mnadeau June 29, 2015 Share June 29, 2015 Hey guys and gals I'm brand new! I picked up a 40 gallon breeder, 20 gallon sump, protein skimmer, stand, MH light with hangers, timer strip, 17 lbs of dry rock, and all the plumbing with some temp filter sponges to go in the first part of my sump. I rinsed out 3 totes and filled with tap and added purification drops, got 30 lbs of live sand, and a 150 watt adjustable heater. I added my rock and live sand. Put salt in water and stirred in, added water to tank and what was left I kept for water changes and evaporation. It's been since Saturday night o started and my water cleared well, salinity is finally up to 1.023. Got some foam on the entry side of my sump and today I cleaned the sponges and white blue filter material and found alot of sediment like stuff in. Any advice is well apreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami June 29, 2015 Share June 29, 2015 First of all, welcome! So much of what you asked depends on what you want to start out doing. What are your near-term goals for the tank? Soft corals? Fish only (or mostly)? Hard corals? A couple of observations: Using conditioned tap water works for some people, but keep in mind that there are components in that tap water that will either accumulate over time (unless you're regularly performing rather large water changes) or which will elevate certain ion levels depending upon the salt mix that you choose. For example, heavy metal ions that may be present in your water in low concentration will tend to accumulate over time as you top off using even conditioned tap water. Even if these ions are converted by tap water conditioners, they're still there to accumulate. A large water change from time to time can help to keep the effects of accumulation under control. Other things to consider, most of our water sources are fairly hard here. That is, there's already a fair amount of dissolved calcium and carbonates (hardness) in our tap water. When salt mix is added, you can expect the calcium and alkalinity levels of the resulting mix to be higher than had you used RO/DI water to start with. Also, if you're topping off with tap water, you'll continue to add calcium and alkalinity to your tank. Again, larger water changes can help to mitigate the effects of accumulation. One of the early things you may want to consider investing in is an automatic top off (ATO) system. An ATO replenishes the fresh water lost to evaporation automatically, and can stabilize the salinity in your tank and makes the hobby more enjoyable by removing one daily chore. As you cycle your tank, look up ghost feeding to help develop the bacterial population in your tank prior to adding higher forms of life such as fish, etc. And, be patient. Tanks can get rather ugly as they go from new to mature. The best advice in some cases is wait, be patient and ride it out. Remember: Nothing good ever happens fast in a reef tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnadeau June 29, 2015 Author Share June 29, 2015 I spent my limit on getting this started so it will run and be monitored for 2 weeks then when I get paid again I'm getting my test kits and carbon for the sump. I first plan to get a clean up crew and watch the tank then a couple clown fish and watch it. I have a friend who's been doing it for some years and is going to help me with quarantine and other things. I will be getting an ro/di unit within a month and work on getting it set up for use in water changes. Eventually move into corals and create a nice reef tank down the road as I learn and progress. Thank you for the quick reply! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf June 29, 2015 Share June 29, 2015 Welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2nhle June 30, 2015 Share June 30, 2015 Welcome to Wamas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy July 1, 2015 Share July 1, 2015 welcome - you'll definitely want to sign up as a member if not just to support this forum that will be a tremendous resource and support structure for you but for the amazing deals in the for sale sections. things are usually had very affordably and from time to time even free within the WAMAS family. thanks for posting up and keep us updated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keraxis July 1, 2015 Share July 1, 2015 I wouldnt bother testing for 1 month. Even a fast cycle takes 3 weeks. If your straped for cash your local LFS will run your water for about $3 a test i believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcrazyjoker81 July 1, 2015 Share July 1, 2015 Welcome. As people have said above. Just go slow and take your time. It sounds like you have a good setup for a nice starter tank. You should add location to your profile too so others can see where you are. Wouldn't be surprised if you have someone in the WAMAS community close to you to help you out too. And lastly we love pictures here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnadeau July 1, 2015 Author Share July 1, 2015 Buddy came over this morning and found I put my sump in backwards so we will be doing a water change and flipping it this weekend. Trying to figure out tapatalk to get some pictures up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnadeau July 1, 2015 Author Share July 1, 2015 Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnadeau July 1, 2015 Author Share July 1, 2015 Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PK3 July 1, 2015 Share July 1, 2015 Welcome to the club! Just one thing, is it just me or is the tank and stand not level? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnadeau July 1, 2015 Author Share July 1, 2015 Lol its just how I took the picture I checked the level of everything 3 times before moving forward with stand then tank and stand then tank stand and water and is level the whole way through Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnadeau July 2, 2015 Author Share July 2, 2015 Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnadeau July 2, 2015 Author Share July 2, 2015 Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk Got some nice dark spots growing on my rocks now it's so exciting Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2nhle July 6, 2015 Share July 6, 2015 It is only a few days. You should wait for a while before putting any live stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnadeau July 6, 2015 Author Share July 6, 2015 It is only a few days. You should wait for a while before putting any live stock.I won't be putting any live stock in for awhile I got to wait till this weekend just to get a test kit already did a 25% water change and tomorrow I'll be adding a LR so it will still be cycling. Also have a lot of dyno growing in there it's very exciting watching the cycle take its course! Shows us how wild and extreme nature is! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattiejay6 July 8, 2015 Share July 8, 2015 Good start so far! Glad to see the progress you are making! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnadeau July 8, 2015 Author Share July 8, 2015 Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnadeau July 8, 2015 Author Share July 8, 2015 Picture update yesterday added those 3 pieces of LR on top and got a nitrate spike reading today Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2nhle July 8, 2015 Share July 8, 2015 don't worry it will come down. It is part of the cycle process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnadeau July 8, 2015 Author Share July 8, 2015 don't worry it will come down. It is part of the cycle process.Yea this weekend I'll do another water change and I turned my lights down from 8am to 6pm to 8am to 1pm just giving it the time it needs to do its thing watching my tank takes its course of nature Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnadeau July 8, 2015 Author Share July 8, 2015 don't worry it will come down. It is part of the cycle process.Yea this weekend I'll do another water change and I turned my lights down from 8am to 6pm to 8am to 1pm just giving it the time it needs to do its thing watching my tank takes its course of nature Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom39 July 8, 2015 Share July 8, 2015 Welcome to the best, most addicting hobby ever. Also nice to see another reefer in the Fredericksburg area. Tank looks great btw, best of luck. Look me up when it is time to add some corals, I have a few easy care FREE frags if interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnadeau July 8, 2015 Author Share July 8, 2015 Welcome to the best, most addicting hobby ever. Also nice to see another reefer in the Fredericksburg area. Tank looks great btw, best of luck. Look me up when it is time to add some corals, I have a few easy care FREE frags if interested. Awesome thank you and yes I'd love that I'll be in contact with you Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now