New B and New Tank

[matt bills]

Todays readings

amm 0

nit. 0

Trat 2.5

 

Tom can i drop off your book

 

Thanks

[Origami]

Looks, good, Matt. Do you want to come by today to drop the book off? I'm in and out tomorrow and much of the weekend. It's not necessary that I actually be there, though. Just let me know.

[matt bills]

i will stop by on the way home today around 5-530 thanks again

[matt bills]

Tom thanks for the book dropped it off this morning

 

I got my refractometer sean calibrated it for me and i changed my Salinity yesterday it was is 1.028, i am bring that down will check it again today.

 

my list of fish so far is

 

maybe

 

start with 2 clowns

 

then

blenny

gobe

couple to 3 firefish

 

What do you think

 

I plan to go to bigger tank in a the next year.

 

thanks

 

matt

 

 

[matt bills]

have not turned my lights on yet.

[John]

If you start with clowns, I would get juveniles, once they become paired they may bully other new additions. Also, if you are thinking of gobies/blennies be mindful of what you want to place in the sandbed...clams, open brains, other LPS, etc as those fishes will sift sand on top of them and really upset them.

 

Also, if you plan to upgrade later, keep in mind if you want open top (like a rimless tank) or a canopy...some fish are known to be jumpers. Obviously, you don't need to worry about jumpers with your current tank.

Edited April 15, 2011 by John

[matt bills]

Thanks i will have to do one clown and take the gobies/blennies off the list.

 

 

[rocko918]

Matt, you should get 2 clowns and get what ever blennie and gobies you want. Watchman are the most common gobies that don't do much damage with sifting sand (very little at that). Blennies don't sandsift but do rest on things but not enough to kill anything. Midas, bicolor, lawnmower, 2 spot, yellow are all safe and common blennies.

[matt bills]

ok cool thanks

[matt bills]

I got some damsels today and with came Xenia candycain leather and two more corals I forgot the names I will figure out tomorrow.

 

How long do leave my lights on 6 hours to start?. I'd it ok to leave the less on all the time?

[Origami]

As I recall, you have compact fluorescents for this system, right? Go 6 hours for 1 week and add an hour per week until you get to 10. I think that you'll be fine with 10 hours of lighting overall. You could actually bump it up a little faster, but I don't really see the need to do so. If you have metal halides, you probably would hold to about 8 hours of MH lighting per day.

[matt bills]

Yes I have 105 watt Compacts

 

Can i leave my blue LEDS on all the time?

[Origami]

Yes.

[matt bills]

great thanks

 

When should i do a water change I have been running for 3 weeks now.

[Origami]

Once you have "bioload positive" livestock (like the fish), I would begin developing the habit of 10% water changes per week. Be sure to mix and age your freshly mixed water for a couple of days before using it, though. Newly mixed artificial salt water (ASW) is somewhat caustic (high pH) and needs a little time (with agitation or aeration) for it to come into balance with atmospheric CO2 before going into your tank.

[matt bills]

ok good thanks again

[trockafella]

Good luck adding new fish after the damsels.. Damsels can be very nasty, especially in a small tank. Just be cautious.

 

 

[matt bills]

i will remove them later they are just my starter fish. Or i may go up in size.

[Origami]

I've not had too much bad luck with certain damsels (even blue damsels), but they do tend to get more aggressive as they get older.

[matt bills]

They are active but they all ate. Feed fish and coral. I also got my ro/di unit. I packed the reson good. How long do I run it before I can start using the water?

[FearTheTerps]

I would waste the first 5 gallons that your RODI produces. The membrane will have some preservatives in that needs to be washed away. Then after that most units have a flush valve, you will need to flush the system for a few mins for EACH use before you collect any product water. I've read some manufactures suggest that you flush the membrane for 1 min for each day the unit hasnt been in use. I usually just flush mine for 2-3 mins tho.

[matt bills]

Thanks I did that. How long does it take to file a 5 gallon bucket? I think it took me 15 minutes to fill. I put 1 cup of reef crystals in and turn on the power head. I will take a measurement tonight on salinaty.

 

I put the superman on the top of a rock and he is tring to slide down the side but is stretching apart. Almost like a natural frag.

 

Matt

[John]

15 mins to make 5 gallons of RODI sounds skeptical to me. What is your unit rated at, in GPD? New/Used? House Water Pressure? Do you have a TDS meter to check your RODI water?

[matt bills]

used with new filters 100 gpd i think, I do not have a tds. dont know the pressure in the house. there is value on the unit which i can turn and slows the water comeing out the end but it was like at its slowest.

[John]

You have no way of knowing if your RODI is working without a TDS meter. Get a TDS meter. Make sure your RODI water is close to zero...I would test tap water and your output so you can see how well your RODI unit is working. Sean has TDS meters at his shop.

 

BTW, 1/2 cup Reef Crystals to 1 gallon water