First SW Tank

[RC775]

Hello all. I'm new to SW and wanted to express my appreciation for all the knowledge shared in the forums.

I've had several FW tanks over the years, but always wanted a SW reef tank. My lfs had a huge sale last month and made me a deal I couldn't refuse. I traded in my 60g FW and picked up an Innovative Marine SR-80.

I'm going to start cycling tomorrow. I've got about 100lbs of live rock, 10lbs of Nature's Ocean sand and a bunch of dry aragonite sand coming from my lfs. The rock looks pretty good and has been in their holding tank for a few months. I'm hoping not to have too much die off since it will be straight from their tank to mine.

I plan to cycle for at least two weeks without lights keeping a close eye on the water conditions. Once all looks good, I'll light up the tank and add some cuc and a small refugium in the overflow. If I get no spikes, I'll probably throw in an anemone and a clown soon after. I also bought a skimmer and will fire that up when I start adding.

I don't have an RO, but my lfs said the city water would be good enough to start. I'm sure there's lots of things wrong with that, but I'll hope for the best and get an RO system as soon as possible.

I'm not sure what my water parameters should be, so I'll probably try to match the lfs since that's where my critters will come from. Feel free to send me your suggestions or opinions. I'll try to keep this thread going with pictures as I progress.

 

[ziggy]

Hello all. I'm new to SW and wanted to express my appreciation for all the knowledge shared in the forums.

I've had several FW tanks over the years, but always wanted a SW reef tank. My lfs had a huge sale last month and made me a deal I couldn't refuse. I traded in my 60g FW and picked up an Innovative Marine SR-80.

I'm going to start cycling tomorrow. I've got about 100lbs of live rock, 10lbs of Nature's Ocean sand and a bunch of dry aragonite sand coming from my lfs. The rock looks pretty good and has been in their holding tank for a few months. I'm hoping not to have too much die off since it will be straight from their tank to mine.

I plan to cycle for at least two weeks without lights keeping a close eye on the water conditions. Once all looks good, I'll light up the tank and add some cuc and a small refugium in the overflow. If I get no spikes, I'll probably throw in an anemone and a clown soon after. I also bought a skimmer and will fire that up when I start adding.

I don't have an RO, but my lfs said the city water would be good enough to start. I'm sure there's lots of things wrong with that, but I'll hope for the best and get an RO system as soon as possible.

I'm not sure what my water parameters should be, so I'll probably try to match the lfs since that's where my critters will come from. Feel free to send me your suggestions or opinions. I'll try to keep this thread going with pictures as I progress.

Welcome. First when starting off with city water, add a de-clorinator to the water before you put the live rock in. do not put the rock in till your water parameters are correct.
As far as the anemone... I would not add one until you have a mature tank of about a year old.

Keep us posted!

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

to ReefSanctuary, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members

Start a tank thread & share your tank with us so we can follow along, we love pics

 

[DianaKay]

Hello RC
WELCOME to Reef Sanctuary
Looks like an exciting SW adventure is about to start...
Glad you are planning on sharing it with us

Buying my RO-Di system was one of the best bits of advice I got here at RS in the beginning & I like to pass it along. I started out with tap water & declorinizer. I have had too high phospate levels because of it. Might test phospate of the water BEFORE you go with it.
I agree with Ziggy on getting an anemone....let your tank mature for the safty of the nem & your other critters. Do some research on them before you get one. Your LFS will probably want to sell you one even if your tank is not stable enough or mature enough for one. That's how they make $$$ & keep you happy for the moment. You might know a little of how that works from FW purchases. It seems worse with SW
I'd venture to say that most people new to the SW hobby who get an anemone, regret doing so. I had one with my very 1st SW tank & it was the BIGGEST WORRY in my tank. The idea of Nemo having a perfect home was just not worth the worry the anemone created. It didn't turn out well
OK, I will quit preaching

I'm glad you are here & I hope you get as much great help as I have gotten the past few years here at RS.
Make yourself at home ASK ???'s and have fun sharing your tank build.
Very BEST WISHES....

 

[RC775]

Started up the tank last night. I ended up using 82 lbs of live rock, 10 lbs of Nature's Ocean sand and 30 lbs of dry aragonite sand. I'm having a bit of trouble adjusting my wave maker (Jebao RW-8). I've got it turned all the way down and pointed at the center of the front glass on the tank, but it's just blowing all my sand away.

 

[ziggy]

Started up the tank last night. I ended up using 82 lbs of live rock, 10 lbs of Nature's Ocean sand and 30 lbs of dry aragonite sand. I'm having a bit of trouble adjusting my wave maker (Jebao RW-8). I've got it turned all the way down and pointed at the center of the front glass on the tank, but it's just blowing all my sand away.

I would put the wavemaker on a side window, pointed to the opposite side diagonal.

 

[RC775]

I'll give that a try. It is already on the side and aimed at the center of the front glass. Was trying to bank the flow off the front.

 

[DaveK]

...
I plan to cycle for at least two weeks without lights keeping a close eye on the water conditions. Once all looks good, I'll light up the tank and add some cuc and a small refugium in the overflow. If I get no spikes, I'll probably throw in an anemone and a clown soon after. ...

I don't have an RO, but my lfs said the city water would be good enough to start. I'm sure there's lots of things wrong with that, but I'll hope for the best and get an RO system as soon as possible.

I'm not sure what my water parameters should be, so I'll probably try to match the lfs since that's where my critters will come from. ...

Expect to cycle the tank a much longer period of time. I recommend you add a raw, uncooked shrimp that you get form the seafood counter of your local grocery store. As it breaks down it will provide a source of ammonia to cycle the tank.

Do not add anything until this cycle is complete, and expect it to take awhile.

Do not add an anemone until your tank is well established and stable. This typically takes about 1 year. That's right 1 year. The clown it ok, and it doesn't need an anemone to host in.

As for RO water, in my opinion your LFS lied. Very very few places have tap water of a high enough quality to use for a SW reef tank. Yes, places like that do exist, but they are rare. It's usually least expensive long term to get your own RO/DI unit.

Get your own test kits, one for each parameter you need to test. Don't attempt to match your LFS. Many times they get them wrong. For example they may be running SG low thinking they are controlling diseases or trying to save money. They may not care about some of the parameters or be using a cheep salt that doesn't mix to correct levels.

I've posted this before but it applies here -

DaveK's Standard Lecture #4 – Test Kits

There are a host of items that you may wish to test for in a reef system.

First before you worry about the other tests, make sure your SG is correct. I highly recommend using a refractometer for this measurement. Aquarium grade hydrometers tend to be very inaccurate, especially when used over time.

Once you have the SG correct you'll need the following test kits for the initial cycle -
pH (This can also be done via a pH meter, which is more accurate, and expensive)
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate (low range)

To properly monitor the water, especially for corals, these these kits are often used -
KH or Alkalinity
Calcium
Magnesium
Phosphate

There are a host of other test kits you can get. I have some of them but do not typically use them.
Iodine - only needed if you are dousing iodine, which is not something I recommend.
Copper - only needed if you are treating a disease in a QT tank with copper.
Silicate - only needed if you suspect a problem with silicate in the water.
Strontium - only needed if dousing strontium

I think I've covered most of the major ones.

Each test kit works differently, so you need to consult the manufacturers instructions for each test.

As for brands, in aquarium grade test kits I like Elos, SeaChem and Salifret. Hach and LaMotte test kits are excellent, but extremely expensive. Most of the others are ok. Like anything else you get what you pay for.

If you do get a reading that seems way off, repeat the test, and if it still seems way off, use another brand test kit and repeat the test. In other words, consider that the test kit may be wrong.

You'll notice that you most likely will need to get a lot of test kits. It's often a lot less expensive to order them via the net, and you'll also know the test kit hasn't been sitting on the LFS shelf for years.

 

[RC775]

Thanks Dave. I don't plan to rush anything. I was hoping that there would be some good anaerobic bacteria already living in that rock. If I have to slow things down to give it time to grow I will. I did start up with the tap water. I dosed with AmQuel Plus, so hopefully this will at least get me going. I think I'll plan on the RO for my first purchase (even before lights). I'll use the RO for top-offs and for my water changes.

As for feeding the tank, do you think flake will work as well as the shrimp?

I'll hold off on adding anything in until the water spikes and settles back down. After that, I was planning on just cuc. My thoughts were some snails, dwarf hermits, a goby, and maybe cleaner shrimp. I'd like to stick with fairly hardy life at first. I wasn't even going to add a clown unless I was stable with that cuc first.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Great advise ^ here a great read too
Newbies, a little something on cycling/breaking in a new reef tank.

and a post that may be of some help...
A Simple RO/DI hookup anyone can do...

 

[RC775]

11/9/2015 Filled tank with approx 20 gallons of water from lfs, 81 lbs of live rock, 10 lbs of live sand, and 30 lbs of dry sand. Added small refugium with Chaeto. No light on tank, but there is an LED on the algae.

11/12/2015 Added 6 dwarf hermits and 3 Tongan Nassarius snails. Began feeding with 3 shrimp pellets per day.

11/14/2015 After observing behavior, increased to 5 shrimp pellets per day.

11/16/2015 Added Tigger-pods to refugium.

11/17/2015 Added 2 Emerald Crabs, 1 dwarf hermit, and 1 Sleeper Blue Spot Goby.

11/19/2015 All water measurements are still stable. No algae trouble. The tank has no direct lighting yet, but receives plenty of natural light (indirect) during the day. No significant rise in Nitrate, Nitrite, or Ammonia. If all continues stable, I'll add lighting in a week or two. I think I need to find a better test for Ammonia. There should be none, but I always seem to see just a bit of color in my test. I think I may be just a bit color blind on that shade.

Water Parameters:
SG 1.022
PH 8.2
KH 8.5
NO2 <0.05
NO3 <5
Ammonia <0.05
Temp 77.6F/25.6C

I'm probably taking it too fast, but have had good luck so far. I don't plan to add any more bioload until my lights are on and I get a good baseline for my water parameters. Hermits and Emeralds are picking at anything loose in the rocks. Snails and hermits jump all over the pellets when added. The goby seems to be doing well. He's carved out a few caves under the rock and is happily sifting away. He's a bit shy and will hide if I walk up to the tank too quick, but hopefully that will change once he's better acclimated.

I've finally got a good angle on my wave maker. It is planted in the middle of the right side and aimed up and towards the back (rocks). Its giving a good current, but no longer clears out all the sand at the front of the tank. It's still thin on the front left corner, but not bare. It's made a nice wave pattern on the sand.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Very pretty ! cheers for sharing !

One of the best reads, I have every read on "cycling a tank" by RS member prow - a bit long & one I have had to re-read several times to get it "in my brain" ... but really a great read - if interested

http://reefsanctuary.com/forum/inde...on-cycling-breaking-in-a-new-reef-tank.26180/

 

[RC775]

11/20/2015 Added 20 lbs of live rock. This was mostly smaller more decorative pieces.
11/22/2015 Completing 5 gallon water change after taking measurements tonight. Looks like the last of the rock had a bit too much die off.
SG 1.022
PH 8
KH 9.5
NO2 0.1
NO3 25
Ammonia 0.1
Temp 76.5/24.5

11/23/2015 Added lighting tonight. I turned it on for about 4 hours this evening, but will not be turning it back on until the tank cycles a bit longer. Water change helped bring the numbers back down.
SG 1.023
PH 8.2
KH 8.5
NO2 0.02
NO3 10
Ammonia 0.05
Temp 77.8/25.9

 

[RC775]

11/29/2015 Began lighting the tank today. 12 hours of blues, 8 hours of full intensity white and blue. I'll be watching for algae.

SG 1.022
PH 8.2
KH 8.5
NO2 0.05
NO3 13
Ammonia 0.05
Temp 76.4/24.5

12/2/2015 I noticed that there are a few very small snails and some Amphipoda in the tank. They must have come in with that last rock I added. I re-read Prow's article linked above. Thinking about calming the lights down a bit. I'll keep a close eye on things and wait a bit longer since I still haven't had any algae issues.

 

[RC775]

12/2/2015 Evening Update: Some signs of algae on the rock tonight. I am going to cut the lights off again. Clearly I need to allow more time to grow anaerobic bacteria.

SG 1.022
PH 8.2
KH 8
NO2 0
NO3 10
Ammonia 0
Temp 77.2/25.3

 

[StirCrayzy]

Some algae is to be expected during the cycle, just make sure to pull/scrub the rock if it looks like its gaining momentum.
Which light do you have, it looks very close to the water?

 

[Desmond]

I would increase your SG to 1.025 or 26. Much better. Also buy a RO unit. If you plan on adding corals using tap water. You may as well flush them down the loo. Anemone don't risk it wait at least 6 months and as said 1 year is best. Tank looks nice so it does. I would suggest getting some good test kits and a refractometer for measuring SG. Also do you have an auto top off unit. Will help keep your SG stable. Also no offence to your local store. But if they are not using RO water I would not even buy a snail off them. I imagine there SG is low also to save money. Short cuts in this hobby will cost you allot of money.
Good luck with new tank look forward to seeing the progress ☺

Sent from my SM-G870F using Tapatalk

 

[RC775]

Thanks again for all the advice. I'm planning on an RO/DI. Still just buying distilled water for now, but should have one within a month. Next up will be an ATO.

The light is a Green Element EVO Quad 48". It's not an expensive light. I'll use it for now and hope it lasts for a year or two before upgrading. I didn't realize that lights would be as much as tanks when I decided on a reef tank.

I've added a few more cuc. 2 Bumble Bee snails, 2 Turbin snails, 2 Turbo snails. Also added a clown to keep the cycle going. Was thinking about another sand sifter. Any suggestions? Also thought a Starry Blenny would be nice for picking algae off the rock.

12/9/15
SG 1.022
PH 8.2
KH 8
NO2 <.02
NO3 <10
Ammonia 0.05
Temp 76.3/24.4

 

[RC775]

The tank is cycling well. Current residents are Maroon Clown, Sleeper Blue Dot Goby, and Starry Blenny. I've also got four varieties of snail, 7 dwarf hermits, two cleaner shrimp, and two emerald crabs. One possible issue is that I no longer see any of my Tongan Nassarius snails. They do not come up at feeding time and I don't see any of their noses poking up through the sand. The Goby continues to sift sand and seems healthy enough. I'm not sure if I'm just not seeing them or if they died.

Lots of small bubbles forming on all of my rock for the last two weeks. I added an ATO (my wife's present this Christmas) and purchased my RO/DI. No more trips to buy distilled for me!

I've brought up the salinity and everything else has been pretty stable. PH is up for the first time. I'll keep an eye on it as this may be from my change in top off water.

12/28/15
SG 1.025
PH 8.3
KH 8.5
NO2 <.02
NO3 <5
Ammonia 0.05
Temp 77.4/25.4

 

[RC775]

Things are going well. I've got a good CUC and have added a few fish and corals. I was able to upgrade my lights. Its too early to tell how that will effect the life, but I expect positive results. It definitely looks better now. Stats have been pretty level. My KH is down a bit, but I have just started regular water changes using Tropic Marin Pro Reef salt. I expect that a few weeks from now I'll start seeing that come back up. I do have something I can dose for KH if it continues to drop. I think I'm finally getting past the uglies!

3/14/16
SG 1.025
PH 8.2
KH 7.5
NO2 0
NO3 2
Ammonia 0.05
Temp 77.9/25