I bought a 12 gallon JBJ nano cube from this guy who had to move out of state and I had a few questions. For one he told me that the algae in the tank is good for the tank but ive heard other wise. He told me the salt doesnt evaporate so I should just top it off with tapwater. I did some research and bought some dechlorinator for the tap water but i was told the other day that the phosphate in the tap water is causing algae to grow and i should be using reverse osmosis water instead. Is this true? I also only have a clown fish, firetail blenny, 1 hermit crab, and a few miniscule snails. Should i get a larger snail or two and maybe a shrimp. Help me please.
As far as the Nano Cube goes. I just want to make sure I’m doing all maintainance right. In the back I have the Sponges, and a bag with what i assume to be active carbon in it. The guy i bought it from put filter fiber on top of the sponges and said i should replace every month of so. He didnt mention anything about replacing the sponges or the active carbon bag and im not even sure the filter fiber thing is right. can anyone help me out please!
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I’ll try to answer all your questions in order.
Algae can be good in that it feeds off the nitrates and phosphates in the system. But really it is not that beneficial and is more of a nuisance. He was probably trying to just justify his laziness in cleaning his tank
If he was talking about coralline algae (the hot pink/purple encrusting stuff) that is normally desirable in the tank.
Salt does not evaporate, but you will want to check your salinity with a hydrometer just to make sure you are not adding too much or too little freshwater. It is best to know for sure, especially when doing a water change. (By water change I mean partial water change, you never have to tear down the tank or replace all the water unless something catastrophic happens.) As far as tap water, RO water is ideal, but you can use the tap water if it is of decent quality in your area. Adding water conditioners as you mentioned helps.
You could also use a phosphate sponge media pad to help with phosphates. Tap water, depending on the area, may have a limited level of phosphates. The nitrates will also "feed" the algae and can be present in tap water, and will be slowly building in the tank from the fish waste. Take the water to your fish store and they should be able to test for phosphate and nitrate, among others, and give you an idea of the water chemistry in your tank. You can always buy the tests and do them yourself as well.
The older carbon might be leaching the phosphates back to your tank in addition to any in your tap water, the food for the fish, etc. Carbon does need to be replaced periodically, or you can do just fine without it. Carbon is used to remove dissolved nutrients in the water and helps remove the "yellowing" of the water to help keep it crystal clear. It is also great on removing and odor that might be in your water. Unless you are having trouble with color or smell, I wouldn’t even bother with it.
Snails are great to help you with the algae. I’m sure the light in the tank is old as well which would contribute to the algae growth. You should plan on replacing it soon.
Most likely, you do not have to replace the sponges. The fiber pad you are replacing at the top is capturing most the larger detritus so the sponges should not get that dirty. The fiber method the prior owner was using is just a maintenance issue. It works great because you don’t have to clean a lot, just replace that pre-filter.
One big thing on JBJ is that you will want to check the return pump and clean it periodically, like once a month when you replace the fiber and do a water change. The pin in the impeller rusts! Make sure to carefully clean it to avoid rust buildup that can cause the pump to stop working.
Hope that covered it!
Welcome to the world of saltwater and being a nano tank you kinda just walked into the fire. Nano tanks can go wrong fast due to their small volumes of water.
Learn about saltwater, but yes salt does not leave the water so over time as the water level evaporates, the salinity will raise naturally. Using a piece of equipment called the hydrometer, you can measurer the salinity. It should read from 1.020-1.025 specific gravity or 33PPT salinity. If the levels are getting to high, add freshwater, too low add salt.
Now, RODI water is the best water. Tap water does have alot of minerals depending on where you are which can cause problems. Phosphates are everywhere and are used in the marine aquarium but not in high levels where it can be tested. If your water test are saying you have any phosphates then they are already to high. The problem that it causes are it is the fuel for bad algaes such as hair algaes, cynobacteria etc. Stuff you dont want. Most saltwater LFS will sell RODI water around 1 dollar per gallon so you are best with that.
If this aquarium was established than it should have good algaes such as coral line algaes which is what you try to strive for in a reef aquarium. There are some good algaes such as macro algae such as cheatomorpha which is good for the tank. So you will have to look up what type of macro algae you have and if it benefical or not.
clean up crews depend on the aquarium, you really dont need more but you can add a cleaner shrimp and some snails if you want. Nano tanks are tricky and small but can hold a good amount of bioload if cared for correctly. Personally i would sell back the blenny and get another clownfish.
For cleaning the media, you will only need to rinse out the sponge every 2 weeks or so. The carbon can be washed out but should be replaced around every 6 months or so.
You can email me if you have any other nano tank questions, i have a BC29 and BC14 myself and love nano aquariums.