12g Nano Cube soon to be owner with multitude of questions

[airangel]

Hi all,

New to the forum, been reading about & looking at what others have done to the Nano Cube to get some ideas. I am new to SW/Reef but have been a FW aquarist for decades, decided to get my feet wet in the salty way.

My questions are:

1-Have a slightly expired bag 6/03 of Arag Alive ( live at one point) sand, how dead is it and would it harm my Cube if I added it to the bag of dead sand I plan to use as substrate once I get going?

2-How much dead/alive sand should one use in the Nano?

3- I love the look of LR, how much would I need to get going and should any of it be base or all LR? Stuff's pretty spendy (LR) for only a few pounds of it (looked into ordering but not worth it for only a few lbs)

4-Not sure about the inhabitants at this point. I would like recommendations as far as what snails to get, what would go with a Clown fish (should I get 2?) and whats the most laid back of the Clowns?
Thinking about hermit crabs (dwarf perhaps?) and shrimp-any recommendations here? How many fish would be ok to have total in a 12g system?

5-What is the salinity I will be aiming for?

I figured to read up and post prior to even getting my Nano. I want to do it right the first time or at least make the attempt.

Thanks for reading this far and for giving a salt newbie your thoughts, tips, hints & recommendations.

 

[nanocat]

I'd use the arag-alive (there's nothing "live" in there besides bacteria anyway). If you have the standard 20 lb. sack that's all you'll need. I only used about 17 lbs. and my bed is a good 1 1/2". I'm thinking about removing some even.

I know LR is expensive but since you're only going to need about 10-14 lbs. I'd use cured LR from my LFS out of their tank. It will save you some time. You can use base rock but it will be a while before it becomes "live".

My LFS has their nano with 3 extremely small false perculas. I'd say 3 fish is MAX and if they grow, you'll end up looking for a new home for at least one of them eventually.

If you have a friend with an active reef you can borrow a cup of their live sand to jumpstart yours, or ask your LFS if they will give you a cup from their tank?

It's all new to me too, but it's been fun so far.

 

[brandon4291]

Ditto nanocat and welcome to our site!


There is a host of LFS animals that will fare well in your nano, the supplied lighting is enough to run most corals as is. Add to that boxer shrimp, small crabs (research animal compatibility before purchase) and a myraid of easy fish to keep for example, and you will do just fine if you have a local buddy to meet up with at the shop. Nothing beats seeing the animals and working with them in person, ask a LFS employee to show you around during water testing/maintenance times. Most will tell you "On Sunday afternoon, come on in and Ill show you how we clean the tanks and maintain the animals." Post pics here and I'm sure you will continue to get great information from our nanocube owners here in the Nanos Forum

brandon M.