[twiggy114]

So I have been wanting a salt water fish tank for some time now. I didnt have a place to put it and and well never got to it. I just moved and well now I have the room for it. I'm going to buy a Nano cube 6gl set up from a guy that is selling his. Here is the info thats in his ad.

6 gallon Nano Cube with live rock salt water tank. This is a great starter tank to get someone familiar with salt water life, and try it out for a small investment. We just got married and will be moving soon so need to sell the tank!

This is a self contained salt water tank with lights, pumps, filters, hood and stand. There is an abundance of life in the tank and well established for about 1.5 years. Currently in the tank there is a large live rock, 1 small emerald crab, a few snails, and 1 clown fish. In addition, I have a Hydor 25W water heater, new in box ($25 value), a nitrate testing kit, and a salinity tester. The stand is great, and hard to find for a small tank - it can fit up to a 24G Nano Cube and has 1 door that opens for storage.

What would be the best way to transport the tank? Should I get new sand and put it in. Im fairly fresh to all this I'm trying to learn as much as i can so I dont start killing off fish left and right. Any help is greatly appreciated

[pogodzib]

The best way to transfer it would be to remove most of the water and all of the livestock and transport them in either a 5 gallon bucket or a rubbermaid container. You'll want to reuse as much water as possible and try not to disturb the substrate (sand) when you move it or you can end up creating an ammonia/nitrite/nitrate spike.

As for the tank, in general, smaller tanks require more regular maintenance than larger tanks because the small water volume isn't as stable as a larger water volume. Yes, they are cheaper than larger setups, however, try to make sure you stay on top of doing regular maintenance and keep any additives you choose to a minimum. In fact, even most tanks with corals only require minimum, if any, additives.

[twiggy114]

Here are some pictures of what he has. Also thank you so far with the information you have given me.

[twiggy114]

I got more information on what the system has. Do you think this should be fine or should i upgrade?

It's all self contained. It's actually the JBJ Nano Cube. It's all built in which makes it easy to setup, maintain, etc.

I just put in a new carbon bag, and have one left for you. I also rinsed out the sponge. Just fyi, you should rinse the sponge using the tank's water, so when you do a water change, just use the water you're about to discard to rinse out the sponge in the sink. Ceramic Rings haven't been changed out, I was told you didn't need to by the fish store owner...

So.. it has -
Mechanical - Sponge filter, Chemical - Activated Carbon bag, Biological - Ceramic Rings & Bioballs

[DrChayus]

Your best bet is always to start from scratch. You may get a great deal on an already-assembled and established tank, but you miss out on a lot of the learning that comes along with that process. Also, I would rather have several smaller pieces of live rock than one big one; they give you more aquascaping possibilities and better filtering IMO. hth

[pogodzib]

I agree that you can learn a lot by starting from scratch, but my first saltwater tank was a 165 gall TWV setup and everything worked out good for me anyway.

Having a good skimmer is very helpful for anyone, let alone someone just getting into the hobby. That setup doesn't have a skimmer. Also, I'd recommend to NOT clean any equipment or filters for at least a week prior to moving and two weeks after moving unless the filters get so bad that they want to start plugging up. Cleaning the filters could cause a tank that has just been moved to have an ammonia or nitrite spike.

[twiggy114]

I have some video here of the fish and the tank. I see some purple stuff growing in and around the tank. Anybody know what it is? or what's making it grow?

Video

[pogodzib]

Are you talking about the coralline algae growing on the rocks and glass?

[twiggy114]

yeah is that stuff bad or no?

[pogodzib]

Coralline algae is generally considered good because it makes a tank look better and can be used as an indication if something has gone awry. However, at times it can be a pain since it likes to grow on the front glass so you need to keep scraping it off.

[twiggy114]

Yeah I don't mind it as long as its not on the glass. It being on the rock and on the back cover is ok.