First Saltwater Tank

[MarkoD]

ok so i bought a 55 gallon saltwater tank off someone on kijiji (like craigslist)

went to his house, it was set up and him and i took apart the liverock, put it in buckets and rubbermaid containers. had them fully submerged in tank water.

left a little bit of water at the bottom to cover the sand.


brought it home, set it up. put the liverock in and filled it half with the old tank water and half with new water.

salinity balanced out at about 1.025

came with an emperor 400 and a powerhead that i have running in there right now...

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs750.ash1/164105_10150343253695567_676325566_16237384_288396 0_n.jpg

..... a little cloudy but seems to be settling down.

there seems to be a lot of hair algae on the sand and on the liverock, have already been told that a lawnmower blenny will help.

i am also looking for some Chaetomorpha if anyone has any to sell me locally

[Wayne]

Do you have a sump for the cheato? Or is it going in the display?

Nice tank lots of potential, which direction where you thinking about going, reef, mixed or fish only? Please don't hesitate to ask as many questions as you can think of on here, will ensure that you can make this hobby as enjoyable as possible. Welcome to Canreef!

[MarkoD]

i will be going with Fowlr

maybe corals in the future.

and i was thinking of keeping the cheato in the HOB filter

[Wayne]

You can put it in the HOB but it needs light to grow really well... Plus once it grows, it grows fast and you may be pulling out blocks :lol:

Fish only is a good start, so your system can get established. Any fish that you have in mind?

www.liveaquaria.com (http://www.liveaquaria.com) is a good reference, but take it with a grain of salt :biggrin:

[MarkoD]

i was thinking about getting a breeding pair of clown fish.

and maybe a foxface...... but im not sure if it'll get to large for my tank

eventually i plan on converting my 80 gallon cichlid tank into salt water (already has 90 pounds of aragonite and 100 pounds of dried coral)

[reefwars]

i was thinking about getting a breeding pair of clown fish.

and maybe a foxface...... but im not sure if it'll get to large for my tank

eventually i plan on converting my 80 gallon cichlid tank into salt water (already has 90 pounds of aragonite and 100 pounds of dried coral)



the clowns would be fine but a foxface will grow out of that tank eventually, best to aquire fish you can keep long term. in terms of your long hair algae maybe turbo snails would be a better choice than a blenny but ultimately nutrient reduction will be your only sure way to get rid of it, grazers just help. keep your phosphates and nitrates as close to zero as you possibly can.

[MarkoD]

thanks for the advice.

i have a 25 watt UV sterilizer that i've been using on my cichlid tanks.

just wondering when would be a good time to transfer it to my SW tank?

before or after i add livestock?

[reefwars]

a uv sterilizer isnt really necessary for a sw tank you can use them but they take out the good bacteria as well so personally id ditch it or sell it and use that money towards something else:)

[MarkoD]

thanks for the tip.

im probably just gonna keep it for my cichlid tank.

i dont want any ichy surprises

[MarkoD]

im just using tap water for now. so thats why i add prime

heres a small update: changed background to blue and cleaned the sand a little.

did 10% water change

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1375.snc4/164743_10150343781815567_676325566_16245844_906624 _n.jpg

[Sunee]

I like the blue background, looks much better!! A good start.

[intarsiabox]

Tank is looking really nice! You're off to a good start.

[CGY_Betta_Guy]

Blue background looks awesome and I really like your rocks.... makes me wish I had a bigger SW tank now LOL.

[MarkoD]

water has been testing good. no ammonia and no nitrite.

got a few fish. two 3 stripe damsel and two blue damsel.

they seem pretty happy and actively exploring their new tank

video here

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150344051380567&comments

in a month or so if all is good, im gonna get a couple of clownfish
and a lawnmower or scooter blenny

i was thinking about getting a peppermint shrimp or a cleaner shrimp. anything special i need for those?

[bignose]

Wait about 10-12 months before you get a scooter blenny. They need an established tank with lots of live food.

[intarsiabox]

My peppermint shrimp eat anything I put in the tank, the cleaners are the same way. Both are hardy and very greedy!

[MarkoD]

Wait about 10-12 months before you get a scooter blenny. They need an established tank with lots of live food.

this tank has been established for 3 years before i moved it. there is a ton of hair algae on the sand and on the liverock

quick question. i have a 5 pound bucket of NLS 1mm cichlid pellets..... would that be ok to feed to my saltwater fish?

[MarkoD]

check out what i just found..... looked at my tank and saw a rock moving across the sand.... upon a closer look.... a hermit crab somehow survived the move

http://i579.photobucket.com/albums/ss232/IvankaD/IMG_1573.jpg?t=1293766703

[reefwars]

Looking good those blue damsels are mean little buggers and will terorize most new tank members they are completely fearless once established. Not sure how the cichlid food would work out I wouldn't do it unless I had for sure confirmation it was ok for your fish:) cheers

[dunl]

Looking good those blue damsels are mean little buggers and will terorize most new tank members they are completely fearless once established. Not sure how the cichlid food would work out I wouldn't do it unless I had for sure confirmation it was ok for your fish:) cheers

I've fed it for years, no problems with it. Krill is a large ingredient in it.

[Brightwhite]

When i seen your thread on 780 i thought they were both FW, glad to see your in the SW hobby now! Tanks lookin sharp!

[MarkoD]

they were all freshwater.

this is my first saltwater tank

[Wayne]

I like the aquascaping job :biggrin: The damsels can be a little aggressive so becareful of what else you put into the tank. I would check at night time your collection of copepods before you get a scooter blenny. They are said to eat mysis, like mine did in the store. As soon as he hit my tank he has never once touched any type of food I have ever fed.

[MarkoD]

heres an update

added a piece of dry coral to the middle. its nice and thin and filled the middle spot nicely
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs020.snc6/167063_10150346868770567_676325566_16323598_40932_ n.jpg

went to LFS and they told me a good beginner coral would be a frogspawn.
so i bought a small one to try it out.
i put the little rock it was on just under the sand.... is this ok or does it need to be moved onto the liverock? it does get current at the bottom (the little things move around)
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs790.ash1/168013_10150346869100567_676325566_16323603_373935 8_n.jpg

also got a fluval G6 to replace the emperor 400 HOB filter.
any suggestions for bio media that i should use?

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1355.snc4/162793_10150346869395567_676325566_16323610_298483 4_n.jpg

[MarkoD]

here you can see how much flow there is

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150346880455567

[tinman]

you could run a good quality carbon and maybe rowaphos or chemipure

[MarkoD]

but will standard biomax media host the same bacteria thats on the LR?

[outacontrol]

how much did the G6 set you back?
I did not have good luck with a canister filter, best of luck.

[MarkoD]

i got it from another member on this forum for 180 dollars. its in great condition. just had a little trouble starting it the first time, but it works like a charm now.

why didnt you have luck with a canister filter? what was it missing?

[outacontrol]

It was contributing too much nitrates to the tank and causing massive algae outbreaks.
I battle Hair Algae for a long time, getting rid of the canister filter helped alot, and finally buying 2 mexican turbo snails beat the problem.

[MarkoD]

ill have to keep an eye on it. im upgrading from a HOB filter. my tank has had hair algae since i got it.... bought an algae blenny and he's been doing a good job eating it up

[reefwars]

but will standard biomax media host the same bacteria thats on the LR?



If your going to run a canister filter remove all the sponge media and simply run activated carbon and either live rock or live rock rubble ( I'd use small pieces of liverock) there is no need for a canister filter per say in a filter sense but you can use it where a sump isn't available or for a refuge when a sump is small.

[reefwars]

Filters aren't gonna really help with algae unfortunately your algae gets it's food before it hits any filter and those filters even filled with carbon aren't gonna get rid of your excess nutrients.

To really get rid of your algae you need to starve it and starve it severly, the best solution is ro water watch what you feed like frozen food and keep a regular light pattern with new bulbs every year. There are lots of ways to keep your phosphates and nitrates low, in my little tank I'm running a dual media reactor with carbon and gfo and in my new tank I'm aiming for low nutrient tank so ro/do water and work up to full zeovit system.

Read up on reducing your phosphates and nitrates and your algae problems will dissappear with a little manual removal it won't come back:)

[MarkoD]

thanks for the advice. but why should there be no sponge? shouldnt there be something to catch the debris that gets sucked in?

the g6 filter also came with a phosphate filter thing that i put in there.

[reefwars]

thanks for the advice. but why should there be no sponge? shouldnt there be something to catch the debris that gets sucked in?




not needed your system is perfectly capable of breaking it down with a cuc ( clean up crew) like crabs,worms,snails,urchns,pods ......you can leave the sponge but it would need to be rinsed very frequently or it ruins the risk of hosting ditrius and thus creating nitrates which in turn fuels yoiur algae:):)

[paddyob]

not needed your system is perfectly capable of breaking it down with a cuc ( clean up crew) like crabs,worms,snails,urchns,pods ......you can leave the sponge but it would need to be rinsed very frequently or it ruins the risk of hosting ditrius and thus creating nitrates which in turn fuels yoiur algae:):)

I ran a canister for 4 years before upgrading my tank, and as long as you do regular maintenance on your filter, as Denny said - clean the sponge, it should be fine.

I NEVER had nitrates/nitrites present in my 20 gallon while running my canister. I am a believer in some sort of filter to catch large particulates (poop, etc). I even run a large sponge in my sump now and would never do any different. It helps keep my sump looking pretty (not that a sump needs to look good - hahaa)... but I would not worry too much about it.

If you start having an issue with NO2/NO3 then perhaps you can address whether or not the sponge is the problem. Just clean it regularly.

[MarkoD]

completely removed the sponge filter cartridge. and put a bag of carbon in there. so im running carbon now in both cartridge slots.

anyone have any tips on catching damsels? im now trying the inverter bottle trick.

[paddyob]

completely removed the sponge filter cartridge. and put a bag of carbon in there. so im running carbon now in both cartridge slots.

anyone have any tips on catching damsels? im now trying the inverter bottle trick.

Tip. Remove rock. Scoop with net. Ha ha! They are fast. You won't have a lot of luck otherwise.

Good luck!

[MarkoD]

lol thats exactly the first thing i tried..... i take the rock out, and they're inside it and dont come out.

they'd rather die than be captured

[MarkoD]

lol finally got them out. wow what a hassle

[MarkoD]

sold the damsels on kijiji (actually made a few bucks :) )

went to blue world and saw these clowns labeled as hybrids.

so i bought a couple of them. acclimated them for about an hour and half.

put them in and within a half an hour they were playing in my small frogspawn


http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs002.snc6/165218_10150347852865567_676325566_16348918_375384 8_n.jpg

[intarsiabox]

Did they say what made these clowns a hybrid? They look like a regular Ocellaris clowns to me. Maybe tank-bred not hybrid?

[paddyob]

Did they say what made these clowns a hybrid? They look like a regular Ocellaris clowns to me. Maybe tank-bred not hybrid?

If they are the ones I am thinking of... I think they are Darwin x Ocellaris or something like that.

Is that it Marko?

[intarsiabox]

Could be Patrick, the orange does seem to have a bit of a black hue to it.

[Big Tang]

If they are the ones I am thinking of... I think they are Darwin x Ocellaris or something like that.

Yup that's what they are. There from a local breeder and he named them Shanon's clowns.

[MarkoD]

yup those are the ones. got them from blue world

i was originally gonna get the regular ocellaris but liked these ones better because the added black made them look more like a true percula

[MarkoD]

heres a close up:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5248/5324092506_8e509b9afb_z.jpg

[paddyob]

heres a close up:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5248/5324092506_8e509b9afb_z.jpg

Nice little clowns. Do they call them Shannon's Clowns or something in the store?

[MarkoD]

yeah they're "shannons clowns"

[MarkoD]

anyone have any idea why i have hair algae growing on the right side of my tank and not the left?

literally 0 on the left rock structure, and a bunch on the right

[paddyob]

anyone have any idea why i have hair algae growing on the right side of my tank and not the left?

literally 0 on the left rock structure, and a bunch on the right

Could be the flow pattern. I get a little hair algae from time to time... usually in one or two spots but not the whole tank... thank God.

[paddyob]

Just a comment... I thought the rock work looked really good before adding the piece to join them together.

I have seen some tanks that have a channel through the middle and they look great once coral starts to grow in and around the area.

Rock work looks good though. Did you use PVC or something to create the arches?

[MarkoD]

Just a comment... I thought the rock work looked really good before adding the piece to join them together.

I have seen some tanks that have a channel through the middle and they look great once coral starts to grow in and around the area.

Rock work looks good though. Did you use PVC or something to create the arches?

the liverock just stacks like that natural and fits perfectly together like that and remains very stable.

the piece in the middle is flat piece of dry coral. its only about half an inch thick, so it doesnt actually join the rock. it sits behind the rock almost near the glass

[MarkoD]

ok so i've modified the emperor 400 that came with my tank and turned it into a HOB refugium (with light) ((pictures will come soon))

now anyone know where i can get that cheato micro algae stuff?
the stores i went to today didnt have it

[paddyob]

ok so i've modified the emperor 400 that came with my tank and turned it into a HOB refugium (with light) ((pictures will come soon))

now anyone know where i can get that cheato micro algae stuff?
the stores i went to today didnt have it


I know Red Coral had some. Steve gave me some a while ago. AI has it as well.... its $13 for a handful or something like that.

If you start a thread asking for some... I am sure you can get it for nothing.

[MarkoD]

I was at red coral yesterday and the lady said they didn't have any.

[paddyob]

Ask Steve. He is usually in after 430pm.

[MarkoD]

heres a few pictures of the HOB refugium i made.

currently lit with LEDs ..... anyone know if this will be enough for Cheato or should i put a fluorescent bulb in there?


with the lid on
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1379.snc4/163115_10150349622990567_676325566_16386317_828049 1_n.jpg

lid off
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs744.ash1/163606_10150349623135567_676325566_16386321_364407 4_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs788.ash1/167807_10150349623510567_676325566_16386324_772376 9_n.jpg

made it out of mirrored plexiglass.

i think im gonna put another piece on the front to block the view into it and stop the light from spilling into the tank

[MarkoD]

little trial and error..... if i stick with the LED lights then i dont have to use the mirrored enclosure....

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs051.snc6/168122_10150349710165567_676325566_16387749_361025 2_n.jpg

but if i have to switch to a more powerful bulb ill need to raise the lid

[paddyob]

How close are the lights?

Keep in mind that the closer they are the more salt build up they will get. And they will get salt creep.

If the part you have installed is not "water safe" (for lack of better term) you could have other issues as well, as salt is a conductor for electricity.

Most light fixtures that are open to the water have some sort of seal around the connector ends.

Just a thought.

I have to say very good little set up. Almost like you have done this before!

[MarkoD]

as it sits now the lights are about 2 and half inches above the water and not splashing hitting them.

i ran the wires through the lid of the filter and the connection is made on the outside of the lid.

the lights are automotive LED lights that are usually used as day time running lights (like the ones seen on the new audis) so they're weather sealed.

can salt creep happen if the lights never make contact with any part of the water?

[paddyob]

as it sits now the lights are about 2 and half inches above the water and not splashing hitting them.

i ran the wires through the lid of the filter and the connection is made on the outside of the lid.

the lights are automotive LED lights that are usually used as day time running lights (like the ones seen on the new audis) so they're weather sealed.

can salt creep happen if the lights never make contact with any part of the water?


Over time it will build up. Condensation from the tank... air bubbles "popping" on the surface, climbing the sides of the filter. I even get it ON TOP AND THE SIDES of my aqua clear on the small tank. You will be surprised how much salt can reach ha ha!

[MarkoD]

ok quick question..... my friends dad left town for a week and when he came back all his saltwater fish were dead except for one.

he called me this morning and asked if i could take this one fish and keep him in my tank.

i went and picked it up. Its a small foxface rabbitfish (about 2 inches)
hes not even yellow, he's kind of a brown color with white spots.

is it sick or something? is it safe to put in my tank?

i realize that its gonna outgrow my tank, but hopefully my friends dad will get his tank up and running to take it back soon

[paddyob]

ok quick question..... my friends dad left town for a week and when he came back all his saltwater fish were dead except for one.

he called me this morning and asked if i could take this one fish and keep him in my tank.

i went and picked it up. Its a small foxface rabbitfish (about 2 inches)
hes not even yellow, he's kind of a brown color with white spots.

is it sick or something? is it safe to put in my tank?

i realize that its gonna outgrow my tank, but hopefully my friends dad will get his tank up and running to take it back soon


I would worry about it. If all his fish died in a week... what was the cause? You could potentially bring a disease or parasite into your tank.

I would say if his tank is empty.... might be better to leave it in that tank until you know what the cause was.


Picture of the fish possible? Seeing the "white spots" would make things easier for those with knowledge of illnesses.

[MarkoD]

I would worry about it. If all his fish died in a week... what was the cause? You could potentially bring a disease or parasite into your tank.

I would say if his tank is empty.... might be better to leave it in that tank until you know what the cause was.


Picture of the fish possible? Seeing the "white spots" would make things easier for those with knowledge of illnesses.

i've done some reading in the last little bit. its not white spots like ich.

apparently when the fish is stressed it loses its color and becomes blotchy.

i just called him and he said his nitrates were off the scale of his test kit..... over 100ppm

i cant really get a picture, he's in a plastic container

i think im gonna try and acclimate him to my water and see if anything changes before putting him in

[MarkoD]

i also have an empty 15 gallon long..... maybe ill set up a quarantine tank and see what happens

[cale262]

I'd QT him for a bit first if it were my tank...If you need a small tank to do so, LMK I have a bunch of smaller tanks (10's & 20's) sitting around dry...


guess ur a faster typer than me, lol...

[paddyob]

i've done some reading in the last little bit. its not white spots like ich.

apparently when the fish is stressed it loses its color and becomes blotchy.

i just called him and he said his nitrates were off the scale of his test kit..... over 100ppm

i cant really get a picture, he's in a plastic container

i think im gonna try and acclimate him to my water and see if anything changes before putting him in

Its no surprise his NO3 would be off the chart with all his fish dying. Dead fish decomposing in the tank create NO3/NH3. But the questions is why did they die to begin with?

[paddyob]

i also have an empty 15 gallon long..... maybe ill set up a quarantine tank and see what happens

This is a good idea... but the only issue with a newly set up QT is that since it is not established it can create a whole new ball of stress for the fish.

I would still try that over putting it right in with your nice new clowns.

[MarkoD]

ok im setting up the 15 gallon.... pumping water from my 55 into it and gonna replace with new saltwater (PWC while im at it)

it probably doesnt need sand right?

[paddyob]

ok im setting up the 15 gallon.... pumping water from my 55 into it and gonna replace with new saltwater (PWC while im at it)

it probably doesnt need sand right?

Skip sand for a QT. Makes it easier to clean/sanitize the tank.

[MarkoD]

thanks. already filled it up. gonna slowly acclimate him

[cale262]

I always throw a piece of rock on some eggcrate and a powerhead in my QT tank...


Here's a good thread on QT's..
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=71393&highlight=QT

[MarkoD]

thanks. i did all that.... when i came home tonight he was swimming around nicely and he was nice and yellow.... but as soon as he saw me, he hid behind the rock and got all pale again.... i think he's just stressed

[benzzz]

Tank looks really good so far !!

[MarkoD]

got a reef octopus lx1000 and set it up yesterday....

and put the cheato in the middle media chamber (it now gets light directly from my t5 lights

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs793.ash1/168367_10150351970750567_676325566_16427704_751318 9_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs784.ash1/167467_10150351971780567_676325566_16427721_365473 2_n.jpg

now its time to build a hood to hide all of this

[MarkoD]

after watching him for a few days in quarantine he looked good and was eating well.... felt bad keeping him in a 15 gallon

so i finally transfered him into the larger tank. and here he is happily swimming around and exploring

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5005/5340540569_9678be0423_z.jpg

[MarkoD]

another little update:

got another duel T5HO light fixture (both 10000k)

so now running a total of 4 bulbs.

http://l8.sphotos.l3.fbcdn.net/hphotos-l3-snc6/hs057.snc6/168720_10150358596510567_676325566_16547950_186547 1_n.jpg

all fish are doing great. foxface is also doing great. also got a peppermint shrimp and a couple turbo snails.

the green rock on the top left side was one i bought that had 3 GBTA on it. they have since left that rock, now just waiting for my lawnmower blenny to eat up that hair algae.

also on that rock were a few xeneas and a couple brittle starfish

[MarkoD]

quick iphone picture with my new moonlights

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs026.snc6/165678_10150360629050567_676325566_16586411_488783 9_n.jpg

[outacontrol]

Nice Foxface, tank is coming along nicely.
Don't hold yor breath waiting for the lawnmower to eat the hair algae, mine hardly eats any algae. I had a bad hair algae problem for a while and I tryed everything, less light, new bulbs, less food and manual removal. Mexican turbo snails did the trick for me, bought them from Blue World.

[MarkoD]

Nice Foxface, tank is coming along nicely.
Don't hold yor breath waiting for the lawnmower to eat the hair algae, mine hardly eats any algae. I had a bad hair algae problem for a while and I tryed everything, less light, new bulbs, less food and manual removal. Mexican turbo snails did the trick for me, bought them from Blue World.

the blenny already mowed down the whole tank once before.... all the rock was covered.... now he seems more interested with the algae growing on the glass.

but the foxface has started picking at the algae on that one rock.

[benzzz]

nice....the blue zone

[MarkoD]

thanks... i added a coral banded shrimp today

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs264.snc6/179277_10150367444620567_676325566_16697203_258297 5_n.jpg