HELP!!!!!!!!

[Gilbert]

Hi, so I just bought a 90gallon corner reef ready tank, stand, sump, 1/5 chiller, 400w metal halide with 2 32w actinic, 20 gallon sump, protein skimmer, and I have a mag drive 7 pump on the way. So I filled my tank up with 140lbs live sand, 100lbs live rocks, and water yesterday and I have the water set to 80 degrees with 1.026 salinity. I have a koralia 3 powerhead to circulate the water, but I don't have my sump/filtration set up yet because I'm waiting on my pump to come in the mail in about a week or so, is this bad? The water is cloudy from puttin the live sand in yesterday.

[dtfleming]

I would remove some of that sand. tank is cloudy from the sand. Get some filter floss or a poly filter to help clear it up.

 

I guess that's what your asking?

[lanman]

Sounds like you're all set. Once you get the sump/return set up, you can start taking readings, and watch for a cycle. Don't worry about the stirred up sand - it will eventually settle. More quickly if you had a nice quiet sump for it to settle into, and some filters to pull some of it out.

 

Welcome aboard.

 

bob

[Gilbert]

Will the tank be fine for a week this way till I get a pump? I'm looking to set up a reef tank. I'm just afraid that it might be bad for the live sand or the live rock since there is no filtration just a powerhead

 

 

[hbh]

Many here have kept live rock live for a week in a bucket with a powerhead for water circulation. The sand will settle after 2-4 days and then likely will be stirred up again once you put in your sump. It won't be a big deal. Just please don't jump ahead and get fish and corals at this point. Please finish getting your tank set up, cycled and yourself acclimated to this tank BEFORE doing anything else. If you choose not to, then there will not be a wonderful tank that is functioning well. In the meantime go read the posts for beginners and check out the sections to ask more questions. Our group here is wonderful to work with and doesn't mind answering questions.

[Gilbert]

No I will not be puting corals or fish till I get this pump (mag 7)I just hope my rocks will still be alive because they were already sitting in circulation only water for about two weeks previously and now another week. I bought products from marinedepot.com and I got the free shipping bonous, how long does that usually take to get here in the DC area?

[Origami]

Most likely the water is cloudy from the sand being stirred up. If that's the case, it will settle over the next day or so. Since this is a new set up, are you monitoring water parameters to track your tank's cycle? Specifically, are you tracking ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates?

 

The bacteria that make live rock "live" are pretty sturdy and resilient. I'm sure that it's fine.

 

You should have your MD order within a week of placing it.

[Gilbert]

As for my sump/filtration setup I plan on construction kind of like a DYI type of thing. Water from the tank going into a poly filter then filtering down into the bio balls, in the next section in the sump i'll have a protein skimmer and a porous sponge going into for water to pass into the pump section of my sump. Is this an adequate setup for a reef tank?

 

 

[GaryL]

As for my sump/filtration setup I plan on construction kind of like a DYI type of thing. Water from the tank going into a poly filter then filtering down into the bio balls, in the next section in the sump i'll have a protein skimmer and a porous sponge going into for water to pass into the pump section of my sump. Is this an adequate setup for a reef tank?

 

sounds great except for the bio balls part because they become a nitrate producer and i think i would just use the poly filter and exclude the sponge pre return pump. unless your diligent about maintance and keep the sponge very clean for they can clog up easily...or at least in my experience.

 

HTH

 

gary

[Gilbert]

So all I really need is a poly filter in my sump, and that pretty much keeps my tank clean?

[onyx]

Welcome to the club.

 

Your LR and sand will be just fine without your sump. Proper salinity, heat and circulation will keep your LR alive indefinitely. Skimming just helps remove the junk from your water. If your LR is cured and you are not adding any fish or corals the balance should be just fine. If you are worried, test your levels and do several water changes, but it will be fine.

 

For your sump, a poly filter or sock will help trap detris from entering your sump and help polish your water, but you will have to change and clean it frequently. You don't need bio balls or sponges in your sump. Your sand, live rock and skimmer will be your main filtering mechanism. Water changes will also help with this.

 

Goodluck.

 

Brandon

[Gilbert]

Man this place is awesome!!!!! The people here are very active and have responded to my questions pretty fast. Thank you everyone for helping me out.

[flowerseller]

Keep the koralia 3 powerhead low in the tank pointing upwards to vigorously ripple the water at the surface of the tank.

IIMO

The mag 7 may not be enough if you plan to push through the chiller and up into the tank. 9.5 + would be needed.

[davelin315]

Like Brandon said, your rock and sand are your filter (biological) for the tank. Using a sponge filter to provide some mechanical filtration is a good idea, but you can do the same with a filter sock as well, just make sure that whatever you do is rinsed out pretty regularly to prevent organics from building up and breaking down. Using a polyfilter is a good idea, but it's more for chemical filtration rather than mechanical as it will get clogged up pretty easily. I would use the polyfilter after the sponge if I was going to use it at all (I use filter socks).

 

For your return, Chip also has made a good point. Since you have yet to run your lights for the full day, that pump may not be enough to satisfy the needs of your chiller (unless it's a drop in). Personally, I'm not a fan of mag pumps as they seem to always lock up at some point in time for me, produce a lot of heat, and I've also had a couple of them (present mixing pump included) start to leak current into the tank.

 

Oh, and why do you have the temp at 80? Personally, I would lower it to 76 or 78. Your lights and additional pumps will add that heat back to the water and there's really no reason to keep it that high. I know that some places recommend pushing the temp up for the initial cycle, but live rock and sand don't typically need that extra boost since (as long as they were transported properly) they house tons of bacteria to begin with.

[Coral Hind]

I think there may be some confusion when people are mentioning "poly filter". I think some are referencing the filter floss or polyfil while others are talking about a product called PolyFilter that is used like GAC to remove chemicals or metals from a tank.

 

The PolyFilter would be expensive to use in the long run and it gets clogged easily. I would use GAC instead unless you have an emergency and need to pull a lot of stuff out quickly.

 

I would look into using a sponge or filter sock instead of the filter floss as it seemed to allow small strands to get into pumps and cause issue for me.

Edited March 1, 2010 by Coral Hind

[GaryL]

I think there may be some confusion when people are mentioning "poly filter". I think some are referencing the filter floss or polyfil while others are talking about a product called PolyFilter that is used like GAC to remove chemicals or metals from a tank.

 

The PolyFilter would be expensive to use in the long run and it gets clogged easily. I would use GAC instead unless you have an emergency and need to pull a lot of stuff out quickly.

 

I would look into using a sponge or filter sock instead of the filter floss as it seemed to allow small strands to get into pumps and cause issue for me.

 

GAC = granulated activated carbon? if so i have read to make sure its quality cause some can contain phosphates. i know i read it here somewhere.

[bshriver]

Will the tank be fine for a week this way till I get a pump? I'm looking to set up a reef tank. I'm just afraid that it might be bad for the live sand or the live rock since there is no filtration just a powerhead

Yep. I do that all the time. Just keep the water circulating in the display with the power heads.

 

Sorry, I did not take the time to read the rest of the thread. Someone probably already answered this.

[Gilbert]

Would I aslo need an air pump in the tank to create bubbles?

 

 

[dtfleming]

Would I aslo need an air pump in the tank to create bubbles?

 

No. When you have time, I would search the Dedicated tank forum for ideas on your setup. Like other have pointed out to you, get the return and once you get the sump up and running let it cycle. Keep an eye on your water parameters, pH, SG, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ALK. You should see a spike in Ammonia and Nitrite and then they will drop back down to zero. You may see brown algae start to cover everything these are diatoms.

[Inspector]

My advise is take your time. Trying to rush the tank along never helps. Listen to all of your new friends here on WAMAS. We have all been through just about everything at one time or another. Give the tank what it needs and give it time. The more time you give it without rushing the bio-load, the healther the tank will become alowing it to compensate for the little bumps in the road. Oh, and welcome.

[Coral Hind]

I think Inspector's advice is right on. Take your time and use it to ask the types of questions you are asking right now. It will save you lots of stress and money!

[Gilbert]

Okay so for the situation that I'm in, what am I looking for as far as as the chemicals in my tank such as. ph, nitrate, nitrate, etc?

 

 

[Brian Ward]

Okay so for the situation that I'm in, what am I looking for as far as as the chemicals in my tank such as. ph, nitrate, nitrate, etc?

 

 

 

pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are all you need to worry about right now. Once you're ready to add corals (minimum 3 mos) then you can start monitoring Alk and Ca.

[Brian Ward]

Here is the authoritative article on reef aquarium water parameters:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

[Gilbert]

like what levels should it all be at?