38G Build---First Try

[Magma]

So I found my setup online for cheap because the people were moving and needed it gone ASAP. So i jumped on it and got it for a wicked low price of 125$

Hardware:
38G Tank
Rena XP1 Filter (with media)
Red Sea Prizm Protein Skimmer (its so loud but hey it was cheap with the setup)
Odyssea power head (loud as well and only hangs on the glass via suction cups)
Coralife Compact fluorescent canopy with 2, 96Watt bulbs, blue actinic and 12000k daylight, also 3 blue LED's for moonlight display.

Also from the deal.
12lbs of Live Rock
1" of white sand

The filter media, live rock and sand was all moved from house to house in water and as much water saved as possible.

What I have added since then...

Heater
Mag Float
Koralia #3 PH of 850GPH
Koralia #1 PH of 400GPH
4" Aragonite sand (bout 40lbs)
5.5 lbs of Live rock
Stand
Test Kits
Long Tweezers

So just yesterday I replaced the old PH with the new Koralia #3 which is much nicer and not as loud compared to the old one. The old one is now in a rubbermaid container curing 10.5lbs of Live Rock that I got from Red Coral yesterday.

So in total if counting...thats about 28lbs of rock for my tank so far...but only 17lbs in the tank.

As for hitchhikers I have found a few crabs, Stomatella, lots of Aiptasia (long story...) and way to many bristleworms but thats ok the LR I got was from a tank that was setup and running for over 3 years...

So I setup the tank and threw in a fresh raw shrimp to start the cycle. Starting testing the next day and great I got my spike! 0.5ppm and it stayed there for 2 days..then 0.. ammonia...what? noo I crashed the cycle? I guess not after calling around to a few shops and checking online, because of my LR, sand and old filter media I only had a mini cycle because of all the bacteria I already had. So I watched the tank for a week and it was stable so I went out and got some creatures of the tank.

3 Zebra crabs
1 Peppermint shrimp

They were doing great after a week so I went out and got 2 Black Clown Fish (tank bred) and threw them in QT, this was last week. Also picked up a few Nassarius snails, blue pincushion urchin and a scarlet skunk shrimp over the course of a week.

Problem now was, my peppermint went missing, and I know its gone because I moved all the LR around to do some aquascaping and he was no where to be found. I think the giant Aiptasia I had on the old LR actually ate it..and the only reason I say that is because it actually tried to eat a spare turbo snail shell that I put into the tank and he would have if i didnt get the tweezers and pull it out before he consumed it....but hes gone now....boiling water and a needle.

So does anyone know the best way to position power heads in the tank? I have the #1 on one side and the #3 on the other both pointed toward each other.

[Magma]

Now for some pictures

So some of the live rock
http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/605/img7137v.jpg


http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/8996/img7138e.jpg


The tanks state when I got it
http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/4343/img7139.jpg

http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/6893/img7140k.jpg

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/615/img7141g.jpg

With some LR in it:

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/1994/img7143p.jpg

http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/1037/img7144u.jpg

Playing with the lights

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/8098/img7150r.jpg

not really set any special way

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/1653/img7152.jpg

and this crazy hitchhiker I found ;)

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/8392/img7154o.jpg

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/5550/img7155r.jpg

Guy at the seafood store thought I was crazy buying 1 shrimp :eyes:

[kien]

That shrimp has seen better days I'm sure..

[Myka]

Lookin good! I would suggest you remove the Rena filter though, or at least remove the media from it, and just put live rock in it. It will catch detritus, and cause a nutrient problem for you.

[Magma]

Lookin good! I would suggest you remove the Rena filter though, or at least remove the media from it, and just put live rock in it. It will catch detritus, and cause a nutrient problem for you.

So just throw some rubble in the canister instead of the sponges stuff? Never heard of that before....great idea though kinda act as a mini sump?

[Myka]

Ya, that's the idea. Unless you want to clean the filter 2x weekly it will cause you a lot of grief in the long run. Canister filters are designed with the freshwater nitrogen cycle in mind, not saltwater.

[Magma]

thats great to know but wont other things build up inside the can?


Also what would be a good CUC for this tank?

Right now I have

3 Zebra Crabs
1 Dwarf Electric Blue Crab
1 Scarlet Skunk Shrimp
1 Pincushion Urchin
4 Nassarius snails

[Magma]

Death has landed in the tank! went to work everything looked fine, come home about 6 hours later and my urchin is in the gravel, no spines left and upside down, about 10 min later (after I got cleaned up from work) theres 4 big bristleworms on him and within another 2 hes hollow...

I checked the water and everything is fine...
Ammonia-0ppm
Nirites-0ppm
Nirates-less than 5ppm
PH-8.0-8.2
SG 1.025
Temp 80

I dont know what I did wrong :( he was eating like crazy cleaning off a rock I had, half of the rock was clean then all of a sudden he dropped dead...

I did a drip when I first got him, made it last about an hour and changed half the water once the volumed doubled etc. Rather sad :( thats now 2 inverts I have lost. A peppermint shrimp and a Blue Tuxedo urchin

[paddyob]

Are you sure he is not hiding? Hollow? Molt perhaps? I don't see a bristle worm eating the entire thing in two minutes.



Death has landed in the tank! went to work everything looked fine, come home about 6 hours later and my urchin is in the gravel, no spines left and upside down, about 10 min later (after I got cleaned up from work) theres 4 big bristleworms on him and within another 2 hes hollow...

I checked the water and everything is fine...
Ammonia-0ppm
Nirites-0ppm
Nirates-less than 5ppm
PH-8.0-8.2
SG 1.025
Temp 80

I dont know what I did wrong :( he was eating like crazy cleaning off a rock I had, half of the rock was clean then all of a sudden he dropped dead...

I did a drip when I first got him, made it last about an hour and changed half the water once the volumed doubled etc. Rather sad :( thats now 2 inverts I have lost. A peppermint shrimp and a Blue Tuxedo urchin

[Magma]

the peppermint shrimp? hes long gone and the urchin is hollow when I turned him over, there are worms inside of him, hes done. I think he was pretty much gone in the morning and the worms were cleaning him out already. I removed him today and theres nothing left to him and I dont have enough LR in the tank yet for him to "hide"

[paddyob]

How long has your tank been running?

[paddyob]

You need to slow down. If you added livestock after a week of being set you are asking for issues.

Slow down. Add no more until you watch the tank for at least a month.

If this is your first salt set up.... I can tell you patience is a virtue. If you rush it... you are going to lose a lot of livestock and money.


Take your time. It will pay off. Inverts are sensitive creatures to begin with.


Let your tank cycle for a month regardless of what your test results are. There is always possibility of die-off in the first month.

[Magma]

Tank has been up for over a month and a half now, I watched the cycle it wasn't a big one but still had a small one. I have been watching levels constantly and it seem to be stable so I added a small cuc and left it. This was 4 snails, peppermint shrimp, cleaner shrimp and a week later the urchin.

My black clowns are still in qt and seem to be doing ok other than weird spots which no one seems to know what they are.

I also check the levels every day and I know to be slow.