Newbie questions - don't laugh

[DukeOfPrunes]

Hey all,

I had attempted this before, about 20 years ago, but I did so many things wrong then, and I don't want to make the same mistakes again this time around. I want to order a 29 gallon Bio-Cube, I think it will look great in my LR. I am also trying to spread out the cost as much as possible to keep my better half happy.

Here goes:

1. When I get the tank, what is the best way to set up? Are there any "mods" that I should do right away?
2. Should I just go buy some live rock at my LFS, put the rock in the tank, mix up a few buckets of Instant Ocean and pour it right in? Or is there something more that needs to be done with the water?
3. What should I use for the sand/gravel bottom and when should this be added? How much do I need?
4. How much live rock is needed for a 29 gallon biocube?
5. Will the tank smell bad while it cycles if I use uncured rock?
6. What is the "cleanup crew" and when should it be added?
7. Do I need a protein skimmer? If so when must it be added?
8. Can I expect to have an interesting tank with some corals, a couple clowns, some cleaner shrimp, maybe an arrow crab or a small anemonie without adding more lights or increasing the flitration? What restrictions will I face with the mostly "stock" setup.

I'm sure I'll have many more questions. Cheers

DoP

[gadgetguy1288]

im gonna attempt a few here

1. ive never used a biocube but i used to work at a petstore and i hear they are pretty well off, with the exception of the bio balls, lose those first, and use LR rubble
2-3. id go with water first then livesand/crushed coral, then LR, but i ordered my LR online its better than instore most of the time
4. its usually dependent upon how much you want but usually aroun 1-1.5lbs/gallon
5. mine didnt but ive know a few ppl whose have, as l ong as your monitroring the lvls, and do WC's accordingly you shud be good
6. cleanup crew is comprised of snails, hermits, stars, and other stuff that cleans the detritus and waste, and i added mine when my tank was about halfway through cycling and lost a lot, so im not really sure when to add(im sure sumone else will chime in)
7. protein skimmers not required, but always helpful, ive always been told to hold off at least 6months to a year before adding one
8.as far as interesting goes you'll definatly have to take it really slow, im not sure about the stock light setup, but i think you could pull off some corals, just watch waht type of light requirements they have, and id stay away from arrow crabs, i had 2 gang up on my 3 atlantic blue tangs and my $65 Prize flame angel, and few other damseld bfore i finally caught em, so id say stay away




hope this helps and im sure there will be others to chime in...




good luck with the new tank and always remember theres no such thing as a stupid or silly question as long as the intent is genuine

[framerguy]

Originally Posted by DukeOfPrunes

Hey all,

First of all, Welcome to RS! Second get a good book and read it... twice! A good one is Robert Fenners "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist", IMO it's the best beginners book. Now to your questions:

1. When I get the tank, what is the best way to set up? Are there any "mods" that I should do right away?
If it comes with bio balls... ditch them right away. Corals don't like them, they are nitrate factories. Are you planning on having a sump?

2. Should I just go buy some live rock at my LFS, put the rock in the tank, mix up a few buckets of Instant Ocean and pour it right in? Or is there something more that needs to be done with the water?
Mix the salt and water in another container (large trashcans work well)and then put it in a bare aquarium. The rock can be added at that time. Keep the rock wet while you are working with it with a spray bottle of saltwater or keep it in a tub of water. Make sure the rock is very stable, you can drill and tiewrap the rocks together for stability. There are other ways and many threads here about it.

3. What should I use for the sand/gravel bottom and when should this be added? How much do I need?
I like a fine sand for the substrate. Get an aragonite based sand like Aragamax.
Aquarium Calculators
The calculator will help figure how much you need. Two inches is enough for aesthetics, but some fish like four inches so figure what fish you want and let us know.

4. How much live rock is needed for a 29 gallon biocube?
1.5 lbs / gallon +-, say 45-50lbs

5. Will the tank smell bad while it cycles if I use uncured rock?
YES!!!! It's probably going to smell some anyway while it cycles
6. What is the "cleanup crew" and when should it be added?
The CUC are creatures to clean up leftover food, detritus, algae, etc.
They should be added after the tank cycles (using a deli shrimp in a stocking) and there is no ammonia or nitrite present.

7. Do I need a protein skimmer? If so when must it be added?
This is a somewhat debated topic. Some people say no tank "need" a skimmer, that waterchanges can accomplish the same thing. Why work that hard? Get a protein skimmer, and a good one, (ASM, Aqua C, Euro Reef).

8. Can I expect to have an interesting tank with some corals, a couple clowns, some cleaner shrimp, maybe an arrow crab or a small anemonie without adding more lights or increasing the flitration? What restrictions will I face with the mostly "stock" setup.
The arrow crab isn't reef safe. The anemone will need a VERY ESTABLISHED tank of at least a year and they need very intense light,... so no. You can have an interesting tank with some appropriate corals for your lighting, the clowns ( they don't require an anemone), shrimp, emerald crabs, and lots of snails.
I don't know what the "stock" set up is.

I'm sure I'll have many more questions. Cheers
I hope I've helped some- Greg

DoP

[kathywithbirds]

Hi! Newbie myself, about 6 months, but the hubby likes his nanos, I'll relate what we got.

The 14 aquapod has something like 20 lbs of live rock, doing really well except for this HUGE bristle worm (maybe fire worm, maybe hawaiian worm, dunno, it's huge) had a baby clown in there until recently, now it has no fish, a sexy shrimp adn a cleaner shrimp. Had an outbreak of flatworms and cyano, cyano is undre control with water changes adn suctioning, flatworms are out with flatworm exit (product) adn it worked great.
First mod to this one: replaced stock pump with the next step up (maxijet 900 I think...) second mod: he replaced the plain output doohickey with a spinning doohickey (I'm great with the technical jargon) by koralia. works great, flow is dispersed. he also added a koralia nano for flow. It has a metal halide, 70 watt, 14k light. torch coral, trumpet, zoos, koko worm, different snails, a conch.

the 24 gallon is newish, a month old about, has maybe 30 lbs LR, getting very green right now, finished cycling in 2 weeks, added a molly because he was stressed in my 75 (bad damsel... long story.) he's eating some of the algae that crops up, he's a nice fishy to have for that. That tank is currently "babysitting" a friends tomato clown, it's anemone (bleached, we're feeding it, there's a 150 watt metal halide on that tank) a HONKIN' cleaner shrimp, 2 emeralds and an allegedly reef safe red crab. More snails in there, some torch coral, some HH polyps. Mods: a second hole drilled in th eback wall with a rotating flow doohickey,... maybe that's the only mod. This one's a JBJ tank, he doesn't like that the intake grill is below the water level line, it's not getting the surface of the water, which can get a film if he doesn't keep an eye on it or th eflow's not enough. He upgraded the return pump again, and has another nano koralia in there too.

The sapphire skimmers are AWESOME! get one. NOT the fission skimmer.

The anem we're babysitting isn't really an optimal situation, it needs a well established tank, but we're doing what we cna for a friend who wants to keep it.