beginner questions

[brimil]

Hello,
I have just started putting saltwater tank together 3 weeks ago. Someone was getting out becuase of a divorce, Ex- unplugged his tank. He gave me 2 metal haldes, VHO and a 55 gal tank, and 50 lbs of rock. After wiring and plumping (alot of water everywhere). I think I have it going pretty well. I cleaned the rocks and my water was crytal clear within a week. The next week, acouple of mushroom things started to open (about an inch wide now) and a small group of light purple things (I can not id, little tubes with tentcles on the end - kind of a xenia) The crushed coral on the floor is starting to turn brown and small purple is on my glass.

My questions are
What is the best clean up crew to start with? Do I need one now or should I wait? I heard that I need to wait at least 3 weeks before placing anything in the tank.
What are the easiest corals to start with? I like bright colors? What should I stay away from?
Purchasing stock - where is the cheapest place to purchase? or does cheapest mean bad quality?

thanks Brian

 

[ReeferMac]

Hi Brian, welcome to the URS.
Sounds like the contents of your tank had a rough time, but is starting to come around. The corals opening back up are a good sign.
W/ all that happened, and having been moved recently, etc.... I'd suggest holding off on adding anything to the tank just yet. The very first thing I would spend my $$$ on would be a set of test kits for organics. Nitrate, Nitrite, and Ammonia kits, will give you a good idea when it's safe to start adding things to the tank. There is a "cycle" of sorts, that has to take place before the tank is established. While your's will likely cycle quickly, it's still best to ensure the initial cycle has finished (usually a few weeks, so you're probably towards the end). If you try searching, there's a TON of info about the initial cycle a tank will go through.

By the sounds of your equipment, you can keep a wide variety of corals, however water quality is a pre-requisite to all that discussion, so I'd focus on getting that righted, first. Alkalinity and Calcium (tied to pH), are also very important qualities to watch in the water, but it's more important to get a proper handle on the Organics, first.

You're fortunate to have a couple good stores in the Rochester area. I've found it very informative to talk to all of them, before forming an opinion about one or the other. It's also interesting to hear the difference in experiences - what's worked for some folks, doesn't for others, and that's very true in this hobby. You'll likely find the URS is your best source for finding corals and saving money... The frag swaps aren't all that frequent, but usually get crazy. This is also one hobby you shouldn't 'skimp' on certain things... It will only be more expensive in the end. As I said earlier, there is no golden rule, everyone run's things differently, but there are a few things that are pretty consistent, and make for a good starting point.

- Mac

 

[kase]

hey hey see you made to post finally, they great REEFER on here..you should be able to get all of your questionS anwser here or some on RC..well good luck and welcome to the hobby...

 

[dalbrecht]

The brown crushed coral sounds like a diatom bloom. It's really nothing to worry about. Scavengers will eat them and the bloom will die off in a day or two anyway.

As far as your tank goes. I invest in a magfloat scraper or some other (better) magnetic scraper. The purple on the glass sounds like coraline which can be an absolute nightmare on glass if you don't keep it in check. Trying to remove established colonies of the stuff frequently results in scratched glass. It's fine on the rocks and other structure where it belongs.

 

[scaz]

Re: beginner questions

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7434513#post7434513 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by brimil

small purple is on my glass.

My questions are
What is the best clean up crew to start with? Do I need one now or should I wait? I heard that I need to wait at least 3 weeks before placing anything in the tank.
What are the easiest corals to start with? I like bright colors? What should I stay away from?
Purchasing stock - where is the cheapest place to purchase? or does cheapest mean bad quality?

thanks Brian

Small purple on the glass is a kind of alge that is good sign that your cyle is done and things are going well. I did hear good things about PH cal and alk, but you also need to make sure that your lights are on a set timer, your water is always the same appropate temp, and you need to maintain salinity.

the hard corals are generally small poply stony corlas (SPS), anemones, and clams. Make sure you research EVERY thing before you put it into your tank. you must know what it gets along with and what it needs. Zoo's and LPS corals tend to me more colorfull and are easier to keep.

Cheapest does mean bad quality, but search around and you will see what people like and don't like. Cheapest place to buy is from poeple who are leaving the hobbie, then websites, then your local fish store (LFS). Most importain thing to buy is a Protein Skimmer.

Good Luck

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Welcome to the forum, Brian. :wavehand:

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7434513#post7434513 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by brimil
Purchasing stock - where is the cheapest place to purchase? or does cheapest mean bad quality?
thanks Brian

To answer one of your questions:
Cheapest does not always mean bad quality.
However, the best is rarely cheapest.
I'm thoroughly convinced that the best livestock available can be had from our fellow hobbyists or at the better known upstate reef LFS's.

 

[Namyar]

welcome to the World of reefing. There is alot of information all of these guys can help with. Havea good time with it.