Nano owners help me out....

[Mr Cob]

Ok, I'm getting another pair of Onyx Clowns from GCReef this weekend (Thanks, Bill and Dr Mark).... and I want to insure they live this time.

-I have an 8 gal BioCube macro tank (been set up for like 6-9 months)
-stock everything
-need to add a small heater
-also have frozen mini mysis stocked up for them

Here's the tank:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2793/4368769356_314612cdfe.jpg


Tell me what you would do to keep things stable....

Add an air pump?
Remove the stock bio stuff/carbon and replace with live rock?
Water change 10%-25%/week?
SG?
Add a heater?

PS: I have no problem taking it back to the basics....talk to me like I'm a newbie....things didn't work out the last time so I want to cross my "t's" and dot my "i's".

I'm seriously thinking about just adding the clowns to the main display (144) from the get go where they will have 3 anemones to choose from.

[Big_Pun]

umm in all my cubes i took out the stock media, run rock rubble, i used a coarse black sponge in the second chamber cut to fit the opening perfect, over rubble, also you can run chemi pure in first chamber just bought a seperate bag and divided it up, so one thing of chemi would last a while, i had bad heat issues so i never ran a heater but it might help to keep them from dropping at night. Fans also got noisey so i replaced mine also cut vents in front door and back for more airflow. i think thats it lol. water changes once a week 10-25% is good

chris(former biocube king)

[corruption]

Add a heater, remove the bio-balls, trim the baffle between chamber 1 and 2, remove the false floors, and add a light and some more macro in the middle chamber... Otherwise, just stick with water changes (tough line to toe in such a small volume -- too much and its a hard shift in ionic balance, too little and you achieve little results...) I tend to do 1 gallon per week in my BC8 (w/ rock, probably about 6 gals of water -- a bit over 15% per week).. My biggest fear is the bioload that the cube would take on -- clearly the last pair had an adverse reaction (perhaps it was a side effect of no heater?)...


If it were me/mine, I'd add to the display and forego the 'hardening' in the biocube..

-Justin

[Jarob]

I have had mine for sometime now and they seem to be doing great! All Im doing is keeping them in a standard 10g aquarium with 110gph HOB filter with carbon and a little LR rubble, a small heater and 2 large rocks in the display covered with xeina (they love swimming in it!!) with a ball of chaeto. There are a ton of copepods in the tank but I feed them filtered out mysis and baby brine shrimp twice daily, morning and evening. The tank is barebottom so I siphon up anything I see resting on the bottom every few days, and do about a 15-20% waterchange every weekend if I can get to it, a week and a half at MOST. I dont do anything out of the ordaniry I think? Im realllllly wanting to put them in my main display though, Im just scared they would get picked on or lost!

[Mr Cob]

Chris, I was hoping you would chime in....I was going to send you a PM but figured you would be bogged down with PMs, being that you were the BioCube King and all.

Did you run any carbon in any of them?

[Kristy]

I would never presume to tell you what to do with your tank, but instead I'll share with you what we found works with OUR tank to keep it stable. Of course, every tank is different and your objectives with your tank may be different than ours, too.

1. So true what they say that it is more challenging to keep conditions stable in a smaller tank than a larger one. Never have we struggled with a big tank like we have with our small one.

2. We were having a long drawn-out battle with hair algae, low pH, high nitrates and phosphates, and unstable temps in our 20g hex and found the following things turned the life of that tank around:

3. We do 50% water changes on our 20g hex weekly (occasionally it will go to two weeks, but most of the time weekly). I know that sounds crazy, but since 50% = only 10g of saltwater, we started trying it and it made this amazing difference.

4. We put way more flow in there than any tank should ever need. This *probably* is only specific to the hex shape with smaller surface area relative to volume of water, but upping our flow and pointing it near the top so it bounces around and agitates the surface more, increased oxygen and improved pH and appeared to make everything much happier.

5. We bought a bigger heater than we "should" need for this size tank and it has really seemed to keep things more constant.

Edit: After about six months or more of this routine, we now face what seems to be TOO MUCH clean up crew and we are contemplating backing off of the WC.

[corruption]

I also use a bag of chemi-pure -- though its just the bag itself in the first chamber, I didn't divvy it up like Chris did... Otherwise, I just treat the back area as a way to hide the heater and provide a small fuge :)

-Justin

[Mr Cob]

Justin...you bring up an interesting fact....I was doing the big water changes last time too. Perhaps that was a cause of things going bad. I might stick to 10% twice a week if I go the BioCube route.

Seriously considering dropping them in the display tank though.

Jarob...glad you chimed in too...your basic approach is proving to pay off. Not sure I'm obedient enough though....which makes me nervous putting them in the BioCube.



Thanks for the help everyone.

[Mr Cob]

Kristy thanks for posting what works for you...I'm a big fan of "experience" over anything. I can get the temp to stay stable but only if the temp outside is not causing my house to go from Heat to AC back to Heat etc....so yes, temp has been an issue with this little tank.

I also agree.....nanos are not always easy to keep....now a macro nano....that's easy! Just don't add anything else.

[Big_Pun]

Nano's are so much more challenging, as most view as a good starter tank,they are not, things go bad fast and stability is hard to achieve. i would run carbon once in a while but with the chemi pure you shouldnt need to. yea do small water changes you dont want to completly clean out the "good stuff" in the water, keeping up with top offs helps since evap is quick and in such a small aquarium makes things change fast. upgrading the pump in the back helps also if you dont want to add a nano k but the new nano k comes in 2 versions and the smallest one would be great for your tank.you have macro in the tank that should help, i never went to the fuge option but i kept alot of macro in my display.

[RayAllen]

Both biocube 29s ive owned have thrived and done well. With the current ive done three diffrent scenarios. 1st rubble which I took out, 2nd was MAcro which I took and replaced with the sapphire skimmer I bought from you. The tank is doing great, my corals are all multiplying and the fish are thriving. My only issue which im working on in cyno on the sand bed.

Are onyx clown more sensitive than normal percs or something because Ive kept a pair of percs in my last biocube with no problems. No I have a clarkii in this one.

[Mr Cob]

I don't think they are more sensitive than other clowns, I mean they are captive bred...so they should be hardy. I think it's more of them being so small.

[RayAllen]

I see, rob I think you have you basis covered. Nothing you can do but go for it and see what happens.

[Mr Cob]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I sincerely appreciate it.

[Gilbert]

Rob i also think you should lessen the water changes.
I have had my nano up for almost a year now.
Its a 5.5 gallon with a false wall, 2x9watt PCs, and biowheel filter.
I do like 30% water changes every month and everything has been fine.
I currently have a snowflake eel, 2 stripe damsels, and a clownfish in there all living strong.

[ErikH]

lol an eel in a 5.5

suprised you haven't had an ich outbreak!! :p

Rob, your tank looks like it should support those fishers without any mods :)

[justahobby]

I've always been adamant about having enough surface agitation with BCs. The lid and small water volume makes me weary about the gas exchange. I leave the feeding lid up continuously to combat for extra air flow.

[FireWater]

In our old BC29 I was worried about the air exchange also. I actually ran the Oceanic skimmer for nothing but to add O2. Also, if you get more flow through the back chambers and add live rock it should help out. I also modified the water tray in the 2nd chamber with a dremel to increase the flow of water through it.

[aggman]

hey rob, i have had my bc14 setup for a year now and i keep it simple. first chamber has the oceanic skimmer, middle chamber has filter floss, lr rubble and a purigen pouch, third chamber has return and 50w heater. and i do 5g wc's monthly. thats it. never had any problems. oh also i always keep my house at 74 degrees. i did notice that many of the people with temp issues don't keep their ac's on 24/7 like i do.

probably late, but that is my experience. this is the only tank i have kept without decided to tade out. all my other tanks...well, thats a whole other discussion.

~alex

[txg8gxp]

I do two small water changes a week, but with the NPS coral I put way to much food through the tank.

[corruption]

Rob i also think you should lessen the water changes.
I have had my nano up for almost a year now.
Its a 5.5 gallon with a false wall, 2x9watt PCs, and biowheel filter.
I do like 30% water changes every month and everything has been fine.
I currently have a snowflake eel, 2 stripe damsels, and a clownfish in there all living strong.

...I really hope you're joking :)


My biocube sits on the floor of an IT company -- temperature fluctuates a lot, depending on how many people are in the building... Relying on ambient temperature wasn't a choice for me. A 50w heater set to the proper temperature has made all the difference in the world. If I let my tank stay ambient (especially after the LED upgrade), it would range anywhere from 60 degrees up to 74 at any given point of the day. As it stands now, I hold steady at about 77 degrees all the time.

One of the smartest changes I made to my BC8 was the LED upgrade... my evaporation went from about a liter a week, to absolutely 0. :)

-Justin

[txg8gxp]

One of the smartest changes I made to my BC8 was the LED upgrade... -Justin
:)

[ReefCube]

i have tried to have the more exotic fish to themselves with no luck! My perameters are perfect I find what helps a lot is when you have other fish such as chromis or any others in the tank with them that are very easy to take care /hardy and loves to eat. I feel this will help the clowns feel more comfortable and less stressed. My 2 cents

[Bill S]

I kept the pair of clowns and RBTA that Ace has at school rignt now in an 8 gallon nano for over 2 years. All stock, except that I used no bioballs and I instead used the blue & white filter material. Added a small heater. It has 3 x 8w T5s on it.

The tank was heavily planted with razor caulerpa.
I changed about 50-60% of the water every couple of weeks. I hate to say this, but I didn't even worry about matching the temp - I just dumped it in. Those guys THRIVED in the tank.

Not saying what I did was right, but it worked...

[Regric25]

Okay even though I'm a noob here I'll chime in. I had a 8 gallon BC and I ran live rock in the middle chamber. I had a small heater to keep the temp stable at night when the lights were off. I did weekly 10% water changes. I also dosed with microbacter7 which seemed to help. I hope THIS helps.

Oh yea and I took out the stock mechanical filter and put a water polisher pad (that I change weekly) over the stock tray in the middle chamber.

[justahobby]

I think what works great for teens and adult fish isn't working for a juvie. They are much more fragile. You didn't mention what your husbandry was like..... please indulge us (and i'm not talking about whisking the kids and wife off for snow in Waco LOL!).

[StevenSeas]

Ok even though i am a newb here I will also chime in. In my 29 Biocube I did a few different stages of upgrades through the few years I had it. The different stages of set-ups that I had running on it was as follows:
1st chamber - originally put the fluval filter pads (for their canisters) in front of the Oceanic filter, I felt the stock filter clogged way too quickly and thus got air bubbles blown everywhere, this helped to act as a prefilter and catch the larger debris stopping this from happening. Second upgrade I did was remove all filter pads as well as the false floor and put in the cheapest easiest airstone powered pvc skimmer I could make, and then jammed my heater in right next to it.
2nd chamber - Originally removed all the bioballs but layered from bottom to top polyfiber, chemi pure, carbon, hagan aquaclear sponge for their 110 filter. Next upgrade was to remove the false floor again and then essentially stand the media vertical and keep them in the same order but pressed against the right side. Then I cut the drip tray to extend only as far as this column of media. Then cut a piece of 1/4 inch plexi about 1/8th of an inch short of the width of the chamber front to back and then the height was from the bottom to 1/2 inch above the drip tray, then cut a square section out of the bottom. Then wrapping the sides of this with EPDM weather stripping slide it into place. This forced the water down the drip tray through the sponge, carbon, chemi-pure, polyfiber then under the baffle and up. From there I put in live rock rubble and a ball of chaeto. after that made another baffle that was 1/4 in away from the wall of the 3rd chamber. The rest was stock.
This last configuration worked well for me as far as filtration goes, could go a month or so and nitrates still stay at 0 ppm. Now that I think about it, it was probably over kill, specially now that its just sitting at home empty and my new tank is getting all the attention . . . Hope some of this helps I know that you probably cant get all of this into the back of it but maybe the first set of mods I did will be helpful.

[The Butcher]

Well considering that I am lucky enough to have your custom Nano, I have had no problems. Considering that you basically ripped out the entire back section of the tank, all I run is blue/white filter floss, chemipure, a good heater (my house temp fluctuates tremendously), a bigger pump (MJ1200), and 2 Koralia's. I was running a skimmer, but quit since the bi-weekly water changes have worked out fine...so far.

[cbianco]

...Here's the tank:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2793/4368769356_314612cdfe.jpg...


I really like the tank. I like all the macro in the tank. Are there coco worms in those tubes, or are they just for show?

I would image that the macro would help to stabilize the water, in it, of it's self. The macro would help to "clean" the water. If the fish are young, having a stabile environment would help bring the fish into adulthood when they will be a bit more hardy. So temperature, WC and appropriate feedings will all contribute towards husbandry.

JMO.

Christopher :)

[Mr Cob]

I think what works great for teens and adult fish isn't working for a juvie. They are much more fragile. You didn't mention what your husbandry was like..... please indulge us (and i'm not talking about whisking the kids and wife off for snow in Waco LOL!).

Thanks for all the replies. It's really nice to view an array of "what worked for me" responses.

Yes, Justin, I think you nailed it. The juvies seem to be much more fragile versus the hardy teen or adult.

I'm thinking my large water changes is what did them in the first time around. That and the temp swings. I did not have a heater on the tank and still need to pick one up this weekend. This time I will keep the heater around 74 and only run the 10k lights until the temp hits 76 and do most of my lighting with just actinics. This should keep the swing down.

With that said....depending on how I feel when I get them, I still might send them directly to the main display.

But, Bill's post did give me some hope again....especially since his system was pretty much the same with the same livestock I intend to keep minus the anemone.

[Mr Cob]

I really like the tank. I like all the macro in the tank. Are there coco worms in those tubes, or are they just for show?

I would image that the macro would help to stabilize the water, in it, of it's self. The macro would help to "clean" the water. If the fish are young, having a stabile environment would help bring the fish into adulthood when they will be a bit more hardy. So temperature, WC and appropriate feedings will all contribute towards husbandry.

JMO.

Christopher :)

That's what I was thinking....but didn't go so well last time around. The tubes are empty...I collect them...LOL. My main display has another 6 or so plus one with a coco worm. I think the tubes make cool coral mounts and add a nice realistic touch. I have both zoas and SPS mounted to them...along with some kryptonite candy cane.

[sharkboy]

since we are discussing mods on biocubes...has anyone done or seen mods involving adding a large sump somehow to increase total water volume? i know it kinda defeats the purpose of the all in one aspect but thought it would be interesting...especially if trying to keep sps or clams??? just a thought...

[Bill S]

since we are discussing mods on biocubes...has anyone done or seen mods involving adding a large sump somehow to increase total water volume? i know it kinda defeats the purpose of the all in one aspect but thought it would be interesting...especially if trying to keep sps or clams??? just a thought...

Once I get the 215 out of the house, my 8g nano will have a 55g "sump".