Gerald's reef tank

[Geraldray]

My 55 gallon saltwater journey.
salt- Instant ocean reef crystal + calcium
Live sand- ocean direct Caribbean live sand
filter- Aquatop CF300 canister

so that's what i'm using. the tank has been filled and running 24 hours and i checked the Hydrometer and its reading 1.020 and 1.021

The tank is still not complete

 

[mr_tap_water]

Nice start keep it coming[emoji846][emoji106]


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[Geraldray]

Nice start keep it coming[emoji846][emoji106]


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thank you so much. I am a littler worried about the salt level.. but again i have nothing in it yet.. I want to go to the local fish store and buy the rock now and the bottle of cheat bacteria lol but i will wait it out.

Question- what is the ideal salt level? my guess is 1.023?

 

[mr_tap_water]

thank you so much. I am a littler worried about the salt level.. but again i have nothing in it yet.. I want to go to the local fish store and buy the rock now and the bottle of cheat bacteria lol but i will wait it out.

Question- what is the ideal salt level? my guess is 1.023?

If it's fish only 1.021 you could go as low as or slightly lower but if you wish to have corals and other types of inverts then I wouldn't go between
1.025-1.026 also when testing your sg level Bring your temperature of your tank up to the temperature which should be between 77-79F once the salt is mixed tweak it from there.




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[Geraldray]

If it's fish only 1.021 you could go as low as or slightly lower but if you wish to have corals and other types of inverts then I wouldn't go between
1.025-1.026 also when testing your sg level Bring your temperature of your tank up to the temperature which should be between 77-79F once the salt is mixed tweak it from there.




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BEAUTIFUL! so what ill do is add the rock and heater next week give it time to get to the proper temp and then recheck with my hydrometer! thank you so much!

 

[mr_tap_water]

Yes turn everything on add your rock and retest your SG in 24 hours to allow things to settle and stabilise. Then you can start your cycle.


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[Geraldray]

Yes turn everything on add your rock and retest your SG in 24 hours to allow things to settle and stabilise. Then you can start your cycle.


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I actually have the pump running now LOL is this a bad thing?

 

[mr_tap_water]

No you can get everything up and running now even your lights if you so wish[emoji846]


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[Geraldray]

If you don't mind me asking, what would be a great lighting option for this tank and also the best height for live rock to reach for optimal coal growth. I want this tank to be not just great for the coral but the fish.

 

[mr_tap_water]

Make sure to check when using that hydrometer you have no air bubbles stuck to the needle as it will give you a false reading,

The best thing you can do is invest in a refractometer this will give you a more accurate reading and is a Item that you will need to use on a regular basis to help keep things stable.



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[dbetts]

Hi Gerald! Glad to see you started a chronicle! I haven't posted in mine in a long time, so thanks for reminding me about doing that without even knowing. Haha!

If that picture you posted was of a full tank only 24 hours after setting it up, good job! My tank was cloudy for a good week when I set it up. Haha! For the lighting question, I would post that in the equipment section of the forum, you'll have a better chance of getting a good answer there.

Have fun on your saltwater adventure!

 

[Geraldray]

Hi Gerald! Glad to see you started a chronicle! I haven't posted in mine in a long time, so thanks for reminding me about doing that without even knowing. Haha!

If that picture you posted was of a full tank only 24 hours after setting it up, good job! My tank was cloudy for a good week when I set it up. Haha! For the lighting question, I would post that in the equipment section of the forum, you'll have a better chance of getting a good answer there.

Have fun on your saltwater adventure!

honestly all i did to try to prevent the cloudiness is just laid a plate on the sand and poured slowly onto the plate

 

[mr_tap_water]

If you don't mind me asking, what would be a great lighting option for this tank and also the best height for live rock to reach for optimal coal growth. I want this tank to be not just great for the coral but the fish.

Lighting options really depends on how much you want to spend there are plenty of LEDs on the market that range from reasonable to expenses, also T 5's Will do the job.

As for how high your Rock should be that is entirely up to you.
and depends on what type of sculpture you would like to do whether it's islands or a wall of rock I personally would only go halfway to 3/4 up so if you do put corals on top that would allow for growth.


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[mr_tap_water]

You more and lightly will see cloudiness within the next day or to but don't worry that's just the chemistry settling down and may take a week or 2 to go.


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[Pat24601]

Great start!

 

[Koestby]

Nice start U are onto But like @mr_tap_water says, one of the best buys we can do is a refractometer for testing. And when u get to put your live rock in be sure to have it sitting properly on the glass and not the sandbed. If u are getting sandsifting fish, or shrimps that live in symbiosis with fish they will dig caves under the LR and might make it collapse if not placed properly..
Just a heads up Happy reefing

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Cheers for starting a thread so we can follow along - nice start !

 

[Geraldray]

Thank you so much I am learning so much every day! I have added about 10 pounds of live rock and have tested my water every day and seen the spikes!! Everything is reading 0 besides NH3 witch is reading around 5-10 should I do a %50 percent water change? I also have not added the light for energy saving purposes. I plan on adding about 40 more pounds of rock but id like to wait till the water change so I don't over fill. Ill post a new picture when I get home.

 

[mr_tap_water]

If you've saying that had ammonia and Then nitrite now both on zero thereabouts and your No3 is 5 to 10 yes you could go ahead and do your want to change and then add your extra rock you could even add your extra rock before you water change I say this because depending on the quality of the rock you're adding it may leech phos back into your system so if you put that in first and leave for a few more days then do your water change then you're ready to go don't forget don't add too much livestock too quickly as it takes time for the good bacteria to establish itself and will increase as you gradually add your livestock. And keep testing your water every 3 to 4 days for the first month this will help you keep things under control and stable. If all stays ok you shouldn't have to use the ammonia or Nitrite after that but would advise to test once a week with the No3. And when you start adding corals you will need even more test kits LOL like Kh, mag ,Cal, Phos,if you want to really keep things stable.


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[Geraldray]

Ladies and gentalman we have amphipods!!!!!