The jump from fw to sw

[gottafindnemo]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/06/ydevuvu6.jpg
Start off by introducing myself, Im nathan, 24yrs old living in grande prairie. Just decided to start my first sw tank while i was in edmonton at big als on the weekend. So ill be converting my discus grow up tank (25 gallon tall) so far i have everything i need except my hob skimmer which will be a reef octopus classic 100. And live rock which im ordering this week sometime. For a light ill be starting off with a 24" aquasun led ho unit. Only gunna be haveing softys amd beginner type coral that my light is capable of until upgrade. And some kinda smaller fish, my wife wants a nemo haha Any advice on stocking would be greatly appreciated! Thanks :) will update with lots of pics as i get things set up and what not

[dino]

Not positive on this but I don't think that light will do even for soft coral

[gottafindnemo]

It will lol i talked to someone that uses it, said something about no zoas or anything tho

[dino]

You should try a cheap t5 light instead. It sucks when coral don't do well and you get discouraged. Or just go slow and see what happens I guess

[gottafindnemo]

Ill be useing this light for a few months and then upgrade to something better, dont wanna spend money i dont have to to find out sw isnt for me. And would rather not just tosd away the money i just spent on this light and switch to another lol

[WarDog]

Dont wanna spend money i dont have to to find out sw isnt for me.

Good philosophy, but if you get hooked be prepared for the empty wallet addiction this hobby can cause!

[gottafindnemo]

I keep.looking at my 240 gallon fw tank thinking how sweet it would be to turn that to sw haha its makeing me wanna get a bigger tank for my arowana sooner

[Aquattro]

If you're going to use that hydrometer, check it against a refractometer regularly to make sure it's reasonably accurate. They're often not, and they change over time.

[gottafindnemo]

If you're going to use that hydrometer, check it against a refractometer regularly to make sure it's reasonably accurate. They're often not, and they change over time.
I wont be useing that, i actually just added a refrac to my cart on j and l this.morning lol itll be comeing with my skimmer

[gottafindnemo]

Will be gettin the "vertex salinity refractometer"

[Aquattro]

I wont be useing that, i actually just added a refrac to my cart on j and l this.morning lol itll be comeing with my skimmer

You know they have a big sale coming in a week or two, right? :)

[gottafindnemo]

You know they have a big sale coming in a week or two, right? :)
Ohh?? What kinda sale we talkin here??

[Aquattro]

Ohh?? What kinda sale we talkin here??

Summer Boxing Day type sale. Next weekend.

[gottafindnemo]

Summer Boxing Day type sale. Next weekend.
Oh boy. Now i might wait haha im callin them when they open to get a quote on live rock to gp ill talk to them about there sale. Thanks for the tip!!

[patpare]

You say you have a 240g fw tank?
Mark my word it Will become a sw tank in no time hahaha

One word of advice is take it really slow and do a lot of reading.

Best of luck

[gottafindnemo]

You say you have a 240g fw tank?
Mark my word it Will become a sw tank in no time hahaha

One word of advice is take it really slow and do a lot of reading.

Best of luck
Haha it cant become sw until i upgrade to a 8-10 foot tank for my arowana :)

[gottafindnemo]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/07/ahe3u3y9.jpg

Got the discus out, and the tank emtied. Will cleaning it out after work tonight and then starting setup either tonight or tommorrow

[Simons]

nice, I take it you will be using a canister style filter? I don't see any over flows on that tank....

[Dearth]

One thing you will learn real fast in this hobby whether you choose to continue in it or not is SW vs FW is so much more rewarding but so much more frustrating at the same time.

Visually SW is so much more stunning and captivating and so much more demanding depending on how anal you choose to be with upkeep compared to FW.

The two biggest pieces of advice I can give is first patience is a virtue in this hobby never rush and do your homework especially when it comes to fish and inverts many species are specialized eaters and others can outgrow smaller tanks in no time www.liveaquaria.com is sort of the bible on fish and inverts

Secondly use this forum for resources and advice. There are a lot of SW forums out there but many posters will steer you with bad advice on those forums. Canreef members have had some very ribald discussions but nobody here will ever try to steer you wrong.

[gottafindnemo]

nice, I take it you will be using a canister style filter? I don't see any over flows on that tank....
Will be natural type filtration, power heads on live rock in the tank and hob reef octopus skimmer

[gottafindnemo]

One thing you will learn real fast in this hobby whether you choose to continue in it or not is SW vs FW is so much more rewarding but so much more frustrating at the same time.

Visually SW is so much more stunning and captivating and so much more demanding depending on how anal you choose to be with upkeep compared to FW.

The two biggest pieces of advice I can give is first patience is a virtue in this hobby never rush and do your homework especially when it comes to fish and inverts many species are specialized eaters and others can outgrow smaller tanks in no time www.liveaquaria.com is sort of the bible on fish and inverts

Secondly use this forum for resources and advice. There are a lot of SW forums out there but many posters will steer you with bad advice on those forums. Canreef members have had some very ribald discussions but nobody here will ever try to steer you wrong.
I think the biggeet thing im looking.forward to is the corals. And how its way more of an "eco system" then fw. My wife is the one thats looking forward to fish. I would have just coral if it was up to me haha

[gottafindnemo]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/08/ada9epuj.jpg

All clean, now start to set up!

[scherzo]

Good luck. I did FW for years and it took my 2 tanks to finally get the SW "groove" - What I learned from the 1st time is go slow. May as well go poor slowly. lol.

I looked up the light and it looks like it is at 6000K - I'd be careful as that will probably grow more algae than corals. That would be a perfect light for a refugium to grow chaeto or nuisance algae.

It can get really frustrating really fast if you don't have the right equipment to start - I also learned this.

Have a fun ride!

[gottafindnemo]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/08/y9yvuram.jpg
A bit of progress. Any suggestions on placements?
Both power heads are in the same spot on oppsite sides pointing down in same dirrection towards where live rock will be stacked. Feels strange to have them like that compared to fw where they should be all flowing in the same dirrection createing a clockwise or counter clockwise flow

[reefwars]

I would place the larger power head pointed towards the surface but only enough to ripple it , the small nano koralia isn't very strong that I would have pointed low to keep detritus moving.opposite sides is fine but absolute final placement will be however your rock allows you to provide flow. You need not blast the rock but provide the whole tank with gentle flow and no dead spots.

The idea is to keep the surface moving to pull in oxygen and to keep bio films and oil slicks off the surface and in motion or skimmed out , this is why it's good to get a hang on back skimmer as well:)

[reefwars]

Also if you paint or vinyl the back panel on the outside black then you won't see your cords and coral colors will stick out more ;)

[dino]

I try to point my power heads in a way that moves the water in a circular motion throughout the tank

[gottafindnemo]

Also if you paint or vinyl the back panel on the outside black then you won't see your cords and coral colors will stick out more ;)
Yeah im gunna be limo tinting the back panel. I did it on a 55gallon i built a while back and it looked awesome

[gottafindnemo]

A bit More progress today
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/09/ru7uruqe.jpg

I know i know, use rodi not ro.. Haha but this is all i have to work with for now, and its not that bad, 4ppm tds. Tested infront of me while ibwas there.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/09/ysyqu3ah.jpg
Ugh. Stupid hydrometer. Thats with no salt added lol a guy i know from local fish groups lent me his fractometer after amd its all good now lol
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/09/upugaqyj.jpg
Mixim salt! Found dead spots, tryed a 1000 diffrent positionings for the powerheads amd still dead spots, gunna pick up another powerhead tommorrow

What temp should i be set at? I got it sittin at 79.2 right now, googled and that seems about average for reef tanks.

Got my live rock ordered!!! Will be shipped monday and be here tuesday afternoon :D :D

[Slyguy00]

You will probably wonna just get some bigger powerheads. Once you add samd and rock its going to create even more dead spots. I keep my tank at 77.5-78.0. Tanks looking good so far

[gottafindnemo]

You will probably wonna just get some bigger powerheads. Once you add samd and rock its going to create even more dead spots. I keep my tank at 77.5-78.0. Tanks looking good so far
This dead spot thing is getting on my nerves haha ill see what i can get for powerheads in town tommorrow, i think we only have top fin amd fluvals in town :/ big bulky things lol

Its settled at 79.8, might keep it at that till after cycle is done then ill adjust it a bit

Thanks man! Cant wait till the sand amd rock is in. I haaaaaaaaaate bare tanks

[gottafindnemo]

Salt water hurts cuts!! Wow does that ever sting. Didnt know i had so many cuts on my hands

[scherzo]

If it really really hurts Jen you might have a voltage leak. Unplug absolutely everything and then try again. If you don't feel anything then you have something leaking voltage.

[gottafindnemo]

If it really really hurts Jen you might have a voltage leak. Unplug absolutely everything and then try again. If you don't feel anything then you have something leaking voltage.
Jen? Haha nah its not electrical, ive felt that before haha its just the salt on.cuts

[gottafindnemo]

So just checked the refractometer, i was expecting salinity to rise a bit over night due to more disolving cuz i did it quick last night. Got up to 1.020 in 4 hours, was still 1.020 this morning so added another cup. Will be headed home in an hour or 2 to check again and probably add another cup. (i love working 2 blocks away from my house!) half a cup per 5 gallons like the bag says is WAY off lol

[crimper]

half a cup per 5 gallons like the bag says is WAY off lol

instruction says half a cup per gallon not half per 5G :biggrin:

can't wait to see this tank filled with corals.

[Dearth]

No matter how hard you try you will always have those dead spots what you want to try to do is minimize those dead spots which is why you try to keep rocks off the glass and as soon as you add said rocks you will have more said dead spots but then that is where your CuC and bottom feeding fish come in the small dead areas will be taken care of. It's when those dead spots become big dead spots is where you have issues.

While your tank is cycling with the rock and sand this is when you want to move things around to find best placement before you place your CuC/fish. It's the small things that drives a person nuts in this hobby. Fortunately you have a small tank so it's not much of a concern per se it's when you start getting into the larger tanks that this becomes more of an issue

[gottafindnemo]

No matter how hard you try you will always have those dead spots what you want to try to do is minimize those dead spots which is why you try to keep rocks off the glass and as soon as you add said rocks you will have more said dead spots but then that is where your CuC and bottom feeding fish come in the small dead areas will be taken care of. It's when those dead spots become big dead spots is where you have issues.

While your tank is cycling with the rock and sand this is when you want to move things around to find best placement before you place your CuC/fish. It's the small things that drives a person nuts in this hobby. Fortunately you have a small tank so it's not much of a concern per se it's when you start getting into the larger tanks that this becomes more of an issue
Good call, maybe ill wait to buy a power head until i get my rock and everything in there

[gottafindnemo]

Just checked salinity again, 1.024. Should be good since i was aiming for 1.025?

[Slyguy00]

.24 is good. I keep mine around .25-.26

[Dearth]

.24 is good. I keep mine around .25-.26

+1

[The Guy]

Good luck. I did FW for years and it took my 2 tanks to finally get the SW "groove" - What I learned from the 1st time is go slow. May as well go poor slowly. lol.

I looked up the light and it looks like it is at 6000K - I'd be careful as that will probably grow more algae than corals. That would be a perfect light for a refugium to grow chaeto or nuisance algae.

It can get really frustrating really fast if you don't have the right equipment to start - I also learned this.

Have a fun ride!
+1 to your total statement, I also did FW for years before doing SW and agree that the right equipment will be a lot less frustrating. Patience and research will be rewarding, to quote an old saying " been there done that" is what most reefers will tell you. Have fun and enjoy. :biggrin:

[gottafindnemo]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/10/8avutyqy.jpg

Wasnt gunna order for 2 weeks... But j&l's sale this weekend convinced me to order it today baha

[gottafindnemo]

+1 to your total statement, I also did FW for years before doing SW and agree that the right equipment will be a lot less frustrating. Patience and research will be rewarding, to quote an old saying " been there done that" is what most reefers will tell you. Have fun and enjoy. :biggrin:
For time being, we may just do fowlr until we upgrade the light. Can clowns be in fowlr tanks? Or do they need corals and stuff for residencey and what not

[Dearth]

Yes you can but I would put a clay pot or small bowl in the tank for them to host

[gottafindnemo]

Yes you can but I would put a clay pot or small bowl in the tank for them to host
Okay cool, i have tons of already cut up and shaped clay pots that i made for cichlids and never used

[gottafindnemo]

instruction says half a cup per gallon not half per 5G :biggrin:

can't wait to see this tank filled with corals.
Are u sure? I coulda sworn it said half cup per 5 gallon haha

[gottafindnemo]

What are the pros and cons on uv sterilizers? Do any of you guys use them? Do i need one or no?

[gottafindnemo]

Added sand.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/10/yrajuqud.jpg

............................... Thats all i have to say..

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/10/anenygen.jpg
Is the foam on the water surface okay...?

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/10/u2a6a4ej.jpg
Does this stuff work? Found it in the bag

[heliman206]

I run a uv sterilizer on my system but it's just a small one so not sure if it's really doing anything but I read that a sterilizer larger than 12w can kill ich at a certain stage of it's life whether it's true or not I'm not sure. If I had the funds for a larger uv I'd probably invest.

[gottafindnemo]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/10/utyse7ud.jpg
So its almost there. 11 hours after adding the sand and have zero filtration in there

[Dearth]

Are you adding more sand or is that it.... If so then if you have any rock place it in there and use your power head to circulate have it slightly angled upwards so it's not blowing the sand around. With the rock in there it will clean up that much faster and you will see where the water currents are as well.

[gottafindnemo]

Are you adding more sand or is that it.... If so then if you have any rock place it in there and use your power head to circulate have it slightly angled upwards so it's not blowing the sand around. With the rock in there it will clean up that much faster and you will see where the water currents are as well.
Thats it for sand, my live rock doesnt get her for a few days. Gotta pic it up at the air port on tuesday afternoon. I was thinking about putting an old hob filter on it with a bunch of filter floss in it

[gottafindnemo]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/10/e3atyvat.jpg
Someone from a local reef group is selling me this, hydor controller good for 2 power heads along with a 425 gph, so im gunna hook the one im getting on this sale and the 425 that i already have up to the controller and have them mid level in my tank, then im gunna have my 600 gph top level above my heater pointed down to help circulate temp as well

[Dearth]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/10/e3atyvat.jpg
Someone from a local reef group is selling me this, hydor controller good for 2 power heads along with a 425 gph, so im gunna hook the one im getting on this sale and the 425 that i already have up to the controller and have them mid level in my tank, then im gunna have my 600 gph top level above my heater pointed down to help circulate temp as well

I run that Hydor system and I love it have my pumps on 3 hr timer works awesome

[gottafindnemo]

I run that Hydor system and I love it have my pumps on 3 hr timer works awesome
I wont.have mine alternating, read to much about it wrecking powerheads so im.just gunna have 2 going.constant

[intarsiabox]

I was thinking about putting an old hob filter on it with a bunch of filter floss in it

This works well, if you don't have any filter floss a cheap bag of Walmart polyfil works great.

[Dearth]

I wont.have mine alternating, read to much about it wrecking powerheads so im.just gunna have 2 going.constant

Yes your power heads will wear out in time from switching but I also think in a tank that small you will probably find your power heads will be fighting each other for flow if you have them both going at the same time unless both are flowing from the same side. Give It a try both ways but ultimately the decision will be up to you

[gottafindnemo]

Yes your power heads will wear out in time from switching but I also think in a tank that small you will probably find your power heads will be fighting each other for flow if you have them both going at the same time unless both are flowing from the same side. Give It a try both ways but ultimately the decision will be up to you
One of the 425s is gunna be near the back pretty much flowing behind my live rock, and the other is gunna be on the opposite side of the tank near the front with my 600gph above it but close to the back, should create a counter clockwise type flow without clashing with eachother

[Scythanith]

A large HOB filter filled with poly wool will clear that up.

[gottafindnemo]

A large HOB filter filled with poly wool will clear that up.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/11/u6y3ymu2.jpg
Its almost good now so im not.gunna bother, when i put thebskimmer on in a few days it should be good

[gottafindnemo]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/11/ude2aret.jpg

[gottafindnemo]

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/11/seju8a8e.jpg

[gottafindnemo]

Finally!! :D bali premium rock

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/13/e7ysy6e2.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/13/ryrupy9e.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/13/ery4a8ab.jpg

[Dearth]

Now comes the fun part....the long wait:biggrin:

[Slyguy00]

Now comes the fun part....the long wait:biggrin:

With live rock and live sand I wouldnt think there would be much of a cycle. Don't think it will be that long of a waiting game. If it were me id have it full in 2 weeks :mrgreen:

[gottafindnemo]

With live rock and live sand I wouldnt think there would be much of a cycle. Don't think it will be that long of a waiting game. If it were me id have it full in 2 weeks :mrgreen:
I.smelled every peice of rock as i took it out of box, it was still really moist and didnt smell off at all

[gottafindnemo]

Next question is, how do i exygenate the water..? Will my reef octopus bh100 oxygenate it as the water comes back.into my tank?

[gottafindnemo]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/13/b3084bbf805022ce9bbccb1559192040.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/13/5c4ed88cc2800b3838378d9ae416fd52.jpg

How does this skimmer work. No instructions lol reef octopus 100. Have it all set up and everything, i dont understand hoe anything would make it into the cup tho?

[dino]

Give it time they take a while to break in and produce anything. Turn it on a low setting and adjust from there in time. Basically the skimmer will agitate the water and produce foam that will climb up the skimmer body to the cup

[gottafindnemo]

Give it time they take a while to break in and produce anything. Turn it on a low setting and adjust from there in time. Basically the skimmer will agitate the water and produce foam that will climb up the skimmer body to the cup
How do u put it on low setting?

[Slyguy00]

Just turn down the air flow. Usually a little hose with a valve of some kind coming off the air pump. With HOB skimmers anyways.

[gottafindnemo]

Yeah theres no valve lol theres the hose that comes off the pumps intake, that has a black silencer on the end of it

[gottafindnemo]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/13/14146de2379c04291f572a0b0fd08d54.jpg
Got my little 15 gal premix setup, with a maxijet 400 to mix and then when the time comes i bought some hose to attach to it to pump it into my tank

[gregzz4]

Nice and cheap mixing container
Looks good

I may have missed it ... what skimmer are you using ?

OH, nm, I see it
RO 100

[gottafindnemo]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/13/bb1a64bd621d5db0b8f1634907b8dec4.jpg

Kinda hard to see them, but will microbubbles go away after break in? One of the reasons i bought this skimmer was because all the videos and reveiws i seen ppl said they didnt get any microbubbles

[gregzz4]

Some quick reading on the web shows me that you may want to add an air valve to the air intake so you can fine tune it
Some suggest nearly closing the air intake altogether to get great skimmate

You can use something like this if it's standard airline tubing sized

http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/product-info.php?product_ID=tf-plmvbb

[intarsiabox]

Kinda hard to see them, but will microbubbles go away after break in? One of the reasons i bought this skimmer was because all the videos and reveiws i seen ppl said they didnt get any microbubbles

They usually diminish in a week or two. HOB skimmers are pretty prone to having some micro bubbles but after the break in period it's not usually a problem on the better models. I went with the Aquamaxx over the Reef Octopus model for a HOB skimmer mostly because I liked that I could point the discharge pipe against the back aquarium wall so any micro bubbles that were present didn't get pushed out into the tank.

[gottafindnemo]

They usually diminish in a week or two. HOB skimmers are pretty prone to having some micro bubbles but after the break in period it's not usually a problem on the better models. I went with the Aquamaxx over the Reef Octopus model for a HOB skimmer mostly because I liked that I could point the discharge pipe against the back aquarium wall so any micro bubbles that were present didn't get pushed out into the tank.
Im hopeong that as i raise my water level the bubble trap will work better, its just one of the 3 sponges that are actually in the water right now, been waiting to add water to see my salinity was at cuz i just got my refractometer today. Set up my pre mix tank and mixed to 1.025, gunna let it sit amd stir over night and add water tommorrow afternoon amd then try amd fine tune the skimmer. My intake tube is currently bent almost horizontal because my water level isnt high enough for it to be on the proper vertical possition

[intarsiabox]

You got nothing to worry about. Like everything in this hobby it just takes time. You got a great hob skimmer and after it's been running for awhile and you have everything set up correctly you will see some nasty gunk being pulled out of the tank.

[gottafindnemo]

You got nothing to worry about. Like everything in this hobby it just takes time. You got a great hob skimmer and after it's been running for awhile and you have everything set up correctly you will see some nasty gunk being pulled out of the tank.
Theres already some weird greeny lookin gunk in my collection cup! Haha not a lot but theres some :) happy its working

[gottafindnemo]

25 gallon saltwater begining stage: http://youtu.be/COucuohLBCg

If anyones interested, a short video of my tank and skimmer. Would like feed back on video quality! Never used youtube before and my.videos end up lookin real crappy on fb

[gottafindnemo]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/14/73060e7f2653e6d1b1ff143f6fda483a.jpg

Im obsessed with it. Overly obsessed haha and there isnt even live stock in it yet! been testing every 12 hours, ammonia is reading 0.50-0.75ppm nitrite 0 and nitrate 0. I hate cycle waiting games!!

[gottafindnemo]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/16/3042250a756de21093d2f1789b1dacc6.jpg
Day 4 of cycle, ammonia 0.75 nitrite 0.25 nitrate 0

[gottafindnemo]

Upgrade!
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/25/1f14c9ab1aa2bcf48f7288bc9e282e36.jpg
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/25/5a2da5d76a5d1c41eb708c53e7efede2.jpg

Decided to bomb that aquasun and picked up the 20.5" 120w 16000k maxspect razor today in edmonton!

Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk

[Dearth]

You my friend are well on your way to the empty wallet Club....Welcome aboard to the empty wallet train.... :twised::mrgreen::lol:

[gottafindnemo]

You my friend are well on your way to the empty wallet Club....Welcome aboard to the empty wallet train.... :twised::mrgreen::lol:
Haha also looked at tanks to upgrade to today while in edmonton. Found an awesome 6 foot 125gallon for an even more awesome price haha

Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk

[daplatapus]

Lol, gotta go bigger than 125, you need more room front to back for awesome aquascaping :twised:

[Dearth]

Lol, gotta go bigger than 125, you need more room front to back for awesome aquascaping :twised:

I definitely know that feeling my 95 gallon some days feels so small

[gottafindnemo]

I definitely know that feeling my 95 gallon some days feels so small
Considering i have a 240gal fw tank in my living room. My 25 gal sw is disapointing haha

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[gottafindnemo]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/30/edfc12f992f4f65ff7d974c143c1f43c.jpg
Re arranged my rock, more sturdy now and i gives more "swim room" for fish. And holy **** i love this new light! Gotter all programmed to how i want and everything. Its real nice not ever haveing to manually turn it on or off lol

Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk

[Dearth]

Automatic timers for SW is almost a mandatory thing

Looking good looking forward to seeing some fish and coral in there

[gottafindnemo]

Automatic timers for SW is almost a mandatory thing

Looking good looking forward to seeing some fish and coral in there
Soon! My cycle is finished now, zero amo zero trite and did a real big water change today and will test trate tommorrow again. Ordering a clown on tuesday

Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk

[kien]

nothing like seeing a thought-out plan come together. Looking great! Will look even greater with some life in there :-)

[gottafindnemo]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/01/22e1e07ec5375867b3b041efa0fd9319.jpg first addition to my tank :D kenya tree and a small small peice of gsp

Sent from my D6503 using Tapatalk

[gottafindnemo]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/02/f52f35b55d049cb7a2b8d21632a6f32e.jpg
Gsp opened up quite a bit over night

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[Dearth]

Looks like you have a Kenya tree in there too.... In case you weren't made aware while both of those look pretty and have good wave movement they have a tendency to over take your tank and they are very hardy too both can take a ton of punishment without major issues

[gottafindnemo]

Looks like you have a Kenya tree in there too.... In case you weren't made aware while both of those look pretty and have good wave movement they have a tendency to over take your tank and they are very hardy too both can take a ton of punishment without major issues
Kenya tree yup :) and yeah i read up on how they can multiply quick amd takr over haha i was told i can just pluck out the un wanted straglers when that starts to happen

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[gottafindnemo]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/02/780dec3b7e6321b7e41ad65c49075ea7.jpg
Bit better pic

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[Dearth]

Kenya tree yup :) and yeah i read up on how they can multiply quick amd takr over haha i was told i can just pluck out the un wanted straglers when that starts to happen

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The problem with that unfortunately is if anything breaks off there is a good chance it will re grow off the broken piece only sure fire way to stop it from re growing is to epoxy or kalk paste where you removed it from

[gottafindnemo]

The problem with that unfortunately is if anything breaks off there is a good chance it will re grow off the broken piece only sure fire way to stop it from re growing is to epoxy or kalk paste where you removed it from
Well hopefully by that point this 25 gallon is just gunna be a random coral/frag tank haha when i upgrade to bigger tank im not gunna have anything that can be classed as "pest"

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[gottafindnemo]

So tommorrow my order arives at the airport from.j&l.. Ill be getting my clean up crew package in, 1 percula clown 1 bangaii cardinal, a med/lrg green pearl bubble coral and a med/large pipe organ coral. I feel like this is still to much to be adding at once to a freshly cycled tank. But. To avoid paying stupid amounts of money to just order like 1 fish is un realistic as we dont have any supply for sw here at all. Should i be worried? Plan on testing like crazy amd have water prepared for water changes incase of spikes

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[intarsiabox]

So tommorrow my order arives at the airport from.j&l.. Ill be getting my clean up crew package in, 1 percula clown 1 bangaii cardinal, a med/lrg green pearl bubble coral and a med/large pipe organ coral. I feel like this is still to much to be adding at once to a freshly cycled tank. But. To avoid paying stupid amounts of money to just order like 1 fish is un realistic as we dont have any supply for sw here at all. Should i be worried? Plan on testing like crazy amd have water prepared for water changes incase of spikes

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I wouldn't be too worried. The coral and CUC don't add much to the bioload and the fish will probably be on the small side so I doubt you'll see much if any ammonia spike if your tank has fully cycled. Just don't over feed and do a weekly water change.

[kien]

ahh, signs of life !

[gottafindnemo]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/04/629903e06c49aff2a6a624936255910c.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/04/cd7fee8694b1699b4435777702f55a77.jpg
More signs!! Order got here early :)

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[gottafindnemo]

25 gallon reef: http://youtu.be/MiW4Vs9utHA

Littlw video of my tank now with new additions :)

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[gottafindnemo]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/04/3b6087da945c13d6c0e2dcf4b63600ee.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/04/8abf5eb46f8ce3cf5f7562db59576da3.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/04/f81848f761e8e5461c66231cb5d141cf.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/04/2c72101d27f2342e30edae3c17c09aa6.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/04/97619d79fcbf44aad0b79bb7402d30fd.jpg

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[Dearth]

Very nice looks like your well on your way


Watch your clown it will look for something to host it can be entertaining to see

[gottafindnemo]

Very nice looks like your well on your way


Watch your clown it will look for something to host it can be entertaining to see
He actually looked like he was eyein up my bubble coral today lol kept going back to it and swimmim around it then cruisin off to play in the flow from my powerheads haha

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[gottafindnemo]

Very nice looks like your well on your way


Watch your clown it will look for something to host it can be entertaining to see
Im haveing a nitrite issue tho. I dont understand. My cycle finished and ammo and nitrite wer zerod amd about 20ppm nitrate. So i did a water change and brought it down to between 5-10ppm. And then next day i had a .25 trite reading. Zero ammonia still. In 24hrs that went back to zero. I did another 8-10gal water change last night and now i have between .25 and .50 nitrite again? Someone on fb told me its because when i do wc i end up stiring up crap in my live rock because the rock is dirty cuz i didnt have cuc in until today? Does that sound right?

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[Dearth]

You have to remember you just added a bunch of stuff to your tank everything will have a tendency to spike due to stress and possible loss of some inverts personally I would give it a few days watch your fish and coral and inverts for changes and re-evaluate in a few days.


Patience is the key and waiting is the hardest thing to do.

[gottafindnemo]

You have to remember you just added a bunch of stuff to your tank everything will have a tendency to spike due to stress and possible loss of some inverts personally I would give it a few days watch your fish and coral and inverts for changes and re-evaluate in a few days.


Patience is the key and waiting is the hardest thing to do.
Issue started before adding fish and stuff tho, it seems nitrite will drop to zero. But if i do a 20-25% wc the next day nitrite is back up to .25-.50

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[gottafindnemo]

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/05/860d7970fb0475ec6bef3ce7a418295d.jpg it seems everythings doing good, except im starting to see brown algea. http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/05/bd2dff4778fa04c15dbb57a1ed79524b.jpg
Thats appeared over night since adding the stock yesterday. Ammo 0 nitrite 0 and nitrate 5-10

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[Dearth]

That sir appears to be a diatom bloom nothing major to be worried about in a new tank everytime you add several critters at once you will get the bloom it will cycle its way through

[gottafindnemo]

That sir appears to be a diatom bloom nothing major to be worried about in a new tank everytime you add several critters at once you will get the bloom it will cycle its way through
Is it possible to have to much clean up crew? Haha i was debateing adding more. I currently have the 50 dollar cuc package from j&l. Sorry if ur not familiar haha

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[intarsiabox]

Is it possible to have to much clean up crew? Haha i was debateing adding more. I currently have the 50 dollar cuc package from j&l. Sorry if ur not familiar haha

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Yes it is very possible. Snails starve and pollute the tank and hermit crabs will attack snails if there is a lack of food.

[gottafindnemo]

Yes it is very possible. Snails starve and pollute the tank and hermit crabs will attack snails if there is a lack of food.
Well then! Good to know haha is there a general rule of thumb for cuc? Or just whatever works type thing lol

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[intarsiabox]

Well then! Good to know haha is there a general rule of thumb for cuc? Or just whatever works type thing lol

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Short answer is no. It depends on what you keep, feed, maintenance habits,etc. there are stores that sell packages for certain sized tanks but they are usually pretty excessive. I would see if what you have now does the trick after a couple weeks. If you are getting dead snails or empty shells your crew is probably too big, if they don't seem to be able to keep up then add a few more snails or hermit crabs. Also research the snails as certain ones take care of certain areas such as some sift sand while others clean rocks. Get the type that your tank seems to be lacking in. My cleaner shrimp is really good at grabbing all the excess food that the fishes miss and I recommend one for this reason but are helpful to the fish and very entertaining as well. Serpent or brittle stars are good at getting under the rocks to clean (don't get a green brittle star as they can be predatory). I would also avoid sand sifting star fish as they need an established sand bed and usually starve in newer or small tanks.

[gottafindnemo]

Nothing new but tank is doing great!! Some weird things went on with the pipe organ last night but other then that im exteremly happy :)
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/09/2f1be003093c811f640f5956e8482dde.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/09/2734ad7f065965493219ccdf1a9f8bc8.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/09/a6089f9cab0597a5f9a7082c68516f3a.jpg

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[gottafindnemo]

Brittle stars or bristle worms.. Have been told both. Im leaning towards stars but found some similiar looking b worms on google. Have never actually seen a full one come out of the coral so i cant say 100% what they are. Whatever it is. Theres probably 5-10 in there! They just poke what looks like legs out of the coral in random places. Never seen anywhere else in tank.

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/13/2f067a18d127cfb31681b8a87f84d8b5.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/13/ecfea52530936090ebe0b49a6e1eed4a.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/13/3127ed5e14ded26fef9d96991fdf872b.jpg


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[Dearth]

Hard to tell from the pictures but My guess would be brittle stars and it is highly unlikely you would ever see a full body of a brittle star unless by fluke. Most species of brittle star are completely harmless and are very beneficial to your tank the exception being green brittle stars they are destructive

[gottafindnemo]

Hard to tell from the pictures but My guess would be brittle stars and it is highly unlikely you would ever see a full body of a brittle star unless by fluke. Most species of brittle star are completely harmless and are very beneficial to your tank the exception being green brittle stars they are destructive
Haha okay thank you! Been told lots of times that its brittle stars and a few times bristle worms. I hate the unknown haha i tried to grab one and pull it out LOL it didnt budge. Im just gunna get my.mind set that its brittle stars and stop obsessong about them haha

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[intarsiabox]

They look like they are banded so I'd say brittle star as well. Either way both are good scavengers.

[gottafindnemo]

Few new additions,
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/15/ae4f257c262b70679266cbbbd2168268.jpghttp://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/15/ef37b3ff9052d27da5eff3beb1e7761d.jpg

"gold purple tipped torch" orchid dottyback, A turbo snail, 3 blue leg hermits to replace the ones that died and 2 other random triangle shaped snails

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[gottafindnemo]

Got my ro system up amd running finally, havent had time to haha between a new baby and work not a whole lot of time. Ita not zero ppm tds. But ill take it! Good enough for me http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/17/2c9744fa4510d1e99a5f7858b6e1db05.jpg

Straight from tge tap its hooked to is 168ppm.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/17/fa8ea4d0f551e847327f25bd6131dfa2.jpg
Rigged that up cuz i didnt wanna tap into the plumbing.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/17/3061e0cb0d597a71fdc6beb33878b3bf.jpg

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[ronau]

I would suggest putting the jug into another tub in case you forget about it. I've done it plenty of times and the extra containment has saved me a few times. Or if you have a bathtub in that room, it would be a good place to place the jug.

[gottafindnemo]

I would suggest putting the jug into another tub in case you forget about it. I've done it plenty of times and the extra containment has saved me a few times. Or if you have a bathtub in that room, it would be a good place to place the jug.
Funny u say that lmao. It happened. But i caught it before it made a big mess haha just a little puddle on the floor. But Yeah im gunna be going into a brute can lol thisbwas just temp set up to see what i was getting from it, was in debate of getting a di add on kit but not going to spend the money now since im at just 1ppm with just ro, wer gunna be filling these blue water jugs and useing it for drinking water to

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[gottafindnemo]

Been a while since ive updated, fully stocked on fish now, orchid dotty back, bangaii cardinal, percula clown and just added a cleaner wrasse today (hopeing for the best with adding the wrasse)
Coral wise. Theres quite a bit. Large pipe organ, big pearl bubble, gold purple tip torch, gsp, brain, acan, goniopora, clam, a bunch of zoa frags u cant really see in pic. Im sure im missing a few things. To tired to think properly lol

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/09/48e611d2feb51293b0f001999560f630.jpg



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[brokeaquarist]

shut down to upgrade! :)