Big Wyll's newbie questions

[BigWyll]

Instead of starting a new thread everytime I have a question, I would like to post my questions in this thread with a link in my signature so that I don't fill up the boards with dumb questions.

 

 

How can you tell if you have good water circulation?

 

I currently have three Maxi Jet 1200 I beleived it is rated at 295gph. One is hooked up to the AquaC Remora skimmer. The tank is full and the water seems to circulate well without live rock but I'm not sure if I need more powerheads when I place the live rock in the tank.

 

 

Where to Buy Good Quality Live Rock and Live Sand?

 

When looking at online providers of premium live rock they are very colorful, while in LFS what i have found was a brown dull rock in tanks full of water. I understand that when ordering online you typically don't get the rock pictured in the advertisement, but I didn't know if ordering online will provide a better quality than what i found locally. Not knowing what to look for, I suspect that the better quality will have more color to it. I have read in another forum that it is better to drive 3 hours for quality live rock locally than it is to order from online and not know exactly what your getting.

 

 

How many inches of sand <2" or >4"?

 

Shallow bed or deep bed? I have read about the differences of having a deep bed versus a shallow bed, but I don't really understand the benefits vs. maintenance. A deep bed will have areas of sand with a lower oxygen content or something like that. It is a foreign language to me at this point. Which do you prefer?

 

How do you introduce multiple fish to your new aquarium?

 

If you purchase several fish from the same store as the first fish you introduce to your tank, should you still go through the quaranteen process? In this case I expect to already have the live rock and inverts in the main tank. And how would you do that with multiple fish?

 

How many is too many fish to introduce at one time?

 

In my signature I have the list of fish that I plan to have in the tank. This deals with the question above of how to get them into the tank?

[Brian Ward]

Instead of starting a new thread everytime I have a question, I would like to post my questions in this thread with a link in my signature so that I don't fill up the boards with dumb questions.

 

 

How can you tell if you have good water circulation?

 

I currently have three Maxi Jet 1200 I beleived it is rated at 295gph. One is hooked up to the AquaC Remora skimmer. The tank is full and the water seems to circulate well without live rock but I'm not sure if I need more powerheads when I place the live rock in the tank.

Good water circulation will produce no "dead" areas in the tank. Sounds like you're good to start, you'll have to adjust as you organize your tank and get things stocked. Your tank will need more flow depending on what you're keeping. Low flow for softies and some LPS, medium flow for LPS, high flow for SPS. Mixing SPS with LPS and softies is fine - you'll just need to be sure and position the LPS and softies in areas of lower flow and SPS in areas of higher flow. Overall, it's a balancing game that doesn't have a concrete answer.

 

 

Where to Buy Good Quality Live Rock and Live Sand?

 

When looking at online providers of premium live rock they are very colorful, while in LFS what i have found was a brown dull rock in tanks full of water. I understand that when ordering online you typically don't get the rock pictured in the advertisement, but I didn't know if ordering online will provide a better quality than what i found locally. Not knowing what to look for, I suspect that the better quality will have more color to it. I have read in another forum that it is better to drive 3 hours for quality live rock locally than it is to order from online and not know exactly what your getting.

 

Ordering online will be cheaper if you're buying a lot of rock. It may also be worth the trip out to Dr. Mac's in Salisbury, MD. The rock will color up in your tank, so don't pay more for color. I think quality online or locally is about the same. Another technique is to buy some live rock and some dead rock such as the eco-rock from www.bulkreefsupply.com That rock will color up in your tank, albeit over quite a bit of time, but will be much cheaper and is more environmentally friendly.

How many inches of sand <2" or >4"?

 

Shallow bed or deep bed? I have read about the differences of having a deep bed versus a shallow bed, but I don't really understand the benefits vs. maintenance. A deep bed will have areas of sand with a lower oxygen content or something like that. It is a foreign language to me at this point. Which do you prefer?

This is a personal preference. Basically the way the nitrogen cycle works is ammonia is broken down by the bacteria (the presence of this bacteria is why the rock is considered live) into nitrite and nitrate. The areas of low oxygen force the aerobic bacteria to break the nitrate back into oxygen and nitrogen. It takes a lot of energy to do this, so if there is oxygen available, the bacteria prefer to use that. However, in the absence of oxygen they will get it by breaking apart the nitrate molecule. This reduces the buildup of nitrates as the free nitrogen is released back into the aquarium and the oxygen is consumed by the bacteria. So basically, it's a helpful aid in preventing algae since algae thrive on nitrates, but you can accomplish the same thing with a refugium. All personal preference, no wrong way to go here.

 

How do you introduce multiple fish to your new aquarium?

 

If you purchase several fish from the same store as the first fish you introduce to your tank, should you still go through the quaranteen process? In this case I expect to already have the live rock and inverts in the main tank. And how would you do that with multiple fish?

Always quarantine. No matter what. If you introduce ich to your tank, the tank must sit fallow for 6+ weeks before you can try again. The ich will remain in the tank and you just have to wait for it to die off. Also, QT allows you to monitor the health of your fish and provide treatment to encourage them to start eating if they are refusing (hyposalinity can help with this, as can targeted feedings, neither of which you can do effectively in your display). As a newbie, don't introduce multiple fish at the same time. Move slowly and be sure you don't shock the system. Only bad things happen fast in this hobby. Take your time and be sure each fish is happy and established before adding the next one.

 

How many is too many fish to introduce at one time?

 

In my signature I have the list of fish that I plan to have in the tank. This deals with the question above of how to get them into the tank?

Your stock list is OK. In a 55 you can have at MOST 1 of the smaller tangs (kole tang comes to mine, as does yellow). They produce a lot of waste and any more than one and you will battle algae and high nutrients forever. Also, they are aggressive and territorial, so one would probably kill the other and possibly your other fish as well. You can only have 1 of any type of angel. You can mix different size groups, so 1 standard and 1 pygmy (your tank is too small for any of the standard angels) but more than 1 of the same group will fight and kill each other. Always introduce in order of aggressiveness from least to most. The tang should be introduced as the very last fish and should be smaller than the other, established fish. If you want more than 1 clownfish, you must buy them as a mated pair and introduce them simultaneously. Clownfish are aggressive and if they don't pair off (one of them becomes male, the other female - they will switch sex depending on environment) then one will kill the other. Introduce the clownfish first. Then do the damsels - but do your homework, because most damsels are VERY aggressive and will be an absolute nightmare in your tank. Then a pygmy angel, then a small tang.

Edited March 13, 2009 by Brian Ward

[BigWyll]

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions. I feel alot more comfortable now. It's funny how the small things can make someone so nervous.

 

one other question based on your response. If I understand you correctly, a deeper sand bed will limit the amount of algea that grows on the sand due to less oxygen within the sand and the extra work required to break up the nitrates into oxygen and nitrogen. (I'm realy wishing I didn't sleep through chemistry class. But I'm not wearing my stupid cap, so I get it.) Can you explain how a refugium can do the same thing?

 

 

Also, I will adjust my stock list according to your recommendations.

 

Thanks again.

 

Wyllyam

[Brian Ward]

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions. I feel alot more comfortable now. It's funny how the small things can make someone so nervous.

 

one other question based on your response. If I understand you correctly, a deeper sand bed will limit the amount of algea that grows on the sand due to less oxygen within the sand and the extra work required to break up the nitrates into oxygen and nitrogen. (I'm realy wishing I didn't sleep through chemistry class. But I'm not wearing my stupid cap, so I get it.) Can you explain how a refugium can do the same thing?

 

 

Also, I will adjust my stock list according to your recommendations.

 

Thanks again.

 

Wyllyam

 

The DSB isn't reducing the amount of algae on the sand, it's reducing the amount of nitrates in the tank water. Algae requires nitrates to grow (why fertilizers are packed full of nitrates - as well as phosphates). A fuge provides a controlled, contained environment to grow algae - allowing this algae to consume the nitrates in the tank water and reducing the amount of nitrates available for nuisance algaes. Having both isn't a bad idea either, but if you want a shallow sand bed, then plan on a fuge.

 

Hope that's clear.

[Smoothtriqueter]

I 2nd most of what was said previously, QT for you fish is almost the only way to go ich is not fun to treat in a DT. The flow will depend on what you will be trying to accomplish and the aquascaping that you end up with, the powerheads you have now should be fine for any softies LPS you decided to start with. The order of adding fish I agree with. The Tangs you will hear this and hear that about how big of a tank, what kinds to keep together....basically beware the tang police. One thing that wasn't mentioned is that people sell live sand and live rock all the time on the FS/WTB section. That is where you can get a great (the best) deal on equipment and LR. And research the fish (damsels ) just my 2c

 

Keep asking questions and have fun........oh and be patient.

[droyal1110]

Agreed with what Brian had to say.

 

One thing with circulation, I have a 55long and I used the Koralia 2 and 3 in my tank along with the same skimmer and it seems to do well but I recommend having one pointing at the surface to help encourage gas exchange and to help keep your Ph in a good spot. With careful placement of rock work and power heads you can avoid dead spots, it doesn't have to be strong flow it just needs to be enough to keep things moving, so stronger power heads aren't going to always be better.

 

Personally with the live rock I like to see what I am buying. Sure they can take a picture of the rock and mail it to you but you have to be there to receive it and I just don't know if I would trust it too much, although there are members here who have done it. I'm just saying personally I do not. I like to go different LFS and pick out nice colorful pieces or if you can post in the classified sections on the forums here post that you are looking some live rock. You can also try craigslist and what not. When I set my tank up I did half and half, half base rock, half live rock, let it cycle for almost 2 months, all my rock is colored up nicely and I'm only 6 months in.

 

Again in my opinion, go shallow sand bed <2" in your display tank. One day if you decide you absolutely have to have it, you can do a remote sand bed where you basically have a bucket with a deep sand bed in it and you have water running through there to and from your tank. This way if the sand starts to leech nitrates back into the water because it is saturated you can just switch out the bucket with a fresh DSB.

 

Definitely always quarantine, more so when your tank becomes more mature and there is more money invested in it. If your tank is just being set up (sounds like it is), you're going to need to cycle the tank anyways. I recommend getting your live rock, sand, power heads, heater, saltwater, put it in the tank and just let it sit for however long it takes for your tank to cycle (you will discover this through testing the water). While your tank is cycling you don't want to put livestock in the water because it will likely kill them. Buy one or two CHEAP fish and put them in your quarantine tank like a week after you set your tank up. A quarantine tank (depending on the fish) could be a simple 10 gallon tank from walmart with a cheap hang on the back filter, an air stone (optional), and some PVC elbows for hiding places, doesn't necessarily need light but I recommend it (how would you like to be in a dark strange place for 4 weeks?). Just put the fish in there, do water changes every other day about 3 gallons, and observe.

 

When adding fish you definitely want to take it slow. Your tank literally needs to adjust to the amount of livestock because your tank has a limit as to how much bio load (fish waste and feeding) it can handle at a time. In order to have more fish you have to slowly increase the amount your tank can handle, if you do it all at once your tank will crash because it simply cannot keep up. Add a clean up crew after your tank is done cycling, let them eat the algae that will have started, wait a couple more weeks, keep testing, if everything looks good add the damsels, they should be relatively cheap and they are hardy. If they survive, a month later add your next fish, they do well a month later add more fish. Or if you don't want to do fish first some people prefer to do corals first, however with corals it is a bit trickier IMO because water chemistry get a bit more advanced. I recommend do fish first then keep reading about corals until you have a good grasp, there are easy ones you can throw in there like mushrooms or polyps, but its good to know the ins and outs of corals before doing so because they can be a pricey mistake compared to a $5 fish. Oh and I'm not the tank police but I definitely don't recommend the tang in your tank, just isn't big enough, fish will be stressed and its life will be greatly reduced and will probably get ich and spread it to your tank mates.

 

Getting fish into the tank is tricky at times, I personally handle all fish with my bare hands. I have been told nets can hurt the fish if they catch on scales or fins and what not, just personal preference I suppose. Definitely learn about acclimating properly (letting the fish adjust to your tank) before dumping fish in. Also do a lot of reading and ask lots of questions. It really is a lot and you are going to hit many many speed bumps and want to rip your hair out, patience young grasshopper.

 

Also I love this place but www.reefcentral.com is another really good website. Definitely subscribe (pay membership fee $20) to WAMAS so you have access to the classifieds and what not, I have already saved a couple hundred dollars and I've been a member for like a month? Start reading here http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.p...hreadid=1031074 Its where I learned a lot of what I know, on top of asking questions.

 

Sorry this is a lot, I'm not trying to overwhelm you. I am by no means a professional, I'm still new so I'm not trying to step on anyone's feet and anyone can correct me where needed. I'm sorry if I repeated anything anyone said.

 

Oh and last but not least

Welcome to the forums.

[BigWyll]

I 2nd most of what was said previously, QT for you fish is almost the only way to go ich is not fun to treat in a DT. The flow will depend on what you will be trying to accomplish and the aquascaping that you end up with, the powerheads you have now should be fine for any softies LPS you decided to start with. The order of adding fish I agree with. The Tangs you will hear this and hear that about how big of a tank, what kinds to keep together....basically beware the tang police. One thing that wasn't mentioned is that people sell live sand and live rock all the time on the FS/WTB section. That is where you can get a great (the best) deal on equipment and LR. And research the fish (damsels ) just my 2c

 

Keep asking questions and have fun........oh and be patient.

 

Thanks. I have been doing research since October of last year when my wife first bought the tank. I just added water to the tank on the first of March. So, I don't have a problem with being patient. I want to get this right the first time.

 

ReefCentral had something posted in the newbie section that I thought was hilarious and true. Something about when using forums for information a common flaw is a person's pride. So when gathering info on what works and what doesnn't remember everyone has a different way and most of them think that they are right. I will definately look more into the Tang portion of my stock list.

 

I've taken a quick peep of the FS/WTB section since I've become a member. I am a bit causious about buying from there. Not concern with being ripped off but more concerned with buying into something I know nothing about. Once I'm a little more familiar with what to look for and what to avoid, I will surely take advantage of some of the deals there.

[BigWyll]

I have some new questions I wanted to ask before buying live rock.

 

 

What are the "nuisance hitchhikers" that I should look out for?

 

If you have a link to some visual that would be great.

 

What are the "nuisance algae"?

 

I'm not sure if this applys to algae that grows where you want do not want it or if there are specific types that should be removed ASAP. I keep hearing about them, so I figure I should know what I am looking for. Same goes for the visual link if it is available. I will probably google so I can get a full understanding of them anyway.

 

Looking into buying eco-rock from BulkReef... In aquascaping, will either the Live Rock or eco-rock stand out after cycling?

 

I'm just concerned with how to arrange the two. If you can tell the difference after a few months, then I want to arrange my tank so that it looks nice in preparation of that

 

Are there any do's and don'ts concerning buying and curing live rock?

 

I'm looking forward to starting my cycle. I know not to add anything until the cycle has completed. But if there are any PITA things to look forward to, I would like to find out as much as I can before hand.

 

How do I edit my post?

 

Okay I found the edit button. I assume that I cannot edit the first post of a thread?

Edited March 16, 2009 by BigWyll

[droyal1110]

First off I recommend you go to the site on reefcentral I already posted, it is in the newbie corner and it is all you need to know to get your feet wet, seriously the info I am posting is pretty much coming from there, it's where I learned.

 

Every wonder what something is, a good place to start is here http://www.melevsreef.com/id/ or http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-04/reefslides/index.php or http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-08/reefslides/index.php

 

There are a couple hundred pictures and detailed explanations as to whether this is something to welcome or kill in your tank. The main things to look for on live rock is really aiptasia and majano anemones. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthre...threadid=803632 You will get some snails, hermit, starfish, micro living things, bristle worms, etc. But the big thing is watch out for the aiptasia.

 

All you wanted to know about algae, here is a good start http://saltcorner.com/sections/guest/algaepage/algaepage.htm

 

Its all about your aqua scape. Eventually everything will color up and look beautiful, but it will take time. It took my base rock about 4-5 months to color over nicely going from a bone white, to green, to green with spots, to brown with purple, to what it is now. The shapes will stay the same obviously but they can look more natural and won't stick out unless you scape them that way.

 

PITA: You WILL get algae in the first year, you will get green, green hair algae, red cyano "algae", etc. Fish will possibly die, hermits and snails die all the time, its common so long as they don't all die at the same time. Your water quality will fluctuate quite a bit, you will get frustrated and deterred, it will be tedious, you will have to be patient. Water changes suck. They are extremely necessary, if all else fails, do a water change.

 

Seriously, read the link I sent you before, in case you missed it here it is again http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.p...hreadid=1031074

 

And to edit I can't think of how to off the top of my head, sorry.

[BigWyll]

Okay... checking over at reefcentral should be my first step. I'll check there before asking questions here.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Wyll, there's plenty to read over at RC and lots of stickies here on the WAMAS boards. Be sure to keep asking questions if you come across something you don't understand. We've all been new to this hobby and all of us have some info to pass along.

 

Welcome to WAMAS!

[droyal1110]

Yea Wyll don't take it the wrong way I didn't mean don't come here looking for answers. I'm just saying that there is a lot of reading involved to help bring the puzzle pieces together. The answers you seek are in a lot of the stickies and if you are still unsure about those questions, by all means ask. I hope I didn't come off mean, it was purely to help you!

 

But seriously ask away, I will offer any knowledge I may have, as will anyone else on here.

[BigWyll]

Droyal - I didn't take it the wrong way. Thanks again for all your help. I did find the answeres I was looking for in your link. Alot of those answers created more questions but there are an abundance of people asking the same things I would. So your link is much appreciated.

 

Well I ordered some "Premium" Live Rock from Liveaquaria.com and some dry rock from bulkreefsupply.

 

Here are pics of my tank and the LR from Liveaquaria.

 

Aquarium Album

 

Okay the rocks were very large compared to what I seen in LFS, but they did look more like what I expected them to as oppose to brown rocks in the water. My new Questions are about aquascaping.

 

Do you recommend cutting the rocks down to a manageable size?

 

My tank is only 48" x 12" so with some of the pieces in an oval shape with 6" or 7" diameter there isn't a lot of room for swimming between the rock and the glass. This is just with the 45lbs of LR. I still have another 45 lbs of dry rock to get in there. Is this why everyone eventually goes bigger?

 

When stacking rocks to you recommend using some sort of adhesive?

 

I've read that come marine life can be pretty strong and topple anything that isn't quake proof.

 

I'm planning on buying a "Cleaner kit" from Liveaquaria. Is it okay to quarrantine all of the inverts in the same tank?

[BigWyll]

Finger twitched and double posted.

Edited March 27, 2009 by BigWyll

[droyal1110]

Wyll I'm glad you didn't =D

 

Looks like you're off to a good start. One thing to remember with saltwater is that when you get evaporation, it is causing a swing in your salinity and in some cases your PH. Just make sure to have some RO/DI water in a bucket and everyday top off 1-2 gallons, just keep a mental note (or mark it on your tank) where the water level is at and what the salinity is, and just keep adding fresh RO/DI water to keep everything in balance (Not saltwater, salt doesn't evaporate). Another thing is I would recommend losing the glass lids, I hate the ones on my 55, you will get salt creep nonstop and you increase your gas exchange and reduce heat in the tank with the lids off.

 

When you opened the box of premium live rock from liveaquaria.com, did you happen to notice a strong odor?

 

If you leave the light on over the rocks while cycling you will promote algae growth, there is nothing wrong with that because you are going to get it whether you like it or not. I personally would leave the lights on because it will help keep the color on the rocks rather than turning them brown.

 

Like you I prefer smaller rocks but I find it harder to work with. Meaning the more smaller rocks the more dead areas you are going to have where cyano and detritus will build up. However the rocks in your tank don't look too big to me, plus it leave you shelves for corals to grow or fish to hang out on. If they size really bothers you just pull them out real quick, take a chisel and hammer, and stick it back in the water.

 

The reason people go bigger is because they get a hunger that can't be satisfied in that size of a tank. When I bought my 55 gallon I thought this tank was so big I would never be able to fill it. Well 6 months later I'm going to a 90 and wishing I decided to go a bit bigger, but it will do for now =D

 

As far as the 90lbs of rock, that is perfectly fine. Especially if you are doing a bare bottom tank, this is a breeding ground for the beneficial bacteria you will need to sustain life. The more beneficial bacteria, the more stable your tank will be one day.

 

The aquascaping is a difficult task and I will spend a few hours rescaping, I'm pretty anal about that. I recommend leaving about an inch off the sides of the glass so you can clean the glass. Like I said you will get assorted algae as the tank cycles and matures, no way around that, so personally I like to be able to get it off the glass so I don't feel as discouraged (I hate algae.) Now with the swimming room for the fish, depending on what you want to keep I like to do plenty of caves and an open area at the top. From the looks of what is in your tank already, adding the rest of the 45 lbs of rock you'll be fine, the fish will adapt, find sleeping places, it will be ok.

 

I personally do not glue my rocks, like I said when I first start out I change rocks around while I still can. Not to mention in the event of something needing to be pulled out of the tank or whatever, I would hate to have to pull out all my rock work in one piece when all I had to do was move one rock. I just set the rocks up where I like them and fit the jagged edges into grooves, give them a good testing by waving my hand to see if the current will push it off, kind of rock the rock back and forth, shake the structure a bit. I have had a little rock slide in my tank but it was my fault, not a turbo or any fish's fault.

 

If you wanted to there are a couple of methods of securing rock. One is what I do, not full proof you just have to be careful when moving stuff around. Another is drilling holes into the bottom of the rocks and placing them on PVC pipe with a base so they have a support column holding them together. Another is drilling holes and zip tying them together, and of course you could always glue them together. I have had a large piece of rock tumble down and hit the front of my glass dead center and it didn't break... it scratched... but didn't break. But believe me when I said I cringed like my life depended on it.

 

Oh and the cleaner kit is fine if you want to go that far. Definitely wait until you get some algae growth, probably 3 weeks from now. You don't want to add a clean up crew with nothing to really clean up. I personally feel like those cleaner kits or a bit excessive to start out with but there is nothing wrong with buying it. Just be prepared to supplement using some algae wafers if they really tackle the algae and have nothing to eat. You don't need to quarantine them. When they arrive at your house, just acclimate them in the bag by letting them stay in the bag but put the bag in the tank water for about an hour then just dump them in. Some will die, its nothing in your tank they just come and go.

[BigWyll]

Lighting?

 

Currently I have (2) Aqualife lamp 21" with Coralife 50/50 blub 10,000k & actinic 03 blue 65watt. From what I read you are recommended to have 4 to 8 watts per gallon of water in your tank. I am confused at why the wattage is more important than what ever 10,000k means. I have seen some dual 48" T5 light assemblies that claim to only be 35 watts. If I understand this correctly then these T5's are worse that what I have currently. Is this correct? i have also seen some bulbs with the same wattage but have a rating of 6,500k. I'm trying to figure out if I need to trash what I have and get something bigger and better.

Edited April 3, 2009 by BigWyll

[Brian Ward]

Lighting?

 

Currently I have (2) Aqualife lamp 21" with Coralife 50/50 blub 10,000k & actinic 03 blue 65watt. From what I read you are recommended to have 4 to 8 watts per gallon of water in your tank. I am confused at why the wattage is more important than what ever 10,000k means. I have seen some dual 48" T5 light assemblies that claim to only be 35 watts. If I understand this correctly then these T5's are worse that what I have currently. Is this correct? i have also seen some bulbs with the same wattage but have a rating of 6,500k. I'm trying to figure out if I need to trash what I have and get something bigger and better.

 

Watts per gallon is a myth. Back when there weren't different types of lighting being used, it was a good rule of thumb. However, with the many choices we have today, it's just not a good measure since different bulbs are more efficient than others. PAR (Photosynthetically Available Radiation) is one of the best measurements to use. However, bulbs aren't rated for a particular PAR, so you just have to take a SWAG as to how much light to use. If you base it off of other's experience, then it's not a big deal.

 

The k of a bulb refers to its spectrum. The higher the k, the more blue in the bulb. 6500k has the least blue - the light will appear very yellow, but it provides the highest PAR. This spectrum is best for growing algae - and the reason we don't run them over our reef tanks, but they're great for a fuge. 10k is the minimum bulb most of us will use over our tank. It provides the best overall spectrum for growing corals, while not contributing too much to algae growth. Actinic supplementation is critical if you use a 10k bulb to get the florescence in your corals to pop out. 10k bulbs look a little too yellow to some, but other people love them. There are also 14k and 20k bulbs. 20k bulbs are the bluest. Radiums are 20k if you've seen a tank with those or heard about them. They are like actinics but more intense. Actual color varies by brand and ballast combination. What bulb color to use is a matter of personal preference.

 

As far as your particular setup, it sounds like you have PC (Power Compact) lamps? If so, I would recommend upgrading to at least T5. If you already have T5, then you're fine (unless you want to go to metal halide, MH). I don't remember what size tank you have, but I think it was a 90? For that size, you should be running about 4 T5 bulbs across your whole tank for LPS and softies, 8 if you want to keep a lot of SPS. Break up the spectrum of the bulbs to suit your particular taste - 2 10k and 2 actinic, 2 14k and 2 actinic, etc.

 

Hope that helps. Lighting is one of the more difficult topics in this hobby because there are so many variables. Take a look at different people's tanks (in person) and find out what they're running and emulate that on your own tank.

[BigWyll]

My tank is progressing nicely. Nitrite levels have dropped below 1. The last reading was .2 or .02. But that was a couple days after the water change. All that is left is to buy or finish building my sump and upgrade my lighting. Aquascaping the liverock is proving to be very difficult in my 55 gallon. I figure if I keep working at it something I built will stablize and not collapse without leaning on the glass.

 

What am I looking for when adjusting the skimmer?

 

The manual describes adjusting for more dry bubbles or more wet bubbles. I currently have it adjusted to where only dry bubbles reach the collection cup. This is mainly due to a flooding incedent involving the dupe tube. But the bubbles periodically do not rise high enough to disperse the dry bubbles in the cup. I've been chalking this up to the water becoming cleaner, but I want check and make sure that I should not be adjusting the skimmer cup to collect at all times.

 

 

I purchased a AquaC Remora HOB skimmer with a dump tube. Where should I run the dump tube?

 

Currently I have the tube running into a 5g bucket which I empty every week. Is the purpose of the dump tube so that it automatically empties itself? Not much solid waste has been in the collection cup when I check it. So I simply tilt it every day to force the liquid down the tube.

[droyal1110]

Sounds like you've got the tank cycling but you're still working on the sump, either way good call on starting the cycle. Be sure not to add any fish or any living things (including corals) until your tank has cycled, so probably a week or two after your nitrites and ammonia drop to 0.

 

As far as the aquascaping goes, its not easy. Plenty of people use aqua putty to hold the rocks together, others just balance the rocks. Either way unless you have something teetering to where a turbo snail can knock it over, chances are you're going to be the one who knocks it over, not anything in your tank.

 

When adjusting the skimmer its more for preference. Most people prefer the drier, nastier skimmate. On the HOB Remora skimmer this is achieved by adjusting the collection cup upward, not necessarily all the way up, you just have to play with it. Now on my 55g I own this skimmer, some days it works amazingly, other days it sucks. The skimmer almost has feelings and has its good days and its bad days, and this is a broken in skimmer I'm talking about. Your skimmer will need time to adjust and "break in" before it starts working more consistently. You'll find that every time you clean out the collection cup your skimmer will take a while before it starts producing skimmate again. My advice to you: upgrade the pump on your skimmer, set the collection height and leave it alone, and don't expect great results until after you add livestock.

 

The skimmer will pull some nasty stuff off of the live rock that had die off but it can only pull so much. Once you start adding a bioload (living things that produce waste) you will see an increase in skimmate and what not. The skimmer works off of dissolved organics in the water, essentially fish poop and left over rotting food, and it used the bubbles to attract the nasties in the water and put it in the collection cup.

 

A 5 gallon bucket works great, I would go a step further if you have enough tubing, drill a hole in a lid and put it over the bucket to cut down on the smell coming from the skimmate. I don't know how your skimmer flooded because on mine I don't have a dump tube, I have to empty the cup every other day or so and even if I went away for a month, the skimmate can only go as high as the neck of the collection cup, everything else just drains back into the skimmer and back into the tank if the cup is full. Now if your dump tube was open and you started to skim stuff out and you didn't have the dump tube going to a container, then yea I guess I can see how you had a "flood." Like I said, 5 gallon bucket works great but if you wait a long time to empty it you're in for a nasty treat when you go to dump it. Most people just use a milk jug depending on space allowance.

 

Another thing to keep in mind, the wetter the skimmate, the more saltwater you waste. If you are pulling a lot of clear skimmate in your collection cup, its more than likely mostly saltwater because your skimming too wet. The level in your tank will lower, especially with a 5g bucket as a collection cup, and your salinity will fluctuate if you are just adding freshwater to control the level of your tank, just something to keep in mind. Also, you don't need to tilt the cup, it will make its way into the drain tube, if you want just empty the cup once a week to keep it clean.