let there be water

[scuglass]

so finnaly got everything together and got a few questions. but first this is what i have.

75 gal 48x20widex18tall starfire glass (thanks bob :mrgreen: )
38 gal sump--1 1'skimmer, 11'return, 14' fuge
coralife superskimmer 220
2x seio 820
2x 200wat ebo jager heaters
mag12 return
4x65 watt pc (which i want to upgrade, so if ne 1 is intrested :cool: )
coast to coast overflow with 3 1' bulkheads (thanks tony :mrgreen: )
120 lbs lr
30lbs of aragonite
diy stand 48x40tallx20wide


i had my rock sitting for 2 weeks in a brute can with flow and heat and finnaly added it to the tank yesterday i was not testing when it was in the tub i tested today and got 0 ammonia 0 nitrate 0 nitrite ph 8.2 sg 1.025 temp 81. is it possibel that it has already cycled?? i plan on waiting for about a month for the tank to mature a bit befor adding ne thing else so ill keep testing. should i got safeway and buy a shrimp and thro it in there to force another ccycle if it has already done its thing or just leave it??


what type of clean up crew should i be looking at ? what do u have in ur tanks?? (dont really want ne crabs)

i bought the rock from another reefer and it doesent seem to have ne life on it :neutral: maybee the pods or whatever havent com out yet?? should i add a cup of sand from another tank to help the population grow?

looking to get a light for my fuge at rona ne 1 have ne some macro i can buy?or sand?

what other test kits should i buy?calcium alk ect. does golds have refractometers?

for maitinence what should i be doing ? basting the rocks and 20 % weekly water changes and cleaning the glass?

and finnaly the pics

http://img432.imageshack.us/img432/2444/im0002777lg.th.jpg (http://img432.imageshack.us/my.php?image=im0002777lg.jpg)
http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/2769/im0002815ge.th.jpg (http://img387.imageshack.us/my.php?image=im0002815ge.jpg)
http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/628/im0002836ai.th.jpg (http://img387.imageshack.us/my.php?image=im0002836ai.jpg)
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/6750/im0002786sl.th.jpg (http://img232.imageshack.us/my.php?image=im0002786sl.jpg)
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/5883/im0002794go.th.jpg (http://img232.imageshack.us/my.php?image=im0002794go.jpg)
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/2087/im0002806yg.th.jpg (http://img232.imageshack.us/my.php?image=im0002806yg.jpg)
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/7461/im0002827sh.th.jpg (http://img232.imageshack.us/my.php?image=im0002827sh.jpg)

thanks scott

[scuglass]

also my skimmer wasnt making bubles?? i read that the ventturi could get cloged.. i tried to see if ne thing was there but couldnt see ne thing so i just hooked up an air pump to it and now it is working well. is this ok?

[outtafocus]

Its good to finally see some action in your tank.
I noticed you went sand also, I still ove the sand look.

Nice work Scott.

[scub steve]

how old is your skimmer it took mine 3 days before it started to pull out skim and make sure that little difuser thing is out of the water

[scuglass]

i just hooked it up yesterday night so its been about 24 hours

[scuglass]

does ne 1 glue there rocks together so they dont topple over. i have read about this on rc and was just wondering if ne one does this. what glue do u use?

[geopod]

I like how you aquascaped your rock looks cool.But some of that bridging work did you use any epoxy to hold some of it together?

george

[AndyL]

Personally I like to stack so that it's not going to topple, but I know some people will glue or drill and insert hunks of plastic coathanger between to get some interesting shapes which would be inherently unstable. PVC frames can also be used to ziptie rocks to creating a more open structure.

Andy

[Salinity Now]

what glue do u use?
I have purchased "Hold Fast" from Marineland for securing my live rock. As it turned out, I havn't needed it just yet. I'll probably be using it when I set-up my 65 in the near future though. It says that it bonds live rock, corals etc. I have seen it used in other tanks and it seems to work well. Any one else have any good or bad things to comment about this product?

[michika]

For a clean up crew there are lots of ways you can go. Shrimp are usually a staple in many tanks; cleaner, fire, peppermint, etc. Snails are a good choice as well. I personally really like crabs, but its all about personal choice. In the future you could consider a sand sifter star, I find they do a great job keeping my sand white. Regardless, make sure you research what your getting before you buy. FYI scarlet hermits eat coraline algae from your rocks.

Adding more live sand will seed your exisiting sand. If you can get some macro algae from another existing tank can also help kick start your pod growth.

Standard test kits usually seem to include calcium, alkalinity, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, magnesium.

Everything else is personal preference. Be careful you don't change out too much water too frequently. Try a smaller amount like 5-10 gallons weekly to start and adjust from there. Monthly water changes can be done too. Basting rocks makes your tank a little foggy for a day or so, also something else to consider.

Are you running an auto-top off system?

*edited for typos

[addam4208283]

have you tried ebay for a refractometer? i know last time i chckd they had tons.
ADAM

[jws444]

also my skimmer wasnt making bubles?? i read that the ventturi could get cloged.. i tried to see if ne thing was there but couldnt see ne thing so i just hooked up an air pump to it and now it is working well. is this ok?

Sounds like your skimmer pump is too deep. When it's too deep, there's not enough negative pressure to draw the air all the way down to the bottom of the sump. (looks like about 16 inches?) I suggest cutting the the hose to bring the pump higher towards the surface. If you don't feel like cutting too much hose off, you can compromise and lower the sump's water level. It seems a bit high in the pic. I can't see if you've drilled your tank or using an overflow. Are you sure the sump can handle a power outtage without overflowing?

[scuglass]

no i dont have an auto top off at this time but would like to get one. ne suggestions or pics of what u have would be nice.


here is what i am looking at for a stoking list plz give me suggestions and comments.
snails??(maybee some turbos>?)
2x skunk cleaner shrimp
2x coral banded shrimp
2x sexy shrimp
2x false percs
1x blue tang
1x lawn mower beleni
1x royal gama
1x fire fish goby
1x yellow watchman goby

my tests are still all coming 0 i am still wondering if it has alkready passed while i wasnt testing. or maybee there was little or no dieoff on my rocks because they came from another tank? how long does it usually takew for the cycle to begin. i find it hard to believe that after at least 4 weeks no cycle has started??

[Ruth]

I think that your tank/live rock has probably cycled already or as you say perhaps there was nothing major due to using cured live rock. On your stocking list if you are going to go with Coral Banded Shrimp my experience is leave the other shrimp out as the CBS will kill them. In my 230 my CBS have killed any other shrimp I have tried to put in. I like them and they spawn in my tank and make food for the corals and fish.

[michika]

Pictures of my auto-top off or livestock?

Your list seems really good. Are you intending to upgrade in the future? There is lots of talk about what size tank is or is not appropriate for tangs. Just remember to do you reasearch on tangs, and remember they grow *very* quickly. How are you choosing your livestock? Based on what they look at or their functionality? e.g. choosing cleaning shrimp for their looks, or the fact that they make a good cleaning crew addition?

I don't know much of anything about sexy shrimp so I have no advice to offer to you about them. Like Ruth mentioned some shrimp won't live with others.

Snails you have a few options, turbo, cerith, spiney, etc. Make sure you know what size they'll grow to. They do occasionally grow too large and tend to knock over coral peices, or disrupt precariously perched rocks.

Your may have had a mini-cycle, and missed it. How long have you been testing? Just to be sure I would suggest testing every second or third day for a week or two. Record your test results in a book and look it over before you add anything. If everything is staying at 0ppm, after about two weeks, you could try to start adding a few parts of your cleaning crew.

Ask around see if you can get a cup of live sand from a local. I saw you were looking for marco algae too. That will help your pod population and growth.

Everything looks good in your pictures. Just give it some time to settle and double check that there is no cycle happening.

[scuglass]

i have been planning my additions on both compatability and preference i like color :mrgreen: i am going to be getting a book on corals--eric bonnemans are there any books on fish or inverts?

[michika]

There are some really good guides on fish and inverts, unfortunatly I couldn't come up with their names to save my life right now...

Are you looking to do corals in your tank as well? Anything in particular?

[scuglass]

i plan on keeping a hammer frogspawn various zoos xenia shrooms open brain candy cane and other softies and lps. clams anemone sps later once the tank has matured

[DanG]

Your tank looks kinda odd with the blue on one half and white on the other half. What kind of bulbs are you running?

[scuglass]

i currently have a 4 x 65 watt pc unit with 3 actinics and1 10000k because one burnt out i am looking at getting 2x 175watt with 2x normal output atinics

[scuglass]

so i think now is the time to think about getting a clean up crew it seems that i am having some alge growth which leads me to believe that the cycle has already passed and i am now having the alge blooms??

what should i be looking at for a cleanup crew? ne 1 interested in splitting a order from jl or oa ??

tested again today and still no nitrate nitrites or ammonia temp 79 and ph 8.2

[michika]

Are you talking about the cost?

[scuglass]

no im asking if ne 1 needs ne thing so we can save on shipping

[michika]

Try posting in the Calgary forum. Maybe someone closer to you needs livestock.

[scuglass]

k ill try that do u have suggestions on how many and of what i need?

[michika]

Well based on your livestock list I would say start with some snails; trochu, and astrea. Skip the turbo snails because they have been known to eat coraline algae.

Start small I guess would be my suggestion, around 10 snails to start. You could probably do your cleaner shrimp if you really wanted to. Pairs tend to spawn and their fry will feed your corals and any filter feeders you may acquire in the future. You could also get a handfull of crabs, blue leg, or electric blue are good choices.

Try the buy/sell livestock board as well, just mention your looking for a cleaner crew. Locals might be able to hook you up for a fraction of the instore prices.

[scuglass]

picked up some frags from bob(thanks bob) and got some hitchikers (thanks bob :mrgreen: ) just wondering if i can get an id also got some brittle starfish :mrgreen:

http://img108.imageshack.us/img108/2586/im0002901fx.th.jpg (http://img108.imageshack.us/my.php?image=im0002901fx.jpg)

[muck]

Looks like a stomatella snail to me.

[KrazyKuch]

Thats what it looks like to me

[scuglass]

so there ok?

[scuglass]

so there ok? ill be sure to post pics when there fullt opened

[muck]

yep, stomatella snails are great to have.

[scuglass]

well as promised here they are (first time taking pics of corals so bear with me)

once again thanks bob
http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/376/im0003513nd.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img349.imageshack.us/img349/138/im0003177xd.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img349.imageshack.us/img349/9879/im0003207fj.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img349.imageshack.us/img349/1426/im0003217jf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img349.imageshack.us/img349/668/im0003261cj.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img349.imageshack.us/img349/7702/im0003392sk.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img349.imageshack.us/img349/1078/im0003477bm.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img349.imageshack.us/img349/4162/im0003513uf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

thanks scott

[Bob I]

That link does not work. :razz:

[scuglass]

fixed the first time i ment to hit preview

and there is still one that hasnt fully opened

[addam4208283]

theone in the second pic is awsome.
ADAM

[michika]

looking good!

[Bob I]

Looks like a stomatella snail to me.

That is correct. The tank the frags came from is polluted with Stomatella. There is nothing but Sexy Shrimp in that tank, so nobody to eat the baby snails. :biggrin:

[OCDP]

To: Scott.

The zoos in the last picture will grow like wild fire.. I have all the ones you do in your tank, and those ones are by far the fastest growing I have ever seen. Boost your alk up a little and all the zoos will grow like mad.

From: Scott. :mrgreen:

[outtafocus]

Now time for another full tank shot. Looking good Scott

[Bob I]

Boost your alk up a little and all the zoos will grow like mad.

From: Scott. :mrgreen:
I beg to differ. I have never boosted Alk in my life. I have no idea what my Alk level is.

Yet some zoos grow like mad, and others do not. Ergo, Alk has nothing to do with it. :eek:

[scuglass]

hmm one frag has still not opend :frown: hopefully it will come around

everything else is looking pretty good

[OCDP]

Bob,

If you've never boosted your alk nor know what your alk level is then you can't say it doesn't work or has nothing to do with it. I shouldn't say its full proof.. but IME and in many others I have read boosting alk up a point and a half or so increases zoanthid growth. No, I don't know why.. I don't ask questions.. I just tried it out.

But to further prove my point. I have a frag of bullseye zoanthids. It has 3 polyps on it. I put my alk up from (hagen test kit) 110mg/L to 125mg/L and I now have 8 polyps on it... coinsendence? Maybe so... but all my other zoo frags seem to be "taking off" now as well. So therefore I say boosting alk increases zoo growth. I didn't just pull it out of no where... ask people on RC's zoanthid forum, they seem to agree :mrgreen:

Can't hurt to try anyways

Scott.. where abouts do you have your frag placed that is not opening? Place it in a moderate flow/high light area unless it already is.

[scuglass]

yah it is maybee it just needs more time a few of them are open

[scuglass]

found some stuff on my lr just looking for an id

http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/7848/im0003581dp.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/5604/a16sf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img46.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a20vs.jpg

[OCDP]

Heh the joy of finding life on your newly added live rock.. I remember those days. The life only keeps increasing and more growth forms ,etc..

The first is a feather duster.. you'll find many more.

The second is hard to tell from the picture but appears to be hydroids maybe??? A guess anyhow

HTH,
Scott

[scuglass]

when ever i am reading i always read that u must ass things slowly.. but there is never really a time frame for slowly. my day goes by slowly ?? so does a year?? lol i am just looking for a consencus how long do u wait befor adding things to ur tank (fish corals) thanks a lolot

scott