New tank what next?

[havrda]

I have just assembled my new 90 gal rr tank. I built everything I could on my own. I have not hooked up the skimmer yet. I have 2 - 250W MH for lighting. I currently have 2 green chromis and 2 red leg hermit crabs in there. I have some live rock I got from Jim's sale on Sat. What should I do next? Add corals before getting into the nice fish? If so what would you recommend? Also when putting corals in there does anyone have suggestions on the checmicals to add?

[mathias]

nothing....... I know that sounds stupid but let it sit..... just have patience ....... because with out patience your going to kill everything you put in there......


but then again Im no expert.

[ClamFan]

Time to be patient. Assuming your tank is now mature, how about some True Percs? :D Sounds like a cool project. Maybe look into some xenia, or zoanthids. Those are some of the ones Ive read are good for us newbies. Good Luck and send pics, if possible.

[dan]

just make sure that your cal. is up. if you got some of jims live rock theres going to be some coral on that rock. i have some of jims rock and after looking at it closer i could see places where corals had been but left an edge and there a new coral will grow. good luck.

[Henry]

How new is your tank? I went for almost 2-3months before I put anything other than rock and sand in my tank and then at the 4 month mark I added my fish and 6months before my first coral. Alot of the rock came from existing tanks. I would wait before adding anything else into the tank, but thats just my opinion. Best of Luck

[StephenA]

How much live rock and sand do you have?

Are you the guy with the 50Gal drum of saltwater in the back of his truck?

Look in to a clean up crew when you are sure all the parameters are at the right levels.

[havrda]

Yes I am the guy with the 55 gallon drum. I have 40 lbs of live sand and about 20lbs of live rock. I also have some other rock that I hope the live rock will spread to.

[StephenA]

IMO you need 90lbs or more of live rock. And whatever depth of sand you like. I like about 3-4" of sand.

What are your parameters? Sal, Am, Nitrite, Nitrate, Ph, Alk, CA


I'm they guy you met at AquaTek and Jim's House.

[havrda]

Well I have 138 lbs f rock plus the 20 of live rock. I have a total of 120 lbs of sand. 40 of it is live, the rest is oolite (very fine). I probably have close to a 3" sand bed. I will post some pics soon.

[StephenA]

Perfect

[havrda]

Here are a few

[havrda]

front clearer view

[havrda]

sump pic

[ClamFan]

I like the hood. Tank looks good too.

[matt]

Nice looking set up. Is this your first reef tank? If so, here's what's next: READ! You're asking some questions that indicate that you have some basic info to learn. I would allow the live rock to settle into your tank for several weeks before adding any livestock. Even though it came from an established tank, there will still be many changing conditions in your tank over the next few weeks. Some stuff on the rocks will die off, sand animals will start populating your sand bed, chemical conditions will fluctuate. Some of this stuff you can't test for. The nitrogen cycle is only part of the picture. While you're waiting, you can get more familiar with the animals you would like to keep and the whole idea of keeping a reef tank. Check out Ron Shimek's "The Coral Reef Aquarium" as a good first book, and Eric Borneman"s "Aquarium Corals" as an excellent 2nd book and reference.

Oh yeah, I'd go ahead and get the skimmer up and running; it will help with ph and keep organics from any die off from accumulating too fast. One other thing; 3" of sand is not quite enough if you want a real living deep sand bed. Get another 50-75lbs and add it so you have a minimum depth of 4". At least that's what the DSB experts say.

Have fun! and WELCOME to MAAST!

[havrda]

Should I get a cleaning crew now or just wait?

[StephenA]

I'd wait about a week and if all the parameters are ok then get one.

[RobertG]

Install a skimmer, its a must! It will help you keep your system running properly & remove all the poop from your water.

[StephenA]

Ditto to what Robert said.

[Tim Marvin]

Also if you are planning on a full reef, then you will need more live rock. Although the limestone will help with PH and cover with coralline it does not function like live rock. LR is very porous, almost like a sponge and can process water a thousand times better than limestone. LR is full of critters, (if you don't beleive it break a piece in two), that are essential to the health of your tank. I'd add a box, 50 lbs.
At any rate the set-up looks great and you are well on your way.

[Andrew]

Other than maybe needing/adding a little more live rock, it looks like it will be a beautiful setup. Nice work on the stand/canopy BTW.

Andrew

[havrda]

Well here is an update. My friend (Bryan) went over to Jim's to help load that tank up. Jim gave him a bucket full of the smelliest stuff ever! It looks like just a bunch of stuff from the bottom of the tank. Also had 2 razor blades in it. Do those propogate tank growth? Just kidding. Anyway I got about have of that and put it in my tank. This morning I had little starfish clinging to my glass and I noticed a fighting conch as well. There were also a lot of frags in there but I am not sure if they are dead or if not, have a chance of surviving. Anyhoo it added a lot more live stuff to my tank. Awesome. Kids were estatic!

[dan]

have you seen any thing on jims rock yet ? coral, zoos, something?

[havrda]

There are green star polyps I think. There are also lots of mushrooms.
Here are the links to what I think they are.
polyp http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11_03/product_info.php?products_id=522&parent_category=4 &category_search=62&root_parent_id=4
mushrooms http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11_03/product_info.php?products_id=367&parent_category=4 &category_search=62&root_parent_id=4

At least thats what they look like. There are also some white bulb things on the bottom of some live rock

[havrda]

setup

[StephenA]

Looking Good

[havrda]

Here are some pics of my tank 8 months later. I have all kinds of stuff in it. This has been a really fun and learning experience.

[CD]

Wow! That's quite a difference...good job, David!

Wendy