Claic's 29 Gal. First Timer Tank - Please give me advice!

[bllfish]

Originally Posted by Claic Yuzolt

I couldn't find the thread above you were talking about and I am a little confused as to why my water is going to not be ok? I also mixed in the AquaSafe solution to make the tap water alright is that not enough? I tap water isn't good then what should I be using?

Here is the thread.
My learning experience

Tap water is not good to use in an aquarium because it contains a lot of additives the water company uses to purify water..??. Chlorine and stuff with names that seem to contain every letter in the alphabet that is not found in sea water are added before the water comes out of our taps. Even well water may contain things that are toxic to the marine environment. Our goal in setting up a saltwater tank is to try and mimic the ocean and the environment that the coral and/or fish in our tanks will be able to survive and thrive in. Adding more chemicals to clean the water we are using is a formula for disaster. You would be wise to invest in an RODI filter for your water or at least purchase water from your local fish store.
Try searching through this forum for threads about new tanks. You will find a wealth of information here and the members will be more than happy to help with the problems we all faced when we started up our first tank. Remember, go very slow. It probably will take the better part of two months just to get your tank ready for fish and corals. You need to get a lot of information, possibly read some books, and decide if you are ready to make the commitment and investment to keep a salt water tank.
Good Luck

[yungreefer2410]

i must say the 55g build is going much more smoothly with the ro/di. speaking of which it could use an update

[Claic Yuzolt]

What is RODI water? Sorry total noob here completely lost. When should my ammonia levels spike and will it happen in like a day or will it happen gradually. Like I test one day and they are very low and the next day they are really high or does it gradually get higher?

Also, how much GPH, I have no idea what it means if you could help me out that would be great I know its water flow but exactly what it means, should I have in a 29 gallon tank?

[bllfish]

Get this book:
The New Marine Aquarium by Michael S. Paletta

You should be able to get most of your questions answered and it is a good guide to being successful with your new tank.

[Claic Yuzolt]

Originally Posted by bllfish

Get this book:
The New Marine Aquarium by Michael S. Paletta

You should be able to get most of your questions answered and it is a good guide to being successful with your new tank.

Alright thank you very much, can you buy RO/DI water from Petco or Wal-Mart?

[bllfish]

Originally Posted by Claic Yuzolt

Alright thank you very much, can you buy RO/DI water from Petco or Wal-Mart?

Maybe distilled water, better than tap but not as good as RO

[Claic Yuzolt]

Originally Posted by bllfish

Maybe distilled water, better than tap but not as good as RO

So how high should my ammonia levels get before they peak and start going back down?

[yungreefer2410]

depends on your tank and how fast your bacteria develops. how much liverock (lr) do you have in there?

[Claic Yuzolt]

Originally Posted by yungreefer2410

depends on your tank and how fast your bacteria develops. how much liverock (lr) do you have in there?

I just finished reading your thread!

I have around 20 lbs of live rock inside right now.

Also I am reading several different numbers on where I should keep my salinity. One book says 35 while the kit I bought says 32 - 34. What do you guys go with?

[Claic Yuzolt]

Alright guys picture updates. I think this may be my red algae bloom but I'm not sure it would really help if you could tell me what it is. Also I just upgraded my lights to Coralife Aqualight 30" T5s. So this should be good enough to let me have coral and other things right? If you guys could help me out I'd really appreciate it. The red/brown stuff just appeared on our fake coral white thingy just over night if that helps.

[yungreefer2410]

can you give me some specfics of those lights? it seems like you would be good for some softies and some lps down the road a little. i keep my salinty at 1.025 but thats a different measuring method your using, i'm not sure what it should be at with that

[Claic Yuzolt]

Originally Posted by yungreefer2410

can you give me some specfics of those lights? it seems like you would be good for some softies and some lps down the road a little. i keep my salinty at 1.025 but thats a different measuring method your using, i'm not sure what it should be at with that

Sure can it says I have one 10,000K 31 watt and one Actinic Bluelight 31 watt. Does this mean I can have a frogspawn, that is really what I want.

Also, can you tell me what you think the red/brown stuff is on my white fake coral?

[SiNiStEr NaTiOn]

well it look like with those lights I see softies and probably like i said probably a few lps's.

Also to know your salinity gravity. You might want to invest in a refractometer ( I think I spelled that correctly ).

then as far as your fake white coral, it does to me look like algea bloom is starting in the tank.

[Claic Yuzolt]

Originally Posted by SiNiStEr NaTiOn

well it look like with those lights I see softies and probably like i said probably a few lps's.

Also to know your salinity gravity. You might want to invest in a refractometer ( I think I spelled that correctly ).

then as far as your fake white coral, it does to me look like algea bloom is starting in the tank.

Thank you very much.

Is frogspawn a soft or hard?

[SiNiStEr NaTiOn]

Originally Posted by Claic Yuzolt

Is frogspawn a soft or hard?

Frogspawn is a lps.

from liveaquaria.com

The Frogspawn Coral is a large polyp stony coral (LPS) often referred to as the Wall, Octopus, Grape, or Honey Coral. Its polyps remain visible throughout both the day and night, resembling a mass of fish eggs or frog eggs, hence one of its common names Frogspawn. Its coloration is green or brown to tan in color. With its appearance and coloration it would make a nice addition to any reef aquarium.