12G Nano Question

[lukestimp]

Hello There! This is my first post! After seeing Reef Centrals Tank of the month and reading through the 30+ pages of the build up of that system, I am now head strong set on 1 day owning a system as complex as that. But First I'm going to start with a 12G Nano Cube I plan on purchasing from a friend of mine. The Tank I am Purchasing is basically dead. After his last fish Died in it, he basically unplugged the System and has just let it sit. Heres what I know about the tank, As it sits right now, it is about half full of water and has been sitting this way for about 3 Months or so. There is approximately 20 Pounds of what used to be live rock and about 2-3 Inches of sand.

This is where my first question comes from, is this sand and Live rock still useable or do I need to discard it all and start New?

I will shoot a couple pictures of the tank as it sits tonight, and get a list of everything that comes with it.

Another question I have is, with a Nano Cube don't you still need a Skimmer of some sort, and if so how do you accomplish this?

Sorry for such a long post, just want to make sure i do this right.

 

[kappaknight]

Talk about pulling the plug... I don't think you need to throw anything away but the recovery process to get new life in that tank may take some time. When you buy the tank, I would first check the salinity of the current water to see what it is, then change all the water out and fill it with fresh saltwater. Make sure you have a pump running to keep the water circulating and moving and yes, this would be the perfect time to hook up a nano skimmer to it to pull out the dead stuff.

I would say run this for a week and test water parameters every day or every couple of days to see how the water QT is and if it's not too out of whack then you can add a piece of live rock from a working system and seed your stuff that way.

Do you know what your friend kept in the tank before besides fish? How many fish did he have and how long was it running for?

 

[nano_reefer92]

http://www.nanotuners.com/">http://www.nanotuners.com/</a>

these people mod nanocubes and they also sell moding kits and they sell skimmers for nc12 that are made from sapphire aquatics. the skimmers fit in the tank without having to make any cuts or modding it. they sell alot of stuff for the NC's their and if you go for better lighting if you do buy a kit i could help you install it if any other questions you can pm me or i will check posts.

 

[lukestimp]

Wow! You guys are fast!

Kappaknight- Thanks for the Info, From what I do remember opf this tank when it was up and running, I believe he had 2 "Nemos" and a Blue with Yellow tailed fish. I also remeber him putting in about 20 Blue leg Hermit crabs and some snails. I don't think he had ever got around to adding any Corals.

Nano_Reefer92- Thanks for the Link, I had No idea there were so many things you could change on one of these tanks, but I guess it's just like everything else in the world, Once you buy it-You have to make it Better! As soon as I get home and find oput which brand his tank is I'll find out from you guys which things I need to Upgrade.

Now for some more questions- If I want to change the Aquascaping in his system, is it Ok to do so before I add the new water, or do I need to wait until the Tank is back up and running good?

Do I need to stir up the sand when doing any of this or should I just leave it as it sits. I know Pics would Probably help you guys out alot, and I will take some as soon as I get home tonight.

 

[flyingarmy]

IMO I would start from scratch. The rock and sand definitely have some built up nitrates from all the dead organizms. Best you could do would be to take it all out, rinse it thoroughly in fresh RO water and then put it together like it was a brand new tank. I would seed it with some established LS and more LR if it will fit. If you need some LS just let me know.

 

[lukestimp]

Sorry, I'm not quite sure which system it is that he has, but I can better describe the Back of the system, and I'm not sure the way he had it set up was right. Looking at the Cube with the top open, the Overflow grate is on the Back Left side, from there the Water runs into what I believe is a Sponge of some sort, from there the water runs into another compartment that he has filled with a Bunch of small pieces of Liverock, and then from there it runs into an empty compartment with just the Pump at the Bottom, does this help at all? And is the Live rock supposed to be in the middle Compartment?

 

[lukestimp]

flyingarmy- The Nitrates is what I was really worried about, I have done alot of reading through several forums and evryone talks about dead spots. That's why I ask if I should stir the sand.

Also, I know everyone talks about RO water which I can easily get from the LFS 2 minutes from my house, but what about the Premixed saltwater that comes in the 5 Gallon jugs?

 

[flyingarmy]

Since the tank has been sitting for 3 months, no heat, no light and no filtration....everthing is dead. The nitrates in the water are off the scale. Just scoop all the sand out and put in a 5 gallon bucket and keep running water through it. Rinse everything else, several times and either buy pre-mixed SW from a LFS or DO/RI water and some salt mix. Let me know if you need any help...lots of great people on this site with tons of experience.

 

[lukestimp]

flyingarmy- Sounds good, Would it help if I Boiled the sand? I've just heard that kills all the bad stuff before not sure if it's true. Today is my first day on this site and I already feel as though I'm learning so much. At this rate, my 200+ in the wall system will be here in no time..

 

[nano_reefer92]

how far are you from norcross? would you want corals once you get it cycled? coraline rock? Some sand(a small scop becuase dont have much)?

 

[flyingarmy]

Not sure about boiling it...guess it depends on the reson your friend quit the hobby. Did he have something go wrong or just give up? I imagine since its been down so long nothing is live in there at all.

 

[jetchris]

here is what i reccommend. throw away the sand and water. Clean out the tank completely. Switch out the stock pump with a maxi jet 900 or a 1200. Get new live sand about $30 for a 25lb bag. Use the whole bag. Re-use the rock if it looks decent - if not buy new rock. If you only have a 12g just buy your saltwater and ro from the LFS. Make sure you buy 2 or 3 5gallon jugs. For the filter compartments do this. First compartment handfull of filter floss and one sponge underneith that. second compartment 1lb of Liverock rubble. Buy a little bag of seachem seagel and a little bag of purigen. Put those 2 bags on top of the LR rubble. 3rd compartment nothing but but and probe for temp. Do all that and wait 2 weeks for cycle then add clean up crew. wait another week or 2 after that and add fish and coral. Do a 4g water change every week and change out filter floss and cean sponge in RO water by hand. I do the same scenario with my 24g nano and it works like a charm. No need for a skimmer.

 

[lukestimp]

Nano_Reefer92- I definately plan on getting some corals for it once I get it Up and Running right. Sounds like the First thing I need to do before anything else is get a Skimmer. I live in Loganville, and that's not to far from Norcross so definately stay in touch with me.

flyingarmy- He just gave up, I don't think he was ready for all the Upkeep it was requiring. I haven't noticed anything alive in there, but I haven't really paid that much attention. I just mentioned to him Saturday that I was gonna go Buy a tank, and he said Hell you can have mine for $50.00 with all the stuff.

 

[flyingarmy]

Chrisjet has the best advice and very detailed! I would follow what he says! Good luck!

 

[lukestimp]

chrisjet- Thanks for all the info, is there a reason behind switching out the Pump or is just a good Idea? I think your right, I'll start with new Sand, and plan on giving the Rocks that are there a Good Scrub Down. Your typing got jumbled there a bit when you mentioned the 3rd Compartment, did you mean Nothing but the Tempature Probe? Should I put a Heater in this Compartment as well? So No Skimmer is Needed? Wow, that's the first thing I've heard evryone say you need with a Saltwater tank.

 

[jetchris]

If any tank is 25g or less , a skimmer is a waste of time and money that is my opinion. A few people i know who have nano tanks do not use them at all. Sorry for the jumbled typing - in the 3rd compartment put your temp probe, heater and pump in there. The reason for the maxi jet is this. 1. less heat 2. more flow, and 3. uses less electricity than the stock pump. Personally i would go with the MJ1200. you can buy them from just about any LFS for around $28. They are also very easy to change out. If you know how to use zip ties then you can do it. Dont forget nano tanks were made for the notion of not having a skimmer.

 

[lukestimp]

Chrisjet- OK Thanks for that Info, Looks like I'll be stopping on the way home from work today for a Maxi 1200 and some Live sand. By the way do I need some Zip ties? Also what exactly is Seachem Seagel and Purigen, I have never heard of those things before.

 

[lukestimp]

What about the original lighting? I know his tank had a switch that you could turn over so that at night 2 Blue lights came on but you really couldn't see anything in the tank with those.

 

[jetchris]

they absorb nitrates and other bad things. Seagel is a combo of carbon and Phosban and Purigen is a water polisher and also absorbs bad things. All i know is they work and in my opinion are a must especially for a nano. Both are made by seachem. You can buy each of them in little mesh porous bags and each contain about a handfull of media all you do is drop them in the 2nd chamber on top of the LR rubble. Dont forget to change them out every 3 months. they are about $8 a piece - I got mine a cappacino bay but i am pretty sure they have them at most LFS's. You will need 2 ea zip ties to attach the new MJ pump to the tube aand outflow valve. Once you start looking at it you will see what i mean. I think LFS carries zip ties if not home depot

 

[jetchris]

Also IMO "in my opinion" once your tank is cycled buy a "diamond goby" he will keep you sand clean as a bell. And are fun to watch. He will take a mouth full of sand and then filter it out through his gills. Very cool to watch. good luck