So the 38g has been up for a while, and the 20g is in the build phase… Ill catch you guys up…
Day1: of actual start
Its been up for a couple weeks now and im letting the cycle finish.
Ammonium down, Nitrite on its way.
currently have:
RENA smart filter
Aqueon pro filter
Eheim Compact Power head(mixing)
some other power head
Took the heater out today as it was off and just taking up space. Tank at 76 right where i want it.
Went to LFS Just Fish… Amazing… the owner knows her stuff and is so helpful. Although pricey, the quality and friendlyness make the extra money worth it.
Bought a Koralia 3 today. put in tank and wowwowowowo it moves this water. Might replace other powerheads with another one of those.
Decided ima switch to RO water instead of my well water. So i bought some Reef buffer, and going to buy some trace additives next time i go to store.
went to buy biozyme, but she turned me onto something different and better called TLC for SW aquariums. Same thing but liquid and supposidly better. We shall see.
with nitrites lowering i thought it would be time for first stages of cleanup crew. With the diatoms all over i thought hmmmm. she set me up with 10 Margarita snails and 2 mexican turbos. See how they hold out.
Well i will update when something interesting happens… till next time
JS
Hmmm… Today was a special day.
Won 14 gold fish last night. Put them in a bowl and they were all dead this morning. anyways on my tank. The 2 Turbos died, dont know why. Maby nitrates. They are a lil high, and i need to do a water change, so i prepped and now we are 24 hours from water change.
Other snails are doing fine. Cant wait for lights and Protein skimmer on thursday … a little upset because 14 bucks of my snails died… hmmmf… maby the water was too cold i dunno. ill figure it out.
Till next time,
JS
Went to store again today… Dropped 603 bucks… Yikes… Heres the update
Coralife Lunar Aqualight
Coralife Super Skimmer 65 gal
Bubble Anemone
Mated pair of clown fish
10 hermit crab thingies
Coralife stuff was EXPENSIVE… but good. Light i got up and running in minutes, i love it and you can see the difference almost instantly. Protein skimmer was a different mess. Water everywhere, and i couldnt get it to work… But after a few calls to LFS i think i have it where it needs to be for next 72 hours. I will update on the skimmer in a few days.
After turbos died i decided i need more clean-up crew, so i picked up these hermit crab things… This way i don’t have to flip. They are mowing through the algae like lawnmowers so im happy i bought.
Then a funny story with the fish. Walking around tanks my father fell in love with this pair of fish. When they were born the breeder didn’t realize that they have only one eye. So they grew up and when they were realized to have only one eye, he couldn’t get rid of them. So we got the mated pair for half price. They have a good eye on oposite sides. The funny thing is they came from different batches from different fish and they came togther… Weird. But ya, then of course had to get anemone.
Ill get pictures up in a few days…
Till next time
J.S
Good news all snails are alive after turbos died, my guess was magnesium.
Tanks cycled, levels all 0… now for real bye
Hey guys, im back… Not much action…
4 hermits dead, starving i think… Attacking snails… All snails alive… working on getting 45 pounds of LR from a guy with a very nice established tank, but he just dropped off the face of the planet and wont return emails…
Found another LFS, gonna check it out soon see what they have… Need to get this LR so i can aquascape get some more sand then pic up some corals and fish…
My list right now;
Flame angel
Fire fish
Zebra gobie
Candycane coral
xenia
Trigger? reefsafe one
Boxfish? again reefsafe…
I prob dont have room for half of that but thats what i like, have to read up a bit…
Looking for local Reef club… i live on PA, DE border… and really looking for good club…
Working on pics… found new website lets see if it works…
Protein skimmer doing an amazing job… No algae… sand settled and perfect… filters doing job… RO water working miracles…
just bought some reef salt, so first batch of that mixing… got some tong things to reach down in tank… looking for a smaller Korilla 1 or maby a maxi with sureflow mod to put on bottem…
All naysayers on anemone been proven wrong… i did what i had to do… he has grown about half is size bigger… feeding him some shrimp 3 times per week… Clowns doing good… need more caves and ROCK… ughh LFS to expensive for rock so turning to CL…
Got a SF bay hatchery… .first run fail cause no lights 24/7… going to try again… just ordered some fish books and coral books…
Feeding flakes for now, going to be making own food in next week or so… got some kril to spice up the flakes…
Really wish i had a 120-180g tank now but o well… cant change now… and dont wanna set up second tank till after college
waiting for ups package on Monday with new supplies… update when they come… going to LFStores this weekend to scope out what i want… And GOTTA FIND REEF CLUB
sorry for rambling theres an update
didn’t know if i said this!! joined new photo site so new pics sooon…
OOOO and amazing Cora algae on rocks… got purple maroon red green… Looks amazing JUST NEED MORE ROCK…ok thats all for now its late and im tired peace out …
JS
Good news, im getting 40 pounds of rock from Alor Island, Somon Island, Fiji, and Blue reef. Then im getting 5 pounds of rubble rock to frag with… im building a shallow frag tank in my basement, and im buying and modifying a tank for my quarantine/hospital tank… 2 tanks in on… its gonna be sweet…
More pics once i get rock on Tuesday…
Thinking of getting shrimp, good idea, bad idea…??
Ok so here is my deliema… I really reallly REALLLY want a flame angel, but they need ample swimming room and min tank size i 50 gallons. I plan on making my aquascape low, and as out of the way as possible. And my fish list will be this
Current Clowns
Flame Angel
Zebra Gobi
Spotted Wrasse
Maybe A firefish
I might take out the zebra gobi… so i think i will get the angel, and if there are any bad signs or signs of discomfort or stress i will take him to LFS or a reefer… So ya thats my plan… Good idea,bad idea ANYONE?
YAAAAA today is the day… Went to get LR and got 37 pounds and 5 pounds of Rubble for later… but at 2.50 a pound AMAZING… and it wasnt fiji it was that more expensive stuff that my LFS sells for 11 bucks a pounds… it looks amazing… needs some purple up though… but still it will look amazing everntually… So ill post some pics… .And i have a story to tell so after you finish looking at pic read my story…Ya so then while at this guys house he has maby 30 tanks trying to sell and they are 20 gal and long… to me… So he is like i gotta move this crap to sell my house ill give u tank and stand and UV filter and Filter and light for 25 bucks… .im like why not… Also offered me a 6 foot MH light… for 20 bucks… i said no lol… and a 2 foot one for 10… but i didnt wanna hang it … Anyways check out my Other thread for those pics… here is now my LR holding tank for the next week or 2 while i get my new set up up…
Js
And there an explosion of Coralline last night… its getting all over the white rocks… and the old stuff is coming back really bright… YA… so i guess those buckets helped with no die off…
JS
YA UPDATE time…
So starting to fufill my stock list…
got my scooter blenny… small but he will grow…
And my father wanted 3 yellow tail Damsels… they are not Bullies so that will be fine… And got a frag of some green stripe looking mushrooms and a pulsing xenia… SMALL but 3 bucks each… hopefully will thrive… have xenia on island… And mushroom on large rock to start the baby makin… Lol
Will post pics tomorrow… everything looks good…
Little bit of slime red algae i THINK could be coralline… though i saw hermit munching away… hopefully something will eat its on one of my fiji rocks on base of rocks…
There are a few of theses slimy puff balls on rock… Any ideas…
Purpling up nice…
And there were hitch hiker snails with my coral frags… They bad?.. i trashed them but i wanna know for next time…
JS
One of the yellow tails… as scaring… i think my clowns might have picked on him last night… No ICH… its not white just lighter blue… and he only comes out real quick to eat then back to his hiding spot… Everything eats… Didnt see scooter eat but then i couldnt find him till i took the pic… Still feeding flake until i get funds for own food… and ima get some of that stuff to seed the reef…
JS
Uhhh i cant take it anymore…
got a bunhc of stuff today for my tanks. open it up and start putting what i can in tank… the problem i have is green algae everywhere and i cant clean glass cause rocks to close… the only way to fix this is to take out rock… I cant get a design i like the one i have is unstable but o well it will have to do … i lost so much salt water so i have to mix an emergency batch with well water…
Im so fustrated everyones tanks are perfect, no green algae all over glass and they do what they are suppose to … mine just wont coorporate…
I wanna stop but i cant uhhh…
Js
THERE IS IT ALL CAUGHT UP SO HERE IS A NEW UPDATE
So i like my rockwork now i want some more open areas for corals so i can have more… thinking about adding another rock structure on the right… Ill get you guys some pictures make sure you follow along. One of the damsels died… jumped somehow… The skimmer isnt working right… there was millions of bubbles in the holding tank so i took it apart and soaked it in hot fresh water. 3 days later took it out put it together and when i tested it the bubbles were to big… (tested in freshwater could that make a difference)… i need to get some RO water or better yet get a system and i need to go to Lowes… so for now theres an update i will post like 15 more pics when i get home but for now here are the pics i had from the beginning to now
NVM school blocks tinypic so i will update with pics when i get home…
for now theres some the rock work is 1005% different… ill post some new shots in an hour or so
Here is the 20/10g set up… so far
SOOOOOOOO… after a wonderful day of driving 3 hours to get some LR the guy gave me a deal i couldn’t refuse… 2.50 per pound of high end LR… and a 20 gal tank and stand for 25 bucks… So i got it…
Then i went to the next guy and picked up a nice little 10 gal… and then i started thinking… why dont i have a little fun and set up a 20 gal with a 10g sump… Ridiculous… i know but fun…
Good news is my PC on my main tank will fit on 20g… and will give me 9.25 watts per gallon… WOOT… now i just need to replace my main lights… but im broke… SO im going to have to just use a normal aquarium light for now… and make it a FOWLR tank…
There is it ima sand and stain the stand… get the pipeing set up and get a return pump… no protein skimmer for now… need new lights… but taking off old tank… I think thats it…
Anyone wanna give comments or yell at me or say im stupid… or give suggestions
O ya its pre drilled…
JS
Yep i plan on sanding it and either staining it or painting it i cant figure out which on… probable a nice dark stain… and some varnish to make it sparkle… what do i need for my sump… just a pipe gravity fed from the main tank… and then a return pump to pump the water back… Anyone go suggestions for a return pump that isnt that exp but will be able to pump the water 3 feet straight up to the tank…
JS
Yeppers… finished stand staining to day… now just shiny stuff… looks good… and got the tank all cleans and sparkley fresh… Once i figure out this whole return pump ill start… Not thinking of doing anything specials in sump area…
basicallly…
bubble trap near inflow… with LR… then to an open area with a egg crate box fulll of that algae stuff … then another bubble trap and the out flow… no skimmer… and putting HOB filter in down there…
Simple and easy.
Will post pics of stand when all done…
JS
sooo
Just ordered the pumps… going once it gets here to get pvc for tank. i think i got the plan i want. the more i do this the more i want to do a reef… But then i will need a Pskimmer and Better lighting… hmmm we will see if i get new lights for main maby…anyways got a lS coming and i think ill get some black fake sand from LFS… it will be black and tank… that will look cool…
But ya 10g going through huge diatom exlosion… need to get a cuc for that… but ya ill update end of week
JS
THERES THAT UPDATE
now i got the mag 7 with 20lbs of live sand i have around 30 pounds of rock i can put in… i think ima put some flat pieces in … and the rubble in the sump…
I eventually wanna grow corals… so if i were to find a cheap PC or maby some T5 for my 38g i could take those PC and put it on this. Its 3 ft by 1 ft same thing as 38g just half as tall… WEll thats it for now i will post pics when i get home as my school will not let me on tiny pic
Till next time
JS
LR holding tank
Stand before
my design
-red drain
- yellow is return
-green is return flex hose for flow - purple is return pump
stand midway through staining
Well I have to first say something I learned the hard way a long time ago. Long threads no matter how great the content get skipped over by 90% of people. This thread looks very similar to the ones I started posting when I started out in the hobby. Actually you might remember Craig mentioning an image similar to the image you have under “my design”.
You might try making several posts even if you type it all out at once so it’s broken up a little by your icon and what not. Or adding images everyone and a while in the middle even if they are just little emotion icons. Just a though from someone else that made really long posts and got very little feedback.
[quote=“Marchingbandjs, post:2, topic:2114”]
Decided ima switch to RO water instead of my well water. So i bought some Reef buffer, and going to buy some trace additives next time i go to store.[/quote]
Guessing this was a suggestion from an LFS. They collect a lot of money from beginner hobbyist this way. If you talk to any experienced hobbyist they have chemicals sitting there closest they will never use.(Unless they already gave them away or threw them away.)
[quote=“Marchingbandjs, post:2, topic:2114”]
Took the heater out today as it was off and just taking up space. Tank at 76 right where i want it.[/quote]
Many hobbyist would recommend a ton of different temperatures, but I would recommend going for 80F. 76 in my opinion is more for subtropical animals. I would raise it very slowly though. Maybe about one degree F a day. I would at least bring it up to 78F.
[quote=“Marchingbandjs, post:2, topic:2114”]
went to buy biozyme, but she turned me onto something different and better called TLC for SW aquariums. Same thing but liquid and supposidly better. We shall see.[/quote]
If you are into buying stuff like that Ken has some dehydrated water he’ll sell you for the reef tank. 
Great stuff for the aquarium. In all serious in all likely hood if you have live rock you don’t need any biological booster crap. Now buying LR from a couple of different stores from a couple of different countries of origin would be a good idea to get a well rounded biological system. If you buy one type of LR from one store that has been sitting in there shop for an extended period of time it may not have much diversity to it.(Caution make sure you fully understand what cured LR is and considering curing all rock yourself if you already have fish and corals in your tank.)
[quote=“Marchingbandjs, post:2, topic:2114”]
The 2 Turbos died, dont know why.[/quote]
I would say your tank should be running for almost two months and have had 0 Nitrates for a three weeks before adding snails.(not a rule just what my input would be) That being said there are some people who have had tanks running for 8 years who can’t keep snails alive. You also need to know what the salinity of the tank is they are coming out of and how long the LFS has had them.(If they haven’t had them a week I wouldn’t buy and if there salinity is more then .02 away from yours then I would very carefully drip acclimate)
[quote=“Marchingbandjs, post:2, topic:2114”]
Trigger? reefsafe one
Boxfish? again reefsafe…[/quote]
Most triggers are not reefsafe and those that are(always with caution) may outgrow your aquarium. Do your research carefully. Boxfish are not reef safe or even aquarium safe in my opinion. They are just not suitable for home aquariums.
Candycane is a very good beginner LPS, but I would keep it up high. Start all of your corals in the bottom of your tank and slowly bring them up after they have been in your tank long enough to fully expand for several days.
[quote=“Marchingbandjs, post:2, topic:2114”]
Thinking of getting shrimp, good idea, bad idea…??[/quote]
Shrimp can be one of the most touchy and delicate animals we keep in marine aquariums. Always carefully acclimate and I would recommend waiting until your aquarium is very stable.
x2 n the chems/additives. dont add ANYTHING u cant test for 1st of all. 2nd, chems in general r on a “need to know” basis. b4 i decide to add anything at all to a tank, i “need to know” what it is, what it does, whats it for, y does my tank need it, and most importantly… what r the possible adverse effects of putting this in? absolutely nothing goes in my tanks except calcium/hardness buffer/and food. but to each his own i suppose. thats just my thoughts.
Well that was a lot… Ya i know, i just didnt feel like posting 10 posts at a time to catch it all up… it was merely a story… now for ?'s…
I have changed my plan once again >LOCO< … Im going to make my 20 g a coral/frag tank just for fun… and the 10g will become my QT tank… i thiink i will just plug up the bulkhead for now, incase i wanna change my mind again later. As there will be almost NO bioload dude to lack of fish… (right, corals dont have bioloads do they)… i will just run a small little filter… that or its the big 110 filter… maby 110 is better cause i can have all different medias… see i changed my mind in one thread, ill go with the 110 on the back… no need for a protein skimmer really… Im going to put a little LR on the right side for some corals, then build on the other side i will put some eggcrate in… What lights will i need to run this… if i end up getting t-5 for my display, then i could put the PC on it… thats ALOT of light though, anyone got anything cheap that i could use to light this bad boy… and i would be able to hang it if its light enough from my shelf above the tank. What do you guys suggest ??? ??? ??? ???
Other than that i got a emerald crab for my 38g and some more CUC… cleaned the glass… got a bunch of pics of the still broken Pskimmer, will post tomorrow or maby later tonight… till next time…
and on the additives… i have no idea what i would need i could really use you guys in that area…
Heres a quick update with brand new pics…
the Paly that Jon gave me… THANKS
New member of my CUC… cant find him though hiding in rocks… he blends in
The dead damsel that everyone happy about lol
Pic of my kitchen where my tank sits…
heres another of my Xenia … looks good i think…
you ask
and on the additives… i have no idea what i would need i could really use you guys in that area…
the answer is NONE, ZERO, SQUADOUCH, ZILCH, NO ADDITIVES.
MY STORY:
dosed with iodine for first 4 months i had the tank, i really liked the greenish tinge to the rocks, water was crystal clear. and then the algae bloom started. green hair algae everywhere. lasted for a month getting worse and worse. i wanted to throw away the tank, posted here and was told to stop iodine since i could not test for it. feed less. algae went away slowly. tank is clear.
here’s a test for you: look at your 2 xenia pics. how far apart were they taken? seems to my ancient eyes that the newest shot is considerably greener, look to the right of the rock i see the dreaded gha [STOP ADDING UNNECESSARY CHEMS!]
congrats on the dead damsel bstrd
Haha ya… no more damsels…
umm i dont really add anything i added purple up for a while, and the bio stuf… im stopping the bio stuff… and ya…
So now i don’t add anything. The pics are 2 different xenia… the first pic fell off and the second pic is the one that grew back its been about 2 weeks that its been growing…
you realize that we all now want to see that entire void taken up by a huge tank right? lol :BEER
What in my kitchen i dont get what you mean… there used to be a bar there… oo u mean a tank it wouldhave to be 5 ft by 4 ft lol i would have to snorkle to get to thebottem… but damn that would be nice
put a snorkel on your shopping list!! lol…
lol i think i will pass on that
is a nice tank :BEER
never the less, i beileve we will all eventually see that tank cover that counter front to back and side to side… my upgraded 26g nano to 120g tank says so lolol
from this point i wanna go to 240g range… then from that to a 1000 in the wall tank… but thats not till i get my own house
I would test your calcium and alkalinity. Depending on what types of corals you keep these are the only two things you may need to dose. If you are keeping mainly soft corals and are doing weekly water changes you may not even have to dose these.
i test maby every other week… and i havent tested for a month… Last night i tested and everything was perfect…For some reason i never seem to get fluctuations … yet
[quote=“Marchingbandjs, post:7, topic:2114”]
i thiink i will just plug up the bulkhead for now, incase i wanna change my mind again later.[/quote]
I would attach a bulk head then put plugs in it.
[quote=“Marchingbandjs, post:7, topic:2114”]
As there will be almost NO bioload dude to lack of fish… (right, corals dont have bioloads do they)…[/quote]
This is a huge difference between QTing fish and corals. There is a large difference in the bio load. Not to say there is no bioload. Most of my QT tanks are run with only power heads and heaters. I sometimes will drop in a bag of carbon if I am busy, but typically my water changes are what keeps the nutrients down and the tank clean.
Glad to see the frag I gave you is doing well.