New Nuvo 16G Setup

I am new to the saltwater hobby and am really looking at starting a 16G Nano reef in an Innovative Marine Nuvo 16G tank. I have read and read and seen hundreds of different situations and I have just a few basic questions before I make the investment.

1. Once I get the live rock and live sand setup in the tank I had some people tell me to drop a damsel or two in it right away to help cycle the tank? Any recommendations for this?

2. Is the tank sufficient enough to support 2 clowns and a goby with the CUC once the tank is cycled?

Like I said I am very new to the saltwater hobby and know that it is more difficult to keep a small tank stable however I really think this is the path I want to take. Any suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated!

Chip

 

Welcome to 3reef.

No need to add damsels, a small raw table shrimp or even a pinch of food will accomplish the same goal, without stressing a fish, nor having to return the damsel.

I would not go with the larger clowns like Maroons, and 3 fish seems too much.

Get or make an ATO if you can.

Just remember you have limited your self fish wise, witch is fine. Corals IME are actually easier. You just have to ramp up slowly and allow the tank time to become established prior to adding difficult corals.

 

Thanks so much for the reply! I definitely would not go with larger clowns. Once I decide to take the plunge when is the best time to add the CUC and fish? Should the CUC be introduced all at once or staggered? Should the fish come weeks after the CUC has been rolling for a while?

Thanks again! This is all very interesting to me and when I do it I want to make sure it's right!

Chip

 

The way I cycle: I add LR and a pinch of dry flake food (ghost feeding) every couple days. After about 4 weeks ammonia and nitrites are no longer detectable. I then do a 10-15 percent water change depending on how high the nitrates ended up. A day or 2 later I test again after the water change and add just a few hermits.
A snail or 2 comes a couple days later but you can add both at the same time. Snails need to have some algae to eat.
A couple days later I add fish, slowly. Do not over feed initially allow the biological filter time to catch up.

There are many many ways to cycle a tank, but in the end it comes down to patience and slowly stocking the tank with fish and inverts appropriate to the size and type of system you have.

 

Welcome to 3reef.

Agree with Cheryl, you can "cycle" the tank without live fish. Get a few test kits, and test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. When you see after a few weeks that there is no detection of ammonia or nitrite anymore, it is safe to add fish.

As for fish, anything more than 1 or 2 fish is just asking for alot of trouble with stress and algea. If you want a clown, pick a smaller species, and maybe look into a goby/snapping shrimp pair. They are cool to watch.

Because your tank is so small, you will want an auto top off, and probably do 1-2 water changes per week, probably 2-4 gallons at a time.

Dont hesitate to ask, or search for answers!