40G Starfire BB SPS Build Thread

[30reef]

I'm kind of a rebel when it comes to things like this. I don't own an ammonia or nitrite test kit so I really couldn't tell you how long my cycle lasted. I think that the first month or two or three is critical though. I would just put your rock in and forget about it for a while. Run your skimmer too. In my tank, I put the LR in and immediately stocked with a few fish and corals. My LR was aged in our LFS here for a good few months first though. My philosophy on stocking is this: no more than 1 fish or coral per week (after your initial 3 months).

I bet the next 10 posts will be ideas on how to do it better, but my methods are working for me and that's really the only thing that matters. I havn't lost anything to poor water quality in years.

 

[trigger05]

Awesome thread
i just got a tank the same dimensions and i will refer to this thread for ideas
I have a question, how many gph are you tunzes pumping?

 

[rutz81]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11602852#post11602852 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by trigger05
Awesome thread
i just got a tank the same dimensions and i will refer to this thread for ideas
I have a question, how many gph are you tunzes pumping?

Out of the box the 6055's pump 1189 gph, I modded mine, so, I have no idea what they are now. But, they are awesome pumps. In my last tank I had 2 Tunze 6100's and they were HUGE and a terrible eyesore, these are so compact and look real sleek, too.

 

[650-IS350]

tagging along as I'm building another tank as well. 37cube ran by a MCE600 too.

 

[rutz81]

I am looking for some opinions again...I was thinking of getting 4-5 Bartlett Anthias for my tank. After reading a few different online sites, I'm not sure if my tank is large enough
1-Do you guys think that my 24 x 24 x 16 is big enough for them or should I look into something else?
2-What other options do I have for a tank this size?

TIA,
Dave

 

[MADtanks]

well to be honest i think bartlets are some of the smaller anthias arent they??? and with your skimmer you are going to need a bioload in order to keep it working efficiently trust me i had the same issue!! in a 30G:

1- Blue stripe pipefihs(2")
1-Yellow Coris wrasse(2-2.5")
1-Pixie Hawkfish(1.5")
1-Green Chromis(1")

this did not keep the nutrients high enough in my tank and the skimmer kept collecting all the nasties at the neck lol so i never had much liquid in the cup..... i then decided more fish! to make up the bioload by add a few more fish

2-vanderbilt chromis
3-green chromis
1-fire fish

finally my skimmer is actually working lol.... keep in mind everyone that i no longer have my finnex 30G so dont try to bombard me with hate lol... everyon is in a 50G rubbermaid frag tank.... with large enough sump

but my point is that in my 30G finnex cube 4 fish just was not enough specially for the size of fish that i had. So i think, 3-4 anthias would be alright if that is all you were going to keep, specially the way those fish need to be fed!!!

Good luck

edit: i also have MCE600 with mesh mod..... simply put its a beast!

 

[rutz81]

Rich: What is this mesh mod? You have a link?

 

[rutz81]

Considering that my tankk is in my basement(unfinished,no heat) I'm having a little trouble keeping my tank above 77 at night. Last night(given it was around 13 degrees)my temp dropped to 75.6. I have a 300W heater in there now and its set to 79, but, obviously it isn't cutting it. Should I just pick up a higher wattage heater/will that fix this issue?

Also, I believe my tank is done cycling; Nitrates, Nitrites, and Ammonia are all reading 0. Problem is that I just picked up the test kits on Sunday. The results were already 0 on Sunday. Which was about 12 days after I introduced my live rock. Is it possible the cycle went that fast and I missed it?? I'm gonna keep monitoring my levels. But, I put in a couple astreas from my other tank and they seem to be fine. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll be ordering my Bartlett's

 

[MADtanks]

here is the link http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1284075 this does not actually show the 3 layers i put on impeller but it will give you an idea the first couple of test i was not impressed but only after adding more fish, and feeding a little more heavy and finally letting my dad use the skimmer was i satisfied with the mesh mod

Your tank might very well be cycled or it can just be a very delayed explosion? haha but i am not sure, i would def monitor it for another week just to make sure it does not spike out of the blue!

 

[rutz81]

Thanks for the reply Rich. Any thoughts on the heat issue I'm having??

 

[MADtanks]

oh LOL I am going through the same problem right now... I am actually runing two 150w heaters in my 60g rubbermaid system and they shut off here and there but work pretty hard at nite... I def say run two heaters if that doesnt work try 3. Make sure u set each one a little higher than the other. Good luck

 

[30reef]

Might try using 2-200w heaters. I would definitely put one of them in the tank itself so it won't get too cold in case of a return pump failure. I run mine on a Ranco controller with it's probe in the tank to be safe too.

FWIW, I have approx 40g total, and I have a 200w inside the tank and a 100w in the sump which keeps it at 79. The ambient in the room is 70. At night, when the light is off, the Ranco runs the heaters for 1/2 an hour at a time.

 

[rutz81]

I finally came to a conclusion on what fish to stock my tank with. I spent most of yesterday reading many threads in the Reef Fishes Forum. I decided to go with 7 Apogon Leptacanthus. That may seem like a lot for a tank my size, but, they are a very small fish(3/4"-1.25") and they tend to stay together. Also, they may very well may not all make it. I got them from DFS and will defintely post some pics tomorrow when I get them in.

Dave

 

[MADtanks]

those are some nice fish, but they are colder water though..... 72-78deg... well that is if we are looking at the same fish. Hopefully your tank does not pass 78deg? but def a nice choice of school fish!

 

[rutz81]

Rich: I'm assuming you're looking at the DFS website. Anyway, they list the temp. on their as the same degree you mentioned. Which to me seems on the lower side, to me too. Take a look at almost any other fish, too. They list almost every fish at that temp, kinda weird considering average reef temps are much higher. I usually keep my tank at around 77-80 area, and I've never had any issues with my fish. Thanks for the heads up, though.

dave

 

[MADtanks]

yea i actually looked around a couple of websites and found the same temps.... wondering where they are from? i guess you can always acclimate them and they should do fine right? I mean i am no expert so i am just hoping for ya

 

[rutz81]

A little update: First off, sorry for the delay. Ok, so, I went with the Apogons and have 4 of those and one Red Velvet Wrasse. I had a MAJOR outbreak of hair algae, but, my nitrates/ and phospahtes are/were 0. So, I was completely at a loss. I took all my rock out and scrubbed it with Kalk powder. What a major PIA. Anyway, it seems to have taken care of it all, I have been algae free for almost 2 weeks now. In the mean time, I ordered 40 lbs. of dry rock from marcorocks.com and it is cycling now, just in case it comes back.

About a week ago I started noticing some corraline beginning to grow on the bottom of my tank and back wall..looked like my tank was mature enough to start handling some SPS. So, I ordered some up. I ordered two frags; an ORA Hawkins Echinata, and the ORA Pearlberry. They are both doing very good, polyps extended all the time, of course more at night, but, they are doing very well.

I know usually my updates have included a bunch of pics, but, my camera's batteries are dead, so, once they re-charge I'll post some pics.

 

[rutz81]

Update!

Update!

Ok, I got a chance to take some pictures of some of my new additions. They all seem to be doing very well.
FTS

Red Velvet Wrasse Cruising Passed the my Frag Rack

Left Side of Frag Rack

Right Side of Frag Rack

I went a little crazy shopping for frags recently. It may seem crazy to add such high-priced corals so soon, but, I made sure on a few different test pieces from my other tank and they all did fine.(and I was REAL tired of looking at just rock). I didn't add any average corals since my tank is so small, I just wanted to focus on the LE's.

Here's my list:

Icefire Echinata(yourreef.com)
20K Lokani(fragfarmer.com)
Montipora Setosa(Upscales)
Oregon Tort(Upscales)
Snowcone Prostrata(fragfarmer.com)
Funk Phenomeon(fragfarmer.com)
Candlelight Acro(fragfarmer.com)
Lime in the Sky(yourreef.com)
Upscales Microclados(Upscales)
Yellow Tort(Upscales)
Hawkins Echinata(ORA)
Pearlberry(ORA)

I'm not 100% satified with my rockwork yet, and I'm still afraid the Hair Algae might come back, so, I'm leaving it for now. I really don't mind leaving the frags where they are for now anyway. I have the new rock cycling in a separate tank, just in case. I'm gonna wait to place the corals on the rockwork until I am sure the algae isn't going to come back.

 

[rutz81]

Also, sorry for the crappy pics, I was in a little bit of a rush, so they aren't white-balanced or even in macro mode. Just point and shoot "auto mode"

 

[GSMguy]

wow nice frags