AHarp

@Pedro Thanks! I'm happy with it overall. @ImGoingCoastal Thanks! It's 36" x 15" x 20.5". I stacked the rocks to create a little dark space; I have a couple corals to put in and some are lower light. I was worried about burning them. I'll let my father-in-law know about the light stand, he suggested that after the conduit didn't work out. I've picked up a few corals here and there and I used to know about each one's preferences, but I've forgotten. Can someone help me out? I've got this piece that looks like maybe some brain coral. I think I remember that it should be with medium flow and decent light. There's this piece that looks like an ear. I think it's a shelf coral and needs good flow and lower light. I had it in the school tank, but I think it was the wrong spot. It had a lot more color when I first put it in. I think this cup coral needs high light and high flow. This green finger I believe needs good light and medium flow. This leather finger is needs low light, medium flow. I have no idea what this is. I've had it in low light, medium flow and it's looked ok overall. This green star needs high light and good flow to keep it clean. It's on the bottom of my 30 gallon tank because it fell and I've been busy with the new tank. I'm planning to put all of these into the 55 gallon and just need to figure out the best placement for them. Finally, this morning all the fish were out and about. They may be a bit cramped, but they're all moving around and feeding, so I'll take that as a positive!

The Unexpected Tank Sorry for the wall of text to start this off. This is the story of how I set up a tank in 3 days. I feel like I need to explain some backstory because this really isn’t the best way to start a tank. I started a thread in the general discussion forum last week about possibly needing to take the fish from my school to my house depending on how bad this corona stuff got. My administration thought I would be able to make it in to feed and check up semi regularly, so I quit worrying. My wife had posted on Facebook asking if anyone had a tank I could use just in case. Another WAMAS member from my community saw the post and offered me a 55 gallon acrylic tank he didn’t want anymore, even though I didn’t think I’d need it for school. I picked it up and figured I’d get it running eventually to replace the 30 gallon high tank I have. Well over the weekend everything changed. Regulations about getting in to school changed and my principal and I decided Tuesday I needed to pick up the fish and take care of them at home. So Tuesday evening I started building a stand. I used 4x4 posts and 2x4 lumber. 3/4 inch plywood on the top and as a bottom shelf. I (mostly) finished the stand Wednesday morning, and got all the fish and live rock from school. I brought home as much of the water as I could, and the felt filter and all of the blue balls from the sump, in the hopes that I could start the tank with as short of a cycle as possible since I was putting fish in straight away. I added the final pieces today (the light and the return pump). It’s been a whirlwind adventure. I’m extremely thankful to the man who gave me the tank and to my wife for putting up with my crazy hobby and giving me the time to get this tank running. On to the specifics. Tank: 55 (I think) gallon acrylic Stand: DIY following King Of DIY’s plans Sump: Aqueon ProFlex Sump Return pump: Sicce SYNCRA 2.0 568 GPH Light: VIPARSPECTRA 165W Circulation: Two Hydor pumps – I have a Jebao OW-10 that I might move in—it’s currently in my 30 gallon with most of my coral Skimmer: I have a skimmer, but haven’t hooked it in yet. I’m using the space for the blue balls currently until I know the tank is cycled. Stocking: Two clownfish, two yellowtail damselfish, two Talbot’s damselfish, one blue hippo tang (I know this tank is nowhere close to big enough but I don’t currently have much choice), 3 turbo snails, a couple of hermit crabs, and an emerald crab Initially, I was going to use a DIY conduit to hold my light. Unfortunately, the light was too heavy. If the conduit was supported on both sides, I think it would have worked. Instead, I went with a wood frame and put a piece of the conduit through it. It doesn’t look nice, but it works for now. I’m happy about the start of this tank, and excited to see where it leads. Once schools finally reopen, I’ll take the fish back and be able to really create something nice of my own. I know I slammed this together quickly, and I’m wondering if I missed anything. I need to play with the light tomorrow to figure out all the settings. Any thoughts or suggestions on the stand, light support, tank itself, or anything else are welcome! Thanks for checking it out. :-)

Hopefully final update! My administration heard back today that I cannot come in Monday or Tuesday, but that I will be able to get in to at least feed and check up on everything starting Wednesday. So everything should be OK! I'll start looking now for an autofeeder for the next emergency! :-) Thanks again for all the advice and answers.

Well that would make it pretty simple! Thanks!

Thanks all! I'm located in Olney, MD. The fact that it is all last minute is really what is stressing me out. I just spoke with my principal, and she wants me to take the fish home. Her concern is that we don't have any idea yet what type of cleaning they will be doing, and if it's anything aerosol, there's a good chance it will get into the tank and kill everything off. The county is also still apparently deciding if they are going to have admin come in at all, and are telling staff explicitly not to come in. My wife has posted in some Facebook groups looking for anyone with a tank we could borrow, and we have two offers currently--a 55 gallon that is empty and needs a cleaning, and a 75 gallon with live rock that recently crashed and lost all of it's fish. The current owner says it will need a heavy clean to ensure whatever killed off the fish is gone. They think a newly added fish brought something in. Both were set up as saltwater tanks. I'm generally of the belief that bigger is always better (in terms of fishkeeping, at least), so my gut says to go for the 75g. However, I'm nervous about the crash and adding my fish into a potentially dangerous situation. I'm also not positive what to do to deep clean. For a freshwater tank, I would rinse everything in clean, dechlorinated water and swap the filter. Would it be pretty much the same in a saltwater? And this would restart the cycle, correct? I can add in all the live rock from the school tank to help jumpstart the cycle, but would that be enough to keep the fish safe? My principal did say that they will not start cleaning on Monday, so I have the weekend to figure something out and get it going. Thank you all for your advice and answers!

Hi! I'm not sure if I have a problem yet or not, but I wanted to get some advice in case I do. I have a 110g set up in my school, and got notice today that schools will be closed starting Monday through at least the next two weeks. I don't know if I will be able to get into the school to feed/clean/take care of the tank. I do have an ATO I can set up with a 30 gallon trashcan I use for water changes, so I'm not worried about running dry. I can do a water change tomorrow. I do not have an automatic feeder, so food at this point is my main concern. The tank is stocked with two clownfish, two yellowtail damselfish, two Talbot's damsels, an algae blenny, and a blue hippo tang (on the smaller side), two cleaner shrimp, some snails, hermit crabs, a couple leather corals, and some random corals that popped up on some live rock I bought. I'll find out tomorrow (hopefully) for sure if I will be able to get into the building. In the event that I'm not, I'm wondering if I should: -try to find an automatic feeder quickly, and hope everything goes well -bring the fish home and house them temporarily in my 30 gallon tank (currently stocked with a cleaner shrimp, clownfish, some hermit crabs, and a couple starter corals) If I have to leave them at school, I worry about the pump breaking, the feeder (if I can even find one quickly enough) breaking/getting wet/not working right, etc., etc. Ideally, I would like to bring them home. My concern with bringing them home is that the 30 gallon is really too small for that stocking. Additionally, the clownfish I have at home is likely to get bullied out, as it is much smaller than the other fish. I suppose I could fill the trashcan I use for water changes and increase the volume that way. I'm also not sure how long schools will be out (it won't be any less than 2 weeks, but I don't know if more will be added). So, what do you think? I'm going back and forth between the options. I'm not sure there's a good choice, but I'm hoping to make the best choice for everything. Help! :-)

@YHSublime That would be awesome! I'll definitely be waiting for a bigger tank to do a sump. Once I get a better light going, I'll have to find a time to make it down your way!

Thanks! I'm messaging with him now about the light. I'm mostly worried about drilling glass, whether or not it's full of water. : ) I don't want to crack anything! If I do get the 55 though, I'll have to really consider it. It would be really nice to have a sump, for the extra volume and space for equipment.

@KingOfAll_Tyrants That light looks perfect. I hadn't considered the ability to control the pump. I'll check out jebao! I would like to use a sump, for the same reasons you suggested; I'm just nervous about drilling the glass. @ImGoingCoastal I'm not thoroughly excited about the 30 tall. I don't like the footprint and the height. It's the tank I have, though, and I've been issued a moratorium by my wife on buying any new tanks. :) That being said, she has a friend who is trying to give away what I think is a 55 gallon. If I can talk her into letting me take that, I'll switch it over. I'd much rather have the bigger footprint and volume. In the meantime, I'll check out fijicube and the light fixtures. Thank you both! I'll keep updating when there's updates to be had. :)

Tank: 30 gallon tall tank Filter: Penguin Biowheel 350 Light: Cheapo LED Stocking: One ocellaris clown, three narcissus snails, and a couple of reef hermit crabs that snuck in on live rock. So far this is very bare bones (obviously). It’s running currently as a FOWLR tank. I’m hoping to eventually make it a reef tank. I have another 110 gallon tank at my elementary school that I’d like to make into a reef tank. I figured I could start small here at home and get the basics down so I will (hopefully) make less mistakes in the big show tank at school. There’s certainly a fair bit I need to update before I can make this 30 gallon into a reef tank. The fact that the tank is a tall tank will hamper my ability to grow coral due to the lighting not penetrating all the way to the bottom. I’m planning to use live rock to build up “shelves” on the walls to get some corals up to the light, and then underneath towards the bottom of the tank, I can do some leathers and other lower light corals. Right now, I’m looking for advice on what to update to get to a reef-ready aquarium. I don’t want to rush too quickly into anything; I want to make sure that what I wind up with is a good, sturdy set up that will last. Aside from building up experience for the show tank, I want to build a nice tank that my family and I can enjoy for a good long time. My priority list is: 1. Circulation- I’m thinking a Hydor Koralia 565 GPH. I’m not sure if I will need one or two. For now, at least, I think I should be fine with one and then when I begin adding coral I can determine if I need more. This is first on my list because it’s not particularly expensive and I should be able to get it right away. 2. Lighting- I know that I will need to update the light, before I even attempt corals. I’m considering a Finnex Marine+ because I have a Finnex Planted+ for my freshwater tank. I like it very much, especially the automatic 24 hour cycle, and it’s within my budget for sure. I'm not positive, though, if it will be enough for end goal of a reef tank. 3. Sump- I do have some space in the stand that I could put a sump into. But then I’d have to either drill the tank or use a pump to bring the water to the sump. If I can, I think I’d rather stick with a HOB filter. Questions for the community: How is my priority list? What am I leaving out? Is having a sump absolutely necessary? Would it be possible to run a reef tank with a hang on back filter?

Yes! For now, these Bob Ross accidents are too small for most of the students at my school to notice. But it's cool to me! Also encouraging that I'm keeping the tank pretty healthy so far. And hopefully they'll grow enough for students to notice!

Yup, I'm noticing more and more pop out on this rock. The other rocks have algae and such but nothing like this! There's more stuff "sprouting" from the tubes in the first picture. They look more and more like some type of fan worm. I've got at least one more polyp-y looking growth also. All of my live stuff has come from Congressional Aquarium in Rockville. The particular rock in question I picked up on a whim one day because it had the green seaweedy stuff growing on it. One of the workers said they thought it was from a colleague's tank that was being dismantled. I just thought the seaweed looked cool, but having these other pieces growing is awesome!

@OrigamiAwesome! I didn't think I'd be able to get any kind of coral growing with the weak light I have. That's really cool. There's two on the rock now, one on each end. Is there anything specific I should do to nurture it? If it's coming in without me doing anything, I'm guessing I can pretty much sit back and keep doing what I have been. However, if I should look for any supplements or anything to help it out, I'd love to see how good it could get! Thanks!

So I got in this morning and had a genuine Finding Nemo moment. One of the clowns got down the overflow all the way into the sump. I'm not really sure how it made it in the overflow; there's egg crate and some sponge covering. There must be just enough of a hole somewhere. Netted it out and put it back in the tank with no ill effects. I'll have to get some new egg crate and wedge it in there. I also noticed a couple things growing on one of the newer rocks I added. There was some seaweed on the rock when I bought it (actually that's why I bought it!), but now there's a couple other things popping up. I have no clue what they are! Mostly I want to make sure they are not harmful to anything in the tank. If they aren't, I don't mind having some extra life in there! One looks a bit like a spider web (Pic1). The other looks like maybe an anemone? Not really sure. It closes when the lights are off and opens again when the lights come on. Any idea what they are and if I should remove them or not? Thanks!

Thanks @davelin315! I'll hit you up. I'll check into chocolate chip stars, and will keep an eye out for a new light ASAP. I'm currently scraping algae every other day or so. I'm planning to put a laminated paper over the sunny side of the tank to cut down. Fortunately, the back is already painted black. @MaeganWink I guess like people, each creature has it's own personality. Hopefully I can find some nice creatures to relatively co-exist! Once I get a smaller salt tank set up at home, I'll feel more comfortable since I'll have someplace to put nuisance stuff until I can get it to a new home.

I've thought before about hooking a webcam up; it would be cool for the community to see the tank, too. I'm not sure I could though, with the chance that a kid's face could be broadcast. The school system is pretty tight about putting student images out. Firefish look awesome, and it could be nice to have a few good looking fish rather than one showpiece. Thanks for your recommendations!

Hey! I've followed a couple of your threads. Your tanks look awesome! It's great to be able to get the kids involved. With mine being elementary, I'm not as confident in having them involved too much. But we'll see, once it essentially becomes just basic maintenance, it'll be a lot easier for them to help out. Pencil urchins sound cool! I'll check into some shrimp as well; it seems like a good idea to build up a good sized clean up crew and then add in some bigger stuff. Thanks for your tips about fish and anemone, I'll do some more research into particulars there. I have heard damsels can be tough, although the yellowtails are supposed to be more on the gentle side. I started with them because they are hardy and good for beginners, but I may wind up moving them on if they bother other fish. Another good reason to start a saltwater tank at home! Thanks very much!

Hi everyone! I’ve been lurking for a bit and wanted to get started with posts. I’m relatively new to saltwater, but I’ve been keeping freshwater for a few years. Last summer, I was gifted a 110 gallon tank and sump from a local middle school. I got it set up and running at my elementary school (I teach 4th grade) after hours of figuring out how it all worked. Of course after having it going for about 6 months, I had to take it apart and move it as I switched schools. Now, I’ve got it running at my new school smoothly with no problems. So far it's a huge hit with the staff, students, and PTA. In particular, the special education classes love it. It's become a daily stopping point for many students. I’m looking to add in some nice looking showpiece fish in a month or so, once I'm sure the BB are handling the current bioload. Right now, I have: two Clarkii clownfish two yellowtail damselfish two Talbot’s damselfish an algae blenny two hitchhiker reef hermit crabs 4 turbo snails There's a little sand in the bottom and a fair bit of live rock. The tank is filtered with a sump underneath. I have two 300W heaters in the sump. There's a KOVAL LED light on top, and it gets a bunch of sunlight from nearby bay windows. Not an ideal placement for that reason, but it didn't really fit anywhere else in the building. The back of the tank I painted black with Plastidip. I do not have a protein skimmer, but am considering a DIY model with plastic bottles, PVC, and an air pump. So far I've been feeding flakes and some freeze dried shrimp, but I do have access to a refrigerator and freezer so I could step up a bit there. The school is close enough to my house that I'll be able to stop by over extended breaks. I'm thinking about something like a hawkfish or a trigger, something that is relatively inexpensive but that will look nice and will be out and about where the students can see them. I've also considered things like a general starfish or a ritteri anemone, which the clownfish might enjoy. I’d love to hear some thoughts about what to go with, or really any tips and advice! Thank you!

I don't think I'll be able to make the meeting; got some family obligations. I'll get a post up in the New to the Hobby forum to get some advice! Thanks for the welcome!

It does have a light, a Koval LED. I picked up essentially the cheapest available when I set it up. Not at all good enough for coral, but fine for the FOWLR tank it is at the moment. The tank was gathering dust at the middle school and I overheard them discussing getting rid of it, so I jumped in!

Hi everyone! I’ve been lurking for a bit and wanted to get started with posts. I’m relatively new to saltwater, but I’ve been keeping freshwater for a few years. Last summer, I was gifted a 110 gallon tank and sump from a local middle school. I got it set up and running at my elementary school (I teach 4th grade) after hours of figuring out how it all worked. Of course after having it going for about 6 months, I had to take it apart and move it as I switched schools. Now, I’ve got it running at my new school smoothly with no problems for a while! Currently, I have two Clarkii clownfish, two yellowtail damselfish, two Talbot’s damselfish, an algae blenny, two hitchhiker reef hermit crabs, and 4 turbo snails. I’m looking to add in some nice looking showpiece fish in a month or so. I’d love to have some advice about what to go with! Additionally, I’m thinking about starting a 30 gallon reef tank at home. Ideally, I’d like to add some corals to the school tank, but I feel like it would be better if I tried it at home and got the basics down first. I have the tank, sand, heater, and a HOB filter. What else should I look for to start working on a reef tank? Thanks!