First saltwater tank, 37G DT+14G refugium. General querries and advice.

[ashwin1224]

Hi all,

 

I made an account on N-R in 2011, been planning for a reef tank from even before. I was almost ready with my tank, lights, a DIY hood and a solid strategy on how to start my first reef. However, in 2011, the person who was to supply me LR didnt come through and I had no source of LR for a long time and thus my plan grinded to a halt. At the time, my plan was to setup the 37G tank, 35Lbs of rock, 48W of LED GU10 lights(24W white+24W blue) and set the tank up as a FOWLR tank with maybe a few hardy corals added depending on availability. That plan however went to the bin due to live rocks scarcity. Fast forward to last month. I got message from a dealer i usually buy FW stuff from, saying he can supply corals and live rock. It was enough for me resume my plan instantly and start the tank ASAP. I already had the tank made and it was laying empty from the past 6 years. Got a stand fabricated. Revised my original plan (which was listed on this forum by myself in 2011), did some changes since Ive gotten better with electronics and DIY stuff. Finally here are the specs of the tank now:

• 37G DT, 24"x20"x18" [LxBxH]
• 14G refugium, drilled overflow in the main tank and return pump from the fuge
• 35lbs of Live Rock () (5lbs of dead rock to be added in a day or two)
• 120W of LED lights, 60W 6500K LED bulbs and 60W blue LED bulbs, in DIY Acrylic hood.
• 6000LPH flow in the DT, might add another 3000L soon
• 1inch aragonite sand bed
• Air driven protein skimmer

 

FTS:

 

This is day two of cycling the tank and apart from SG ive not tested any parameters yet. Some issues Ive got are:

1. I used tap water to mix my first batch of saltwater and inevitably ran into problems with HUGE calcium precipitate in the tanks. Since I had already mixed the water in the tanks I could not throw it away so I cleaned the walls, siphoned as much of the precipitate as I could and added the sand over the bottom. (Thankfully?) The return pipe that was feeding the DT somehow broke off from the tank and drained all of the contents of the refugium on to the floor yesterday when I was out. This took out 14G of water from the system which I then refilled using a saltwater batch mixed in distilled water.
2. I'll be doing 10% water change twice a month during cycling and 20% once a month after the cycle completes.
3. The refugium will house chaeto later on.
4. Im not sure if the live rock setup is ideal. Do I need to add more rock?
5. Is the light enough to sustain a few beginner corals?
6. There are lots of things resembling algae that glow under blue lights on the live rock. They mostly glow red in color. What are these things?
7. There is A LOT of algae growing on the live rock. I did not clear all of it assuming it'll decay and kickstart the cycling process. Was this a good call?
8. The tank is keeping under 25C mostly since the room is air conditioned, There is a heater installed to not let it slump lower than that.
9. How does it look so far, the whole setup?

[bofo]

I'm new to the hobby so I'll give opinions on the questions I'm comfortable giving opinions on:

 

1) Most fish stores will sell you RO water to mix your salt in for reasonable cheap. I suggest using it for your water changes to progressively "fix" the calcium.

 

2) I think most people don't change water during cycle (just top offs.) As for your regular routine after cycling, most would do more frequently and with more volume. My routine is 25% weekly to bi-weekly.

 

3) good idea! Home Depot sells lights and fixtures sufficient for this.

 

4) well if you're following the pound per gallon rule of thumb you're almost there; can always put your ugly pieces in refugium if you don't like them in the display.

 

5) I'm weak on my coral knowledge but the lighting is sufficient for soft corals I'm 99% sure.

 

6) no idea ?

 

7) the cycling from die off actually mostly occurs from the hitch hikers rather than algae, but everything helps depending on what you want! Look for purple coralline algae as a sign of a good cycle.

 

8) 78f is the ideal I've heard, so maybe a tick up on the heater (about 26-27 C) would be ideal in a cooler room.

 

9) looks great! I love square tanks. Your rock arrangement will lend itself to happy inhibitants and you have lots of places to experiment with coral placement.

 

love it and good luck!

 

[Clown79]

Welcome

 

 

1. Using ro/di or distilled is the best, its pure water. I don't trust lfs water, you really don't know if its ro or ro/di water or how often membranes are changed. Using tap provides added nutrients which increases issues with nutrient levels, chemical/mineral introduction, and algae. Did you pre treat the tap water to remove chlorine/chloramine?

 

2. Waterchanges aren't performed until after the cycle is complete. 20% monthly will not provide the best results. 15% weekly reduces detritus, waste, better nutrient export, and replenishes the much needed elements the tank needs.

 

 

3. Refugium sounds good. Theres a lot that can be done with them

 

4. 35 lbs of liverock is plenty. No need to add more.

 

5. The light can sustain soft corals. 

 

6. Hard to say without a close up pic but could be hard red algae, coralline etc.

 

7. I usually scrub my liverock if there is stuff on it to reduce introduction to the display. Some algae is normal, some is aggressive and needs aggressive methods of removal. 

 

8. Reefs do best between 78-80

 

9. Set up looks good. Aquascaping imo is personal and according to how you want to place corals. Coral placement is important.

 

My biggest recommendation to new reef hobbiests is do a lot of research on water chemistry, maintenance routines, corals, and lighting.

 

 

What will you be using for filteration in the sump?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ashwin1224]

3 hours ago, Clown79 said:

Welcome

 

 

1. Using ro/di or distilled is the best, its pure water. I don't trust lfs water, you really don't know if its ro or ro/di water or how often membranes are changed. Using tap provides added nutrients which increases issues with nutrient levels, chemical/mineral introduction, and algae. Did you pre treat the tap water to remove chlorine/chloramine?

Unfortunately, in my excitement I did not do anything but Ive read chlorine evaporates off of the water column within a day or two anyway. Im safe regarding LFS water because my LFS doesnt use or sell RO/DI water. I was using distilled water for top offs but that was getting too costly fortunately I found a source of rodi water who supplies rodi water to hospitals and he's agreed to give it me for cheap. He even promised home delivery

 

3 hours ago, Clown79 said:

 

2. Waterchanges aren't performed until after the cycle is complete. 20% monthly will not provide the best results. 15% weekly reduces detritus, waste, better nutrient export, and replenishes the much needed elements the tank needs.

Noted. Will be performing 20% change weekly.

 

 

3 hours ago, Clown79 said:

 

 

3. Refugium sounds good. Theres a lot that can be done with them

 

4. 35 lbs of liverock is plenty. No need to add more.

 

5. The light can sustain soft corals. 

 

6. Hard to say without a close up pic but could be hard red algae, coralline etc.

 

7. I usually scrub my liverock if there is stuff on it to reduce introduction to the display. Some algae is normal, some is aggressive and needs aggressive methods of removal. 

 

8. Reefs do best between 78-80

 

9. Set up looks good. Aquascaping imo is personal and according to how you want to place corals. Coral placement is important.

 

My biggest recommendation to new reef hobbiests is do a lot of research on water chemistry, maintenance routines, corals, and lighting.

Thanx for the replies. I think it is red coraline algae on the rocks. However I am not sure it will survive a month of cycling/curing in the tank. There are plenty of small fan worms on the rock as of now. There was another creature that looked like a tiny sponge but it had small tentacles on it, it was there one night when i clicked a picture but the next morning it was gone. I wonder what that is. Attaching picture for reference.

 

3 hours ago, Clown79 said:

 

What will you be using for filteration in the sump?

I wanted to go with the natural method of Live rock and Live sand hence no plans of a mechanical filter. Do you suggest adding something? The sump is planned to house only a skimmer, heater and chaeto for now.

 

3 hours ago, bofo said:

I'm new to the hobby so I'll give opinions on the questions I'm comfortable giving opinions on:

 

1) Most fish stores will sell you RO water to mix your salt in for reasonable cheap. I suggest using it for your water changes to progressively "fix" the calcium.

Marine hobby is largely undeveloped in my part of the world. My LFS did setup a few marine tanks but all these tanks are FO tanks with artificial corals and fake rocks. The max he knows about marine tanks is how to make saltwater and that these tanks require a protein skimmer. I actually got to know him a lot better while discussing my plans of the reef tank and now even he is anxiously watching my tank's progress so that we might incorporate things learnt here into his tanks lol

3 hours ago, bofo said:

2) I think most people don't change water during cycle (just top offs.) As for your regular routine after cycling, most would do more frequently and with more volume. My routine is 25% weekly to bi-weekly.

Noted. I found a source of RO/DI water and I think weekly water changes seem more feasible now.

 

3 hours ago, bofo said:

4) well if you're following the pound per gallon rule of thumb you're almost there; can always put your ugly pieces in refugium if you don't like them in the display.

I am planning to get a PAR bulb to light the refugium, I think those "Grow" lights are good at growing algae.

 

 

3 hours ago, bofo said:

 

5) I'm weak on my coral knowledge but the lighting is sufficient for soft corals I'm 99% sure.

 

6) no idea ?

Thanx anyway

 

3 hours ago, bofo said:

 

7) the cycling from die off actually mostly occurs from the hitch hikers rather than algae, but everything helps depending on what you want! Look for purple coralline algae as a sign of a good cycle.

I think its red coralline algae thats glowing. Will have to wait and watch, its just the 3rd day and I do not intend in adding anything else for the next 6 weeks, partly because I wish to wait till the water is pristine but more importantly I cant afford anything till then

 

3 hours ago, bofo said:

8) 78f is the ideal I've heard, so maybe a tick up on the heater (about 26-27 C) would be ideal in a cooler room.

 

9) looks great! I love square tanks. Your rock arrangement will lend itself to happy inhibitants and you have lots of places to experiment with coral placement.

 

love it and good luck!

 

Thank you so much for your reply

[Superdave]

Your tank looks big enough to handle more rock so if you want the "fuller" look then add some.  Keep in mind corals often come on pieces of rock so you will slowly increase the rock volume over time anyways.  

 

The light you described will be sufficient for some beginner corals.  

[Nano sapiens]

FYI - A protein skimmer is not a 'requirement' for a successful reef tank, but for many it's a nice to have accessory since it helps promote cleaner water (removes some organics, bacteria, phoshates) and aids in aquarium oxygenation.

 

Something to consider.  If you are in a part of India that gets hot for longer periods, the heat and the resulting reduction in oxygen can be a real issue for the tank inhabitants.  A fan or two to provide evaporation would help if this is the case.

 

Continuous research and careful observation will be most helpful as the system progresses and you encounter difficulties (we all do from time-to-time)   

 

 

[Clown79]

For filteration, most use filter floss to collect particles. Not sponges. 

The floss is switched out 2 times a week.

A bag of carbon helps remove toxins from corals and keeps the water clear

[ashwin1224]

17 hours ago, Superdave said:

Your tank looks big enough to handle more rock so if you want the "fuller" look then add some.  Keep in mind corals often come on pieces of rock so you will slowly increase the rock volume over time anyways.  

 

The light you described will be sufficient for some beginner corals.  

The corals I am considering are:

• GSP
• Clove Polyp
• Red Mushroom
• Pulsing Xenia
• Zoanthids

I might add others depending on availability and even these corals are hard to come by. Will definitely add a few lbs of live rock as I want to create an island for GSP or Xenia later on.

 

14 hours ago, Nano sapiens said:

FYI - A protein skimmer is not a 'requirement' for a successful reef tank, but for many it's a nice to have accessory since it helps promote cleaner water (removes some organics, bacteria, phoshates) and aids in aquarium oxygenation.

 

Something to consider.  If you are in a part of India that gets hot for longer periods, the heat and the resulting reduction in oxygen can be a real issue for the tank inhabitants.  A fan or two to provide evaporation would help if this is the case.

 

Continuous research and careful observation will be most helpful as the system progresses and you encounter difficulties (we all do from time-to-time)   

 

 

Thank you for your reply

Yes I am considering cooling fans, however the summer is almost over and the monsoon is gonna start very soon. Do you think cooling fans will help in evaporation during the humid monsoons as well?

 

 

10 hours ago, Clown79 said:

For filteration, most use filter floss to collect particles. Not sponges. 

The floss is switched out 2 times a week.

A bag of carbon helps remove toxins from corals and keeps the water clear

Right now I am running an old freshwater filter in the refugium. It does not hold anything yet, and I am using the filter purely to filter out the algae that gets strewn from live rock by the current. I will add activated carbon to it too.

 

 

 

 

[Superdave]

Cooling fans will cause increased evaporation, depending on where you place them.  Evaporation requires you to add fresh water to maintain the correct salinity, so really you do not need it to take place.  

 

The corals you are considering are good--my GSP is incredibly hardly and would take over my tank if I did not prune/frag it.  Is relatively inexpensive as well.  

[ashwin1224]

1 hour ago, Superdave said:

Cooling fans will cause increased evaporation, depending on where you place them.  Evaporation requires you to add fresh water to maintain the correct salinity, so really you do not need it to take place.  

 

The corals you are considering are good--my GSP is incredibly hardly and would take over my tank if I did not prune/frag it.  Is relatively inexpensive as well.  

I know it will cause increased evaporation, that is why I asked will it work in humid conditions? When there is already so much moisture in the air. I mean, even sweat does not evaporate during hot days in monsoon.

[Nano sapiens]

The more humidity, the less effective evaporative cooling is at lowering temperatures.  If you can keep the tank at, or preferably below ~83 F, then you should be okay.  I have had a previous lower bioload tank go to 85 F for a few days with no apparent ill effects, but longer periods at higher temperatures would be stressful for most corals and could lead to bleaching (or worse).

 

If the tank does experience these high temperatures, keep the flow and skimmer going to provide as much oxygen as possible (higher temperatures reduce the amount of oxygen available in the water).

[ashwin1224]

2 hours ago, Nano sapiens said:

The more humidity, the less effective evaporative cooling is at lowering temperatures.  If you can keep the tank at, or preferably below ~83 F, then you should be okay.  I have had a previous lower bioload tank go to 85 F for a few days with no apparent ill effects, but longer periods at higher temperatures would be stressful for most corals and could lead to bleaching (or worse).

 

If the tank does experience these high temperatures, keep the flow and skimmer going to provide as much oxygen as possible (higher temperatures reduce the amount of oxygen available in the water).

Thanx for the tip. Ive ordered a cooling fan cluster with 4 fans and I'll set it up on the refugium, the room is air conditioned so I hope it doesnt get too hot in the monsoon.

[Clown79]

Air conditioning helps a lot?

[ashwin1224]

Added 3lbs of dead rock to the setup and I am very happy with the looks of it. Also added a 150W heater cause I saw my temperature dropped to 22C last night. Upgraded my old air pump to a more powerful pump and now my skimmer seems to be making much smaller bubbles. However, I still cannot see an skimmate forming in the skimmer. How long does it take to actually start making skimmate?

 

Added another circulation pump to the tank and now I am happy with the water movement in the tank, total of 1980GPH i.e. 53x volume of the DT. The Flow rate in the sump is 22x. It is not yet baffled, I plan on separating the chaeto section from the return and drain chambers, will probably do it tonight.

 

FTS as of Now(cloudy since I was fiddling with the sand while experimenting on placing new rocks):

 

Side view showing the live rock arch:

 

The tank in ambient lighting, love how the dead rock island creates a valley of sorts:

 

Another querry Ive got is, are "Grow Lights" any good in a reef tank? I think they will work great in the refugium to grow chaeto, but will they be any good in the DT? I am talking about this bulb specifically, thinking of ordering one for the fuge.

This is how my DIY lighting hood looks from below, as you can see I can experiment with various bulbs. Thinking of trying the full spectrum bulb in the socket between the 2 blue lights.

PS: Ignore the feet and the mess

[Clown79]

Fyi- 53x flow rate may end up being too much for softies and lps.

 

Thats more of a rate for sps dominated tank.

 

When adding corals, keep an eye out for too much flow

[ashwin1224]

2 hours ago, Clown79 said:

Fyi- 53x flow rate may end up being too much for softies and lps.

 

Thats more of a rate for sps dominated tank.

 

When adding corals, keep an eye out for too much flow

I think I went a bit overboard with the flow rate admitedly. However, only one of the pumps is directly pointing on a rock face so only that area is under heavy flow, rest of the tank seems to be under moderate flow. What 3 pumps in the tank seem to have done though, is that there are negligible dead spots anywhere in the tank so I think it'll help me in the long run. But I will note your advice down and be extra careful while placing corals.

 

Question: When should I add chaeto to my refugium?

[Weetabix7]

Add chaeto when your tank finishes cycling. 

[ashwin1224]

16 hours ago, Weetabix7 said:

Add chaeto when your tank finishes cycling. 

Thanx, will do.

 

Noticed these weird white fluffy patches on my live rock:

 

I think these are pineapple sponges, are they?

 

Also, in the pic below this you can a similar white fluff inside the marked circle. That thing is not clustered like these things and seems like algae to me. Is it algae? or is it just the same thing but in early stages? It is the same in other places in the live rock as well.

 

The other issue in the above image is that the whole green rock face used to be red earlier but it has become green. I thought it was just solid rock and not some algae or anything, seems to me I was wrong, what is it?