coral

[jcoat]

I just wanted to say thanks for all the help with my BTA. It is doing great and all is well! I was just curious, my 29 gallon tank is still fairly new. However, I wanted to get some ideas of easier-caring coral to introduce and how long I should wait before introducing them. I believe i first need to invest in a powerhead of some degree. What would be best? I do not plan on putting many coral in, I just wanted to accumulate a few to add color and beauty to my tank! Thank you again!

 

[Shooter7]

I looked at your previous posts to see if I could get an idea of what you are working with equipment-wise and things are still a bit vague. It looks as though you have gotten off to a rough start. I'd advise that before you get any coral that you make sure you have something reliable to read salinity and test kits for water values such as ammonia, nitrates, phosphates, pH, calcium, and possibly magnesium. Regarding powerheads, what do you have in there for flow now? Are you using RO/DI water for topoff and new saltwater mixing?

 

[jcoat]

Yes i have gotten off to a rough start. things are looking fine now though. I have something to read salinity and i have values for ammonia, nitrates, pH, kH, and calcium. The only flow I currently have now comes from the hang on Emperor 400 filter system I have. (Not the greatest but I was on a tight budget) And i didnt need a powerhead then cuz I only planned on a FOWLR. However, now I am beginning to become more fascinated with saltwater tanks.....I would like to eventually get some beautiful specimens, a coral or 2 or 3 and such
My parameters are as follows:
pH- 8.3, ammonia-0,nitrite-0.15ppm(? has been @ zero for awhile until today nitrate-13ppm, Ca-425ppm, kH-3.5mEq/L, S.G.-1.022

 

[Shooter7]

Actually, no, even a FOWLR should have good flow. Normally I would say that you want really good flow so that the waste products and potential uneaten food and detritus can be kicked up so that your skimmer can export these products, but I haven't seen you mention having a skimmer either. Corals need plenty of flow as well. And nitrites showing up means that either the test was messed up or your biofilter in your tank is still not settled. And since I saw one thread where you said your salinity was 1.026 and now it's 1.022, you probably need a refractometer to assure better stability of that.

 

[jcoat]

It could be in part cuz I performed a 30% water change to try and lower my nitrites. is my value for nitrate bad? and what exactly is meant by biological filter. yes i am very new to this so dont make too much fun of me. i really appreciate the help. i am going to look for a refractometer soon. no i do not own a skimmer and i guess i ned to begin planning on investing in a power head and skimmer possibly. any suggestions for ones that are good and not extremely pricey?!

 

[Shooter7]

Oh boy, if you don't know about biofiltration you have some learning to do. No making fun, just concerned for your tank. Check out this rather long Waterkeeper thread:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=239848

It is just one of many linked threads full of info that you can access in the stickied thread at the top of this page titled "Please look here before posting". There is much info there that goes into talking about biofiltration, tank setups, flow, lighting, and on and on. I will tell you that I read and studied and saved my pennies for over a year and a half before I started my 120 g. I had a 10 gal then and nearly killed everything in it at first due to not knowing what I was doing....and I even understood biofiltration at that point. Just please, go do some serious reading in there, ask questions here if you need to, and get up to par on what you're doing before you put anything else in your tank, because there's a good chance you'll just be throwing your money away and killing living creatures if you don't have a better handle on what's going on.

 

[bertoni]

Most soft corals are easy to grow. I'd get the refractometer and the skimmer first, though. 1.022 SG is very low, if accurate. That nitrate level is probably okay for the anemone, and won't hurt soft corals.

 

[Jocko]

I don't know if I'd call 1.022 "very low" but its certainly not ideal.

Josh, it sounds like you are definitely starting to head in the right direction. If you're keeping a BTA happy, then you're a very lucky man! Keep learning and let things stabilize before you add more livestock. For a tank that size, I would recommend a couple Maxi-Jet powerheads for water flow. They are affordable and high quality for the price.

Just take it slow and keep testing your water and you'll do great. But hey, even if something goes wrong and you end up losing that BTA, don't get discouraged. It's just part of learning. It happens. Good luck!

 

[jcoat]

Well that was not completely accurate about not understanding biofiltration. I do undersand what it is, i just thought my tank should already have a bio filter created by now. I dont think im as bad off as shooter seems to tell me. i appreciate your help and will definietly slow down, but i think ill do just fine. and my s.g. was off i used a neighbors hydrometer that they swire by and am sure that 1.025 is actually what the s.g. currently is. thanks again!

 

[HighlandReef]

Up...

 

[Shooter7]

Shooter isn't "seeming" to tell you anything. Shooter is going by what you're telling him and what you've posted in previous threads. What he IS doing is trying to steer you in the right direction to save you some money and hopefully help you have some healthy livestock as you go along by pointing you towards helpful information. But if you think you're going to be just fine, then good luck to you.