Finnex 30g owners unite!

[kellerexpress]

hmmm maybe they changed it because i am seeing no such knob.

[Phixion]

hmmm maybe they changed it because i am seeing no such knob.

 

It's possible they did, and hopefully for something better!! Could you get or take any pics of it by any chance?? If all else fails, email Ron @ Finnex and he usually reponds back within a business day. Good luck!!

[bird]

Yep. going to order one from OR. Thanks kellerexpress. Can't beat that price.

So I should probably get a nano Tunze skimmer for better performance? It will fit in the back with no mods from what I understand?

[Phixion]

Yep. going to order one from OR. Thanks kellerexpress. Can't beat that price.

So I should probably get a nano Tunze skimmer for better performance? It will fit in the back with no mods from what I understand?

 

I'd honestly try out the stock one first incase you don't need the Tunze... If stock doesn't work out, then

get the Tunze. Or another thing you can do is order the tank, have them omit the skimmer from it and see if they can knock the differance from off the price since the tanks all ship from Finnex directly anyways. I know of people that have done that too.

[bird]

I'd honestly try out the stock one first incase you don't need the Tunze... If stock doesn't work out, then

get the Tunze. Or another thing you can do is order the tank, have them omit the skimmer from it and see if they can knock the differance from off the price since the tanks all ship from Finnex directly anyways. I know of people that have done that too.

For the price that it is I will probably get the skimmer with it and see how it works first before getting the tunze. Thanks for the help.

[kellerexpress]

It's possible they did, and hopefully for something better!! Could you get or take any pics of it by any chance?? If all else fails, email Ron @ Finnex and he usually reponds back within a business day. Good luck!!

 

 

Just sent an email to finnex, Ill see what they say. Do you have a pic of the knob?

[bird]

Has anyone set up a mud type refugium? Would mangroves do OK? I have never grown them but was thinking of doing so.

[kellerexpress]

Got an email back from Finnex today,

"Hi,

Thanks for purchasing our M-Tank. Since the water level in the skimmer chamber is constant, the skimmer does not need to have water flow adjustment"

 

So there you have it, no way to adjust the skimmer now.

[Paleoreef103]

Has anyone set up a mud type refugium? Would mangroves do OK? I have never grown them but was thinking of doing so.

... Kind of. My tanks at the university have about an inch of Miracle Mud underneath a huge blob of chaeto. It's worked really well. I think mangroves would do ok, at least for a while, because the refugium light is up on stilts so the leaves can reach above the water level and still get light. Honestly though, Chaeto is the way to go. I love the stuff. On of my complaints with the system is the light bleeding from the refugium into the main tank. Kind of annoying. I keep an egg crate lid and use a black piece of plastic to prevent the light from bleeding through.

[bird]

... Kind of. My tanks at the university have about an inch of Miracle Mud underneath a huge blob of chaeto. It's worked really well. I think mangroves would do ok, at least for a while, because the refugium light is up on stilts so the leaves can reach above the water level and still get light. Honestly though, Chaeto is the way to go. I love the stuff. On of my complaints with the system is the light bleeding from the refugium into the main tank. Kind of annoying. I keep an egg crate lid and use a black piece of plastic to prevent the light from bleeding through.

OK, thanks. I will probably do the same. I studied what pics I could find of the back chambers and the way you are talking would probably be best-to keep the light setting on black egg crate and go with chaeto. That's what I was wondering about the mangroves, if there would be enough room for them to grow out the top, but I hadn't thought about the light spill over when the main lights are out.

I wonder if the fuge light could be hung so it shone into the back of the fuge from a vertical position instead of placing it above since the back of the tank is clear?

[kellerexpress]

update: got everything from my nano-cube transfered over today, I am up and running! The transfer went pretty good, I used some new fiji pink live sand, most of my old tank water, and moved all my rock, coral , inverts and fish. Kept the sand bed to a minimum this time around, only like 3/4"-1". (my nano-cube had a 3" sand bed, PITA!) Tank looks awesome, I am stoked. Hopefully I wont have much of a cycle, ill just keep an eye on things. Only complaint is the micro bubbles the skimmer is kicking up. How long does this thing make micro bubbles before it chills out?

[bird]

What would be a good theme to go with in this tank? I am getting the HQI 150watt. I was thinking zoanthids and clams maybe?

I guess anything should be OK? I do not want to do the dosing and all that though, just rely on water changes.

I know there are pics through the thread, but how about posting some updated pics of tanks that are pretty much stocked out?

[Phixion]

Clams will not work if you don't want to dose. Even one clam can suck the Ca out of the water in no time flat. You could always go with like zoas/palys at icordia, or LPS... But once you dip into clams and SPS, you'll most certainly to have to start dosing things to keep everything alive and happy. That's just the way it is unfortunately... =/

 

Keller, the skimmer can take up to 2 weeks to properly break in. One thing you could do that I've recommended to people before, is put the skimmer in a bucket of S/W for a week to let the bubbles calm down a bit. Any skimmer you get will have a break-in period like this. But I use the stock Finnex one and NO sponges or even filter floss and I get not even a single micro bubble in the display of the tank. It can be done, just takes uber patience.

[burtbollinger]

Keep it simple....skip the mud and the mangroves....it will just turn into a big mess back there....i looked into doing what youre talking about, talked to a lot of folks and decided against it....built in finnex fuge not well suited for mangroves...stick with chaeto...chaeto and more chaeto...I wouldnt even put rubble or sand in.

 

also, simply run fuge during same schedule as actintics (on the same timer)... = no worries about light bleeding thru.

 

heads up, just because you "dont want to" do something, doesn't mean its not important....If youre not dosing, youre slipping, HARD. Please do the 30 minutes of work and learn about dosing two part, and then buy some two part solution. why you'd buy a finnex and have a 150w MH and then say you dont want to dose 2-part is beyond me. STEP YOUR GAME UP...its a little step...so do it, already. its two splashes of liquid, once a day....I think you can handle that.

 

see my thread for an easy way to sey up a low maintainence Finnex, or any tank....as far as what to keep, you start with nice colonies of unique/semi unique zoas, build up to a few choice LPS pieces (avoid torches or LARGE frogspawns), and then finish off with some easy-to-care for SPS up at the top...avoid green star polyps, anthelia and big ugly palys, and Xenia, all of which you'll later which you hadnt put it.... water change once every week or two (max), dose @ 10-15 ML of 2-part ALK & CALCIUM....turkey baste the rocks every few days...and feed the tank Rods Food daily, and phytoplankton every 3 or 4 days....

 

Finally, no matter what it is you buy, make every attempt not to purchase generic brown or green hued corals...before you know it , you'll have a generic tank...be selective with your purchases, keep things simple, be smart, stay up on your changes, dose 2 part, watch your alkalinity....thats all the advice I can give you...the rest is up to you.

 

oh, and look into getting an Auto Top Off a.s.a.p....

[Phixion]

Actually, before looking into 2-part solutions, get a good (Salifert, Elos or Tropic Marin) alk and Ca test kits. Tropic Marion actually sells a combo Mg and Ca test kit. This way you can get an idea of if you even need to dose in the first place. Like the rule of thumb says, never dose anything you aren't already testing for.

 

That said, I've never had to dose my tanks except for when my pH started dropping significantly which was caused by very low alk level. I only dosed the alk part of B-Ionic 2-part solution and knew my tank was good simply by watching my pH raise back up over time. Not the best method to monitor by, but in my case the 2 were directly tied together. Ca abundance can be gauged without a test kit by coralline growth. Good constant growth means solid Ca levels. BUT, this is NOT a substitute for testing however. You should always test anyways if you're thinking of or will be dosing. If you get SPS or clams, then you should be testing anyways.

[bird]

Keep it simple....skip the mud and the mangroves....it will just turn into a big mess back there....i looked into doing what youre talking about, talked to a lot of folks and decided against it....built in finnex fuge not well suited for mangroves...stick with chaeto...chaeto and more chaeto...I wouldnt even put rubble or sand in.

 

also, simply run fuge during same schedule as actintics (on the same timer)... = no worries about light bleeding thru.

 

heads up, just because you "dont want to" do something, doesn't mean its not important....If youre not dosing, youre slipping, HARD. Please do the 30 minutes of work and learn about dosing two part, and then buy some two part solution. why you'd buy a finnex and have a 150w MH and then say you dont want to dose 2-part is beyond me. STEP YOUR GAME UP...its a little step...so do it, already. its two splashes of liquid, once a day....I think you can handle that.

 

see my thread for an easy way to sey up a low maintainence Finnex, or any tank....as far as what to keep, you start with nice colonies of unique/semi unique zoas, build up to a few choice LPS pieces (avoid torches or LARGE frogspawns), and then finish off with some easy-to-care for SPS up at the top...avoid green star polyps, anthelia and big ugly palys, and Xenia, all of which you'll later which you hadnt put it.... water change once every week or two (max), dose @ 10-15 ML of 2-part ALK & CALCIUM....turkey baste the rocks every few days...and feed the tank Rods Food daily, and phytoplankton every 3 or 4 days....

 

Finally, no matter what it is you buy, make every attempt not to purchase generic brown or green hued corals...before you know it , you'll have a generic tank...be selective with your purchases, keep things simple, be smart, stay up on your changes, dose 2 part, watch your alkalinity....thats all the advice I can give you...the rest is up to you.

 

oh, and look into getting an Auto Top Off a.s.a.p....

Already have an Auto top off. It is a doser with a float switch.

As far as the 2 part, are you talking about B-ionic? I saw a Kents A/B. Will this work also? I guess I test alk and calcium when doing this. How often would you have to test?

Oh, and I have decided to just do the chaeto. Thanks for the input on the mud. I guess it could turn out to be a mess, and I also see from some reading that it has minerals and such and I wouldn't have a clue as to what it was putting into the water.

I also bought some coral frenzy. I thought I could help cycle the tank with this besides use it for foods.

Oh, yes. I am going to be very selective. Most all the fish shops I have been hanging out in that have saltwater stuff have a lot of common stuff that they sell cheap. I do not see much in them. I know many get large, put out long tenticles at night and can cause damage to other corals, especially in a small tank.

I already bought some acans that are being held till my tank cycles (posted them on coral forum) and I think I am going to get zoanthids too.

I agree with the greens and browns. I see lots and lots of them in the stores, seems to be plentiful and when they are all close together you can hardly tell them apart.

Thanks for the input.

Where is your thread?

Nevermind. I see at the bottom of your post and Phixions the links to the builds. I will check them out. Thanks for the help.

[burtbollinger]

yes, bionic is a two part....as is kents...its two parts....Calcium and Alkalinity. A third part, magnesium is also included, but its not dosed daily....think weekly on the magnesium....or just chill and let your weekly water change fix the magnesium....

 

Bird, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you visit bulkreefsupply and purchase their two-part starter kit....will save you literally hundreds of dollars...

 

again bulkreefsupply....you'll love it...

 

Once you get your calcium and alkalinity dialed in by testing very frequently at first....you then learn your tank and can kinda go on auto-pilot, adding small, equal portions of CA and ALK daily....this keeps the ALk and CA from flucuating, or dropping as the week goes on....that drop is bad news for anything but beginner corals. You gotta keep that alk at the proper level and STEADY....its about the most important parameter in reefing IMO.

 

I only test Ca and ALk once every 2 or so weeks now....

 

seriously, visit bulkreefsupply, and visit the two-part section, and watch some of the movies they have up on dosing two part solution. it is so easy my girlfriend can do it

 

EDIT: Get this one:

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/Two-Part-Kit...oduct_info.html

 

You want recipe 1...FYI

 

Watch this:

 

[bird]

yes, bionic is a two part....as is kents...its two parts....Calcium and Alkalinity. A third part, magnesium is also included, but its not dosed daily....think weekly on the magnesium....or just chill and let your weekly water change fix the magnesium....

 

Bird, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you visit bulkreefsupply and purchase their two-part starter kit....will save you literally hundreds of dollars...

 

again bulkreefsupply....you'll love it...

 

Once you get your calcium and alkalinity dialed in by testing very frequently at first....you then learn your tank and can kinda go on auto-pilot, adding small, equal portions of CA and ALK daily....this keeps the ALk and CA from flucuating, or dropping as the week goes on....that drop is bad news for anything but beginner corals. You gotta keep that alk at the proper level and STEADY....its about the most important parameter in reefing IMO.

 

I only test Ca and ALk once every 2 or so weeks now....

 

seriously, visit bulkreefsupply, and visit the two-part section, and watch some of the movies they have up on dosing two part solution. it is so easy my girlfriend can do it

 

EDIT: Get this one:

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/Two-Part-Kit...oduct_info.html

 

You want recipe 1...FYI

 

Watch this:

 

I would need a dosing system for the 2 part at the bulkreefsupply though, right? It looks a little confusing to me. I also have a limited number of plugs I can use on this tank and they will be pretty much taken.

4 plugs>top-off/top-off mixer(RO/DI/kalwasser mixer)/skimmer/Reefkeeper plug

Reefkeeper has 8 outlets> MP10/3xlighting/fuge light/return pump/fan/heater

And I also got a 2fishies reactor I was going to run various filter mediums in depending on what was needed at the time I still need an outlet for.

 

What kind of 2 part is the best for manual dosing?

[burtbollinger]

First off, I dont want to imply that you HAVE to dose...or youre doing something wrong if you dont...that said, I have found that when I started dosing, things went a lot better for me...anyway:

 

you simply use the jugs with the plastic pumps on them to manually squirt some liquid into a cup, which you then dump into the tank. I do this every day when i get home from work, I splash about 15-20 ml daily of each liquid....this keeps my alkalinity and calcium balanced....very important for coral health.

 

some people use dosing systems (pumps that meter out a certain dosage per day)....but that's a bit too hardcore for me...and for most people.

 

but manual dosing two-part... it cant get any easier...many many reefers do this...for anyone doing anything but the most basic tanks, its something you need to be doing...

 

to repeat...BRS,they sell auto dosers, but you dont need to do that....simple manual pouring @ 10 ml of alk and @ 10 ML of calcium daily is fine...(estimated ml)

 

so, get the bulk reef supply two-part starter kit (@ 40 bucks?), and any questions just post here...I get notified the minute you post on here. Or PM me....

 

youre in good hands on this thread....

[bird]

First off, I dont want to imply that you HAVE to dose...or youre doing something wrong if you dont...that said, I have found that when I started dosing, things went a lot better for me...anyway:

 

you simply use the jugs with the plastic pumps on them to manually squirt some liquid into a cup, which you then dump into the tank. I do this every day when i get home from work, I splash about 15-20 ml daily of each liquid....this keeps my alkalinity and calcium balanced....very important for coral health.

 

some people use dosing systems (pumps that meter out a certain dosage per day)....but that's a bit too hardcore for me...and for most people.

 

but manual dosing two-part... it cant get any easier...many many reefers do this...for anyone doing anything but the most basic tanks, its something you need to be doing...

 

to repeat...BRS,they sell auto dosers, but you dont need to do that....simple manual pouring @ 10 ml of alk and @ 10 ML of calcium daily is fine...(estimated ml)

 

so, get the bulk reef supply two-part starter kit (@ 40 bucks?), and any questions just post here...I get notified the minute you post on here. Or PM me....

 

youre in good hands on this thread....

Yes, I saw that once I visited the video links, that it can be dosed by hand. I will get it ordered. I see they also have the Tropic Marine cal/mag test kit. I will also need a good alk test kit too, right? Sorry for all the questions sensei. Thanks again.

[burtbollinger]

your best bet for the alkalinity test kit is API....its so easy is the reason why. One bottle....7+ drops into a vial. wait for the blue to turn yellow...

 

I also like APIs calcium kit, too....2 bottles...10 drops of 1 solution, and @ 15-22 drops of the other...again, very simple. wait for pink to turn dark blue.

 

I have a magnesium test kit, but i never use it...I kinda trust in water changes weekly to keep mag. where it should be...

 

you dont need to worry too much about magnesium....the best way to describe it simply is that magnesium helps keep alkalinity stable...

[Phixion]

I use Salifert for alk and it's a PITA test. Not sure if it's worth it for how good the results are, lol! I'd have to 2nd API kits here. And Bulkreefsupply FTW!

[bird]

What is API? Aquarium Pharmaceutical Industries? If that is what you are talking about I think I have seen a whole line of that brands' test kits in Petsmart or maybe it was Petland locally.

[Phixion]

What is API? Aquarium Pharmaceutical Industries? If that is what you are talking about I think I have seen a whole line of that brands' test kits in Petsmart or maybe it was Petland locally.

 

Yes, that's what API is.

[bird]

Yes, that's what API is.

Great. I am pretty positive those are sold locally. That will make it easier.

Almost there now. I am going crazy waiting on the tank to get here. Just picked up a CPR Bakpak smimmer. I was going to go with the stock or a Tunze if the stock didn't work well but $20 for a used Bakpak in perfect condition, I couldn't pass it up.

MP 10 will be arriving tomorrow.