new to the reef aquarium....

[slb11106]

hello all,

i am new to this aquarium hobby (3 months) and i have a 90 gal with live rock (90lbs)and live sand, i run a sump with bioballs, protien skimmer ect..8 fish, shrimp, snails, crabs. now that everything is running great and stable i am ready to start the reef and i am looking for some advise of what to start with and any other things that i might not know. i am very new but have been educating myself daily but need some personal advice.

any information is worth its weight in gold.

this is also my first forum so new to this whole thing also

thanks
scott

[Dragon Wrasse]

Welcome aboard RS....what kind of lighting do you have?? Sounds like your taking it nice and slow I started out with Softies, try some Polyp coral or Mushrooms and then maybe a Leather or two.

[Woodstock]

Welcome to Reef Sanctuary Scott! Nice to have you aboard

I would first begin to slowly removing your bioballs; maybe 1/3 per week. The rock you have in your tank will supply the biological filtration and also help remove nitrAtes. On the other hand, the bioballs do provide biological filtration but are HUGE nitrAte factories Keeping nitrAtes below 10 ppm is important.

Corals ehhh? Let's discuss your tank

• Lighting?
• What type of skimmer?
• calcium level?
• alkalinity level?
• PH?
• salinity?
• type of fish? (some are not reef safe)
• nitrAte level?
• turnover rate? (all water flow stated in gph - includes all filters, return pumps, ph, etc)
• Subtrate?

The easiest corals to begin with are soft corals and some LPS (large polyped stoney) corals.... mushrooms, ricordias, zoas, polyps, etc.

[slb11106]

wow, thanks for the quick replies, i will aquire all of my light info and information for the tank and perameters and post a reply later today. woodstock, i like the looks of your tank very much, that is something that i think my direction will start.

i have not been testing my calcium as of yet, but the 3 peppermint shrimp i have all molted so i assume it is ok now, but i will start testing it.

[slb11106]

my complete system:
current 4-65 260w light
euroreef rs5-2 skimmer
little giant 2mdq 560 gal/hr pump
alkalinity = 12-13
PH = 8.4
Salinity = 1.023
nitrate = 20
nitrite = 0
amonia = 0
turnover rate = 5.5 -6 per hour
subtrate = 40lbs of live sand and 40 lbs of aragonite

[Barcochris]

I think that you are getting trates from the bio-balls, If you want a reef you should take the balls out over a three or four week time frame, add live rock to make up the bio filtration. Should be about 1-1.5 lbs per gallon.

[slb11106]

great, i am also adding a refrugium in the next couple of weeks before starting the reef itself. just not sure how to go about that as of yet.

[wickjr]

Welcome slb1106. Tampa, huh? I make a trip or two your way about every year. Well, a little south. Sarasota, Longboat Key, Siesta Key area. Usually make it into Tampa a time or two while there. My kids love the Lowry Park Zoo, and the aquarium is nice too. I've always wanted to check out that Dali museum, but not the thing for 5 and 3 year olds. I'll be down there in about a month or so. Any good fish stores to check out around there?
I' am pretty new to this whole reef thing myself, but the advice and knowledge I've gotten here has already helped me immeasurably. Exprience is huge. The only advice I have is to check and make sure the butterfly won't eat any corals and whatnot you plan on adding. Definitely test calcium. I don't even have corals yet. Tank is 6 weeks old, but my calcium levels drop pretty consistently, I guess from the coralline algae growth. Good luck.

[Craig Manoukian]

Welcome to RS! Siesta Key is the bomb!

[Woodstock]

Originally Posted by slb11106

my complete system:
current 4-65 260w light
euroreef rs5-2 skimmer
little giant 2mdq 560 gal/hr pump
alkalinity = 12-13
PH = 8.4
Salinity = 1.023
nitrate = 20
nitrite = 0
amonia = 0
turnover rate = 5.5 -6 per hour
subtrate = 40lbs of live sand and 40 lbs of aragonite

What 8 fish do you have?

Okay... For a reef, you will want a salinity of 1.026, nitrAtes less than 10 ppm, and a minimum turnover rate of 10-15 times (or more). I think your lighting is sufficient for soft corals and most LPS corals. Remember: PC bulbs should be replaced every 8 months since they shift to a red-spectrum with age and can contribute greatly to algae blooms.

• slowly raise the salinity over the next several water changes
• lower those nitrAtes - more frequent/ larger water changes, slowly remove the bioballs, crank up the skimmer, keep your rocks blown off (this will help unclog the pores and allow for better nitrAte reduction), clean all mechanical filters (sponges, prefilters, floss, etc) to remove rotting diterus, rethink your biological load (maybe too many fish?)
• increase the flow - add one or two power heads, or a closed loop system.

[Craig Manoukian]

Great advice Doni!

[Little Luey]

Refugium is good, definatly take the bioballs out. Also increase your water movement. One more thing, welcome to the Reef Sanctuary, enjoy the ride.

[slb11106]

i made a mistake, my pump is actually a 3mdq not a 2, i also added a extra jet in the tank and i am in the process of installing the refugium tonight. i am using a pre-fab sump box 8.5x24x18" tall. what kind of lighting do i need, a small 9" or one that covers the entire length ?

what do i need to put into the refugium ? any pointers....

thanks everyone for your help !

[Icebox]

Welcome to the group...

[Rougiem]

Welcome Welcome to RS! Sounds like you are being taken care of!

Cheers!