New 46 Gallon bow reef

Aquaria · #1 11-18-2009, 11:30 AM

ok well here goes like title says got a tank been cycling 2 weeks picking up lights (not sure let u know friday) the powerhead looks small do i need 2? got flow in the back from the canister filter makes the water rotate on its own.(ill take pics this weekend) got live sand from seller but i dont know if i like it its fine sand and kicks up REALLY easy advice welcome (again pics fri).canister filter eheim 2217 was reading it was rated for 75 gallons if its the right one, stealth200w sub,remora skimmer? HOB (dont think its the pro but i pick up friday), no live rock it will be last for of course financial complications 480 bucks is alot when i just spent 500 on equipment looking to buy used (if any offers) AND aiming for Fish / coral Dec25-jan25

ANY advice is appreciated and pics for ideas would be cool thinking an island somewhere in the tank for a coral species mabey a bridge with cave system

P.S whats a good stocking rule 1/2 inch to a gallon or the 1 fish to 10 gallon iv heard both

makana · #2 11-18-2009, 04:55 PM

You will want to get the live rock in sooner rather than later. There is often die off during transport and that will result in a cycle after adding the live rock.

Really fine sand such as sugar sand will settle in after a short while. The really fine particles sink to the bottom of the sand bed and then it doesn't kick up too bad. And because it will be the heavier particles that do kick up they settle back down quickly. But there are lots of substrates to choose from.

As far as flow goes 10X water turnover per hour is generally considered the minimum. So for a 46 gallon tank 460 gph would be the minimum.

Canister filters are generally considered to be nitrate factories, meaning they can cause high nitrates if not cleaned often. Most people with a reef tank remove the filter media and only use the canister for flow. The live rock will be your filtration.

Good Luck!

Aquaria · #3 11-19-2009, 10:53 AM

TY If i remember correctly the powerhead was rated for 460, but ill get to see in 2 more days lol. might be getting some live rock in a tank im thinking of buying for my FW fish, but its covered in red algea or somthing but i have no info yet. so the canister wont even be usefull with diff media in it? will i needthe canister at all if i got the powerhead, or is it possible to turn the canister into a refugium? and iv noticed so far that the dust from sand took 2 days to settle when i was leveling it out so i moved alot os sand around but it seemed long, it is my first SW. but all in all the pics will tell the story .... hurry friday.

freddy · #4 11-19-2009, 11:07 AM

Good to here,I have a 46 gallon bowfront too,have had it running for over 2yrs.

Aquaria · #5 11-19-2009, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freddy

Good to here,I have a 46 gallon bowfront too,have had it running for over 2yrs.

OMG you have no idea how exctied i am now after seeing your tank lol people are going to walk in my house and say WoW lol since its the first thing you see from the front door well that and my kitchen :P great tank i want bubble coral so bad

Aquaria · #6 11-19-2009, 11:28 AM

what do you have for daily weekly and monthly matanince after 2 years? as i heard that the older it is the more self sustained it is

Aquaria · #7 12-07-2009, 06:47 AM

Well i filled my tank pre maturely and the brace popped, dident know about the long cure time and i was misinformed. i emptyed half the tank and tomorrow im going to clean, and reseal then clamp for a week. if that holds then ill refill the water and hopefully my rocks dont die

manaf · #8 12-07-2009, 07:10 AM

pop ur rocks in a garbage can with a powerhead and heater and it should be fine

Aquaria · #9 01-01-2010, 01:44 AM

ok well its been a little while since my last post, so here goes. i fixed the brace got the sand and cured rock in, then the clean up crew 2 emerald crabs, (i dont like em so far they have killed a peppermint shrimp keep going at my other one. might be giving away in edmonton if anyone is interested.) 1 peppermint shimp, 3 narcceses snails (mind spelling :P) 2 cerith, i think (cone shell) 2 turbos spiral into a point type shell. (i dident know at first so i might get rid of em if they get bigger) 4 small hermit crabs one is orange with a larage purple claw. after 2 weeks, about dec 27 i put in 2 juv clowns.
i went for a inlaw visit and came back to my diatom outbreak as i was reading all new tanks go through.
now will it go away on its own or do i need to do some sort of work, snails and hermits happily eating away at it. also im planning a 20% water change 2 days from now, as i need water from safeway. want to stop using tapwater, and now that the tank is full i can make one trip at a time lol.
. P.S pics coming soon as i need to borrow my dads camera, need to buy my own :P.

Aquaria · #10 01-06-2010, 12:50 PM

new pics things are looking good so far, got through my diatom outbreak and my other 15lbs of live rock will be ready soon prob thur fri. should i add all the gunk from the bottom of the rock tank to my DT. can anyone tell me what the orange stuff on the hammer is? and is that an acanlord? prob looks weird cuz its a frag and iv only seen colonies.any advice on stocking limits for coral and if i get the max amount of fish, does it mean i have to get less coral?