Okay what next?

[atxchris1234]

Okay my 30 gal tank is all setup. My levels are fine, I've been checking in with aquatek frequently. Everything is stable. Have 1 clown, 1 shrimp, 2 emeralds, 1 starfish that hides all the time. The tank has been up for about 3 weeks now.
I want to add corals and other things that look nice and pretty but are still good for a beginner. I know I know... your answer is to be patient and wait.
I check my levels every single day, and have completed one 25% water change (really for no other reason than me being bored... the levels were fine)

My question is, what can I add next? I was thinking of adding more liverock and maybe another clown, but really more than anything I want some coral and other things to really get everything looking nice and colorful.

Should I start looking into better lighting? If so, what should I look at? Are there any nice corals that my clown will enjoy that are relatively easy to keep and don't require expensive lighting?

\Thanks

[tony]

be careful adding another clown

what type of corals do you wish to keep? soft corals will likely do fine under whatever lights you have but stony corals will require more intense lighting (assuming quite a bit here since you didnt say what lights you have)

[atxchris1234]

Why should I be careful adding another clown? I thought they liked being paired up?
As to what type I want to keep, I suppose for now I would like to keep whatever type is relatively hardy yet still pretty and somewhat inexpensive.

You guys have scared me so much about moving too quickly im expecting the whole system is going to come crashing down everytime i feed the fish. lol. As such, I've been checking levels everyday at lunch, taking them to aquatek for them to verify that my tests are being done correctly, and changing water even though it probablly doesn't need to be done.

With all of this, it seems like my guys are thriving. There is some sort of unidentifyable growing things on one of my rock, they come out during the day and withdraw at night and seem to be multiplying by the day.

So, everythings going well so far, but overall its just barren in there. I'd like nothing more then to see life in every square inch of the tank like some of these $10,000 jobs I see on here, but for now trying to just take it one week at a time. Any recommendations would be great.

[tony]

Why should I be careful adding another clown? I thought they liked being paired up?
As to what type I want to keep, I suppose for now I would like to keep whatever type is relatively hardy yet still pretty and somewhat inexpensive.



read this: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=215098

[hobogato]

you are doing it right, take a deep breath and relax a little. you dont have to test your water daily. try weekly for now.

the possible issue with adding a second clown is that your clown has probably already started to change to female and any clown you buy could have also begun the change if it has been in a tank with other clowns smaller than it or by itself. two female clowns of the same kind will eventually fight.

if your ammonia and nitrite readings are at zero and your nitrate is 20ppm or below, then you could probaly add some soft corals like mushrooms or zoas and palys, just keep going slow.

[tony]

haha no need to be paranoid, nothing like flushing a couple of hundred worth of fish down the crapper

sounds like you are doing great, seriously. if you change your water more than once every three or four months you are light years ahead of me, lol.

im not trying to scare you off of another clown, it can be done. but it can be tricky. look at gobies or firefish as a nice colorful edition. just dont get a sand sifting goby.

[atxchris1234]

mushrooms or zoas and palys, just keep going slow.

Could you give me some specific names of these so that I can do some google searching?

Thanks! Glad to hear im on the right track!

BTW- For what its worth, my ammonia and nitrites have always been at 0. I have never gotten a reading from either of those

[aprilmayjune]

There are so many different kinds of mushrooms, palys, and zoas. Just to kind of give you a picture with each name you can look here:

Mushrooms
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=598

Palys and Zoas
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=599

That site is usually overpriced so use it only as a guide to give you an idea of what you want. I would go to MAAST members or an LFS to purchase them. It also gives you a little info on each one ie their requirements and hardiness. There are also a lot more varieties and morphs than listed on that site; you can find some nice frags on MAAST sometimes that you can't find anywhere else. Good luck! Its so hard to choose just one!

[atxchris1234]

AHA!

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=667

THIS is the puple thing that comes out when its light but goes away when its dark. So it seems I have been successfully raising a mushroom in my tank. :thumbs_up:

There are all sorts of other things on that particular rock, most of which are the same color purple, smaller and come out when its light. There are probablly 50-75 or them on that one rock alone. I now assume this is good.

[dapettit]

Don't be like me! I bought several hundred dollars worth of fish just to watch them all die over a month.

Now I'm being over cautious and adding 1 fish a month, after doing extensive research.

Slow is best!

You might also look a the Royal Grama, nice color.

[atxchris1234]

Don't be like me! I bought several hundred dollars worth of fish just to watch them all die over a month.

Now I'm being over cautious and adding 1 fish a month, after doing extensive research.

Slow is best!

You might also look a the Royal Grama, nice color.

I would be extremely interested in knowing how this happened.... So it doesn't happen to me.

[Texreefer]

I would be extremely interested in knowing how this happened.... So it doesn't happen to me.

simply put,, too much bioload for the tanks filtration capacity causing a rapid chain of events that is hard to stop

[MissT]

^^ Echo the above statement.

You sound like you are doing a pretty good job at taking things nice and slow, and from talking to you on the phone, it sounds like you are eager to learn from other's mistakes which is a VERY GOOD THING. If you learn from what other people have done wrong, it's quite a bit easier to not make the same mistake.

You have any particulars of tank specs for us?

[apedroza]

Look on the for sale forum. Many members are selling zoas and palys on a regular basis and may have names for them. RPE=red people eaters, PPE= purple people eater etc.

[MissT]

www.zoaid.com (http://www.zoaid.com) is an excellent reference as well if there are no pictures to go along with vairous FS/T posts

[apedroza]

Also when looking at clownfish in a lfs they are generally kept in groups. A good rule of thumb when picking a second clownfish is too generally choose the smaller ones. The 2 larger ones are generally the male and female (female being the largest) while the others are gender supressed. These should be safe to add if your clown gas already become female because they next added in turn will become the male. However that being said, fish behave differently so always use caution when adding another fish.

[MKCindy]

Three weeks isn't very long. There is a lot we don't know about your tank. Live sand, live rock, skimmer, refuge, lights...

My second tank was set up in June w/live sand/ live rock/refuge/skimmer. Cycled to zeros in 18 days. I added some Chromis (nice color, hardy), got a little bitty Blue Devil Damsel on accident mixed in with Chromis (...I sooo regret adding Damsels, I had to break down the whole tank to catch that Zoa eating, Chromis killing monster, plus he bit me every time I put my hand in the tank.....very irritating)

Remember, a 30 gal isn't going to hold a lot of fish. A very heavy load is 1 inch of fish per gallon water (not recommended unless you have a skimmer or a lot of time to do water changes) Best is 1 inch per 3 gallons, so you could go 10 inches of fish based on mature length.

My tank continued to go through mini cycles for 2 more months. (My Starfish and Emerald Crabs didn't make it though the mini cycles.) I started by adding Kenya Tree (very hardy and often free, if you were in SA I would give you some), mushrooms, and basic leathers.

We don't mean to scare you, just error on the side of slow. I can honestly say my tank has just leveled off over the last 2 months.

Good Luck,
Cindy

[MissT]

My first reef tank was an absolute disaster. I started adding stuff as soon as the cycle was over and it was a constant uphill battle that I lost.
Round 2 went a lot better. I waited for the cycle to finish, added 1/2 the clean up crew, waited 2 weeks, added the rest of the CUC. Then I concentrated on slowly adding coral, and 4 months went by before a single fish went into the system. That tank is still running, and doing great. It's been so easy to take care of and algae problems have been minimal at most. 4 months might have been a little excessive, but at this point, I'm glad I did it.

[Bill S]

If you've NEVER had an ammonia ****e, I'd hold tight. There's a chance that the live rock you bought was fully cured AND didn't crash at all on the trip home, but just in case...

[dapettit]

simply put,, too much bioload for the tanks filtration capacity causing a rapid chain of events that is hard to stop

Exactly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And this was in a 150 gallon that had cycled for two months.

[atxchris1234]

I added another piece of liverock last night and also one of these:
http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/2/4209522779.jpg (http://www.putfile.com/pic/7662552)

The rock that I added came out of a 6 yr old setup, and is absolutely covered with life. This makes 2 of my 4 rocks totally consumed with life.
The rock I purchased is in the middle, and even though the pic is taken on an iphone, you can see the color that comes with it.
http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/2/4209522783.jpg (http://www.putfile.com/pic/7662551)
If you look at the previous pic you can see that the center rock is definately fully cured, and the rock to the right is also fully cured. The rock to the far right (sitting next to my new guy) and the rock in the far left (below nemo) are fully cured as well (according to the LFS) however they did not come out of an established tank.

So all in all, I have 1 clown, 1 star, 1shrimp, 2 emeralds and whatever this new guy is. My lighting is whatever came in my aqueon kit, which means I can't do any decent corals until I upgrade the lighting (this DOES get expensive)
Here is my kit:
http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/2/4210224437.jpg (http://www.putfile.com/pic/7662677)

I want to be clear, With this setup I have been at zero's for 3 weeks. Im not sure if this is all good or if I should expect some sort of impending doom of which you all have solicited. :bigsmile: But for now, everything SEEMS stable. I dose every other day with some marine buffer. My lighting is stock, my filtration is stock, my heater is stock, my sand is live sand and all of my rock is fully cured. Roughtly 65% of my rock is not only fully cured, but has been in an established tank for years.

So, after adding that big rock and my little fuzzy plant / anemone / purple tipped guy (his name escapes me, obviously lol) I suppose my plans for this week are to monitor my levels as usual, feed my guys as usual and I may do a 25% water change later this week just for peace of mind.

Next week I would like to add another purple tipped thing, if everything goes well this week. Im perfectly okay with only one or two fish, Id rather have colorful corals and whatnots.

[Bill S]

The anemone (Condylactus or "Condi") should have been a MUCH later addition... They are BIG poopers, and as well, can be difficult to keep. It's also one not likely to attract a clown as a host - it's an Atlantic anemone, and clowns are not Atlantic fish...

[bigmoe21]

i dont think that one fluorescent tube is gonna be enough light for corals even softies

[atxchris1234]

Well im shocked to hear that. I was at the LFS looking for live rock. Found a good piece and then asked for a good recommendation on a hardy anemone of some sort to add some color and life. After answering his questions on my setup, He quickly pointed me directly to this guy. Said he was very hardy and would be a good addition. He did say that my clown wouldn't host in it, but he made it seem like adding this guy would be a walk in the park.:confused:

[tony]

im with bill, you are a brave soul

[Bill S]

Look, I'm going to be honest here. I am NOT trying to start a fight, just offer some advice. I have no idea who your LFS is, but:

Who ya gonna trust, someone who is trying to sell you something, or experienced reefers that you ask for opinions?

Having been on both sides (worked at a LFS for 8 years, been keeping SW fish for over 35 years...), you REALLY should listen to the folks here. Otherwise, they will quit offering help.

You asked us our opinions when you first posted this. We ALL (I think...) said to take it slow and wait. Then, you let someone sell you an anemone... When someone asks me for my opinion, and then does just what I suggested they not do, I'm not inclined to respond the next time, ya know what I mean?

[RayAllen]

Agree 100% there a few stores that will not sale you an item even when they truely know its not going to work out. I personally believe that anemones need a min up 3watts per gallon and thats those that are not as light demanding. Also anemones should not be added untill the tank is established at least 3-4 months minimum. With that said im glad you are seeking advice from experienced reefers/saltwater aquariast. Obviously you are getting mixed info from LFS's and then us, but now you know. Tank looks great just take it a little slower and in a few months you will be amazed at what you accomplished.

[atxchris1234]

Bstreep.

You all told me to take it slow and I fealt that I have.Up until yesterday I had one fish and a cleanup crew. That was it. I went to that LFS store last week and specifically asked them if they worked on commission. They told me they did not, so I assumed that they were NOT trying to "sell" me something and thought their opinions were correct. Anytime I asked them a question they answered it the same as you guys did, "take it slow", "come back in a week" So I did. When I asked them about this guy they said it would be a walk in the park, that he'd be just fine, that he's hardy. He pointed out that I did NOT want an anemone as of now, that I needed to wait at least another month, then he offered up this guy as a good alternative.

Is there a possibility that this is not the ecosystem killing anemone of which you all think? Or did the guys at the LFS store take me for a ride?

You ask who I should trust, in my opinion I should be able to trust both you guys and my LFS alike. If this is not the case then its news to me, what is your advice?

If I need to take it back then I will. All I was doing was putting trust in a persons opinion who knows more than I. If this is not correct, then there should be a thread on here for LFS's that you should and should not go to.

[RayAllen]

The LFS did take you for a ride. Without saying the name of the store, some of them also employ uneducated employees that simply have no idea what they are talking about. You have to remember business is business and they need to make money. If you do not have any books; it wont hurt to have a couple on hand for reference when at a store that way you know what you are looking at and also its requirements without having to ask someone at the store.

[tony]

if you insist on getting an anemome, look for a tube anemome. IMO they are much hardier and wont cause as much harm. they are mainly nocturnal too so lighting isnt an issue.

http://www.centralpets.com/animals/fish/saltwater_inverts/swi1682.html

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/june2004/invert.htm

here is a pic of mine:

http://tonyled.net/tank/6.jpg

[Bill S]

It doesn't matter whether they sell on commission or not - their job is to sell. If they have it, you need it. Not really, but seriously, the owner of the store wants the folks he/she hires to sell.

When WE say "take it slow", we are talking about months, not weeks. I wouldn't have added ANYTHING to that tank for 6 weeks. Cured rock or not.

The anemone MAY do very well. As noted above, most anemones DO require lighting. From www.saltwaterfish.com (http://www.saltwaterfish.com): "These Anemones are easy to care for and need to be provided strong light and a good water flow". "Easy to keep" is a RELATIVE TERM. Relative to other anemones.

The problems with anemones are these: They can eat a LOT. When you feed them say a silverside (small, frozen fish sold for food at LFS), they process it into this lump of... Well, WASTE. It's like you had a fish die in the tank and don't remove it. It may cause your ammonia to ****e and maybe your tank to crash. As well, if your anemone dies (even in a well aged, well lighted tank, there's still a decent chance it won't survive), and it's not immediately removed, it will crash your tank.

I'd have held out for a BTA (bubble or bulb tipped anemone). They are hardy, and WILL host clowns.

[atxchris1234]

Well great.:at_wits_end:


Do I take him back or keep him?

[RayAllen]

That is ultimatley up to you, but you know we stand on it being to early. Do you know anyone with a more establised tank that can sit it for a few weeks?

[atxchris1234]

Do you know anyone with a more establised tank that can sit it for a few weeks?

No.


So let me get this right here... he dies, my tank crashes.... And even with good lighting there is a good chance he will die.

If its that cut and dry....

Im taking him back.

Thanks for the advice here.

[atxchris1234]

Sorry to keep bugging you guys with newbie questions.

I called my LFS that sold me this guy. The guy I spoke to was the one who recommended my anemone. I told him some of the concerns that I was hearing. He then told me that the anemonie I got was called a condalactis. That its" not like other anemonies in that it is not photo sythetic (or something like that) "and he once again assured me that the little guy would be "perfectly fine" in my tank and that it was "absolutely nothing to worry about". He was adamant.


So, im certainly confused at this point.

[dapettit]

If I may offer a little advice. Trust me I know it's hard to resist when in the LFS, we used to get water and walk out with a least a hundred dollars worth of fish just because they were pretty. But we and our tank wasn't ready.

You have this utlimte research tool at your disposal called the internet. You also have this forum filled with folks who have been in this hobby for decades. Research, research, research, then research some more. I'm not an expert-far from it-but when I ask for advice I weigh the information, along with my research and if they gel then I make my purchase.

[hobogato]

some links from a quick google search:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=16&cat=1897&articleid=2149

http://www.aquacon.com/anemone.html

http://www.fishlore.com/profile-condyanemone.htm

these were just the first three and upon skimming them each recommends high light because they say that this anemone IS photosynthetic - it houses zooxanthellea that must have high light to photosynthesize and produce food for themselves and the anemone.

[Bill S]

Yup. I'd believe the LFS guy before the three sites Ace posted above, and my reference to www.saltwaterfish.com (http://www.saltwaterfish.com) - and their business is SELLING ANEMONES.

Here are 2 more references from the largest retailer of SW livestock in the country:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=630

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=619

Just to summarize: "The Condy Anemone requires strong light and should never be purchased if a good lighting system is not in place."

[brewercm]

I called my LFS that sold me this guy. The guy I spoke to was the one who recommended my anemone. I told him some of the concerns that I was hearing. He then told me that the anemonie I got was called a condalactis. That its" not like other anemonies in that it is not photo sythetic (or something like that) "and he once again assured me that the little guy would be "perfectly fine" in my tank and that it was "absolutely nothing to worry about". He was adamant.


That's scarry.

[RayAllen]

You are confused because you are getting advise from us, and are still listening to what this LFS is telling you. I cant stress enough that not all LFS's care about the best interest of their customers nor the animals they sale. You are on the right path by talking to experienced reefers. Some people can give you wrong information that will quickly turn a straight path into a crazy maze of confusion, and in this hobby you defintaley do not want that. Saltwater tanks are already money pits and you are not going to want to keep spending money on things because they are dieing or your tank is crashing. Try to do it as close to right the 1st time to save your pocket book and sanity.

[RayAllen]

That's scarry.

Good thing I dont hardly ever shop in Austin, dont want to stumble into that store.

[atxchris1234]

"The Condylactis Anemone is often recommended to beginners because Condy Anemones are usually less demanding than many of the other anemones and because they are inexpensive ($5 - $10). Don't let the cheap price tag fool you into thinking that they don't have special requirements because they certainly do. The Condy Anemone needs a well established tank that has been set up for several months (preferably longer) and an aquarium that is showing stable and good water parameter readings."


I feel completely cheated and misled. Un real.

"This animal is photosynthetic and it also needs to eat frozen or fresh fish food preparations. At a minimum, we would recommend at least power compacts with 50/50 bulbs (full spectrum/actinic)"

Ridiculous.

[RayAllen]

Bright side of this......Well at least you learned early not to listen to this guy anymore.

[atxchris1234]

Spoke to the LFS. The owner sounded rather surprised to hear of such a recommendation. At any rate, he suggested I pull this guy out and bring him back. So be it. Probelm solved. Wont listen to that guy again.

I wont even ask if its okay to add something in its place. I'll just give it more time.

Is there anything wrong with me adding more live rock in the meantime assuming its fully cured?

Would it be okay to upgrade my lighting while im waiting these next few weeks?

[hobogato]

....Is there anything wrong with me adding more live rock in the meantime assuming its fully cured?

Would it be okay to upgrade my lighting while im waiting these next few weeks?

these sound like great ideas :wink_smile:

[Bill S]

I wouldn't buy the LR from the same guy who sold you the anemone...

[MissT]

I wouldn't buy the LR from the same guy who sold you the anemone...

I don't know that I would buy anything at the same store... Chris, give me a call at the store if you need anything

[atxchris1234]

right on.

They charged $25 for that thing too.
Im just going to see if I can get my money back. I doubt I can, if they give me credit i'll get some hermits or something and move on.

Im not comfortable buying $300+ worth of lighting there, at least not after this.

[tony]

$300 is too much for lighting for that small of tank anyways

keep checking the for sale forum here for someone upgrading, i see 250w pendants for $150ish all the time. even a 150w would light that tank up well IMO

[MissT]

Man, there was a 24" TekLight for sale on here a while back... something like that would be great too.

[tony]

or this, and it would give him room to grow a bigger tank under it

1-250W DE Pendent can be mounted to canopy or hung from cieling (measures 12Lx8Wx5H)
1-IceCap 250W Electronic ballast with wiring harness
1-10K Reeflux DE bulb (aprox. 9 mos. old)
All for $100

http://maast.org/forums/showthread.php?t=40859

[tony]

chris, rather than muck up his for sale thread ill give you some brief explinations of what that stuff is here. the most intimidating topic here when i joined a few years back was lighting. i avoided discussions on it like the plague but its really not that complicated:

1-250W DE Pendent can be mounted to canopy or hung from cieling (measures 12Lx8Wx5H)

this is a light pendant that will hang over your tank. it requires a 250w bulb and the DE means that uses a double ended bulb


1-IceCap 250W Electronic ballast with wiring harness

the ballast is what fires the bulb

1-10K Reeflux DE bulb (aprox. 9 mos. old)

obviously the bulb and this one has a 10000 spectrum


this is what a pendant looks like:


http://www.championlighting.com/pics/lightpics/lumenarc_250de_pendant.jpg


this is what a single ended and double ended bulb looks like:


http://www.4fishtank.com/aquavi6.jpg


the ballast will look somewhat similar to this:

http://www.marineandreef.com/products/IceCap3.gif

here is a discussion on bulbs (the one in that listing would need to be replaced since it is 9 months old):

http://maast.org/forums/showthread.php?t=40983&highlight=reeflux


most important of all dont buy anything you are not comfortable with. but for what its worth i have an almost identical setup on my 30 cube and have had good success with it for about 2 years now

[atxchris1234]

THANKS TONY!!!!!

That is incredibly informative!

Now, what the heck is "actinc supplement"?

[apedroza]

Chris listening to all theses guys will definitely put you on the right track. Mistakes in this hobby are often very expensive and doing it right the first time will make your pocketbook and you alot happier. Look up things on the internet for answeres to specific questions, and ask anyone on this site were more than happy to help. There's a meeting this saturday where you can hit us up for more info and get in on soem interesting topics.

[atxchris1234]

Chris listening to all theses guys will definitely put you on the right track. Mistakes in this hobby are often very expensive and doing it right the first time will make your pocketbook and you alot happier. Look up things on the internet for answeres to specific questions, and ask anyone on this site were more than happy to help. There's a meeting this saturday where you can hit us up for more info and get in on soem interesting topics.


Thanks for the encouragement. After listening to the guy at the LFS and making a big mistake due to both his and my own incompetence, i'm afraid that my only "good advice" will come from people who are active on this board. Im not afraid to ask questions, as such it is certainly possible that this board will become my primary source of information. Well, this and my "The New Saltwater Aquarium Handbook":bigsmile:


Im sure one day I will have some ridiculous 250 gal aquarium and I'll look back on these posts and marvel at my lack of knowledge, but you only learn by asking questions, however ignorant it may make you look on some message board. Considering my little critters are consuming my thoughts daily, my questions will undoubtedly grow exponentially. lol

[hobogato]

THANKS TONY!!!!!

That is incredibly informative!

Now, what the heck is "actinc supplement"?

great post tony!

actinic supplimental light is basically "blue" lighting to make corals' colors better. it can be NO (normal output flourescent), CF or PC (compact flourescent), t5 (normal, HO-high output or VHO-very high output), or t12 VHO (very high output). True actinic light is 420 nanometers where many blue lights are closer to 460.

[tony]

THANKS TONY!!!!!

That is incredibly informative!

Now, what the heck is "actinc supplement"?


some people prefer the whiter bulbs for growth. the actinic supplement will add back the blue that the bulb is missing. some people also run them simply for a dawn/dusk effect.

fwiw: i run that same setup for sale with a coralvue 12k bulb and have no supplementation whatsoever. on the flip side ace runs 250w with the same bulb and supplements with T5s if i remember correctly. its really a matter of personal preference.

doh: ace beat me to the punch

[Bill S]

And with fluorescent bulbs, the # after the "T" represents the diameter of the bulb, in 1/8". So, a T5 is 5/8" in diameter, at T12 is 1-1/2" in diameter.

[tony]

And with fluorescent bulbs, the # after the "T" represents the diameter of the bulb, in 1/8". So, a T5 is 5/8" in diameter, at T12 is 1-1/2" in diameter.

i never knew that

if he asked about T5s i was hoping someone else would chime in as i would be over my head haha

[atxchris1234]

BTW I don't know if I posted it already or not, but I took back the condy yesterday after work and they gave me store credit.

In a related event (or non related) I checked my levels at lunch today and heres where im at:

2/13/08
80degrees
32 salinity
Nitrite - 0.3
Kh 9-10
ph 8.0
Ammonia - 0

Whats got me wondering is now all of a sudden I have a nitrite reading. This is the first time in my tank ownership that I have had a reading of any sort in ammonia or nitrites. According to my test kit it says that 0.3 is not a very high level and that I shouldn't worry about it too much, but I am going to do a 25% water change tomorrow just for good measure.

Am I on the right track? Or am I on the brink of a mealtdown?

[tony]

haha i think we have made you too paranoid

seems like you are doing fine to me

[bigmoe21]

your salinity is 1.032?? thats too high

[hobogato]

no, salinity is measured in parts per thousand, 32ppt is a tiny bit low, but ok. NSW(natural sea water) ranges 33 - 35 ppt.

moe, you are thinking of specific gravity, the most common way of measuring salinity. that is usuall around 1.023 - 1.025 for NSW.

[tony]

doh ace beat me again

[atxchris1234]

http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/2/4410261349.jpg (http://www.putfile.com/pic/7672151)

250W DE Pendent
IceCap 250W Electronic ballast with wiring harness
10K Reeflux DE bulb


Okay guys, I got this setup last night, (Thanks steve!)

If you look in my tank you'll see a koralia 2. Should I go ahead and get another one of those before I start adding other things? And, can someone recommend a good protein skimmer to go with my setup?

The filter is the one that came with my setup, should I be looking to upgarde that as well?


THANKS MAAST!!!!!!!!!!!

[tony]

that is a great setup, pick up a reeflux 12k bulb to go in it now

get another koralia 2 and put it on the other end opposite the one you have. the two pointed at each other will create a sort of random current

i have a great skimmer for you. just pay charter member dues for a year ($25) and its yours

[atxchris1234]

Done. membership paid and well worth it!

[tony]

Done. membership paid and well worth it!


since you arent going to the meeting if you know someone that is i can get it to them

if not i come to austin fairly regularly to get my frys fix and now that ive been turned on to eddie v's downtown ill probly make a lot more trips haha

[tony]

oh, and here is your new skimmer (bakpak 2 with an accela pump)

http://www.cprusa.com/products/bakpaks.html

[bigmoe21]

sorry about the salinity/sg mix up..i had a koraila 2 on my 29 but it just made too much flow for me..my fox coral wouldnt open up anymore..but with that light im guessing ur maybe gonna do more sps? not sure i just know those things work really well! i cant imagine what kind of turbulance two would have caused! :-)

[tony]

sorry about the salinity/sg mix up..i had a koraila 2 on my 29 but it just made too much flow for me..my fox coral wouldnt open up anymore..but with that light im guessing ur maybe gonna do more sps? not sure i just know those things work really well! i cant imagine what kind of turbulance two would have caused! :-)

i had 2 #4s in my 30 with no problems

[bigmoe21]

haha man thats a lot of flow.. i was just stating for that stubborn fox coral of mine that wont open anymore! not all corals like it right?

[atxchris1234]

Thanks again tony.
Hmmm, I guess you could give it to MissT, and I could go pick it up from River city At some point.

On saturday I'll be swamped running a race day.(joy) Btw Tony, if you get a chance you should swing by the track after your meeting. We should be there till late, and I'd be glad to let you take the wheel of the mugen for a while.

Wish I could make it to the meeting, but I'd just slow you guys down with newbie questions and im sure half the stuff you guys talk about would be jibberish to me anyways. :)
Next time will be more effective.

[tony]

haha man thats a lot of flow.. i was just stating for that stubborn fox coral of mine that wont open anymore! not all corals like it right?


correct, there are some that prefer lower flow

i took the #4s out and replaced them with 2 #1s and everything seems to be just as happy if not happier now

the only issue i had with too much flow was with a sand sifting goby. when he would sift it would cause a huge sand storm and cause my skimmer to go crazy

[tony]

Wish I could make it to the meeting, but I'd just slow you guys down with newbie questions and im sure half the stuff you guys talk about would be jibberish to me anyways. :)
Next time will be more effective.


i ASSURE you that would not be the case

swing by if you can

i dropped misst a line to see if she minded bringing your skimmer to you but she has been offline. if not i may find the track and give it to you myself. will the races be rain or shine? there is a 100% chance of rain with hail tomorrow for SA

[hobogato]

by all means - like tony said - please come to the meeting if you can. should be a great informative talk on reef pests - something we all deal with.

[atxchris1234]

Well, just found out that racing is officially cancelled for this weekend due to the 90% thunderstorms on saturday. Therefore, joining all you reef pro's might be a nice thing to do instead. I'll make sure to bring a notepad!:bigsmile:

By the way, Is there a thread for this meet? Address? Time? Should I bring anything? Is it okay if I bring a guest?

[hobogato]

here ya go

http://www.maast.org/forums/announcement.php?f=&a=5

perfectly fine to bring a guest :)

[coraline79]

I have 1 Koralia 2 in my 30 long, and it creates the max amount of current I would want in my tank. I have built a 30 inch spraybar across the back of my tank for my sump return though, so that is creating some additional flow. I "cycled my tank" for 8 weeks w/ cured rock. I am new to the salt as well, and I understand that you can get a little paranoid, but as your tank matures it will become a little more stable. I do 10-12 day 10% water changes w/ ro/di water, and I top off a quart of ro/di water every 2 days. Only one of the fish I put in at 8 weeks lived, I didn't have any confidence in my tank until probably last month. My tank has been up since late August or early September. If your putting 2 Koralias in the tank put one low and one high. I did this with my first 2 small powerheads, and it seemed to help keep my rock free of substrate. PM me if you have any questions, as we have similar setups.

[atxchris1234]

Went ahead and added two cooling fans yesterday. I noticed as my light was on that my temps were getting all the way up to 82 degrees, now with the fans the temp stays much more constant at 78-80, and the fans automatically come on with the lights.
I also added another korailia 2 On the opposite side of the tank, so now there is a constant circular flow. I don't see any dead spots in the tank anymore, just good flow.And it doesn't seem like too much at this point. My clown seems happy.... But you guys have me afraid for his life. lol.

http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/2/4611565970.jpg (http://www.putfile.com/pic/7682839)




I also added another rock, this one has a massive green mushroom of some sort. Very pretty. Since last night it has opened up quite a bit, so I think its happy. I was originally going to add some zoas, but decided to get this for now because I knew that more rock was better, so rather than rush and start adding corals and whatnots I just decided to get this mushroom since it came with a good sized and fully cured liverock. Can't wait for zoas, but I want to get my rock stacked better so I don't have to keep stirring everything up. Hopefully I can get my last rock over the weekend and be done with my aquatecture for a while.

http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/2/4611570058.jpg (http://www.putfile.com/pic/7682840)

Between this and the protien skimmer hopefully I'll have a decent setup for the time being. Only thing to do now (according to missT) is gut the internals of my filter, and add live rock to that.

This is fun.