My 49g tank

[butwa20]

Going to post pics up every week of my progression.http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/Rentarox123/1296710153.jpg

[butwa20]

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/Rentarox123/1296710133.jpg

[roun]

prefect size tank, looks good and take it slow

[StevenSeas]

What are the measurements on this tank? What kinda anemone is that? Looking forward to seeing weekly progression shots. Good luck and take your time ;)

[hobogato]

great idea, look forward to seeing it progress

[butwa20]

the tank is 36x15x20

[ErikH]

You need more rock, just make sure it doesn't smell like sulphur when you buy it as that is a sign of die off. Looks good so far!

[butwa20]

oh yea i plan on getting more my wife was with me and when she heard $6.50 a lbs lol well lets say i got the look and only got 20lbs to start

[Europhyllia]

I like the dimensions. You could always go with dry rock to keep cost down

[butwa20]

yea the dry rock i got already has brown alge growing on it after i put the new lighting in the tank everything started booming

[butwa20]

the anemone is a Condylactis

[butwa20]

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/Rentarox123/1297889502.jpg
This weeks pic

[StevenSeas]

wow thats some quick progression...

[butwa20]

Lol yea I know but everything is doing well I haven't lost anything I put in yet and I think it's been a little over a week

[justahobby]

Looks much better w/ the add rock. Tell us about the tank: lighting, skimmer, dosing, sump, etc. A suggestion: really upgrade the flow. It looks like your powerheads are a bit petite. We have the WTB forum you could post in for equipment. That helps save money for more coral :D And becoming a charter member will get you discounts on livestock and dry goods. Is that a shark egg in the right corner?

[butwa20]

Yea bought it at the Lfs going to hatch it for and then sell it back to them just wanted the experiance not keeping it long. Just to get it eating. My powerheads are pushing out like 1500gph there is a nice current that rips through. The lighting is 4-t5 2-10,000k 2-actinic 39w each I have about 3w per gallon. And I sent in my 25$ through paypal but I havnt got anything. Skimmer is 65 coral life it's doing a good job now that it is broken in. The sump pumps 520gph.

[justahobby]

Well I wish you luck, but sharks are 'expert only' for many reasons. Their requirements are hard to meet and a hatchling in a new tank makes it an uphill battle while wearing roller skates. Most stores will only preorder because the mortality rate is close enough to 100%. I really urge you to consider taking it back.

What do you have going in the sump? Macro algae? Your lighting should do nicely for the soft coral and condy anemone you have already picked out. Look forward to you progress.

[StevenSeas]

Well I wish you luck, but sharks are 'expert only' for many reasons. Their requirements are hard to meet and a hatchling in a new tank makes it an uphill battle while wearing roller skates. Most stores will only preorder because the mortality rate is close enough to 100%. I really urge you to consider taking it back.

What do you have going in the sump? Macro algae? Your lighting should do nicely for the soft coral and condy anemone you have already picked out. Look forward to you progress.

Also in a newer tank with swinging levels (from being new and adding additions as well as rock) it will make rearing a shark difficult.

Just remember patience is a virtue to be had to have in this hobby. just take a look at justins quote.

Good luck I look forward to next weeks pics and updates.

[butwa20]

I think it's macro it's greenstrands with balls on them also some sand and a peice of live rock

[justahobby]

That would be grape caulerpa. Macro basically just describes the size of the plants. Chaeto, caulerpas, the plant like algae will be macro and micro will be the filamentous types like what grows on the glas. Do some research on caulerpa going asexual. You will need to keep light on it 24/7. A lit of people use chaeto because the risk is very minute compared to caulerpa. Chaeto also isn't invasive ie. Won't spread throuh you display tank. Caulerpa is still a great nutrient export vessel, just gotta take a couple extra precautions. I apologize if I am throwing a lot at you. Don't be afraid to ask questions. You show me someone on here that claims to have never been a newbie and I will show you a liar.

[butwa20]

So tonight the first disaster happened :( my skimmer over flowed and soaked my carpet lol and shorted out my light system cuz the bastila housing was under my tank should have listened to others about watching my skimmer cuz it was not in my sump. Well now I have to find a new light system tomorrow befor everything dies

[butwa20]

And no please give me all the info you can I wanna know I bought some book to read

[justahobby]

Ouch! Sorry to hear that. So just the ballast nerds replacing? What size ballast? Check the sale threads.


Good news is everything won't die overnight or even after seceral days for not having lights. They get shipped.from reefs with little water and certainly no light to speak of. Hang in there and this will be one of those funny "mistakes I made as a newbie" threads Hm a year or two.

[butwa20]

The ballast are in a different housing it's weird it more like a circuit board and that's where the on off switch is at

[butwa20]

So I stuck the ballast in rice over night and they are working not so glad I don't have to buy new lights. Now I put skimmer in the sump. Secured all electronics above the floor in the stand and zipped tied all loose wires together a's to not have this happen again.

[butwa20]

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/Rentarox123/1298848036.jpg

[ErikH]

So I stuck the ballast in rice over night and they are working not so glad I don't have to buy new lights. Now I put skimmer in the sump. Secured all electronics above the floor in the stand and zipped tied all loose wires together a's to not have this happen again.

Ahh, that's an awesome trick. Had a couple of friends do that with IPhones.

Tank is looking good, If you have room in your sump, pack it with smaller pieces of rock. Every 6 months or so you can remove it all, shake the rock off really well, and drain the sump. Then just fill the sump back up with a new batch of SW and viola.

[butwa20]

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/Rentarox123/1299697248.jpg
This weeks update just finished the hood last night next is my led set up. Might wait till we move to build it.

[Disher]

Tank lights are insanely bright, did you upgrade the lighting? You should post a picture of your sump. I'm looking into a tank around the same size and would love to see your setup. Hope the tank is doing well!

[butwa20]

no i did not upgrade the lighting lol i dont know why it looked so bright. So i just got dont moving and all my coral beside my zoas which have not been out in a week and my open brain were nuked in the move i have done multiple water changes but cant get my nitrates back to 0 they are holding strong at 40 which i know is to high. does any one have any suggestion

[butwa20]

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d38/Rentarox123/1305316743.jpg

[butwa20]

as you can see my tank looks bare

[butwa20]

So after the move i have lost all corals in my tank. my nitrates spike very high (120) ppm after the move tryed to save the corals by moving them but it was to late nitrate lvls have come back down so now i am starting over picked up a few corals today from a local maast member. Hoping these will bring a little life back into my tank. I am really looking for some ideas from you guys with my rebuilding of my tank. Right now small Kenya frag, Green purple eater frag, couple zoas, and green star polyp, ocolarious clown pair, coral beauty and a damsel purple with yellow tail.

[butwa20]

so i found out now what killed everything a stupid move on my own a big lesson learned i put new valves in the tank after the move and they did not have the size in plastic that i needed so i got a metal on not thinking it was copper :/ well lets just say the copper was high but after testing it yesturday i am happy to say its a zero again and my only coral that survived my green people eaters are doing well they finally are opening up again. i hope the tank will start to look good again soon.