75 Gallon Reef Tank

[Triggerfish31]

Well last week I finally purchased a good digital camera so now I can take some pics. All I have is a tank with some rocks. I am looking to start a reef tank and need some help along the way. With the information below can I start adding my clean up crew? How many snails and hermits could I get?

 

Parameters as of today:

 

Temp: 80F

Ammonia: 0

Nitrite: 0

Nitrate: 0

Alkalinity: 90

Calcium: 360

Phosphate: 0

Salinity: 1.025

 

Worries: Calcium and Alkalinity level. Should I be worried about this?

 

Aaron

[ctenophore]

I doubt alkalinity is correct. What test kit are you using?

 

You need some algae for a clean up crew to eat, otherwise they'll starve and die. Unless you feed them directly, which sort of defeats the purpose. Retest your water (or bring it to a store to test) and try adding a hardy, peaceful fish, like a royal gramma or other basslet.

 

Justin

[gastone]

Your alk test doesn't say what it's measuring. My guess is ppm (which most hobbyist that I'm aware of don't use). To convert to meq/l divide by 50, to convert that to dkh, times by 2.8. So, 90 ppm alkalinity is 1.8meq/l or 5.04 dkh, both which are below NSW levels.

 

Which test kits are you using?

 

Garrett.

 

BTW, the calcium number may be a bit low for most people, but it isn't that bad.

 

I look forward to pics of your setup.

[dbartco]

decimal? 9.0 dkh?

[gastone]

Sorry I didn't address you question. IMO clean up crews are overrated. I like a few snails and a few hermits just cause I think they are kinda neat, not because I see them contributing any significant amount of "cleaning" to a tank. Good liverock, a functioning sand bed (if that's your thing), good circulation and good skimming are going to do more to remove/break down nutrients than a few snails and crabs.

 

G.

[Triggerfish31]

I am using the "Nutrafin" test kit by Hagen.

[gmubeach]

Depends on what you want to grow if your growing lps and softies I don't even use a skimmer just a regular water change will do your tank a world of good...

[Triggerfish31]

I don't have much rock work but the way its set up I think it looks good for a few corals. I just want to keep four soft corals. Toadstool, Mushroom, green star polyps and Pulsing Xenia. I want to fill the rest of the tank with some compatible fish and other inverts: feather duster worms, hermits and maybe an algae eating sea star.