Intro of Newb/New to salt

[chunkymonkey]

Hey folks, heard of this forum through my LFS so I thought I'd join. Quick run down:

It's a 55 gallon
60 pounds live sand
30 pounds live rock(buying more, want at least 60)
Fluval 405 canister filter with the surface skimmer attachment

Would love to add coral later within the year, but we'll see how it goes.

My wife is going nuts watching surf the sites for ideas and researching requirements and such. Never thought I'd move over to a salt setup.....Spending the money definitely isn't a myth, lol, but having a blast.


I just picked these up today:
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/chadmandry/DSC_0220-2.jpg

and
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/chadmandry/DSC_0219-1.jpg

About to do a water change so I had to pick up more salt:
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/chadmandry/DSC_0221-2.jpg

Will get some picks of the 55 in the morning, just charged the camera tonight for photos and my oldest kiddo is asleep, and I will NOT "wake a sleeping giant," lol.

[tony]

welcome to maast!

im going to move this to general reefkeeping for you

great start on equipment. koralias are tough to beat. i loved my bakpak skimmer on my 30. it might be pushing it on a moderately stocked 55 though. also, make sure you remove the biobale (blue plastic stuff) or you will have problems with nitrates.

[chunkymonkey]

Great, thanks Tony....Sorry about the post, I wasn't exactly sure if there was a formal intro area.

Can't wait to get this tank going.
BTW, thanks to Gabe and Jason at Gabe's Fish for helping me out. I'm sure they have to be tired of seeing my face at their shop, lol.

[Kristy]

Welcome to MAAST. There are a great group of people on here and the site can be a great source for information. Do not be afraid to ask newbie questions, as we have all been there and would usually like to help other people keep from making the same mistakes. My advise is to go slow on stocking and test often till things are very stable. HTH- Mike (& Kristy)

[tony]

no apology necessary we are fairly informal around here

again, welcome to maast and a very rewarding/frustrating hobby haha

[Bill S]

Welcome to Maast. Just remember the golden rule about salt water/reefkeeping:

"Bad, bad things happen to those that are impatient!".

The only way to beat this rule is to throw money at it. And lose livestock.

[Gilbert]

i recommend buying salt buy the bucket, it cheaper in the long run...

[chunkymonkey]

I agree Bstreep, I agree completely. Fortunately I have the patience, I hate wasting money. But, I am definitely anxious to get it stocked, but don't want to rush. Gabe and Jason have been keeping me in check.
Gilbert, they tried to get me to buy the bucket, but I wasn't thinking and just bought the bag. Will buy the bucket for sure next time.

[chark]

Welcome to MAAST. Looking forward to the pictures of your build.

[chunkymonkey]

Okay, about time I posted tank shots, lol.
Live rock isn't in the final position, still trying to figure out what I want in terms of the layout.

Someone is excited about his aquarium:
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/chadmandry/DSC_0229-1.jpg
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/chadmandry/DSC_0230-1.jpg

The Fluval 405:
Those aren't scratches on the glass, just my bear claw smudges, lol
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/chadmandry/DSC_0232-1.jpg

Full tank shot. You can see both powerheads in place(let me know if you think they should be elsewhere), the CPR back pack skimmer, and the contents of the tank. I haven't put the skimmer attachment on the Fluval yet. The powerhead on the left is on the back glass and bouncing off the front center glass. The powerhead on the right side glass is slightly at the surface to keep it movin'.
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l38/chadmandry/DSC_0231-1.jpg

[chunkymonkey]

I plan on taking a sample of my water to the LFS tomorrow for testing, unless I can make it by there tonight, we'll see. I hope I'm almost there. I like looking at the aquarium every morning to see what the current has done with the sand, I know, retarded, lol.

[Gilbert]

i also have a 55 gallon, it was my first aquarium and i like it but i only wish it was wider. so in order to help you out i would recomemend having a design or idea of what your looking for as far as aquascape, so you will know what shapes of rocks you will need. i have about 120lbs of rock in my tank and all i can do is the rock wall, because i just picked out any rocks without paying attention to the design i wanted.

as for the position of the korilias, when i had my k3 on the back glass facing the front it would just push my sand from the front. so you should lower it towards the bottom of the tank and face it up... thats just my 2 cents.

[chunkymonkey]

Thanks for the input Gilbert!! I lowered the power head in the fashion you mentioned, not nearly as much kick up of the sand. We'll see if the placement is good within the next couple days. My water is good to go, I couldn't resist and went by Gabe's fish for testing. Should have my cleaning crew within this week, w00t! lol

Then, slowly of course, I'll be adding fish.

As for the rock, I picked quite a few smaller pieces allowing me flexibility for structures. I just really didn't want to go with the typical pile in the center. I've been looking online for ideas. We'll see.

[chunkymonkey]

Well Gilbert, great advice! Overnight and it's all still in place! Thanks!!!