texasaggie Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 i just started a brand new 12 gal eclipse reef tank. i bought a 50/50 power compact light to replace the light it came with. i bought 15-17 lbs of live rock, 20lbs of black and white live sand, and 15 gal of pre-made salt. do i leave the tank light on during the first month or leave it off? is there anything i dont have that i need? Link to comment
penguin87 Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 unless you're planning on keeping shrooms only, i'd upgrade the lighting. leave the light on (12 hrs. a day) just checking, but do you have a test kit, hydrometer, and heater? have you removed the bio-wheel? sounds good otherwise, have fun with your new eclipse! Link to comment
texasaggie Posted July 28, 2003 Author Share Posted July 28, 2003 i left the biowheel in...why do i need to remove it? i dont have a test kit...What's a hydrometer? I dont have a heater because my tank seems to be at 80 degrees. i think i am going to have to get a chiller? the guy at the store said that the light would be okay for 95% of corals... what type of light should i get? Link to comment
NanoBound Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 i left the biowheel in...why do i need to remove it? The biowheel is known to be a huge nitrate factory. Which is something you donot want. Your Live Rock will be your filter for the tank. But keep your HOB(Hang On the Back filter), this will give you the extra water circulation. Do You have any power heads in the tank? i dont have a test kit...What's a hydrometer? You will need to get a test kit !! A hydrometer is what you use to keep track of your waters salinity levels in the tank and for when you mix your own for water changes. May I suggest you read ALOT!! Sounds like you jumped into this with out any knowledge at all of what is involved in keeping a saltwater tank. I dont have a heater because my tank seems to be at 80 degrees. 80F is fine. I donot see the need for a chiller. But you do need a heater, may I suggest a 75watt. Marine tanks have to maintain a stable water temperature. There is no room for temperature flexuations. I dramatic decrease of 2 degrees or more is enough to cause major damage to a reef tank. What is the wattage on your lights? Also what kind? Link to comment
texasaggie Posted July 28, 2003 Author Share Posted July 28, 2003 actully, i have been keeping all types of freshwater fish (cichlids and discus) for over 10 years and have been wanting to start a reef tank for about as long... i am going to buy premade water so do i still need a hydrometer? i still need to buy a test kit...i thought i could wait on that for a couple of weeks since there wasnt anything i more i could do but wait... thanks for the info about the biowheel...i will take it out immediately! Link to comment
texasaggie Posted July 28, 2003 Author Share Posted July 28, 2003 i have a 13 watt 50/50 power compact bulb Link to comment
bamann345 Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 You will need a bigger bulb than the 13 watt one. CSL makes a supernova light with waterproof endcaps and a reflector that screws into the holes the eclipse 12 hood has in it, takes about 10 minuntes to reto. Here is the link. http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/m...egory_Code=CSLr Hope this helps some! Link to comment
NanoBound Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 As for the hydrometer, I still think you will need one, but I will let research further into this subject. But that would just be my preference. All of our tanks tend to have what we call salt creep. Which means the salt evaporates onto the exterior parts of the tank, hood, etc., which does cause a very small amount of salt loss. Plus on a daily basis you will need to do a fresh water top off ( declorinated) to replace the water that has evaporated from your tank. Donot replace evaporated tank water with premixed salt water, this will cause your salinity levels to rise out of control over time (Very Bad). Only use your premixed salt water to do your weekly, bi-weekly or monthly water changes. The test kit can actually wait a couple of weeks. But you are best to get one soon, that way you can monitor your tank. This will inable you the ability to know when your cycle period has ended, plus give it an additional week or two to make sure it is going to remain stable. Once you are sure the cycle period has ended, do a water change, some were around 20%. Now you are ready to add your first piece of live stock. As for the lighting you will not be able to keep any corals....I am not even sure if you could even keep a mushroom or not. I will let someone else help you in that area. Good luck! Just keep posting new questions in the forum and I am sure there are plenty of other people that can help you out alot more. Link to comment
NanoBound Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 I forgot to tell you that when you do fresh water top offs, use distilled water if you donot have a DI or RO/DI System. This will prevent unwanted diatom blooms in your tank. Link to comment
Sltwtr4lfe Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 hey, I just reacently bought the JBJ nano cube 12 gallon tank! Link to comment
Sltwtr4lfe Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 hey, I just reacently bought the JBJ nano cube 12 gallon tank! I got 9 pounds of live sand and some premixed salt water. i HAve apporox 17 lbs. of live rock, actually i got a bunch of live rock from my friend which was all pretty "dead". iu got a cople of small pices of "liverock" from the store but will the live eventually spread to the dead? i got a Kent marine reef starter kit and have been adding those daily. plz ne info on ne thing that i am doin wrong or ne info to help make this the bestg ever! also plz answer my live rock problem! thanks Link to comment
chufa Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 Texasaggie, you don't have to remove the biowheel. Some people do it, some don't. I never removed it and had excellent results. That is a controversial topic, definitely. Link to comment
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