Starting my 24G Nano cube... any advise?

[lcstorc]

Hammers are fairly easy but they also sting. Not as far away but I had one take out a brain that was about 3 inches away.
The saphire skimmer is the one I hear most often used in the pod. I am not sure of the setup but you might want to PM Caitrina since I know she has one.
A poly filter is not going to replace a protein skimmer. They are good for removal of large detrius but that is about it. The skimmer takes care of the disolved organics. The only other thing that will do that is water changes. In that size tank even if not overstocked you are looking at waterchanges at least weekly to keep it stable particularly in the beginning. A good skimmer will do a world of good, though you can get by without one.
Some people do DIY their skimmers but I have no idea about that. I think it would be difficult to DIY one that small but I could be wrong there.

[Witfull]

if you want firefish,,,crabs are evil. fire fish sleep in rock holes and easy prey for hermits.

[Pinkmolly21]

I'm definitely taking the snails out... they're way too big and I think they are eating my coraline algae (and I didn't have that much yet )

I think I will get like 5 or 10 tiny little snails...

Since i'm not planing on putting any corral in until feburary or so (i want to make sure the tank and I are ready), I'll save up some money and get a protein skimmer sometime before that. I just want it to be as save and clean for my lifestock as possible.... and less work for me of course

hammers sting too...
well I want to go for a lot of movement and color when it comes to my coral selection... Any suggestions?

[dobejazz]

Originally Posted by Pinkmolly21

I'm definitely taking the snails out... they're way too big and I think they are eating my coraline algae (and I didn't have that much yet )

I think I will get like 5 or 10 tiny little snails...

Since i'm not planing on putting any corral in until feburary or so (i want to make sure the tank and I are ready), I'll save up some money and get a protein skimmer sometime before that. I just want it to be as save and clean for my lifestock as possible.... and less work for me of course

hammers sting too...
well I want to go for a lot of movement and color when it comes to my coral selection... Any suggestions?

Green start polyps, Xenia are good movers and hardy beginner corals, also leathers although some are harder to keep than others

[Illuminati]

I went skimmerless for 2 years while I kept softies and LPS.

Skimmers are more work if anything, you have to keep the water level up and empty the collection cup often.

At this stage the last thing to worry about is a skimmer, IMO.

Here's an old pic of my 24g Nanocube, if you see any corals that catch your eye and need an ID I can tell you what it is:

[Pinkmolly21]

I love the tank Illuminati!

Found a new hitchhiker... first I thought it was just part of the rock but as it turns out, it opens up a little and closes when I point the flashlight at it... what could this be? I really have no Idea...(will post the pic in the hitchhiker section also)




And this is Miles btw... He looks just so cute in this pic that I had to show it to you guys...

[lcstorc]

No ideas on the hitchiker but Miles is adorable.

[Pinkmolly21]

Today we found a slug in the tank... I guess we have another hitchhiker there... it's white and about 3/4 of an inch long.
Is it ok to leave it in there?

and I took another look at those hairlike things and it turns out they ARE Vermetid snails... Are those bad?

[dobejazz]

Originally Posted by Pinkmolly21

Today we found a slug in the tank... I guess we have another hitchhiker there... it's white and about 3/4 of an inch long.
Is it ok to leave it in there?

and I took another look at those hairlike things and it turns out they ARE Vermetid snails... Are those bad?

Dous the slug have a small fingernail shaped shell on it's back? if so it's a stometella snail - harmless and benifical alge eater

Vermitid snails are usually harmless but that can be a pain if you get a ton

[Pinkmolly21]

I didn't see any shell on the slug... but I will take a better look at it next time I see it. Could it be bad if it's not a Stomatella snail?

there are about 5 of those vermetid snails in my tank...

[dobejazz]

Originally Posted by Pinkmolly21

I didn't see any shell on the slug... but I will take a better look at it next time I see it. Could it be bad if it's not a Stomatella snail?

there are about 5 of those vermetid snails in my tank...

I have a lot of vermitid snails they don't seem to bother anything so I leave them alone.

was the slug smooth or kinda frilly? Frilly would be a nudibranch and most of those as hitchhikers are usually bad

[Pinkmolly21]

Looked smooth to me... but to be honest I was just really stunned when I saw it and I need to take another look at it to be sure...
I can't believe it survived being in a box with newspaper wrapped around the rock it was on... or in... very impressive

[Pinkmolly21]

New Reef animals...

I went and got a firefish and a Yellow clown goby today.
Both seem pretty happy in their new home and both already ate a good dinner just now.
I was surprised cause I had heard that yellow clown gobies usually take a before they eat in a new surrounding... But maybe mine is just like me and eats when it's nervous..

May I present to you:..........

Fruity the firefish





and Doogie





and I spotted these red bumps on one of my rocks... look like some kind of sponge to me...





And I was wondering if anybody knows what this could be... Phil says it feels like the bristles of a toothbrush or so... doesn't move or anything... is just funny looking...





and I have these little white bugs on my glass... Copepods?






and last but not least:... I think I might have bristle worms in my sand... they're tiny so far but look somewhat like the pics when I googled it. Should I do something about it? Is there anything I can do? or should I just ignore them?

thanks guys
I wouldn't know what to do without you

[BigAl07]

Looking good. Molly what are you current water test results?

[Pinkmolly21]

Gonna test the water tomorrow... too tired right now...

two more pics (as if I didn't post enough already..)

the biggest one of my feather duster hitchhikers:
(it's really tough to get a decent pic of it since it's so small...)





and the whole setup:



the firefish looks like a giant.....