Hi everyone. I have been reading extensively for the last few days and let me say you guys are great! I learned so much from everyone. Let me start out by saying that I have never had a saltwater tank and am learning everything from scratch. About 5 days ago my boyfriend and I went into a pet store looking at the pets and they had a 14gal Biocube display all set up. It was the last one and we got it with the stand for 200 dollars. The store owner seemed eager to help us and we were there for over an hour asking questions. I told him I would love to have a nano reef and he helped us get what we needed. We got 10-12 pounds of LR, some LS, and some ocean salt. He told us to go home and put everything in the tank. Then he said come back in a couple days with a water sample and if it looked good we could put stuff in there. Stupid me! I started researching the next day and got a couple books. My boyfriend brought in a water sample on the third day of the tank running( I had to work) and the LPS owner said the water looked great. So my boyfriend asked what would be a good starter fish and the guy sold him a baby Percula Clown Fish. Now by this time I had an inkling that this was bad but my boyfriend said the guy owned a couple salt water tanks and knew what he was doing. When I got home that night Nemo was swimming around in the tank. He wouldn't eat. The next day, no eating. Of course its the weekend and the petstore closes at 5:00pm and I work till 7:00pm. By yesterday I had done tons of research and knew that Nemo should not be in the tank. He's pale and becoming thin. He has not eaten that I know of. I went home and tested some parameters and my amonnia level is 0, but Nitrites are at .3-.6 with a temp of 79 degress and salinity of 1.023. The tank has the brown algae bloom going. I did and emergency partial water change to try and dilute it but I don't know if thats going to help. I'm calling the petstore owner today and telling him to take the clown fish back until the tank fully cycles but I'm so mad I could punch him! I'm hoping the poor guy is still alive when I get home I also hope they let me take him back) I ordered the Biocube protein skimmer and I'm going to get a nano powerhead. I'm also going to pound some LR (to get out some frustration at the pet store owner) and replace my bio balls with it. Any other suggestions would be great! I have seen pictures of everyones nano reefs and they are amazing! If I get even close to those pictures I will be thrilled. OK, I'm done with the rant...gggrrrrrr.
I wouldnt continue to do business with a LFS, find someone that knows what they are talking about. Nemo might survive, but it would surprise me. Have the LFS always feed the fish before you buy them.
Dick can you post a link to your fish buying guide?
Yeah I just spoke to the petstore and they said that they would hold him for me. Then they told me that sometimes they just get "bad" fish. Then they said the "shock" of bringing him in could kill him but they would take him. I would rather risk it than have him slowly suffocate and starve to death. Yep, that pet store is off my list of places to do business with. They also said with their live rock and live sand that the fish should have been OK. I really don't believe that. 3 days for a cycle??
Angelfish_333, I would recommend that you listen to all the Talking Reef Podcast from beginning to end. The information that you get from that will be more then enough to guide you on the Saltwater Aquarium Adventure. Aquariums have a break in period called cycling that should occur before any living inhabitants are placed into the Aquarium. You can monitor this period by purchasing a Saltwater Test Kit (Ammonia,Nitrite, Nitrates and pH to get started). You should see spikes in Ammonia followed by those levels descreasing and then spikes in Nitrites followed by thos levels decreasing then finally spikes in Nitrates followed by all those descreasing. Once your levels are all at zero then it is safe to add living creatures to your Aquarium. This process happens on average from 1 to 2 months in an Aquarium. But listen to the podcast before you continue or ask us questions we could definitely save you some headaches in the future.
__________________ My marriage is perfect! My job is great! But why are my tank parameters all out of whack???
Like you when i first started i did a similar thing in stocking way to fast with the lfs advice. dont worry it seems your on the right track now. just remember if your not sure just ask on here first and your sure to get nothing but good help and advice.
like photojohn said here is the link to rules to buying fish. nine-rules
Hi everyone... If I get even close to those pictures I will be thrilled. OK, I'm done with the rant...gggrrrrrr.
Angelfish_333, to Talking Reef Forum.
I'm very proud of you for several reasons. First, being alert to the condition of your Clown fish. Second, doing your homework, eg, research. Third, joining TR and blowing off steam. Fourth, holding the LFS guy responsible. Few people, new to this hobby, are as sagacious as you. I'm glad you found TR so soon into your aquarium hobby. There are many knowledgeable people that will help in teaching you how to duplicate the success you've seen in those pictures you mentioned above.
I need to mention, a Nano is not the best size for a Newbie. You will have to pay close attention to conditions, especially the water parameters. A small volume of water changes condition more rapidly than a larger volume. Saltwater critters need stable conditions to survive and thrive. In specific monitor the Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH, temperature, specific gravity (salinity), Calcium, Alkalinity and Magnesium levels. (See what you got yourself into little Angel?) You will learn, by studying, trial and error, and meeting new friends here on TR, this is such a rewarding hobby.
92gallonreefer, posted above a link (thank you) to an article about how to buy and keep healthy fish. Your assignment from today's lesson is to read that article. I try to tell people that keeping a marine aquarium is not difficult, as long as you learn the correct rules to follow. There is a progression to follow, newly excited hobbyist, puzzled hobbyist, informed hobbyist, learned hobbyist, and finally, a successful hobbyist (the desired result). No one arrives at the end without starting at the beginning. The length of time spent on the learning curve is entirely dependent on the person and the amount of self-education he/she is willing to undertake. It sounds to me like you are going to be a STAR pupil.
Again, welcome to TR and your new hobby. It's a hobby filled with wonder and beauty. ENJOY!
Dick
__________________ Amphibious
Reaching my 70th BD, I realize that I cannot help but grow old. However, I refuse to grow up!!! My wife would tell you, "He may be 70 but, He's going on 17". Life is wonderful with a woman like that.
to TR Angelfish! Great job on pulling the "U'ie and heading in the positive direction. I think you and reefing are gonna get along just fine. Research and self education will be your constant companion and will open up new doors of understanding and will also lead to more questions! Lol Trust me, everyone feels your pain starting out in this hobby.
Although Dick is right about the BC14 being small, I think you can succeed nicely with this tank if you do your research. Water changes will be less tedious since far less water is involved - I would recommend spending $80 on a RODI system to generate the purest water and and mixing 3 gallon batches of SW per week. This would be over a 20% water change per week. Do not skimp on the water changes or you will eventually see (12-18 months later) climbing nitrate levels.
You can also spend $20 more for the Maximus II to add a reservoir and faucet for RO drinking water.
The Biocube Protein skimmer appears to be driven by an air stone. You may have luck with this type of skimmer, but the air stones can clog eventually, and will need to be replaced. Make sure you stay on top of that. If it wasn't such a tiny compartment for the skimmer I'd recommend a different skimmer (such as a Tunze 9002), but alas - it is not. Keeping up with your water changes will help make up for any lapses in the skimming.
Oh, and yeah - I recommend Dick's 7th rule: Quarantine.
You may be able to resuscitate the clown yourself if you simply get a bare yet hospitable 10g QT tank with heater and a basic mechanical/carbon filtration, and feed him well. This will get him out of the decay filled SW of the cycling tank. Frozen Mysis shrimp is usually a crowd pleaser for clowns to get him eating. After that, try different foods to fill out his diet. Do aggressive water changes and double check the Salinity and pH of the incoming SW to make sure it matches.
This site gives such great info.. I just wanted to add something about the biocube protien skimmer, rroselavy is right about the airstones getting clogged regularly. I have the biocube skimmer in my 29gallon BC and have to change the airstone every 4 weeks or so. Which can get sort of expensive. Also it is hard to find the oceanic replacements, I dont know if they are neccessary however the original airstone that the skimmer came with is a little bigger than the ones i am able to find at any of my LFS. Also it is a wooden airstone which is equally hard to find.
I am looking for a different skimmer as well. Good luck!
The Following User Says Thank You to Reef Newb For This Useful Post:
Good news. I just read that Sapphire Aquatics may return with more NanoSkimmers. Rumor has it that the owner Kyle, who left the business a while back on a personal downturn, is returning with a CNC based device to help him make skimmers faster. They are having a presale on Nanocustoms.com for one that fits a NC12, perhaps it will fit a BC14 as well? The presale says the units are expected late July '08!
LPS and the mess I'm in... 
I also hope they let me take him back) I ordered the Biocube protein 
to Talking Reef Forum.
You will learn, by studying, trial and error, and meeting new friends here on TR, this is such a rewarding hobby.
I try to tell people that keeping a marine aquarium is not difficult, as long as you learn the correct rules to follow. There is a progression to follow, newly excited hobbyist, puzzled hobbyist, informed hobbyist, learned hobbyist, and finally, a successful hobbyist (the desired result). No one arrives at the end without starting at the beginning. The length of time spent on the learning curve is entirely dependent on the person and the amount of self-education he/she is willing to undertake. It sounds to me like you are going to be a STAR pupil.
to TR Angelfish! Great job on pulling the "U'ie and heading in the positive direction. I think you and reefing are gonna get along just fine. 
Research and self education will be your constant companion and will open up new doors of understanding and will also lead to more questions! 
