My First Marine
#1
Posted 08 August 2008 - 01:42 PM
4x2x1.5 tank (320ltrs)
15kg of argonite sphere base
3000lph power head
5000lph power head
550ltr skimmer
heater
T5 lighting unit that hold 4 fluro's
So far I have filled the tank and put the salt in.
The hydrometer reads about 1.019-1.020 (should i add more salt or is that ok).
The tank is about 4/5 full, as i left room for the live rock.
It has been running with the power heads in all last night and today, and I'll put the skimmer in when the water level gets a bit higher.
The water is a bit cloudy from the substrate, i was thinking of putting in a pump with a filter for a day or so to clear this up a bit, is that good/bad?
And tomorrow i was going down to get some live rock, should i get as much as i can as soon as i can? Or gradually add in more and more???
Would just the protien skimmer and the liverock be enough filtration? I was planning on having alot of liverock in the tank.
I'll add in updates on how I go.
Cheers
#2
Posted 08 August 2008 - 07:27 PM
4x2x1.5 tank (320ltrs)
15kg of argonite sphere base
3000lph power head
5000lph power head
550ltr skimmer
heater
T5 lighting unit that hold 4 fluro's
Sounds Fantastic
The hydrometer reads about 1.019-1.020 (should i add more salt or is that ok).
I would recommend to bump it at a minimum up to .022, while fish can survive at those levels I myself like to keep things as close to natural for the fish as possible, and see .04 as ideal.
Yep with just fine filter wool etc. it will clear up nicely but even if you don’t it should clear up within 24 hours
If you can afford it add it all at once, other wise every time you add new rock you will get a new mini cycle just causing more harm than good.
Depends on what you were planning on keeping, if you are planning on keeping mainly corals with 1 or 2 fish it will be heaps but it you want a very heavily fish stocked tank you might need to consider a biofilter of some sort
Regards
Sam
#3
Posted 09 August 2008 - 01:25 AM
#4
Posted 09 August 2008 - 08:09 AM
#5
Posted 09 August 2008 - 11:32 PM
I threw in the live rock today, ill hopefully be getting some more on monday. The cloudyness is mostly gone now, which is good, I took the pump out and plugged the protien skimmer in, its a little bit tricky to get it at the right flowing level, how much water should be coming out of the top canister? because at the moment it is only trickleing very slowly. The tank looks great with the rocks in and the protien skimmer going and the lights on. Should i leave the lights on as much as i can for the cureing process to allow more bacteria growth? or does it reall not matter???
Cheers for the comments back, hopefully ill have some pics soon
#6
Posted 10 August 2008 - 02:28 PM
got and old 35$ 3ftr spent 40$ on dividers... 40$ for a power head to return the flow and abt 30$ on pvc jopins etc so 145$ and i have no heaters uv protien etc in tank just a cple powher heads to make a current.. mind you my 3ft top tank came with an overflow wier with out that it would be a bit harder
#7
Posted 10 August 2008 - 04:38 PM
#8
Posted 10 August 2008 - 04:48 PM
i had mine at 24-25 at the start but for some reason my anemone doesnt like it so its at 28 now and all looks well. same effect but due to the larger filtraion more media more water volume most people believe you can have more fish in the tank.. im beggining to believe it too.
#9
Posted 10 August 2008 - 05:47 PM
Another question, whats a hardy sort of anemone, or soft coral i could put in soonish? Like in a few weeks as a starter?
Just had another look at it and its starting to show some purple patches on some of the rocks, is this the coroline? or something like that? The tank is starting to look real sexy now lol
#10
Posted 10 August 2008 - 08:39 PM
It all depends on the brand and type of skimmer; check with the store you bought if from
nope; put them on as little as much possible; just becouse you will get huge algea growth and the more lights the more algea.
about 25-26 watch out it doesnt get to hot or else corals will start melting
Just had another look at it and its starting to show some purple patches on some of the rocks, is this the coroline? or something like that? The tank is starting to look real sexy now lol
Anemones dont like ammonia to much so i wouldnt suggest them yet, maybe try some soft corals or morphs or the like;
and i highly doubt its corraline algea yet it generallly takes a while(numerous of weeks/months) i would put my money on cynobacteria; a purple algea that must marine tanks get during cycling.
Regards Sam
#11
Posted 10 August 2008 - 08:56 PM
#12
Posted 10 August 2008 - 11:00 PM
The LR u bought may have already had coralline algae growing on it. If it is Cyno the best way of describing it is like the black stuff that sticks to Spiderman in number 3 (texture and the way it spreads, but a deep moroon/purple colour). It can be easily removed via siphoning.
Dazza
#13
Posted 11 August 2008 - 11:33 AM
cheers
#14
Posted 11 August 2008 - 05:36 PM
Not much more I can think of besides checking the ammonia and nitrites every couple of days. After the tank has cycled and u start increasing the bioload then u'll need to keep a closer eye on nitrates as this will help determine how often water changes should be. Every month or two u should do an occasional check on ammonia and nitrite to see how well your filtration is coping.
It's common to get an algae bloom in new tanks so keep a watchful on that. Perhaps get a cleanup crew (snails, hermits etc) so u can watch the progress in the tank before dishing out for pricey coral and fish.
Dazza
#15
Posted 11 August 2008 - 06:43 PM
#16
Posted 11 August 2008 - 09:33 PM
60KG of LR is a good percentage of your tank volume. Heaps of water movement and eliminating "dead spot/zones" is the key. If you do end up getting a sump or trickle you can increase your bio filtration via anything with a high surface area and preferably porous. Crushed coral is good, bio balls were all the craze a few years back, or a commercial branded product like Seachem Matrix. Which ever u do choose to go with put a mechanical filter such as filter wool. This will help prevent clogging up your bio media with detritus and will polish the water also. Just make sure it's easily accessible and removable to prevent excess build/nitrate levels etc.
I look forward to seeing your tank's progress.
Dazza
#17
Posted 12 August 2008 - 02:18 PM
Cheers
Ric
#18
Posted 17 August 2008 - 08:25 PM
Any advice would be greatly appriceiated.
cheers
#19
Posted 22 August 2008 - 05:17 PM
#20
Posted 22 August 2008 - 05:34 PM
sushi if you email your pics to me ill be glad to shrink them for you
i use photoshop.. is easiest for me as just save as "jpeg" and wheny ou choose the quality it says the file size also shrinking the dimensions helps/
PM me if you want to take up the offer
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