New RSM 130 Owner For My 5 Year Old Daughter

[Misterious]

Hello everyone my name is Ryan and after months of begging from the most important person in my life (DADDY I WANT A NEMO!!!) I purchased a used RSM 130 for the family.

I found one on craigslist in decent shape with all stock parts other than the upgraded single pump and bulbs. I added new fans as the fans were loud as well.

Is $300 a fair price for this tank and stand in good shape?

I am very new to salt water but have several FW tanks so I have a few questions.

I also purchased a Hydor Koralia Nano 425 to add to the right side of the tank (Not sure if it is needed but I figured better safe than sorry)

I purchased 40 lbs of live sand and used Pre Mixed water from my LFS.

I plan to purchase my water weekly for a 5-10% water change from my LFS since it is on my way home from work and they have a great reputation.

Here is where I get a bit confused as far as the cycle goes.

I am using the ceramics (But i am going to remove them) and I put a fresh Chemi Pure Elite Bag under the pump on top of the ceramics.

I let the tank run with just the water, sand and media for 48 hours until it was crystal clear.


However I purchased live rock from a neighbor that had been in a tank for many years and was already cycled. It was out of the water for less than 20 mins and remained wet the entire time.

I put at least 60 lbs in the tank and my daughter designed it just the way she wanted it.

My neighbor as well as a LFS told me they did not expect much if any cycle at all since I was using live rock that had cycled already.

Is this correct?

I apologize as I am VERY new to Salt water and I am really doing this for my daughter so I want to make sure her "Nemo" is not going to die when I purchase it.

How long should I wait before adding a pair of clowns?

So far the water tests have been in the normal range but I have only been running with live rock for 48 hours and I ran with just water and live sand for 48 hours prior.

The water is crystal clear and the sponges on the live rock are opening up and we are seeing lots of growth we did not see the first day or so.

Any suggestions?

Thanks so much!..


Will Post Pics Once It Lets Me......

 

[slfcaptain]

$300 is a real good price.

You may want to get a bigger power head down the road. The nano koralia is a little under powered in my opinion. I have the same tank and I use a jebao wp 10 at full power. Many others have two power heads for that tank.

You shouldn't see much of a cycle but will probably see at least a small one. I would put a raw shrimp in there to decompose to make sure that it is fully cycled. Look up fishless cycle, its an easy way to cycle the tank without harming any fish in the process. After you have verified that you are cycled (ammonia and nitrate are zero even with a rotting shrimp in the tank) then you can add fish slowly. Its important to give the tank time to adjust to each addition.



steve

 

[slfcaptain]

BTW, you dont need the rings. You dont need the CPE at this point, I would take it out until the tank is cycled and you have need for it.

steve

 

[Misterious]

Alright I will pull out the Ceramics and the CPE tonight. Should i keep it wet so i can reuse it later?

Also as far as duel power heads it looks like the tank came with the upgraded single power head vs. the duel it comes with and I was going to add the Koralia as a second.

Will that be enough do you think?

Also forgot to mention the moonlight LED's were completely missing when I got the tank. I have ordered the replacement LED's and found the wire that was cut for them. Are these needed or is there a better option?

I am running one White bulb and one Dark (Not sure of the specs as the tank came with them and I did not look but I can post what they are later tonight) from 9am to 9pm.

Thanks so much for the quick reply!

 

[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 (after 5 post, you can add them)

Congrats on your new RSM 130

In theory... your LR as you described will handle your bio-load... me I would drop in a raw deli shrimp & test, as it decays, if your LR handles the ammonia & nitrites, you should be fine... but if you want to be sure nemo will live, I would do this.

having said this... your new tank will mature for the 1st year

a good :read: http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/29836-mature-aquarium.html

 

[Misterious]

Alright I will purchase the shrimp tonight on the way home and put it in the tank.

I def. do not want my daughter to pick out her "Nemo" and it die ..... That would just not be good with her OCD.....lol

 

[slfcaptain]

I dont think you need to keep it wet. I would try to get as much water out as possible, maybe let it dry for a day and then put it in a zip lock bag. You'll be able to reuse it again.

For now the single main pump and the koralia will be fine. In the future depending on what corals and fish you have you may need more water flow. In that case you can add another powerhead or replace the koralia with a more powerful one.


steve

 

[fishpalace]

Hi, I only installed a tank 8 days ago and have not had a spike in ammonia despite having LR and sand.

Very eager to get cuc in but will wait until cycle has passed, even if it's 7 weeks! It is very frustrating as you will read of people who will cycle in 2 weeks and their tanks look fantastic after 6 weeks.

When I first started looking @ a marine tank I read patience,patience, patience and I now understand what they mean albeit only 8 days have passed!

Enjoy


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

 

[Danreef]

About pumps: in my opinion if you only want to keep a pair of Nemos, with the tank pumps and the one you have are enought. Later, if you add corals then you can reevaluate, depending on the corals, your pump needs.

Daniel

 

[Misterious]

Hi Daniel I do plan to add corals I am just not sure which kind as of yet.

Below is the pump that came in it when I purchased it....

http://www.marineandreef.com/Red_Sea_Max_130_130D_Sicce_Circulation_Pump_p/rrs40344.htm

It seems to have alot of power , If anything falls into the tank(White clips from the hood) it will blast them to the other side of the tank......

I am going to add the Hydor on the right hand side once I get it.

Any suggestions on easy corals to maintain? My daughter is obsessed with bright colors.

Also is the right side the best place to position the new power head? The stock is on the far left of course using the factory mounting holes..

Thanks for all the feedback guys I really appreciate it!

Also here is a pic.... I plan to move the rock on the left off the glass and remove some of the smaller pieces.

This is how my daughter wanted it but I think it needs some work....lol

 

[BigAl07]

Congrats on what sounds like a really good purchase. KUDOS for making this a "family" project as this is indeed something you and the family can learn and grow with for years to come. It can be a very good bonding experience as well as educational (for both of you LOL). That's a WIN-WIN!

As noted yank the ceramics out... you won't need them at all.

Go ahead and buy yourself a FULL test kit (Ammonia, pH, Nitrite, Nitrate) and also invest in a good Refractometer to stay on top of the Specific Gravity (salinity) of your tank. The "Cycle" is not only good for the tank it also allows you to learn how to test the tank so you can see problems hopefully before they get big. Use this time to learn the tank inside and out and how things should look and you'll be better off in the long run.

Also don't accept "things are in normal range" as test results. You want hard/real numbers so you can see a "Trend" happening. Test your tank and keep clean/clear notes so you can refer later if you think you have a problem.

Here are some helpful links you can study that will hopefully answer many of your questions:
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/just-starting-out-sw-beginners/49019-acronyms-abbreviations.html

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/632618-post3.html

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...something-cycling-breaking-new-reef-tank.html

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...ners/20945-just-exactly-what-cycled-tank.html

and here is one you may want to bookmark for future reference
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...7-how-make-safe-water-change-marine-fish.html

There are many more on this thread >>>>>LOOK HERE <<<<<< so spend some time browsing and if you have more questions please don't hesitate to ask them. There are no dumb questions at all. We all started at the same place.


Good luck and WELCOME to Reef Sanctuary
Al

 

[BigAl07]

Just a quick note about pump placement... it's really up to you as to where you place it but try to not place it where it's pointing directly at or from the skimmer cup (large black cup where water falls before going through the grate into rear chambers). This is a very well designed "system" and the existing pump outlets are positioned so that water should flow out, around, and them back into the skimmer cup. I've seen a powerhead placed so that it blows "from" the cup and it causes the "film" to build on the waters surface because the surface skimmer isn't effective.

Just a suggestion though.

Hi Daniel I do plan to add corals I am just not sure which kind as of yet.

Below is the pump that came in it when I purchased it....

http://www.marineandreef.com/Red_Sea_Max_130_130D_Sicce_Circulation_Pump_p/rrs40344.htm




It seems to have alot of power , If anything falls into the tank(White clips from the hood) it will blast them to the other side of the tank......

I am going to add the Hydor on the right hand side once I get it.

Any suggestions on easy corals to maintain? My daughter is obsessed with bright colors.

Also is the right side the best place to position the new power head? The stock is on the far left of course using the factory mounting holes..

Thanks for all the feedback guys I really appreciate it!

Also here is a pic.... I plan to move the rock on the left off the glass and remove some of the smaller pieces.

This is how my daughter wanted it but I think it needs some work....lol

 

[Misterious]

The large black cup you refer to is that the surface skimmer?

If so I do not believe my tank has one. As you can see in the pic above. Do you think something is missing?

If so please let me know and I will order it asap.

Thanks!

 

[Misterious]

Does anyone know if the Tunze 9001 will work in the RSM 130 with the media rack?

Looks very similar to the 9002 but I can not find it for sale anywhere now.

 

[BigAl07]

Yes that is what I'm talking about. I didn't see the pic when I originally posted and I should have looked closer when I DID post.

I "think" you can get the Surface Skimmer Add-on for your tank. That's an upgrade from the 130 to 130D system. StevieT (InTank MEdia Baskets) sells these and I believe (you want to contact them to confirm) this is a simple slide-on upgrade. Here's a link directly to the page that shows the upgrade
http://shop.mediabaskets.com/Red-Sea-Max-Adjustable-Surface-Skimmer-RS40287.htm

InTank is one of our sponsors here at Reef Sanctuary and they carry a GREAT supply of RSM parts and upgrades. Be sure to check out their website as you may find some other useful items to order.

I wouldn't say you are "missing" a part and some people don't like or use the Surface Skimmer but I for one like it and highly suggest it. It isn't pretty but it does help surface skimming a LOT!

 

[Misterious]

Haha I am not worried about pretty at all, Obviously if you look at my rock above =P. However on the surface i do have a alot of particles on the water.

Is that what the surface skimmer is for? I think I will go ahead and order it as the price is really not bad at all.

Thanks for the link I have checked out many of Stevie's items when I was searching for a 9002 to buy.

 

[BigAl07]

Yes the Surface Skimmer does exactly what the name says. When everything is dialed in correctly the SS creates a slight "water fall" which pulls anything floating down into the rear chambers where it should get filtered out either by mechanical filtration (filter media, sponges etc) or possibly by the Protein Skimmer. Keeping the water's surface clean and clear helps in several ways:

1) Helps light to penetrate better so your coral get more of the energy your lights are producing
2) Increases O2 concentration because the Water Fall mixes some air into the water
3) Removing the film allows the GASES in the tank to leave the water into the atmosphere which leaves for an overall healthier tank. The final portion of the Nitrogen Cycle is converting NO3 (Nitrates) into N (Nitrogen Gas) and allowing it to leave the tank is a plus.

You're very welcome and I hope this all helps. Please note that what works for one tank may or may NOT work for another even though both tanks appear almost identical. I say this because what I suggest may not have any benefit to your tank so it's always trial and error. That's more of a clause than anything else LOL!

Good luck and Happy Reefing

 

[Misterious]

Thanks so much for the info Al!

I have ordered the surface skimmer as I think it will help at least clean up the particles i see on the surface.

Also I have say I was reading through your post about the Dave Ramsey program. My wife and I will be starting that this month since she finally found full time work fresh out of school. It is always nice reading success stories.

I look forward to reading and having a place to share our new hobby. My daughter is OBSESSED with fish and I think the whole experience will be great.

 

[BigAl07]

Financial Peace University can change not only your current situation but it can change your "Family Tree" forever. It's amazing what you can do when you don't have debt in your life.

If I can help let me know.

Al

 

[blackbeltmom]

First, welcome to RS.
Do you have the stock skimmer? I ran one in my 130 when I had it and in my 250. I have had no problems with it.
Your tank looks very nice and your daughter did good job.
If I might make a suggestion, I noticed that you placed some of the rock against the glass. I did that in my 100 gallon when I had it and ended up regretting it. Algae will start building up on the glass and you will not be able to get to the glass to clean it with the rock up against, unless you move the rock every time you want to clean it. Just might be something that you want to consider.