EricBrian March 20, 2006 Share March 20, 2006 Hello, this is my first post here! I am new to saltwater. My tank is currently in the process of cycling and hopefully, it will be done soon. Wondering, are there frag exchanges here in this area? Just wondering because when I went to various pet stores, I found that the cost of corals to be very high. Thanks a million. Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMsAquarium March 21, 2006 Share March 21, 2006 Eric, You've come to the right place . We exchange a lots of frags among us. If you could describe your set up, such as size of the tank, what kind of lighting you have. Water movement, such as powerheads and or pumps etc... we will have a better idea on what we might be able to help you with. And of course WELCOME to Wamas. JM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricBrian March 21, 2006 Author Share March 21, 2006 Thank you. Ah, lol, I should have done that. I will add that info to my signature so that I don't have to add it to different posts. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricBrian March 21, 2006 Author Share March 21, 2006 There are 3 kinds of lights.... bright white, bright blue and very dim blue: -- FT27W Dual Daylight -- FT27W Dual Actinic The dim blue light are just two very little lights with no specs. The filter is submerged. By the way, this Aquapod is the model after the one that was recalled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMsAquarium March 21, 2006 Share March 21, 2006 There are 3 kinds of lights.... bright white, bright blue and very dim blue: -- FT27W Dual Daylight -- FT27W Dual Actinic The dim blue light are just two very little lights with no specs. The filter is submerged. By the way, this Aquapod is the model after the one that was recalled. OK The dim blue lights are "moon lights" Thay give this dim blue coloration that enables you to look at your tank as if it were lit by the moon. Seems that for the others you either have either the HO fluorescent or more possibly the compact fluorescent. Either way, you can set up a very nice nano tank, mainly stocked with low light demanding corals. Since you also mentionned that you are new to saltwater, let's go step by step. I assume you have live rock, and possibly sand on that tank. How is your cycle going? The principes, at least as for the cycle, are the same as with a fresh water tank, your goal is to reach 0 ammonia 0 nitrites 0 nitrates. Your main filter is the rock itself, that's were most of all the beneficial bacteria is living. Same with the sand. Try to get a few scoops from different established tanks. it will "seed" your sand bed with nice bacteria and critters. BTW, how are you cycling it? With a fish or something else? In the mean time, think about what you are going to do with your stock, if possible do a lot of research and ask a lot of questions. Remember that this is a nano tank, so you will have to pay more attention to it than if it were a large tank. Water parameters are more sensitive in small tanks than in larger ones. Mainly because the waste ect.. has less water to be diluted into. Ask others here to show you their set ups, see what they have, ask about the care and requirements of their corals and so forth. Then, you will get lucky, many members will be glad to give you a frag or two to get you started (me included if I have something that you may like) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caribbean Jake March 21, 2006 Share March 21, 2006 Welcome to WAMAS ErikBrian, you will learne a lot about Saltwater and few other things at this club. Let's make it happen, after all this is YOUR CLUB. Welcome. Let mw know if you are interested in some corals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricBrian March 21, 2006 Author Share March 21, 2006 Thank you too, Jake, for the welcome. JM, I took a picture of what I have. In essence, I have 22 lbs of LR and 10 lbs of LS. I bought them at Wally's Aquarium. When I measured the water values, I found: Ammonia, 0.25 Nitrite, 0.4 Nitrate 15 Alk was within the range according to the color chart that came with the test. pH 8.2 Temp 82 Deg F These values, however, were true before I added the last big piece of LR. I will measure the values again when I get home later today. I couldn't get the hydrometer to work properly so, I ordered a refractometer and it is being shipped as we speak. Here is the image: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caribbean Jake March 21, 2006 Share March 21, 2006 ErikB You need to wait till the cycle is complete, then make a major (50%) water change, and retest all your parameters. Before putting any livestock in your tank, the parameters as Amonia, Nitrite should read 0 (CERO) no excuses or what ever you put in there runs the chance of dying. Then you need to monitor the Nitrate until it reaches 0 (CERO). Once this is complete your tank is considered cycle and then you can start putting livestocks in your tank. By the way, nice picture and nice rock set up, looks very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricBrian March 21, 2006 Author Share March 21, 2006 Jake, Absolutely... I plan to wait until my aquarium has cycled completely. JM, Thank you for the info on the lights, btw. I understand that I have to be watch the water quality carefully. I wish I could have a larger aquarium, however, my freshwater aquarium is using the only free 'large' wall space that I have. When you say "HO fluorescent or more possibly the compact fluorescent," I don't know what you mean. So, I looked at the tubes and it said no such thing. Would it help if I took pictures of the tubes? --Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMsAquarium March 21, 2006 Share March 21, 2006 Jake, Absolutely... I plan to wait until my aquarium has cycled completely. JM, Thank you for the info on the lights, btw. I understand that I have to be watch the water quality carefully. I wish I could have a larger aquarium, however, my freshwater aquarium is using the only free 'large' wall space that I have. When you say "HO fluorescent or more possibly the compact fluorescent," I don't know what you mean. So, I looked at the tubes and it said no such thing. Would it help if I took pictures of the tubes? --Eric Eric, Nice pic, looks very good. I second Jacob's advise on waiting til the cycle has complete. But since you already have fresh water experience, well, you already knew that . Now, as far as the tank size goes, that is not a problem. Small tanks , big tanks, all have a great potential, as usual, it is about what we do with them that makes a nice display or not. So far yours looks promising. Now, sure, a pic of your bulbs will definitely tell what you have. Here is a rough description HO bulb, looks loke a fluorescent bulb. PC - looks like a "U" shaped bulb JM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricBrian March 21, 2006 Author Share March 21, 2006 Ah... here they are: So, they are PC lights, yes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMsAquarium March 21, 2006 Share March 21, 2006 Ah... here they are: So, they are PC lights, yes? Absolutely Sounds like a correct light setup for 12 gal tank. Therefore there is a lot of potential for your tank. Time to start putting your wish list together Eric. Then, once you've done that, start researching about the needs and care of these items. Once you have narrowed down your choice, hehe, time to start getting them. Like Jacob and I said previously, we can get you started with a few frags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricBrian March 21, 2006 Author Share March 21, 2006 Very nice. Thanks. I've been think a lot about what I want: 2 peppermint shrimp, turbo snails, 2 feather dusters, and a purple urchin. I found a tank picture that had this coral which I find absolutely beautiful. Can you help figure out what it is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmward99 March 21, 2006 Share March 21, 2006 Looks like a sun coral to me.Welcome to wamas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caribbean Jake March 21, 2006 Share March 21, 2006 EricBrian That is a Sun Coral, well know as Tubastrea Faulkneri. It is a very impressive coral but difficult to keep. I recommend reading a little about it first, you can see the attached post. I also suggest you get few month of experience with saltwater before trying to keep one of this. http://www.flippersandfins.net/CoralOrangeSun.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMsAquarium March 21, 2006 Share March 21, 2006 Eric, Sun corals are indeed beautiful, however I agree with Jacob, they are not a good choice for a begginer's coral. It can be done, but you will need to really pay attention to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricBrian March 22, 2006 Author Share March 22, 2006 Well, ammonia, nitrates and nitrites have all gone way up since I added that big arched rock to my cycling aquarium. I wonder if I'll ever have a cycled system. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMsAquarium March 22, 2006 Share March 22, 2006 Ahh....patience..... Hard to wait eh? But, on a serious note, do never forget this golden rule, never rush things. In reef tanks, nothing happens fast (except bad things). Let Nature play its role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricBrian March 22, 2006 Author Share March 22, 2006 Yeah, I will wait. No problem. I am just excited about getting it going. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMsAquarium March 23, 2006 Share March 23, 2006 Yeah, I will wait. No problem. I am just excited about getting it going. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricBrian March 23, 2006 Author Share March 23, 2006 Also, if I had a 100g aquarium, what kind of RO device should I get? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMsAquarium March 23, 2006 Share March 23, 2006 Also, if I had a 100g aquarium, what kind of RO device should I get? Thanks. It all depends on how much water you need on a regular basis. I guess that the best answer is the one that fits your budget. What you have to keep in mind is that the rating of the unit, for example a 35 gpd, a 745 gpd a 100gpd, is the max RO water that it will produce under the optimal parameters, which usually are, a water pressure in your house around 65 PSI and a water temp of around 70 F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricBrian March 23, 2006 Author Share March 23, 2006 Nice info. Thanks. Well, since I live in an apartment, I don't have room to store water like that. I would have to rely on the unit to produce what I needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMsAquarium March 23, 2006 Share March 23, 2006 Nice info. Thanks. Well, since I live in an apartment, I don't have room to store water like that. I would have to rely on the unit to produce what I needed. Also, since you have a 12 gal, and if you can hide a 5gal bucket somwhere, you will have a lot of spare water It's cheap insurance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricBrian March 23, 2006 Author Share March 23, 2006 Ok, cool. How about this one? http://www.aquaticreefsystem.com/store/car...category_id=248 Do you think it would do? Buying distilled water is going to get expensive fast, so I want to get this soon. Also, can somebody offer me a part time job to pay for all of this? LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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