Brand new and more than a little confused.

[Joseph Elliott]

Hi my name is Joe and I am brand new to saltwater. I have freshwater planted set ups but was told to forget everything i know about freshwater since it doesn't convert over.

I am in the process of setting up a 50g reef but don't really know what I am doing. I added 60lbs of live sand and 23lbs of live rock. More rock to follow as I can afford it, ultimately i would like around 75lbs in the tank. Rock/sand and water all set up on the same day. Had salinity issues from following the directions on the salt pail, too high took 3 days of partial water changes (letting the salinity stablize between changes) to bring it down to 1.025.

For filtration I am running a xp3 canister filter.

For flow I have a Koralia that pushes 750g/h and is set up directly opposite to the canister's output.

Lighting is a homemade t5ho system that I used for fw plants on this tank 2 white bulbs and added an actinic bulb 39w each. I am more than willing to upgrade the lighting if needed to raise corals. Lights are not on at this time, was told to cure the live rock in darkness.

Heater is set to 78F.

Now here come the questions...

The system was set up on July 14th and the live rock is slowly turning white is this from die off?

Should I turn the lights on or keep it in darkness?

Reading here on the forums it seems that canister filters are frowned upon. Should I remove it and add a sump/refugium?

There are 2 types of fish I would like to keep at this time, Ocellaris Clowns and Blue Mandarin Dragonets. I realize the dragonets are not possible until I have a stable population of pods but I am trying to design with the future in mind.

Is there a limit to the number of corals that can be placed in the tank or is room the only limiting factor?

What are some of the best coral to start with? I really like zoas and mushrooms, as well as a few other I have seen pictures of but don't know the names.

Please feel free to put any info i need into this thread, I feel a little blind going into this.

Joe

[Wingin It]

Welcome to SW! it's fun...I still keep my FW setups (well some of them). I'm still new too, but IMO/IME the easiest corals to keep are Softies like Xenia, Green Star Polyps, Zoanthids and some of the LPS like Hammers. I would skip the Dragonette...I thought I had a well established population of pods, but my Dragonette was very efficient in almost cleaning out the entire population. I run a Canister Filter for now, until my sump is done, and no refugium to grow pods. :(

[reefwars]

get your tank stable for months before adding coral or any desireable fish especially a dragonette , start off small where you dont have alot of live rock go slow, you wont need a filter(canister) but a skimmer wouldnt go a stray and go with a sump/refuge if you can the benefits far exceed not having one. the white stuff is to be expected and will dissappear in time its a sign your cycle is not finished , pretty sure its just dieoff was your rock cured when you bought it or sold as un-cured?? you wont need lights if your just cycling without any fish . get your system established , once your readings are good wait a few weeks and see if they stay good then you should add a clean up crew like some snails and shrimp etc. once theyve been cleaning for a week or two then think about what you would like to keep and if its size will be a problem later on because they get big fast, also if you plan on keeping corals remember that alot of fish and other tank critters arent reef safe. the list is endless my friend read read read ask ask ask , if you dont like spending money and watching it die in a few days id do everything slow untill your absolutely sure you understand it and even then youll find its taking the plunge and forcing the knowlege upon yourself that keeps you going:)

cheers and welcome to one of the most rewarding hobbys out there im looking forward to seeing how your tank set up. keep us posted if you have any questions post them here and im sure someone will answer to the best of their knowlege:)

[Milad]

Get out now while you still have some money in your pocket!

[Seth72]

Get out now while you still have some money in your pocket!

LoL....thats funny,im new to this whole saltwater thing too.I am picking my tank up on sunday used and slowly going to put together a whole system out of used parts.

I dont mind the cost of tank,but i refuse to spend 700 bucks on live rock or 800 on a nice light fixture so i will be keeping my eyes open for good used stuff.

I do have one question though,people say to buy your live rock cured and mine will be for sure because it will be used, but isnt half the fun of it in seeing what kind of little hitchhikers you get with it.

[Wayne]

Welcome to the dark side! Salt water is very fun and you need to be very involved with chemical levels till you get the hang of things (I'm still not there yet after 6 months).

Best recommendations are take it very slow! Be patient and to lots of research. If your running T5's your mainly limited to mushrooms, leathers, green star polyps, ect. The Clowns are a great fish, very hardy, they eat almost anything and they love to swim out in the open.

Just be careful about the cost. Its very easy to get carried away! The need to keep adding I don't think ever goes away.

Oh I run a canister filter for the moment. Just make sure to clean it weekly and it will work fine for you.

[Wingin It]

I do have one question though,people say to buy your live rock cured and mine will be for sure because it will be used, but isnt half the fun of it in seeing what kind of little hitchhikers you get with it.

Cured live rock means that it has gone through it's cycle. It'll still have all the goodies or otherwise in it. If it's not cured, it's not cycled and you will have to cycle it and you'll still get to see all the goodies and otherwise. >:)

[Seth72]

Cured live rock means that it has gone through it's cycle. It'll still have all the goodies or otherwise in it. If it's not cured, it's not cycled and you will have to cycle it and you'll still get to see all the goodies and otherwise. >:)

I see..thanks. Still no chance of waking up and finding a little crab you never seen before with used rock or wondering what differant colors you will end up getting.:neutral:

[Wingin It]

Oh don't say that...I got used rock and found me a crafty little white crab, and lots of other little critters. You never really know what you're going to get. I even managed to find a nasty little Nudibranch!

[naesco]

LoL....thats funny,im new to this whole saltwater thing too.I am picking my tank up on sunday used and slowly going to put together a whole system out of used parts.

I dont mind the cost of tank,but i refuse to spend 700 bucks on live rock or 800 on a nice light fixture so i will be keeping my eyes open for good used stuff.

I do have one question though,people say to buy your live rock cured and mine will be for sure because it will be used, but isnt half the fun of it in seeing what kind of little hitchhikers you get with it.

In my experience the best time in the hobby is the beginning. Watching fresh live rock with weird tiny inverts, encrusting coral, tunicates, algae worms and other surprising critters.
Every day the tank changes and you can spend hours with your nose pressed against the glass.
I have never understood why some reefers cook or cure live rock. To each their own and I respect that.

Best is to buy cheap dead rock and make sure you leave room for those choice pieces.
They are worth the price.

[Joseph Elliott]

Was just watching the tank (nose pressed against it lol) looking for signs of life when i noticed a little pink anenome thingy lol. about a cm tall and i can see through it, bulb shaped.. fat on the bottom thinner on top with tentacles waving around. first sign of life in my tank... any idea what it might be? I'll try to take a picture but my camera isnt that great.

[reefwars]

It's aiptasia most people see it as a pest I'd personally kill it, it will spread very rapidly and sting corals. It's very hard to kill and there are many methods
I'm sure someone here can send you a thread fir getting rid of it. Try turning out all the lights in gbe room and when it gets pitch dark is when most of the life really comes alive use a flashlight to spot shine in holes and cracks.

Kill that aiptasia now while you can after it spreads it could pop up anywhere:) cheers:$

[Joseph Elliott]

I ran it under fresh water for about 30 seconds then wiped it off with a qtip.. very easy must not have been well attached yet.

[Seth72]

In my experience the best time in the hobby is the beginning. Watching fresh live rock with weird tiny inverts, encrusting coral, tunicates, algae worms and other surprising critters.
Every day the tank changes and you can spend hours with your nose pressed against the glass.
I have never understood why some reefers cook or cure live rock. To each their own and I respect that.

Best is to buy cheap dead rock and make sure you leave room for those choice pieces.
They are worth the price.

Yeah,as strange as it sounds i was looking forward to watching new live rock go through the stages,but the price is pretty high,when you need alot.

[Sunee]

This is a great time, setting up a new tank!! You get alot of help and advice here, the members are really helpful.

Watching what grows on and comes out of the live rock is fascinating. One piece of advice I can give is read everything you can. The library was my best friend in the year before I set up my first tank and after 2 1/2 years with my nano I still read alot.

Good luck and enjoy!!

[Aquattro]

This is the fun part for sure. For one, I wouldn't personally stuff 75 pounds of rock in a 50g, I'd go max 50 pounds or your fish won't have anywhere to swim. Also, the cannister should go, sell it and put the money towards something useful (they can contribute to high nitrates).
Buying used rock can be fine, but I would watch for old rock (over 3 or 4 years) and rock that looks freshly scrubbed (someone may have just scrubbed off lots of hair algae to sell it). I'd buy a box of fiji rock from one of our vendors here, it's about 50 pounds at less than 300 bucks. I always go uncured, but I'm a sucker for punishment. I like to give the remaining life the best chance it has, which I think I can do better than the LFS.

Go slow, and everything will fall into place.

[Seth72]

I would watch for old rock (over 3 or 4 years) and rock that looks freshly scrubbed (someone may have just scrubbed off lots of hair algae to sell it).

Go slow, and everything will fall into place.

would it then come back real fast..and if that were to happen how could i get rid of it?

[Aquattro]

Ya, it would probably grow back in a week or two. Nutrient reduction would get rid of it, but that can be a tough balancing act in the first 6 months. And you don't want to deal with a green lawn for a reef when starting out. I'd always go new if possible until you get enough experience to tell what used rock is like.

[Skimmerking]

Also, the cannister should go, sell it and put the money towards something useful (they can contribute to high nitrates).
Go slow, and everything will fall into place.

Brad I would have to disagree with you on the filter. there is nothing wrong with running one of those with just carbon, or for just water movement. I knowwhat you are saying thou the floss and the other crap that you get in the filter will cause the NITRATES to form.

[Aquattro]

Mike, he can sell the cannister for a lot more than a small media reactor is worth, should he feel carbon in a bag isn't enough. I would suggest a phosban reactor for carbon over a full size cannister. Of course selling might be a hassle, them hey, use what you've got, but ideally, I'd sell, buy what I needed, and spend the extra on beer.

[Joseph Elliott]

The canister is full of bio media and a couple course sponges for the large particles. So if I understand correctly the live rock replaces bioballs etc in the canister as the bio-filtration (ammonia-nitrite-nitrate). If I get rid of the canister filter and buy another hydor powerhead then I'll be ahead in the long run?

[Aquattro]

Correct!

[Joseph Elliott]

My tank isn't drilled can someone post pictures of how to set up an non drilled tank for a sump? DIY is not a problem for me.

[Aquattro]

You would need to buy an overflow box, which will overflow on you one day. Really think about drilling the tank :)

[Joseph Elliott]

Can a tank be drilled while partially full ( say half full of water ) or will there be filings and bits falling into the water? I dont have a drill press can i use a hand drill?

[reefwars]

Using an overflow box that hangs on is askin fir trouble I had one and it needs daily maintenance and your walking on needles on your sleep wondering if it's working right , not overly safe for power outages I don't have much faith in those vacuums. :)

[Aquattro]

Can a tank be drilled while partially full ( say half full of water ) or will there be filings and bits falling into the water? I dont have a drill press can i use a hand drill?

No, it needs to be empty. If you have livestock already, it's too late, as there is always a risk of it cracking, and that would suck if you have stuff in it.

[reefwars]

for the price of an overflow box you can buy a small tank thats drilled ive seen tanks for less than a hundred bucks and still a decent size

[mike31154]

My tank isn't drilled can someone post pictures of how to set up an non drilled tank for a sump? DIY is not a problem for me.

While sumps are nice to have and allow your display have a cleaner look, they are not mandatory to run a succesfull SW system. I've been sumpless since I set up my used system almost 4 years ago. I do have a future build in the works for a larger system with basement sump though. Other than the detraction of more visible equipment in and around the display of a sumpless set up, it can actually be simpler and ... gasp ... safer than something with a sump. BTW, I have a mini sump... it's a Rena XP series canister filter running empty except for a small amount of carbon.

[Joseph Elliott]

Sorry for all the questions :) What would you recommend for test kits - brand and types? And do you think i need a skimmer?

Also since the single rouge anenome there hasnt been any sign of life in my tank... I'm sure the rock is busy cycling but no critters :) Any ideas? Its been 3 weeks time to turn on the lights?

[intarsiabox]

I personally cycle new tanks with the lights on from the start, although at a reduced photo period that I gradually build up. Some of the life on the rocks may be photosynthetic and will require light to grow. I also wouldn't expect too much out of your rock. Most of the life is bacteria. You will also be getting lots of little bugs, different coralline algaes, macro algaes, tube worms, sponges and such. I once had a trumpet coral grow out of a piece of rock after it was in my system for six months and a few zoanthids apear every now and then. After you get your lights on take a very close look at every inch of your visible rock and you will for sure see stuff growing, most of it is just small. But you never know when something will just start growing out of a rock but it could takes months from now.