Hello All (1 Viewer)

[AAFJR2]

Well hello there everyone, this is my first time posting, and first time starting a saltwater tank... I have done freshwater for about a year, but i always find myself at the saltwater sections of fish stores haha... so i went out and bought a 12 gal nanocube from TnT during their anniversary sale. hopefully this will be okay later on.... so as a beginner i will tend to ask a lot of questions, i been looking around and decided i want to upgrade the pump to a maxi jet 900 like others did... and from there dont really know what to do.... will start setting up withing a month after my freshwater is sold... so i have time to rack up on stuff.... in the long run i would want maybe two clowns and a couple corals... first question, what type of corals can i keep and about how many fish can i house? also how many pounds of rock and sand should i get?

 

[RocketSurgeon]

Welcome and good luck

 

[AAFJR2]

thanks, i heard about tank crashes, hope i dont get any!

 

[RocketSurgeon]

Go slow. READ READ READ and READ more, and you may be in luck.
I don't have a nano, but it sounds like you have already max'd it out. 2 clowns, couple coral, live rock, sand, skimmer/filter, heater. squeezed into a 12 gallon. I think it may get full real quick.

Starting with only 12 gallons to work with will be a challenge all in itself.

Read Read. did I mention read. Then ask a question before you do anything else.

Finally, remember, no livestock for at least a month. Gives you plenty of time to read!

 

[rxonco]

Welcome to MARSH.
As far as what corals you'll be able to keep, it's gonna depend on which type of lighting you have in that hood. Likely, it's the standard 2 PC bulbs. You'll want to run one 10k and one actinic. With this lighting, you'll be able to keep most everything in the "softy" range. Corals like mushrooms, rics, zoas, etc...
As for the rock and sand. With a 12 gallon tank, I'd go somewhere in the range of 20-30 lbs of rock and 10-15 lbs of sand.
While you're waiting, I'd say do a TON of reading about general upkeep. Topics like water changes, monitoring, cycling, etc... With this small of a volume, you're gonna really have to mind your P's and Q's as far as staying on top of things. Many times, new reefers jump on nano tanks like these because they seem to be an "all-in-one package." Problem is, with the smaller volume of water, you're gonna be faced with much less room for error. The more volume you have, easier it is to maintain parameters. That being said, with regular water changes and upkeep, it's easily doable.
Start looking around for rock. I'd suggest buying from somebody here in the buy/sell forum. As for sand, just go out and get a bag of aragonite. Don't worry about buying the "live" sand. Just get the dry stuff and a member here will usually be happy to provide a cup full to seed your sandbed.
Good luck with the startup and don't be a stranger. Ask any question that may come up. Odds are, if you can think of it, it's already happened to somebody on here.

 

[AAFJR2]

so i will READ haha... yeah i wanted the 28 gal, but the starting expenses would have pulled me back, only 20 with a part time job and in school thats trying to move out in the near future.. how many pounds you recommend for rock and sand per gallon?

 

[AAFJR2]

thank yall

 

[AAFJR2]

so i can get a cup of already established sand and add it to my dry sand? sweet, maybe my friend will give me a cup, will i have to spread it around or just dump?

 

[rxonco]

...how many pounds you recommend for rock and sand per gallon?

If you get good rock you can get away with about 2lbs/gallon for rock. This can be misleading sometimes as there are different types of rock as far as how dense they can be. As for sand, you can go with 1-2 lbs per gallon. You're gonna look to have a good 2-3 inches of sandbed.
Don't worry so much about a number on this. a good 10-15 lbs of rock will be good. Anything more will be up to you as far as how it fits and looks in your tank.

 

[AAFJR2]

all right... also should i put the rocks in while filling up or right at the beggining and the water?.... i tend to ask lots of questions haha

 

[rxonco]

so i can get a cup of already established sand and add it to my dry sand? sweet, maybe my friend will give me a cup, will i have to spread it around or just dump?

Just spread it around. Make sure you rinse off the dry sand though. Otherwise, you'll be dealing with a cloudy tank for a few days. You can rinse it with fresh water. Doesn't need to be saltwater. You're just trying to get as much dust off as possible.

 

[rxonco]

all right... also should i put the rocks in while filling up or right at the beggining and the water?.... i tend to ask lots of questions haha

Either will work. Just remember, if you fill the tank up first, adjust for water displacement. Otherwise, when you put your rock in, you're gonna have water on your floor.

 

[AAFJR2]

cool cool...... looks like fill halway and them mess with rock work!

 

[Llama]

Sounds like you are on the right track. I will go ahead and +1 on reading as much as you can.

I've spent more hours reading up on reefing than I spent building my last Jeep.

Don't worry about questions.. Ask away!

 

[AAFJR2]

anybody recommend a good place to start reading? i just been browsing through forums and google

 

[TeeFard]

Forums and new to the hobby questions are always helpful. Good luck !

 

[RocketSurgeon]

Read everyone else's concerns, especially in the "new to the hobby" section. They (or similar) may be your concern too one day real soon.

 

[AAFJR2]

cool thank ya thank ya... will put up more q's when i have em

 

[RocketSurgeon]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074