Never saw any ammonia and fish and coral seem healthy.

www.reef2reef.com

disease zapped him a year out

 

[Gedxin]

I better deliver the click goods lol quick cycling is controversial agreed

Bio-spira works great

I just started a new tank a little over a week ago. I started with all dry rock and new sand. I added a bottle of Bio-Spira and put fish and coral the same day. Never saw any ammonia and fish and coral seem healthy.

www.reef2reef.com

disease zapped him a year out

Huh? There's nothing in the thread you linked that indicates a disease outbreak.

 

[brandon429]

oh I see. I thought it was at the end/how to tell: click his name/Ike and select all threads and you can see the disease titled ones about a year after that quick start. I thought it was in that actual thread.

 

[Gedxin]

Gotcha. I see now. It's a reasonable thing to be cautious about with disease and quick starts. That said, I'm inclined to think his disease was due to overstocking and not properly quarantining fish. You see the original stock? Guy had like at least 10 fish within a few months in what looks like a 40g. Then sold some, then got some others. Just too much livestock too fast and too much stress imo. Hard to say it's related to a quick cycle/biodiversity.

 

[Schraufabagel]

Excited to follow along!

 

[brandon429]

Gedxin​

100% agreed. Ability to carry fish bioloading is the easy part, that's why this cycle here today is ready/he really can carry fish if added but if he added non quarantine fish/dead in 8 mos about 80% of the time.

Ike's fish would have died on day 2 if that tank wasn't cycled. They're able to live long enough to pick up velvet because the cycle was set, but the sourcing of fish was questionable.

new cycling science has seen that however we approach cycles, things cycle (its water bacteria in water, adapted etc) but the key misfocus was disease prep the whole time. Cycling can't be messed up, if we have water bac in water then its cycled on most arrangements by day 0-3 (when doing bottle bac dosing its that quick, with feed only and no bacteria it takes a month or so)


*even if Ike would have waited months to add fish, they were still unprepped and that would have them meet the same ends.

the long cycle option doesn’t help with disease, and quick cycling doesn’t cause it. All fish need the preps

 

[rhpmiller]

Thanks for the inputs and recos @Gedxin and @brandon429 ! Truly appreciate everyone's insights and shared experiences.

Good call to be sure to watch out disease and be proactive on all fronts, instead of trying to react after something bad happens. Are there any recos, other than doing water changes, sifting substrate, watching chemical levels, proper quarantine for fish, and time for bacteria to continue to populate, to make sure I can prevent some serious detriments to livestock and to the tank?

I dosed a little bit of ammonia, will measure water occasionally over the next several days to see if/how quickly it is processed and any subsequent fluctuations. Additionally, i'm going to dose some dormant bacteria (Microbacter7) to ensure I get a good diversity of bacteria.

If everything is good and my ammonia and nitrite remains low--and hopefully my nitrate lowers a bit--I might go ahead and add a fish the week after that.

 

[happyhourhero]

I would be testing phosphate and be dosing it from day 1. Marco rocks are a sponge and you will enjoy some dinos if you don’t.

 

[rhpmiller]

I would be testing phosphate and be dosing it from day 1. Marco rocks are a sponge and you will enjoy some dinos if you don’t.

I thought i wanted somewhat-low levels of phosphate (0.05) and nitrate (2) to not give algae a fuel source? Should I want somewhat higher levels earlier on—to prevent dinos—while my lights are still off and such?