First tank, and I THINK its doing well? Critique's anyone?

[Lemony Lemons]

I am looking for any opinions! After weeks of reading forums, books and researching - I have realized that there are so many options and opinions that all I was doing was confusing myself! So I figured I would repost this here - maybe RC has some constructive criticism...


I have a 30g, with 2 bags of fiji pink live sand and half a bag of bahamas oolite underneath. I originally placed the oolite alone but after 2 days of cloudy sand filled water I replaced it with the fiji. The oolite was being kicked up because it was too fine, I scooped out most of it and replaced it with the larger fiji and it cleared up within a few hours.

I have somewhere between 20-30lbs live rock, I've been buying it in pieces and I still want another flat piece or two for the back center. I've sat and watched the LR and have seen tiny critters doing their thing and one pinkish gray stomatella, about 3/4 inch - he's fun to watch when I can find him.

I have a MarineLand Penguin 350 with dbl bio wheels and additional slots in the filter for more media - although right now all I have in it is the carbon filter and wheels going. I moved the intake up on the filter to help with the kicking up of the sand from the oolite and left it up there. I've heard good and bad from the guys at my lfs but this filter was free and I liked that the parts and cheap, interchangeable and its super quiet.

For lighting I have a glass canopy, with a Solarmax Double T5 fixture with 1- 10,000k bulb, 1- Actinic 03 bulb, & 4 Blue Moonlights. I also have a MarineLand hidden LED 17" strip but I don't have it on the tank right now. The strip has 56 white LEDs and 16 Blue, 6,500K white, 460nm blue LEDs.

I've got a heater in there too, keeping the water at 79-80 degrees - the heater is on the back left away from the raised LR and the thermometer is on the right front. I figured putting the thermometer next to the heater Wouldn't give accurate readings.

I am using an API sw master test kit with High Range pH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate tests. I tested the water on day 2 (after the fiji was introduced and the oolite was removed and settled). I tested it again on day 5, 3 days later. The first test read: pH 7.9, Ammonia .5, Nitrite .1, Nitrate 0. The second test read: pH 7.9, Ammonia .1, Nitrite .25, Nitrate 10.


I am totally open to any kind of critiquing and/or criticism - that's why I joined this forum! I have a few questions if anyone cares to help me out, and also if anyone sees anything they want to comment on please go for it!

1. Do I need more LR, is there an amount that is 'too much' or 'too little'?
2. The filter - I am happy with it, but if there's an opinion I'd like to hear it!
3. I have seen a lot of people add raw shrimp to their tanks, to speed up the cycle - should I do it, or continue letting it go on its own (I am very patient, I'd rather do what's best than rush things). Or is there anything else I should add bio-wise?
4. As far as the lighting goes, when the time comes to add corals - would that be enough with the hidden LED attached as well or would I need more light penetration?
5. Input on my levels, and should I be checking them more frequently than every 3 days?

 

[gofor100]

First off, welcome to the addict... I mean hobby.

Overall, I'd say a lesson to be learned sooner rather than later is patience, which it seems you have... so far .

As for comments, here you go:

> As for your LR, it kind of depends on what other methods of filtration you're thinking of incorporating (see discussion below). If you're going to rely on biological filtration, then adding more wouldn't hurt, but if you'll be incorporating other methods of filtration, then what you have should be fine.

> There are many different ways that you can set up a SW tank, but I'd say your best bet with filtration would be to incorporate a skimmer. Whether that means you use a HOB (hang on the back) or incorporate a sump below your tank to house the skimmer and other equipment. I'd say that a clear majority of tanks out there use a skimmer and a sump (not all) since this has been shown to be very effective at removing excess nutrients. Biological filtration typically is just one method of filtration for SW tanks, which would be your method by using just the LR, LS, and Biowheel filter (the other methods of filtration would be mechanical- i.e., a skimmer and/or filter sock and chemical- i.e., carbon dosing). So, if you're thinking of having corals, you might want to consider expanding your filtration methods.

> As for the shrimp... with your aquarium size, you wouldn't need to put a whole shrimp in there. I would just get a small piece and maybe jam it in between two rocks so its not floating around. You could also use Brightwells Microbacter7 (or something similar) to kickstart the cycle and build up the bacteria in the tank (make sure to follow the instructions).

> Your lighting will solely depend on the type of corals that you want to keep. SPS and clams would need more, but if you're going with softies/polyps and some LPS, then you'll probably be fine. I'm not overly familiar with your lighting, so I'll defer to others on here that know what PAR these lights kick out.

> Levels- as long as you're not adding anything alive to your tank, the only reason to check levels would be to track the cycle. So once you add the shrimp/scallop/whatever to your tank I would test daily to watch the ammonia levels, then when you see it stop increasing and start decreasing daily testing is not as important (since that should indicate that your tank is completing its cycle). I would probably continue testing every couple of days until your readings (ammonia/nitrate) are all 0 for at least a week. After that, you can probably start adding fish slowly to the tank (I personally suggest quarantining first), testing your levels a couple of days after each addition (since you should expect a mini-cycle after each addition).

Hope this helps and GOOD LUCK!

Chad

 

[duperdave]

+ 1

 

[Mark9]

I like it, but I'd cover the back.
I blued my first one, blacked the second.
To me, black looks better.

The raw shrimp worked for me, got stinky though

 

[Terefel]

One thing to be aware of is that your rock is right up against the wall. That makes it a little tough to clean back there if you want to, though you may not be concerned with that because it looks like you've got it set up as a peninsula tank. However, it still might mean you might get "dead spots" in the flow, though. This was one of the critiques I got when I first aquascaped my rock right against the back wall in my first tank; not sure how important it is, so take it with a grain of salt.

From another aquascaping perspective, I really like the island on the left. I would maybe try and break up the island on the right a little bit in the same vein so it gets more flow. It looks like you've got some great flat pieces on top to work with.

 

[Lemony Lemons]

Gofor that was extremely helpful - I do plan on having some corals, and I definitely plan on using a skimmer, my lfs guy told me I didn't need one right away so I left it alone. With my next paycheck I will be buying one. I will probably be getting a HOB, just because I don't have a lot of room below the tank. I am looking at either the AquaMaxx HOB-1, the Reef Octopus BH1000 HOB, the Red Sea Prizm HOB or the AquaC Remora (although this one I am reading a lot of negative things about so I may be just down to the Octo and the AquaMaxx). I have a larger fw tank on another wall that eventually I will be turning into a sw, but I figured I'd start with the smaller one first - although after reading a lot I found that larger tanks are easier to stabilize... Once I get the bigger one going, I'll definitely be putting a sump below it.

I did use something similar to the Microbacter7 2 days ago as well, but I am going to add a piece of a shrimp anyway - I was wondering if you are suppose to just let it float or what so I'll be jamming it into a rock & that answered that question.

I did notice today that I have diotomes (I believe I'm spelling that correctly?), the lfs said I am leaving my light on for too long - I was turning it on in the AM and off before bed, now Ill be just turning it on when I am home. I know corals and some other things do need a lot of light so does that mean Ill have the brown diotomes coating everything always since the lights will need to be on more? Thats one thing that confused me when I asked him, he said I am using too much light and getting "new tank syndrome" - but I need a lot of light for corals. He told me its normal with new tanks and to just 'fan' away, or kick up the top layer of sand without touching it so the filter would pick them up.

First off, welcome to the addict... I mean hobby.

Overall, I'd say a lesson to be learned sooner rather than later is patience, which it seems you have... so far .

As for comments, here you go:

> As for your LR, it kind of depends on what other methods of filtration you're thinking of incorporating (see discussion below). If you're going to rely on biological filtration, then adding more wouldn't hurt, but if you'll be incorporating other methods of filtration, then what you have should be fine.

> There are many different ways that you can set up a SW tank, but I'd say your best bet with filtration would be to incorporate a skimmer. Whether that means you use a HOB (hang on the back) or incorporate a sump below your tank to house the skimmer and other equipment. I'd say that a clear majority of tanks out there use a skimmer and a sump (not all) since this has been shown to be very effective at removing excess nutrients. Biological filtration typically is just one method of filtration for SW tanks, which would be your method by using just the LR, LS, and Biowheel filter (the other methods of filtration would be mechanical- i.e., a skimmer and/or filter sock and chemical- i.e., carbon dosing). So, if you're thinking of having corals, you might want to consider expanding your filtration methods.

> As for the shrimp... with your aquarium size, you wouldn't need to put a whole shrimp in there. I would just get a small piece and maybe jam it in between two rocks so its not floating around. You could also use Brightwells Microbacter7 (or something similar) to kickstart the cycle and build up the bacteria in the tank (make sure to follow the instructions).

> Your lighting will solely depend on the type of corals that you want to keep. SPS and clams would need more, but if you're going with softies/polyps and some LPS, then you'll probably be fine. I'm not overly familiar with your lighting, so I'll defer to others on here that know what PAR these lights kick out.

> Levels- as long as you're not adding anything alive to your tank, the only reason to check levels would be to track the cycle. So once you add the shrimp/scallop/whatever to your tank I would test daily to watch the ammonia levels, then when you see it stop increasing and start decreasing daily testing is not as important (since that should indicate that your tank is completing its cycle). I would probably continue testing every couple of days until your readings (ammonia/nitrate) are all 0 for at least a week. After that, you can probably start adding fish slowly to the tank (I personally suggest quarantining first), testing your levels a couple of days after each addition (since you should expect a mini-cycle after each addition).

Hope this helps and GOOD LUCK!

Chad

 

[Lemony Lemons]

I like it, but I'd cover the back.
I blued my first one, blacked the second.
To me, black looks better.

The raw shrimp worked for me, got stinky though

I hadn't considered black until you posted, blue just seemed the 'norm' - but I can see how black would look better - and probably add more depth to the look so I am going to compare for sure!

 

[Lemony Lemons]

One thing to be aware of is that your rock is right up against the wall. That makes it a little tough to clean back there if you want to, though you may not be concerned with that because it looks like you've got it set up as a peninsula tank. However, it still might mean you might get "dead spots" in the flow, though. This was one of the critiques I got when I first aquascaped my rock right against the back wall in my first tank; not sure how important it is, so take it with a grain of salt.

From another aquascaping perspective, I really like the island on the left. I would maybe try and break up the island on the right a little bit in the same vein so it gets more flow. It looks like you've got some great flat pieces on top to work with.

Thanks for pointing that out I hadn't considered that either... There is one dead spot in the back corner, my lfs said just to circulate the water back there and it would be fine.. Ill have to do some rearranging anyway because I wont be able to fit a pump on that side. I set up the rock on the right before I thought about the flow and dead spots, which makes total sense. The piece on the top is flat with a stump, like a mushroom - so I can move that one over and see what I can do, that'll be my next mini project in there since I get consumed with the deco! There's a place near my house, 'bout 2 mins from the beach that sells their LR on Tuesdays after they bring it in, hopefully they'll have some nice pieces for me to play around with.

 

[danderso]

Not sure you need to do the shrimp thing. With the ammonia spikes and diatoms indicated I believe the cycle is going well.

 

[Mark9]

I hadn't considered black until you posted, blue just seemed the 'norm' - but I can see how black would look better - and probably add more depth to the look so I am going to compare for sure!

My blacked out nano, still cycling

 

[Lemony Lemons]

Not sure you need to do the shrimp thing. With the ammonia spikes and diatoms indicated I believe the cycle is going well.

Ok good to know, I'd rather not have to do the shrimp anyway - thx!

 

[Lemony Lemons]

My blacked out nano, still cycling

That looks really good! Thanks for the visual, I'm going to grab some this weekend and stick it on there, I'll post a pic once I do. Thanks!

 

[VonClownfish]

I'd recommend painting the back wall. My first few tanks had the piece you'd get from the lfs and tape on. Water and salt residue would always get trapped behind there on me. I When I bought my 210 it had a black paint on the the back. What type, I'm not sure, but maybe someone else knows. My tank is glass also, not sure it this method is safe for acryllic.

 

[Josh40996]

Welcome to the madness!

It looks like you are off to a good start!

Diatoms: You will just want to leave them alone I would say that most reefers get them when starting up a new tank, its part of the cycle. They need Silica and will be using it to grow, once they consume all the silica and its removed, they will begin to dwindle and die off. Essentially, burning themselves out.

Skimmer: I would reccomend a skimmer for all tanks (It increases Oxygen levels and removes waste) and although you see countless tanks with beautiful corals, they tend to have very few to no fish or have other methods of nutrient export. Thats boring. Once you see that brown soup being produced, you'll never want to be without it.

Before you get any coral, you will want some Power heads to increase water flow to help keep waste susended for removal and creates flow around coral which is what they need.
You will also want a Timer for your lights, its much easier plus your corals will appriciate a more defined light cycle.

Other than that, I would say that you are off to a great start and Im sure this will become a great tank.

 

[Lemony Lemons]

I'd recommend painting the back wall. My first few tanks had the piece you'd get from the lfs and tape on. Water and salt residue would always get trapped behind there on me. I When I bought my 210 it had a black paint on the the back. What type, I'm not sure, but maybe someone else knows. My tank is glass also, not sure it this method is safe for acryllic.

Thats a good idea, I saw someone on RC that painted it with the rubbery black paint (dont know what its called) and they said it worked great - I may try that if I can find it.

 

[Lemony Lemons]

Welcome to the madness!

It looks like you are off to a good start!

Diatoms: You will just want to leave them alone I would say that most reefers get them when starting up a new tank, its part of the cycle. They need Silica and will be using it to grow, once they consume all the silica and its removed, they will begin to dwindle and die off. Essentially, burning themselves out.

Skimmer: I would reccomend a skimmer for all tanks (It increases Oxygen levels and removes waste) and although you see countless tanks with beautiful corals, they tend to have very few to no fish or have other methods of nutrient export. Thats boring. Once you see that brown soup being produced, you'll never want to be without it.

Before you get any coral, you will want some Power heads to increase water flow to help keep waste susended for removal and creates flow around coral which is what they need.
You will also want a Timer for your lights, its much easier plus your corals will appriciate a more defined light cycle.

Other than that, I would say that you are off to a great start and Im sure this will become a great tank.

Do you have a preference of skimmer for HOB? I posted the ones I narrowed it down to above, I am still deciding - I will be getting one friday.

Also, I will be getting a powerhead - any idea on the size or strength I would need? I rearranged my LR this morning to allow for better flow in the back right, its much more open now. I was planning on just buying one, I thought thats what I needed but saw that you said 'some' so do I need 2 smaller ones or one large or how does that work?

I am also thinking about returning the dbl solarmax and getting a quad fixture - the dbl gives off a ton of light compared to what I had before but there's still a lot of shaded or dark areas and I want the most penetration for my corals. When I do get the quad fixture, I will grab a timer as well - any tips on amount of time the corals like & if I even need the quad for a 30 gallon?