lutz123

Since you asked... I vote not doing either unless you find that you need it. Water changes will likely be plenty for now. No need to add expense or complication unless your tank asks for it. Skip the skimmer too unless you find that you need it. I have skimmers for both of my nanos - sitting in a drawer unused because they just weren't necessary. Fuge basket really looks like a place to accumulate detritus and "stuff". Skip it and add some macroalgae to your tank. Again, you can always add it if you see the need, but if you are looking to add a pod haven, they would do better inside the tank. Even shoving some chaeto behind a rock is preferable in my opinion.

That's really funny!

One bit of advice that I am surprised I haven't seen mentioned is to increase flow. You shouldn't have dead spots where detritus accumulates - low flow is fine but if detritus is sinking there is either no flow in those areas or you are adding alot of food that goes uneaten. Pay attention to your feeding regimen. I, like some of the others don't clean my sandbed. I also don't skim (small tanks) and in one tank don't use anything mechanical. The sandbed is clear. I wouldn't recommend a huge sand cleanup crew, but a good number of nassarius snails are great. A general cleanup crew to forage on dropped bits of food from your fish is valuable too.

I hear ya! I have no doubt that there will be a couple of others that chime in with how easy it is. Check out the glassholes kits. I totally agree that it is overwhelming. There are some good youtube videos on drilling glass (and planning your plumbing). This club is extremely helpful and someone (likely many) would gladly help you out. Start a tank build thread with your thoughts in the dedicated tanks section. And add your location to your profile.

Welcome! I have two all in ones now and find that I prefer sumps. They are easier to clean and access. And more options.

Something no one else wants so I have a chance on winning!

What makes me laugh is the age of the child we are all trying to virtually entertain. He won't care for a little while. A couple of swimming colors would suffice (thouh I stand by my xenia). Or are we trying to entertain dad?

I am sure you have considered this, but what about the possibility that your live rock/sand is leaching phosphates? I have three different tanks with essentially the same maintenance schedule (different lighting though, but none are strong except my pico). I have one tank I get cyano in. It is the one with the best flow. It is also the only tank I used "reel reef" purple rock. Is that the difference? Who knows. But my other two have figi rock from Marine Scene. Neither of those ever had an issue - never even got a diatom bloom. No cyano ever. My solana 34 gallon isn't even running a powerhead and I have never had algae - even on the glass it is very rare. I have never tried sps so that adds a degree of complication. Also though, maybe consider approaching it from a very basic level. Did you see the coral care article I posted last week? It is very in depth about how corals get their energy and use the minerals in their environment. There are a number of other helpful articles there as well. And remember that what you are measuring is only what is not being consumed, right? Everyone has different methods that work, because there is no controlled environment. Don't chase the numbers unless you are seeing an actual problem. And I agree that keeping it simple makes for simpler troubleshooting in the future. Sorry if something doesn't make sense. I am typing on my phone.

Good for you. It's fun and they have slightly different requirements but not as hard to keep as everyone makes them out to be. It's much, much easier with lots of pods living in the tank (and they love to hunt).

Barnacle blennies would be a good possibility for fish. They are funny to watch and when my girld were older babies they would have loved any fish that "plays peekaboo". A jawfish pair. Or I like the goby/pistol shrimp idea. Anything that defends or builds a burrow. Clownfish are colorful and pretty active so that is kind of a given.

Pulsing Xenia. Hands down. My 5 year old has "her own tank" in my home office and I have let the xenia take over quite a bit and she loves it. She also like clove polyps because they look like palm trees. Colorful mushrooms might be nice. Other kid friendly things? In my other tank she enjoys watching the maxi mini eat. Loves the pom pom crab. Skunk cleaners were a hit. Watching the sea eggs (urchins) carry snails and crabs around. Hermit crabs of course. And nassarius snails all pop out of the substrate at feeding time.

10 sounds good. They mention a range of 8.2-12.6. You are right in the middle.

Your nitrates may be zero because all of that algae is consuming it - not that it is actually gone. Did you manually remove as much cyano and hair algae as possible? I would probably do another water change (or two) with 0 TDS water again and then let it run it's course with manual removal and see what happens (but I am a "see what happens" kind of gal). It should balance out again. If you chase it too much you may create more problems. You also might consider any other changes you may have made in the last few months that may have led to this.

I have the jbj pico and it is fine. I have a little finnex fuge ray over it but not sure what you would need just for qt'ing. It does need daily top offs but it is simple because the tank is so small (as are water changes). Honestly though, one of the 5.5 gallon standards with an aquaclear that is a little oversized might be more appropriate for coral. That's what I plan to do. The standard equipment that comes with the jbj is not really sps friendly. But with your choices you mentioned, I'm guessing you are looking for a small display? An AIO like the nuvo might be a little tougher to keep the compartments really clean if you end up with an issue and need to sanitize it.

It may have been holding them from before you got it. I have a pom pom crab that was suddenly pregnant three months after buying her. Guess what? Two weeks ago she was carrying eggs again, and I have had her a year! No other crabs in the tank.

I really liked this article because it ridiculously thorough, and appeals to my need to understand the why behind advice. The site has other interesting info too. Probably old news for many, but I rarely see this site referenced. http://www.coralscience.org/main/articles/nutrition-6/how-corals-feed

Go for the distilled jugs. Honestly, when I just had one nano I used strictly distilled jugs and got saltwater from the lfs. Also, having an rodi filling a 5 gallon bucket isn't safe to have around toddlers unless it is well out of reach.

I was so excited about the LAQUAtwin until I looked at amazon and saw $275 for just the pH meter! (Of course, it comes with refills)

Can you put it in a small plastic bowl? That's a tough situation. I've not heard of a way to force them to attach - keeping it safe would probably be best for now...and screen your powerheads.

Lord that's gross. Still not quite on board with it, though I'm sure my fish friends would enjoy. I am glad you are still having success!

Or an urchin might keep it in check. Mine eat every type of algae (except hair)

Loved the music - gave it a Batman and Robin feel. And your shrimp needs a name too!

Most pods are a good thing - don't worry about it. Their populations will likely ebb and flow.

The Tunze 9002 modded has historically been the go-to skimmer for the Solana 34. I like Solana but need to deal with the noise sometime.

Glad you are okay. And nice to hear the coconut oil tip. It really is hit or miss when working in tanks - best to be cautious! One big plus of being in FL is that they are somewhat familiar with ocean dwelling critters. Not the case around here!