First Reef tank Progress and Help thread

[ny300z]

Imo it's a bit overkill for a cuc, but they sure did a great job cleaning that rock I've had 4 hermit crabs for a year now and over that time all they did was kill my snails and fight each other and search for that bigger shell so they can grow into even bigger killers.

 

I do have another sort of snail that reproduces quicker than the hermits can eat them lol. I forget what they're called, some sort of hitchiker.. but they do a great job The majority of my cleanup crew consists of brittle worms and microbrittle stars

 

haha thanks man. yea maybe ill give one of the crabs and a snail back to LFS. i dont want to start a war inside my mini tank lol

 

is there something specific that cleans the sand? its not terrible but there its def not clean....will/should the snails and crabs take care of that?

 

and this might sound dumb but where do i get empty shells for the crabs? the LFS?

[Old Gregg]

Snails in general will clean the sand such as ceriths and other tiny micro critters that are introduced as htichikers, over time. It takes a while for those critters to take over and really create an efficient self sustaining ecosystem.

 

For instance I used to get horrible diatom blooms like you and everyone else, among other algaes. But now thanks to my micro organisms, copepods, etc... it stays clean regardless of how much feeding goes in. My monster bristleworm swallows tiny pebbles hole and poops it back out nice and clean...

 

I'd recommend cerith snails, they always did well cleaning my sandbed when I had them. Nassarius snails maybe in the future... they don't exactly eat the algae... they eat the detritus your fish and other inhabitants fail to catch which gets turned into algae... I'm not really much of a snail guy myself

 

One other tip I'm going to give just coming from my own experience, and this doesn't apply for everyone, but a very shallow sandbed will greatly help keep your tank clean in the long run. Deep sandbeds are great for anaerobic bacteria to convert waste into harmless gas. But anything less will just accumulate waste over time. A good rule of thumb is to provide enough sand for aesthetic purposes

 

Speaking of aesthetics. I love your rocks and your scape! You're going to do some nice things with that setup =)

[ny300z]

thanks a lot Gregg!

 

since you and seabass mentioned Cerith snails maybe ill trade one of mine for one of those.

 

about the sandbed, i realized after i set it up that i should of put in less. i scooped some out using a basic green fish net but i wanna take more out but its hard without taking the rocks out at this point.

[Old Gregg]

thanks a lot Gregg!

 

since you and seabass mentioned Cerith snails maybe ill trade one of mine for one of those.

 

about the sandbed, i realized after i set it up that i should of put in less. i scooped some out using a basic green fish net but i wanna take more out but its hard without taking the rocks out at this point.

 

 

It's easier doing it now while you have no coral, I promise

[ny300z]

It's easier doing it now while you have no coral, I promise

 

actually im sure thats true. im not gonna lie im scared to move anything since this is my first tank.

 

as long as i leave the rock in the water everything should be ok right? maybe ill do it now before i have fish or corals

[Old Gregg]

Gently move the rock over to the side and make sure you don't squish the snails or hermits. Use your net or a cup and scoop out the desired amount. Don't worry, it's not as horrible as you think

 

Most marine inhabitants are physically very tough. It's water and chemical fluctuations that do the most harm to any system

[ny300z]

Gently move the rock over to the side and make sure you don't squish the snails or hermits. Use your net or a cup and scoop out the desired amount. Don't worry, it's not as horrible as you think

 

Most marine inhabitants are physically very tough. It's water and chemical fluctuations that do the most harm to any system

 

great! thanks man i will man up and do it tonight!

[albertthiel]

thank you. i only plan on maybe 1 or 2 clownfish and mostly soft corals.

 

Since i am so new and didnt go into this with a big plan i am trying to research others tanks and get an idea what i can do with mine

 

 

 

yes i will try to take a better pic tonight. its very small and im working with a 12mp point and shoot camera

 

OK thanks. Take your time ... just post it once you have a good view of it and I'll take a look and let you known what I think it is (ok or not)

 

Albert

[seabass]

Using a siphon hose is a good way to remove excess sand. Also, you can use this to clean stuff off of the sand bed.

[albertthiel]

Using a siphon hose is a good way to remove excess sand. Also, you can use this to clean stuff off of the sand bed.

 

Very good trick indeed and if you use a narrow width on e you don't remove too much water

[ny300z]

OK thanks. Take your time ... just post it once you have a good view of it and I'll take a look and let you known what I think it is (ok or not)

 

Albert

 

I took a few more pics and these were the clearest. It is so small i doubt i will be able to get better pics.

 

good idea with the siphon guys. It will probably be easier that way because i dont really have much room to move my rocks around to scoop out sand

[albertthiel]

I took a few more pics and these were the clearest. It is so small i doubt i will be able to get better pics.

 

good idea with the siphon guys. It will probably be easier that way because i dont really have much room to move my rocks around to scoop out sand

 

Do me a favor and post this to my thread so I have a permanent record of it and can try to figure out what it may be . Thanks

 

Albert

[ny300z]

hey guys, quick question, hopefully i didnt screw anything up already

 

i used this stuff that i got from the LFS to fill my tank up originally. But i have also been topping off the tank with the same stuff.

http://www.amazon.com/World-Wide-nutri-sea...l/dp/B00176L9MY

 

 

After researching a little it seems that i shouldnt be using salt water to top it off because salt does not evaporate.

 

So what exactly should i be using? can it be bought at the LFS? and could the water be hurting from this mistake?

 

the tank is going on 3 1/2 weeks

 

also is it time to start checking for other things? i only have the test kit for ammonia and nitrite?

[Tinpanva]

hey guys, quick question, hopefully i didnt screw anything up already

 

i used this stuff that i got from the LFS to fill my tank up originally. But i have also been topping off the tank with the same stuff.

http://www.amazon.com/World-Wide-nutri-sea...l/dp/B00176L9MY

 

 

After researching a little it seems that i shouldnt be using salt water to top it off because salt does not evaporate.

 

So what exactly should i be using? can it be bought at the LFS? and could the water be hurting from this mistake?

 

the tank is going on 3 1/2 weeks

 

also is it time to start checking for other things? i only have the test kit for ammonia and nitrite?

 

Well, keep in mind I'm brand new to this, but I recall reading that top-offs should be done using RO/DI water. I can find it at my LFS as well as most supermarkets for about .35 cents a gallon. If you have been using a pre-mixed salt solution I think you might just double check your salinity with your refract and only use that stuff for water changes. Hope that's right! Like I said, I'm very new (still gathering all my equipment) but a RO unit is on my list of things to do. Just convenient having it close at hand.

[albertthiel]

hey guys, quick question, hopefully i didnt screw anything up already

 

i used this stuff that i got from the LFS to fill my tank up originally. But i have also been topping off the tank with the same stuff.

http://www.amazon.com/World-Wide-nutri-sea...l/dp/B00176L9MY

 

 

After researching a little it seems that i shouldnt be using salt water to top it off because salt does not evaporate.

 

So what exactly should i be using? can it be bought at the LFS? and could the water be hurting from this mistake?

 

the tank is going on 3 1/2 weeks

 

also is it time to start checking for other things? i only have the test kit for ammonia and nitrite?

If all this is is natural sea water then the price is sky high. I can buy 5 gallons of prepared and aged SW with all the right parameters for less than $5 .... either I do not understand what this is or the price is way too high and if on top of that you have to pay shipping then that thing is worth its weight in Gold

 

Albert

[ny300z]

Well, keep in mind I'm brand new to this, but I recall reading that top-offs should be done using RO/DI water. I can find it at my LFS as well as most supermarkets for about .35 cents a gallon. If you have been using a pre-mixed salt solution I think you might just double check your salinity with your refract and only use that stuff for water changes. Hope that's right! Like I said, I'm very new (still gathering all my equipment) but a RO unit is on my list of things to do. Just convenient having it close at hand.

 

sorry for the late reply guys i was away for my bday.

 

thank you tinpava i went to the LFS and got some RO/DI water to use for top offs and it was just as cheap as you said.

 

Albert, i did not order that stuff from amazon so i didnt have to suffer shipping. i paid $20 for it when i first got my tank to initially fill it up. but instead of buying that again i will look into getting it how you do. thanks....also i just got home and will be removing that little green thing to do further inspection like you suggested in the morning

[ny300z]

TANK UPDATE

7/5/12

 

Tank is 3 weeks and 1 day old.

 

Added small clownfish on 6/30/12

 

Tank still looks very clear as of right now. No signs on algae or anything (CUC doing there job i guess)

First day of feeding the clownfish i may have feed too much and the water got cloudy for a hour or so but since then i only feed 2 times a day and very little.

 

Also treat him to some frozen stuff every other day or so.

 

I plan on adding a sexy shrimp asap but none of my LFS ever have them. I may add a fire shrimp.

 

Then i plan on waiting about 2 weeks and get my first coral. I want to be patient and do this right the first time!

 

QUESTION

 

Do i need to start checking for other parameters now?

 

 

thanks for looking!

 

-Nick

 

some PICS!

 

[albertthiel]

sorry for the late reply guys i was away for my bday.

 

thank you tinpava i went to the LFS and got some RO/DI water to use for top offs and it was just as cheap as you said.

 

Albert, i did not order that stuff from amazon so i didnt have to suffer shipping. i paid $20 for it when i first got my tank to initially fill it up. but instead of buying that again i will look into getting it how you do. thanks....also i just got home and will be removing that little green thing to do further inspection like you suggested in the morning

 

Good move indeed and glad you did not order that Amazon one as that would have cost you an arm and a leg just in shipping ... Not that I now have that same little green thing in my tank and mine is alive and we have not identified it yet. It stays in the same place and looks like some kind of a bivalve so if yours is alive I think you can just leave it

 

 

Albert

 

 

TANK UPDATE

7/5/12

 

Tank is 3 weeks and 1 day old.

 

Added small clownfish on 6/30/12

 

Tank still looks very clear as of right now. No signs on algae or anything (CUC doing there job i guess)

First day of feeding the clownfish i may have feed too much and the water got cloudy for a hour or so but since then i only feed 2 times a day and very little.

 

Also treat him to some frozen stuff every other day or so.

 

I plan on adding a sexy shrimp asap but none of my LFS ever have them. I may add a fire shrimp.

 

Then i plan on waiting about 2 weeks and get my first coral. I want to be patient and do this right the first time!

 

QUESTION

 

Do i need to start checking for other parameters now?

 

 

thanks for looking!

 

-Nick

 

Sounds OK except that IMO you may be feeding too much ... I would reduce the feeding or you may end up fouling up the water

 

Love the pics ...

 

Albert

[ny300z]

Good move indeed and glad you did not order that Amazon one as that would have cost you an arm and a leg just in shipping ... Not that I now have that same little green thing in my tank and mine is alive and we have not identified it yet. It stays in the same place and looks like some kind of a bivalve so if yours is alive I think you can just leave it

 

 

Albert

 

 

 

 

Sounds OK except that IMO you may be feeding too much ... I would reduce the feeding or you may end up fouling up the water

 

Love the pics ...

 

Albert

 

thanks...i want to feed him once a day but he always looks hungry!

[albertthiel]

thanks...i want to feed him once a day but he always looks hungry!

 

Not surprised ny300z they always look hungry and that is often why hobbyists overfeed and then eventually mess up their water quality parameters

 

Often IME what we think is not enough food is in most cases already too much FWIW

[littlelactose]

whoa whoa whoa! when is someone going to tell him that two clowns are way too much for that tank!? Honestly, ONE clown is way too much for that tank. Clowns get large, eat alot, and therefore produce more waste than 4 gallons can handle.

 

Also, the leds that came with that tank aren't that great. In my opinion, if you want coral (other than zoanthids) you should invest in different leds.

 

I have this exact tank running, except I added a 14 gal sump. In all my saltwater experience, a sump/refugium is the way to go. ESPECIALLY on pico tanks. Since you're not all that far in, it wouldn't be that difficult to add a sump- and your system would really appreciate it.

 

Also, RO water is only as good as the filter it goes through. Those filters have to be changed every so often and many places that have RO water don't know that. Flitered water in gallon jugs from supermarkets are a safe bet. Especially since you don't have alot of water volume in your system, you really need to get the purest freshwater for your top-offs.

 

Nice 'scape, though.

[ny300z]

thanks for the advice !

 

yea this one clown is more than enough for this thing. worst comes to worst i will give him away if he gets too big for the tank. I dont plan on adding anything else besides a shrimp and corals.Hopefully the clownfish wont hurt my water too much.

 

And i will be most likely upgrading the lighting as you said.

 

As far as the sump from seeing others setups it seems thats the best thing to do but i dont really have much room in this spot for it. I will throw the idea around.

[albertthiel]

whoa whoa whoa! when is someone going to tell him that two clowns are way too much for that tank!? Honestly, ONE clown is way too much for that tank. Clowns get large, eat alot, and therefore produce more waste than 4 gallons can handle.

 

Also, the leds that came with that tank aren't that great. In my opinion, if you want coral (other than zoanthids) you should invest in different leds.

 

I have this exact tank running, except I added a 14 gal sump. In all my saltwater experience, a sump/refugium is the way to go. ESPECIALLY on pico tanks. Since you're not all that far in, it wouldn't be that difficult to add a sump- and your system would really appreciate it.

 

Also, RO water is only as good as the filter it goes through. Those filters have to be changed every so often and many places that have RO water don't know that. Flitered water in gallon jugs from supermarkets are a safe bet. Especially since you don't have alot of water volume in your system, you really need to get the purest freshwater for your top-offs.

 

Nice 'scape, though.

How are you getting the water to the sump if you set it up after the fact ... are you using a hang on overflow and if so which one ... Interested in finding out how you did it ... Thanks

 

Albert

[ny300z]

guys i have 2 questions....

 

1. My tank has been clean so far but the pump area in the back of this AIO tank is getting a little dirty with algae and whatever.

-Should i just clean it when i do water changes or do people put a snail or something back there sometimes? (sorry if thats a dumb question)

 

2. Testing

-Is it time for me to start testing for other parameters besides just ammonia and nitrite?

 

any help is appreciated, thanks

[albertthiel]

guys i have 2 questions....

 

1. My tank has been clean so far but the pump area in the back of this AIO tank is getting a little dirty with algae and whatever.

-Should i just clean it when i do water changes or do people put a snail or something back there sometimes? (sorry if thats a dumb question)

 

2. Testing

-Is it time for me to start testing for other parameters besides just ammonia and nitrite?

 

any help is appreciated, thanks

 

Can you take the pump out clean it? If not then just brush the dirt off it will get caught in the mechanical filtration media you have in the filtration compartment ... I would not put a snail there because it is probably a small area and when the snail runs out of food there it may die off and pollute the water. It's better to just use a brush (clean brush that has no soap or any other residue on it)

 

On the testing I would say yes since the tank has been running for a while now ... and you can then post them here or my thread so we can give you some feedback (me= those who read my thread and myself)

 

Go for it ny300z and keep us updated .... thanks