a few questions

[stagofdoom]

Hey ive had my tank running for about 2 and a half weeks right now. A few days ago I got my water tested and everything looked fine so I picked up 2 clownfish.
Now for the questions.
I have this stuff that I would call dust going over everything on the bottom of the tank on one side.
Also when should I do a water change.
Also how long should I wait till I get a coral?
Thanks
Ben

 

[Bifferwine]

The dust is probably diatoms. Diatoms are a normal part of a new tank, and you'll often see them during and after the cycle. There really isn't anything you can do about them besides make sure you have a cleaner crew to stir up the sand. I recommend a few nassarius snails for that. As your tank matures, you'll get diatom outbreaks less frequently.

You should do a water change when your cycle is complete (ammonia and nitrites at 0). Doing a water change after the cycle will bring the nitrates down, and is the most effective way of reducing nitrates. Since you haven't done one yet, I'd recommend going ahead and doing a 10 to 20% water change now. From now on, you should do about a 10% water change once a week.

You should probably wait about a month before getting your first coral. Make sure your clowns are healthy and doing well and that your water parameters are staying good. Then start with an easy coral, something like mushrooms, leathers or zoanthids. It also depends on what kind of lights you have. I'm guessing that since you have a 24 gallon nanocube, you should probably be able to keep low and moderate light demanding corals.

 

[yote]

Biffs got you covered pretty good.