Indefinite babysitter

[Go spurs go]

Hi! My name is Russell and my best friend just moved away, leaving me his 29 gallon bio cube. I've never had anything more than a goldfish but now I have  a snowflake clown pair, six line wrasse, pistol shrimp, urchin, 12 headed dendro, 9 polyp acan, 18 polyp zoanthid, kenya tree, and pulsing Xenia. Needless to say I'm excited and asking him endless questions and looking for more than he can answer! I'm addicted after 2 weeks and hope this club can help!  I can't wait to learn more!

[Isaac]

talk about jumping into the deep end!  

first thing i'd do is read up on the nitrogen cycle  (first in google, im sure there are better:  https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-the-nitrogen-cycling-process-2924241 )  understanding that each and every item you put into that tank has its own cycle... over time they may sync.  so, if you swap out that old biocube carbon pad, the new pad starts a new cycle on the surface of that pad.   I bring this up because, the less cycle starts at a single time, the more stable you are, because the other cycles will help the new cycle complete quicker.

second thing, for me anyways... be super paranoid about copper.  if you happen to be sweating pipes all day, dont get your hands anywhere near the water.  If you wear a copper necklace, stop.  It is lethal to inverts (snails, crabs, corals, etc) at even very small levels.  That being said, some FISH medications have copper.  you need to use a QT/medication tank for that.  and when you move those fish out, you need to do it in phases to make sure that copper doesnt get in the main tank.

second, part 2... toxins.  anything from leftover soap on your hands, to freshly cig smoked fingers, to ejuice residue... badbadbad!  always do an extra rinse after washing your hands before dealing w/ the tank.  dont ever put anything in your tank you wouldnt put in your mouth or lick.  why? if its not foodsafe, its not reef safe.

third thing.. equipment.  follow a regular maint schedule.  use common sense, dont have things that can cause an unintended siphon or overflow.  make sure you are using a GFCI or otehr type of protected power (UPS for instance)... you need the power to break if there is a short.

last... have fun.  know that this small tank is a gateway drug for a much larger tank

[Sissy36]

Welcome! Don't worry about feeling lost, this is a hobby, or obsession more accurately, where you feel lost the first few years. I fall into that category. I would say one of the most important things to remember is that your aquarium is like a child. In many ways. They are all different and there are countless ways to raise them. No one way is the right way. Learn your system, it's reactions, what works best for you, and it, to keep it healthy. Keep good records, stick to a routine, never stop asking, reading, or researching. Also, remember you'll never know everything and that no one knows everything but everyone knows something and has excellent advise. It's kinda like a big, expensive, scary science experiment. On that note, have fun!


- don't forget, this is suppose to be fun LOL There will be times you have to remind yourself that. You may be crying at that time.

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[+BobcatReefer]

[+BobcatReefer]

As for suggestions for a healthy tank:  Pull those dendros and give them to me for safe keeping.