A sort of diary on starting my first reef tank - Can you help me?

[MarConiglioIta]

Hi
I open this thread hoping to be followed in the initial steps (and further) in the making of my first reef-tank

The tank features:
its a Elos system 120 (do you knows it), 80 gallons system
with original sump
original drain,
skimmer: elos NS1000

circulation: the original return plus a tunze 6000 l/h (1500 gph)
I've a tunze wavebox not yet installed

illumination: elos planetPRO, LED light

thats all, but i need advice regarding how to perform the KH-Ca and other elements dosing
I want a mixed reef, with only few sps like a Montipora cap or foliosa, Turbinaria, Pavona and maybe some small Seriatopora and Stylophora,
the majority of corals will be lps and soft, corallimorphs, etc

What can I have succesfully only with dome sort of liquid dosing (wich products and producers) or/and kalkwasser (with a stirrer)
I've a 4 heads jebao dosing pump
If i cannot have any sps, i will have only lps/softies

 

[mcgyvr]

You start dosing when current water change schedule is not keeping levels stable enough due to consumption and you don't want to increase the frequency or amount of water being changed to accommodate.

It could take months to years to get to that point depending on specifics of the inhabitants of the tank and the chosen water change schedule you adopt.

Its not uncommon at all to not need to dose anything for a good year or more so its likely that you have a while to go before you need to worry about dosing anything..

 

[MarConiglioIta]

ah, its good to hear this... but there must be something strange
I continue to describe the tank:

the tank started 3 months ago, with 35 kg (sorry dont know in pounds) of liverocks, many came from dismantled tanks via my lfs, some were newly imported
and 1-2 cm of sugarsized sand (RedSea live sand)

I've had diatoms, green algae, filamentos... normal cycling
now I have coralline starting in the high part of rocks, other algaes in regression but many red cyanobacteria on sand...
I havent any algivorous yet, I need some?

i've used tropic marine reef salt, to 1,025, and the Ca, Mg were ok and KH 9
but (this is why have not animal yet) a corner of tank had broken and i had to take out 10 gallons fix yge corners with aluminium profiles and after week replenished
with water from lfs, don't know the salt brand he use
salinity its 1,025 now but:
KH 10, tested 3-times with salifert
Ca 320 ppm
Mg 1200 ppm, both with tropic-marine

if they're correct the levels are bad and Ca, Mg are very low, now
What i have to do?
water changes with good salt or dosing something to reach optimum?

 

[mcgyvr]

Seems like you should probably get on a routine water change schedule with a consistent salt mix and see how it goes.
Picking a salt mix that mixes up to the levels you want to keep your tank at or slightly above is usually the easiest as you don't need to adjust anything.

Get on a normal water change schedule 20% every other week is a good starting point and see how the levels are in a month or so..Adapt as needed..

 

[scattered]

ah, its good to hear this... but there must be something strange
I continue to describe the tank:

the tank started 3 months ago, with 35 kg (sorry dont know in pounds) of liverocks, many came from dismantled tanks via my lfs, some were newly imported
and 1-2 cm of sugarsized sand (RedSea live sand)

I've had diatoms, green algae, filamentos... normal cycling
now I have coralline starting in the high part of rocks, other algaes in regression but many red cyanobacteria on sand...
I havent any algivorous yet, I need some?

i've used tropic marine reef salt, to 1,025, and the Ca, Mg were ok and KH 9
but (this is why have not animal yet) a corner of tank had broken and i had to take out 10 gallons fix yge corners with aluminium profiles and after week replenished
with water from lfs, don't know the salt brand he use
salinity its 1,025 now but:
KH 10, tested 3-times with salifert
Ca 320 ppm
Mg 1200 ppm, both with tropic-marine

if they're correct the levels are bad and Ca, Mg are very low, now
What i have to do?
water changes with good salt or dosing something to reach optimum?

What are you using to top off water and water that you are making?

As mcgyvr said water changes will help address the issues with Mg/Ca/Alk but you need to start with RODI water.

35KG is around 83 pounds

I havent any algivorous yet, I need some?

You mean clean up crew and yes at this point you absolutely can and should add snails, conch, shrimp if you desire (be wary), and other invertebrates. HOWEVER - get on a regular water change schedule first. More frequent, less volume water changes are best in my experience.

 

[MarConiglioIta]

for making saltwater I use RO/Di water, for topoffs mainly the same but sometimes i've used tap water
you think its the water i use that led to cyanobacteria?
the cerithium snails are good for the sandbed?

today i will measure NO3 and PO4
the last time nitrates were 5 ppm and phosphate 0,05

the only animals i've added so far are two Lysmata wurdemanni because I had (and still have) many aiptasia

 

[MarConiglioIta]

regarding cyano: an outbreak of them its normal during cycling?
and for Aiptasia I have to get rid of them completely before stocking corals?

for the Ca and Mg tests I've read that the Tropic-Marin combined test tends to show lower levels than in reality, and I tried repeating the test and it even not worked at all
I will try others