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My Finnex 4 Gal ... I hope it works :)


tarajean0627

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tarajean0627

Hi all!!! Well I have taken the plunge into the saltwater reef and have purchased my first tank. It is a finnex 4 gallon. I would have liked to start my saltwater hobby with something a little larger but I didn't want to "waste" the money if I didn't like it. So I decided to start small. I am almost positive I will love it but I can't be too careful when it comes to money. LOL Plus this sight is just fantastic on its information and the wonderful members who are all so willing to help answer any questions a newb like me may have.

 

I have not recieved the tank yet seeing as I just ordered it 2 nights ago but I just couldn't wait to start my journal thread here! (Can you tell I am excited!!??) :D Plus I have a few questions that I am hoping I can get answered.

 

First here is the tank:

post-33869-1207844666.jpg

 

Next I have questions...

 

1. I don't have my own RO/DI system right now and seeing as how this is only 4 gallons I was wondering if it is better to get the pre-mixed salt water from my LFS or just the RO water from them and mix my own salt in? I know I will be needing RO water from them for top offs and such but for the water changes and initial set up what is better?

 

2. Do you have to aclimate LR?

 

3. I would like to put one or two SMALL fish in this tank what would you recommend first, Fish or Coral? (After the full cycle of course!)

 

I don't really have a stocking list that is in stone right now because I am still deciding on the fish and other things to put in but some of my thoughts are:

 

One or two Citron Gobies, or Green Banded Gobies

One or two Pom Pom Crabs

One or two Porcelain Crabs

Sexy shrimp?

of course I will have a small clean up crew of some hermits and snails but I am not sure which kind or if it makes a difference (I know....duh) any suggestions?

Corals are pretty much in the air but I do know that I will not be having anything that requires high light due to only having 13W 50/50's in this tank. What I am thinking about is some Ricadora, mushrooms, and some zoas....keeping it simple (or at least trying to). Also I plan on going very very slow with everything. I plan on after it cycling only adding a coral or fish or what not every two weeks or more then just letting it fill out to see if I can keep it going.

 

I know that FW and SW are not exactly the same but I want you all to know I do have a 37 gal FW cichlid tank at the moment so I am not a complete newb to the aquarium world. :)

 

I know some of these questions may have been answered before but I have read so much lately that it is all beginning to jumble and I need to keep it straight. LOL

 

So please give me your input and lend me your thoughts, I would love to hear and learn from you all. :)

 

Thanks Sarah

 

PS Pics of tank when it arrives will be posted...and from there on out lots more pics will continue. :) I have a really great SLR camera that I can't wait to try my hand with corals and stuff. :)

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As far as buying pre mixed or mixing your own water, it is always best to mix your own just because you never know what someone else mixed. And to be honest I wouldn't buy a RO filter for a 4 gal, it just wouldnt pay off fast enough. I wouldn't acclimate your LR unless you really want to try to preserve something cool on it, but almost everything on it should be fine.

 

Keep us updated.

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I think buying a bucket of salt and distilled water from wally world would be your best bet unless you really trust your LFS. You should probably add the 2 fish first then let the bacteria population in the rock build up to handle the bioload. After a few months, give or take, test your water and make sure your nitrates are low enough ( <10 ppm approximately) then add some coral. Your coral stocking list looks very good. Those corals are appropriate for your lighting and very hardy. With fish in such a small tank I would be ready for at least weekly water changes.

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Oceanic 30g

Glad to see you made the plunge. You are going to have fun in this hobby. I can tell from the questions you have been asking on the site.

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1. I don't have my own RO/DI system right now and seeing as how this is only 4 gallons I was wondering if it is better to get the pre-mixed salt water from my LFS or just the RO water from them and mix my own salt in? I know I will be needing RO water from them for top offs and such but for the water changes and initial set up what is better? Id recommend buying the RO water and mixing it yourself. (You can never be too sure with LFS)

 

2. Do you have to aclimate LR? Nope unless by acclimating you mean cycling, which in that case would be yes.

3. I would like to put one or two SMALL fish in this tank what would you recommend first, Fish or Coral? (After the full cycle of course!) Fish first and wait until your tank adjusts to their biolaod. Nitrates should read 0(or close to it) before adding coral.

 

oh and BTW :welcome: to the cool kids club B)

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Welcome to NR this is a great place. We love pictures so this should be a win win for everyone. I have a 5.5 that is just coming up on 6 months, no fish and very light on coral so far. This pico forum is just incredible for getting help to any questions you may have. Also check out the members tank forum. The best thing you can do is go slow and ask here before you buy any live stock. Believe me you will save $$ and have a much happier, healthier tank. Good luck your going to love this hobby. The only bad thing is picos as small as they are really do not save you that much $$ compared to like a 10 / 15 gallon.

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Yaaay!! Man I was so close to buying that tank and if I was to do it all over again I would have. That extra gallon over my picotope should really help things out. I wish you luck.

 

Steve

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PS Pics of tank when it arrives will be posted...and from there on out lots more pics will continue. :) I have a really great SLR camera that I can't wait to try my hand with corals and stuff. :)

 

I can't wait to see those! Pics are awesome. ;) Good luck with the Finnex, you'll have a great time with it I'm sure.

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:welcome:

 

Cant wait to see your progress...I love that little Finnex tank.

I started to get one for quarantine tank...but I knew I would just

mod the hell out of it...LOL

Good Luck

 

Izzue

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tarajean0627

Thank you all for the warm welcome and the well wishes for my tank! I appriciate it!

 

Now for another question.... :)

 

What do you all think about Tahitian Moon Sand? I haven't found any that is live sand that is black, but I do like the way this looks. If I can't get it live would it make my cycle longer? Have any of you found black sand that is live? I have always thought the black really makes the coral and fish really pop!

 

One more thing, I think I have decide on the fish that I want in this tank. I am going to go with the citron clown goby! I really like the color. I usually have an affinity for wanting to get things in pairs but with some of the other things I would like to have in this tank I think one will be just lovely. LOL :) (Plus it is a small tank)...

 

Thanks again everyone for welcoming me to the pico reef club. :)

Sarah

 

PS OOOOOOOO I just got an email from UPS .... IT WILL BE HERE ON TUESDAY!!!!!!!!! YIPPPPEEEEE!!!!!!

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i can vouch for the tahitian moon sand. I have it in my pico and i got it because i love the contrast that black sand provides. Im going to use black sand on my next tank as well. However ill probably buy black live sand. I forgot the name of the company that sells it.

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Reef Chicks

Hey Sarah, welcome to the reef addiction club! Get your wallet ready. Mine has given up and opens widely whenever I approach the LFS or if I hang out too long in the Livestock Classifieds section.

 

That is a very nice tank; you will love it! One of the picos I have is similar - a TruVue 3.5gallon. It is by far my favorite tank (I have 5 others, 1 more on the way next week). I have Tahitian Moon Sand on that one and absolutely love, love, love it! Here is a pic so you see what it will look like...

 

P4060337.jpg

 

Although my picture is crappy, you can see the black sand makes the color pop! I have been told that if you get cycled live rock, you dont need to get live sand because the LR will populate it. Research that before taking my word, please. Anyways, good luck!

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I have been told that if you get cycled live rock, you dont need to get live sand because the LR will populate it. Research that before taking my word, please. Anyways, good luck!

 

 

+1 Your absolutely right . The only reason why i plan to buy live sand for my next tank is because im moving livestock(as well as rock) to a new tank and since im not taking the sand from the current tank, its a good way to

ensure everything stays stable. You have a beautiful pico BTW

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tarajean0627

Tahitian Moon Sand it is!! Thank you all for your inputs. I plan on getting really great rock from a really great place here in Pensacola. It is call Reef Scapes and it is small but it is the only LFS here that I have found that has really great live rock with lots of color to it already and it is also the cheapest I have found here too. (If I remember right it was only 4 or 5 dollars/lbs).

 

Okay so my husband is out right now getting stuff from lowes and he is going to pick me up a couple of 5 gallon buckets (one for mixing water and salt and one for acclimation). Then I only need to get these last few things and I will be ready! (once the tank gets here)

 

These are my next purchase for next pay day along with the rock and water and salt.

 

API saltwater test kit (is this the same as the freshwater api test kit? I have one of those and they seem to test the same stuff)

API reef test kit

Hydometer

2 Stealth Heaters 25W (one for when I am mixing salt and RO and one for the tank) 25W should be enough right?

Thermometer

and a Maxi-jet 400 (for mixing saltwater) I may get 2 of these if I find the water movement in the tank to be too little. Any opinions on this?

 

By the way what salt does everyone use? From what I have been researching to put in my tank I am also going to need an iodine supplement, any suggestions? Any other additives or supplements I will be needing?

 

I have picked the sand, where I'm getting the live rock from and the fish I am going to be getting. That should keep me busy for the next couple of months. :) Month 1 will be cycle and Month 2 will be for the fish and its own "cycle" then it will be on to getting corals and crabs. :)

 

Once again thank you all for your help and inputs.

Sarah

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ady and it is also the cheapest I have found here too. (If I remember right it was only 4 or 5 dollars/lbs).

 

 

These are my next purchase for next pay day along with the rock and water and salt.

 

API saltwater test kit (is this the same as the freshwater api test kit? I have one of those and they seem to test the same stuff) Yes they are the same except the saltwater test kit is specifically designed for saltwater and the two arent interchangeable.

API reef test kit

Hydometer

2 Stealth Heaters 25W (one for when I am mixing salt and RO and one for the tank) 25W should be enough right?

Thermometer

and a Maxi-jet 400 (for mixing saltwater) I may get 2 of these if I find the water movement in the tank to be too little. Any opinions on this? Sounds good. Your definitely going to want some more water movement

By the way what salt does everyone use? I use seachem reef salt but id also recommend oceanic and instant ocean. However everyone has their own preference. Youll be hard pressed to find the "best" salt out there. They all have their strengths and weaknesses From what I have been researching to put in my tank I am also going to need an iodine supplement, any suggestions? Any other additives or supplements I will be needing? Your not going to need to dose or add any supplements to such a small tank. Just stay on top of your weekly water changes(10-15% although some may suggest more) and you'll be fine.

 

Once again thank you all for your help and inputs. My pleasure ;)

Sarah

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I started a 3g jbj picotope last night and have a maxi-jet 400 in it running at about 3/4 flow - works great! Got 5 lbs LR and 5 lbs LS also - I like the looks of your tank 'on order' and wish I had seen it, but the LFS had the pico for $30 and I couldn't resist - I'm already getting frags and holding them in my 24g nano till I can drop em into the pico!

 

Best of Luck!

 

Always Symbiotic......

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Reef Chicks

Sarah, I dont know if I am reading this correctly, but I think you are planning on getting an API saltwater test kit AND a reef test kit? If so, I just saved you $20-$30 because you only need one. I would get the reef test kit because it is more comprehensive. It brings the Alk & Calcium tests as well. Something you may want to put on your list is a refractometer, instead of a hydrometer, to measure salinity. It costs 3 times as much, but it is much more accurate. You can get them on ebay for $30 or so.

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tarajean0627

phishyaly,

Yes you read correctly, I am planning on getting both test kits. From what I see on Dr. F & S (links below) the reef test kit measures calcium, carbonate hardness, phosphate, and nitrate while the saltwater kit tests pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. I know it doubles a couple of things but don't I need to test for ammonia and nitrite too? I do have the freshwater test kit already and it tests the same as the saltwater kit and it even but I guess it is different somehow?? I know it tells you the levels that they should be at for freshwater in the instructions book but can you still use the tests and read for saltwater? Maybe I'm missing something.... I am blonde. LOL

 

Sarah

 

Edit: See I proved I am a blonde and forgot to put the links that I said would be here. LOL Here they are...

saltwater test kit

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...amp;pcatid=4452

reef test kit

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...mp;pcatid=15473

freshwater test kit

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...amp;pcatid=4454

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Reef Chicks

Hummmm... let me ck that out & get back to you. I was under the impression that the reef kit brought everything the saltwater kit brings PLUS the alk, calcium, etc.

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I think buying a bucket of salt and distilled water from wally world would be your best bet unless you really trust your LFS. You should probably add the 2 fish first then let the bacteria population in the rock build up to handle the bioload. After a few months, give or take, test your water and make sure your nitrates are low enough ( <10 ppm approximately) then add some coral. Your coral stocking list looks very good. Those corals are appropriate for your lighting and very hardy. With fish in such a small tank I would be ready for at least weekly water changes.

 

After a few months?! I hope you meant "weeks". :)

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Saw you post on another pico thread asking about heaters, I am putting in a Marineland Shatterproof, it's plastic and preset at 78, 5 ' long, 10W - just a thought.

 

Always Symbiotic

 

Saw you post on another pico thread asking about heaters, I am putting in a Marineland Shatterproof, it's plastic and preset at 78, 5 ' long, 10W - just a thought.

 

Always Symbiotic

 

that's 5 inches, not feet - hah

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tarajean0627
Saw you post on another pico thread asking about heaters, I am putting in a Marineland Shatterproof, it's plastic and preset at 78, 5 ' long, 10W - just a thought.

 

Always Symbiotic

 

 

 

that's 5 inches, not feet - hah

 

Symbiotic,

Yes I have seen these ones too. Also they are slightly more expensive than the one I was originally going to get I think I may get this one instead. I am going to wait to order my heaters until after the tank gets here because I want to see how big the HOB filter is. I am hoping that it will be large enough to house this same heater you are speaking of. If so it will be well worth the extra 5 or so dollars. I will probably get the cheaper one for the water changes plus as a back up due to the fact I know the Visi-Therm Stealth heaters are very good quality (IMO). Thanks for the pointer!

 

As for everyone else I thank you again for you inputs and advice and just so this isn't too totally boring of a thread I am going to go off topic and add a few pics to the mix. All my other animals. :)

 

Dorie the curious Ferret

post-33869-1208099395_thumb.jpg

 

Izzy the crazy baby Ferret

post-33869-1208099859_thumb.jpg

 

Attack of the killer Ferrets

post-33869-1208099964_thumb.jpg

 

The smallest of the mammals, Perdie the Hamster

post-33869-1208100059_thumb.jpg

 

Abe the Jack Russell Terrier

post-33869-1208100117_thumb.jpg

 

Kato the Black Lab

post-33869-1208100241_thumb.jpg

 

Jordan the cat with no teeth (it is a girl)

post-33869-1208100336_thumb.jpg

 

Belle the lioness of the house

post-33869-1208100403_thumb.jpg

 

I also have 3 FW fish tanks. One is a 37 gallon and the other 2 are 5 gallon Hex's for the bettas. Well I hope you all enjoy. 2 more days till my 4 gallon gets here. Woohoo!!! :D

 

Have a great weekend all

Sarah

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