DigsUT Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 As suggested in the "Welcome" forums, I have decided to post my very first tank in the build section. Hopefully, this will allow me to receive some valuable insight from the more established hobbyists. I am already receiving quite a bit of help from my GF on this this tank, but any additional advice that will allow this endeavor to be more successful is definitely welcome. The particulars: Tank: Innovative Marine Nuvo Nano 16 Pump/Filtration: Stock with the tank Lighting: 2x Skkye 8W LED (Stock with tank) This tank is being built from the ground up. I only have one piece of live rock amongst several pieces of dry. I have been cycling since Saturday 12/08/2012. I will be updating this thread periodically with pics of the start of the tank and as it progresses. I am not 100% sure what I specifically want to put in the tank. I do know that I would like to do a combination of corals and fish. This is where the experts come into play. The tank is 24" long, so it would be nice to have fish that traveled around, but I am not married to that specification. I would like as much color as possible, obviously:p If you have any suggestions or advice, I welcome it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubasteve92 Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Welcome to ARC!!! Do you have any idea what coral you want to keep? Leathers, LPS, SPS? That will help decide alot of things when setting up a tank. Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigsUT Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 Welcome to ARC!!! Do you have any idea what coral you want to keep? Leathers, LPS, SPS? That will help decide alot of things when setting up a tank. Josh Based on the minimal research I have done thus far, I am probably going soft corals and leathers based on the lighting that I have. I am browsing various sites to see what I like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Welcome to the club Digs! I was previously warned by several people that saltwater is a very slippery slope. First, you start off saying " I only want to do soft corals, zoanthids..." Next thing you know, you're building a sump, an LED fixture, and a 100 gallon reef tank with SPS everywhere! Keep in mind you get discounts with an ARC membership, you also benefit from group buys from vendors! For what its worth, check out the selection of mushroom corals, zoanthids, GSP, etc... Damsels are a very hardy inexpensive fish, but can be a bit of a handful. Clown goby's are very small and colorful and also have a smaller bio footprint in the tank. One of my favorite fish currently is a lawnmower blenny. Although not the most beautiful of fish (frankly i think it should be called a dorkfish..) it has a lot of character! Just remember to wait out the cycle, and acclimate any livestock you purchase. Any coral frags you buy, be sure to dip in a lugols/iodine solution. This will limit the introduction of unwanted pests. Also, keep an eye on your feeding, try not to overfeed as this will also result in a tank imbalance. Again, welcome aboard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigsUT Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 Luckily, square footage and budget will keep me in check for the time being. I really like the look of Zoas and Damsels. Though, I have been told that clowns are a good starter type fish. I still have quite a bit of time to decide while cycling the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Something I've learned from these guys (im still pretty new as well) is that taking your time, will result in something you'll be very proud of. Also, sometimes a lot of acronyms are tossed around when talking about the hobby, Mike (mFrame) was nice enough to send me a link to the FAQ on acronyms. Give it a quick glance and you should be able to follow along quite nicely http://www.austinreefclub.com/page/FAQ/_/saltwater-101/reef-keeping-acronymns-r12 Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Damsels are are generally very agressive, and the same can be true for clown pairs. In a 16g, I'd give a long hard look at purple firefish. Coolest fish I own, and a perfect tankmate for just about everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigsUT Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 Something I've learned from these guys (im still pretty new as well) is that taking your time, will result in something you'll be very proud of. Also, sometimes a lot of acronyms are tossed around when talking about the hobby, Mike (mFrame) was nice enough to send me a link to the FAQ on acronyms. Give it a quick glance and you should be able to follow along quite nicely http://www.austinreefclub.com/page/FAQ/_/saltwater-101/reef-keeping-acronymns-r12 Gary I am beginning to see this. I have already had to use Google on a couple of occasions to figure out the acronyms:p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cMidd Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 any idea what kinda fish you want or like more than the others? welcome by the way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigsUT Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 **Could not figure out how to update my original post with the pics. If it is possible, please let me know** With that said, here is a pic of the tank 3 days in: The little piece of rock sitting to the top right is being seeded for a 2G tank sitting next to this one:p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I really like these tanks. Great choice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 **Could not figure out how to update my original post with the pics. If it is possible, please let me know** With that said, here is a pic of the tank 3 days in: The little piece of rock sitting to the top right is being seeded for a 2G tank sitting next to this one:p *Technicality - edited posts after an hour is a privilege reserved to Premium Members, so in your case you did exactly what you have to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Capt. Obvious Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Welcome, nice tank...I had that exact same light on my daughters 7Gallon...I think I might still have it in a closet or my garage if you want to up the lighting but keep the look ...let me know...and I can frag you some coral once you are more established (gratis, free) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigsUT Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 Welcome, nice tank...I had that exact same light on my daughters 7Gallon...I think I might still have it in a closet or my garage if you want to up the lighting but keep the look ...let me know...and I can frag you some coral once you are more established (gratis, free) Additional lighting would not hurt, especially if I want to do the more complicated corals. I do like the design of the lighting with that tank and adding a third might be beneficial. Let me know what you would want for that light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Kessil pendant would be a good aesthetic addition, but might be overkill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigsUT Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 (edited) I has been quite a while since I have updated this build thread. After a bout with diatoms and finally getting a cleaning crew in (army of hermit crabs), I have finally added my first bit of livestock. As of this weekend, I have added the following: - Bumblebee Snails - Emerald Crab (affectionately named "Big Daddy." Seriously, thing is big compared to everything else in my tank:p) - Jeweled Damsel (This one is the antagonist of the bunch and may get booted if he does not shape up!) - Blue Sapphire or Velvet Damsel (not 100% on this one, he is hiding from the Jeweled.) - Green Chromis Damsel - Maroon Clown All of the fish are temporary residence, as I plan on putting a pair of Snowflakes in at some point. But, the contrasts in color are definitely fun to see in the tank. Currently, there is no corals. I just wanted to get some fish going for now. Once the fish are playing nice, I will start throwing some coral in. Not really sure what direction I want to go. I plan to put an updated pic and possibly some video some time tonight. It is good to actually have stuff living in a tank that I started from the ground up:) Edited January 28, 2013 by DigsUT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 that is a nuclear time bomb of livestock bro! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigsUT Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 After doing a bit more reading on the fish that I bought, I am seeing a definite potential for "Thunderdome" occurring in my tank. I was "assured" that these breeds would co-exist without issue. That, appears to be inaccurate. Looks like that Jewel will have to come out asap. We shall see what happens with the rest of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 In my experience, damnsels (pun intended) don't coexist with much of anything. Only the damsels would be fair inhabitants of the 16g tank, and they pretty much prevent you from putting anything else in there because of their aggression. Most of us have been down this path, and I'm not dogging you, just trying to prevent you heartaches and headaches down the road. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigsUT Posted January 28, 2013 Author Share Posted January 28, 2013 Definitely no offense taken. I appreciate any advice given by more experienced "reefers." That is how an FNG like me learns:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooks Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I agree with what Victoly said... Damsels are nothing but trouble in the long run. Tank looks great, though! I love the style of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigsUT Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 After a day or so, all of the fish appear to be "getting along." Much less fighting and even my Sapphire has decided to come out of hiding. Keeping a close eye on everything, just to be sure. They all seem to congregate in that top left corner. I did a water change and they still seem to prefer this area. Video was too large to upload directly, so I put it on YouTube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 Still man, that is a really heavy fish load for a 16g tank. I feel that my tank is adequately stocked with a pair of ocellaris and a purple firefish. in a 29g tank... I'll leave this be, but you're tempting fate with that many fish, notwithstanding the aggression issues that they will likely have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigsUT Posted January 29, 2013 Author Share Posted January 29, 2013 Still man, that is a really heavy fish load for a 16g tank. I feel that my tank is adequately stocked with a pair of ocellaris and a purple firefish. in a 29g tank... I'll leave this be, but you're tempting fate with that many fish, notwithstanding the aggression issues that they will likely have. All good points. This being my first tank, I got a little carried away. I just need to decide who to evict. I really like the color of the Clown and the Sapphire. If I just kept those two, would they co-exist? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victoly Posted January 29, 2013 Share Posted January 29, 2013 I think your thunderdome analagy would still be in place. Maroon's are notoriously aggressive (and would eventually be too large for your tank). If you wanted to have a damsel, it would likely be the only longterm inhabitant. As long as you're cool with that, a damsel would probably be perfectly happy as the boss of a 16hg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.