Newb, and his 38g

[Gujustud]

Nothing superb, mainly pics of me starting up. I'll most a few just to give a story line, however all my other pics are located here.

Quick specs: 38g, 36x12x20, 36" 1x96W 50/50, 200w ebojager, 802 powerhead w/ filter. 12lbs figi LR, 30lbs sugarsand. started dec 27th, restarted jan 2nd.

day 1 - 12lbs of LR. 30lbs of sugar sand. filled up the tank with some water and salt. cloudy? yes.


day 2 : dec 28th - filled all the way up. still cloudy


jan 2 - couldn't take the cloudyness, wasn't getting any better. got a filter for the powerhead, removed all the water, and sand. gave the sand a rinse, and started again. (pic from jan 3rd) difference made from the filter, and rinsing the sand.


first diy - wanted to make something while I wait for my cycle. made a cover for my tank at work. more pics


jan 5 - tank as of today. got one little shrimp in there for the cycle (cocktail stuff).


And thats it for now. Again check out my gallery for more pics.

[Craig Manoukian]

Looks like you're off to a good start. If you put the shrimp in some old nylons or cheese cloth you will get the ammonia spike but avoid the detritus. Makes it much easier to remove from the tank when the cycle is finished.

Welcome, and thanks for the pics!

[addict]

Looks like a good start.
Welcome to the hobby.

That's some nice plexi work you did too... my hat's off to you.

[Craig Manoukian]

If you are thinking of adding live rock, best to do it now and cycle all at once. You will have to cure/cycle any live rock added after the initial cycle to avoid an ammonia spike.

HTH

[Cougra]

Nice start! What do you plan on eventually adding to the tank?

[Gujustud]

Originally posted by Craig Manoukian
If you are thinking of adding live rock, best to do it now and cycle all at once. You will have to cure/cycle any live rock added after the initial cycle to avoid an ammonia spike.

HTH

Thanks everyone for your comments!

I'd love to buy all my LR right now, but I can't justify the cost for it this month (specially right after xmas!). I'm already over my starting budget just to get going. Will I have to go thru another cycle if I add LR in a few weeks?

I'm probably gonna start FOWLR and possibly a small amount of coral (mushrooms). But who knows, we'll see where it goes. I'd like to get some snails, a cleaner shrimp to start.

Some of the fish I'd like to get are clown fish, tang, goby, box fish... ...but I'm still doing my research. I picked up The Conscientious Marine Aquarist, and i'm about 1/2 way thru the book right now. I still need to read up on which fish will work with eachother, and to make sure that they'll have fun in my small tank.

[NaH2O]

Gujustud, here is a link to a >>Compatibility Chart<< form Cougra's website.

Hope it helps!

[Gujustud]

Originally posted by NaH2O
Gujustud, here is a link to a >>Compatibility Chart<< form Cougra's website.

Hope it helps!

Wowzer, that is the ultimate chart!

[mwrager]

NaH2O, love that chart, also you are going to want to remove the filter on that PH. I now it helpped clear up the sand problem, but to help with the cycling of the tank once you start, remove the filer.

[ReefLady]

Wow, great start! Looks good, and great DIY work ... with a creative flair!

Very nice - thanks for sharing the pics.

[BigReepher]

If you can get LR locally that has already been cured then your cycle should be minimal. If you get LR with some die off then you'll have to cycle again. Looks great and I love that tank cover.

[addict]

I bought all my live rock through ebay... though it's like a box of chocolates... you never know what you're gonna get.
I paid $149 for a 49 Lb. box of Fiji, and $129 for a 25 Lb. box of Tonga.

With a 38g tank, you may want to rethink getting a tang. They need lots of swimming room, so the usual minimum tank size for tangs is around 100g (though you can keep yellows in a 70).
While you 'can' keep them in smaller tanks, they'll be constantly stressed and will become ich magnets. I have a friend keeping a powder blue tang in his 65g reef (it's about 2.5" long) and he was befuddled as to why it kept getting ich, until I explained it to him.
HTH

[Craig Manoukian]

You can always bring LR home, mix up some salt in a bucket, add a powerhead and heater to cure and then put it in your tank when the water tests indicate your ammonia and nitrites are zero.

I agree no less than 48" of lateral swim room for a tang. This might be helpful reading:

So you want a tang?

[Gujustud]

Originally posted by mwrager
NaH2O, love that chart, also you are going to want to remove the filter on that PH. I now it helpped clear up the sand problem, but to help with the cycling of the tank once you start, remove the filer.

Good note on the filter. Nobody has mentioned that to me yet. I'll remove it once I get home.

Also thanks for the info on the tang. Like I said I haven't read up all yet, but thats good to note on the size of tank they need. Thats too bad, they are nice fish, but I'd rather them be happy.

What about a boxfish? I didn't see them on that list. I think they are the best lookin fish to date!

[EdgeKrusher]

Never heard of a box fish?
ice tank. Nice looking cover.
Keep us posted. I love watching people start tanks. It brings me back to a couple of months ago when I started.

Peace

EK