I has saltwater tank!

P

pbenner

New member
I picked up my RO water this morning, will be mixing and adding salt water to my tank for the first time tonight. I'm very excited ^_^.

I'll post pictures this evening if I can. Specs:

20g tank
20 pounds araganite (5lbs live)
15 pounds reef rock
8 pounds lace rock

250w Hamilton Halide Fixture with 2 36w PC actenic bulbs (Thanks Mojo!)
AC70 converted into mini refugium
100w RENA Smart Heater

I built the stand from 2x4s and some 1/2" plywood. I used 1/2" black steel pipe to make the stand that the light hangs from. The stand will hold my dream tank one day (24" cube)

Back of the tank is painted with Krylon Fusion (Black Satin)

I'm hopeful that this weekend we'll pick up a few choice pieces of Live Rock to seed the tank. I also need to get some Chaeto and some other living additives soon. My goal is to seed the tank and let it sit until Christmas for good pod and bacteria growth on the rock.

I can't wait.

Best,

Paul
 
The bottom of the fixture is 3' from the sand bed. I gave myself plenty of room to avoid this issue. It's also open air between the tank and the light, so I'm hopeful that heat won't be an issue for me.

I also went with the larger heater because the room it's in has a habit of being cold in the winter. We pulled back the carpet in that room and found the old floor vent, but it's not hooked up so that's on my list of things to do.

The light is amazing, it fills the whole room with that "tank glow". I can't wait to replace the 10K bulb with a 14K one, but the wife says I have to wait till christmas!! :(

Best,

Paul
 
Look on the selling forums on here or on MI Reefers. Lots of times you can get a used bulb with some life left on it for cheap. I got my 10k XM on here for $30 shipped. The guy said it was used for 2 months 8hrs a day.

If all else fails, refer to Matts suggestion to. We have all used that at one point in time or another. And somtimes coral or fish just appear out of the rock. It must have came from the rock.
 
Yeah, she's not liable to believe that. Part of her secondary schooling was in animal studies. haha.

I'll have pictures tonight. I'm looking forward to stocking, but I've got a long wait to make sure that everything I want is seeded properly and going strong!!

Thanks for the support.

Paul
 
Quite possibly that long before I add fish. Since I'm using primarly base rock and a minimal amount of the live rock, I want to give the rock time to be going strong before the real live stock is added. I might put a CuC and a few small inverts in the tank, but I'm patient.

Best,

Paul
 
I agree, you should aim at adding a couple of small fish to it and a good clean up crew as you will have numerous algae blooms to deal with over the course of the next few months. Best to add fish one at a time and allow the rock and tank time to adjust to the added bioload each addition. also think about setting up a quarantine tank for new additions so you don't' add any pathogens or parasites to your display tank. just good habits to get into.....not that we all follow them mind you but we like to think that we do.
 
Aquascape Picture:
20gReefTank001.jpg

Wife dictated the Aqua scape, and I'm thankful, I suck at those things.

Pods were something I were planning on seeding. Was going to ask if anyone could bring some macro algea with pods in it or something along those lines to the next meeting (If I get to attend). I also planned on adding the CuC near the end of April or beginning or May. I don't want to let the algea get out of hand.

I didn't want to add fish early on and risk them. I could, but I hate the idea of adding fish before necessary and killing them.

I've taken some pictures, but have changed some things aroudn and what not. Need to let the tank clear and then get the turkey baster in there to clean off my aquascape :/.

My stocking list is as follows:

CuC:

20 Dwarf Ceriths
6 Nassarius
4 Large Nerites
5 Blue Legs
10 Florida Ceriths
1 Limpet
1 Fuzzy Chiton

Inverts:

1 Skunk Cleaner
1 Emerald Crab
1 Peppermint Shrimp
1 Ball Tipped Anemone

Fish:

2 True Perculas
1 Falco Hawkfish
1 Royal Gramma (Possibly)

I haven't really sat down to list out what corals I want to keep, but I know that I want zoanthids more than anything. Some of the SPS and LPS look cool, but only a few I think I'd own at the moment. I'd be big into a plate coral I think.

Where do you guys think that I should start right now? I know that I need to let my nitrate cycle complete before I put anything in there, but should I start with a fish and go from there?

Best and thanks,

Paul
 
Last edited:
If you don't add any thing live to your tank at least put in a frozen shrimp form Kroger in there for a few days to get your cycle started.

If it were me, I am throwing a fish in and my clean up crew. Maybe not the shrimps, but crabs and snails for sure.

You are going to want to get a blue MH bulb if you plan on doing lots of zoos. That bright light will not be good on most of the really cool looking one IME. I have had some really cool color morphs, but under a 10k they melted away, under a 14K or a 20K they did great. Even a 20K bulb will let you do just about any sps that you want to do as well.
 
Contact me if you are come to Warsaw. I can get you some starters. I am out of town this weekend, but am home most evenings.
 
The price difference in 14K and 20K is rather salty (no pun intended). I'm replacing it ASAP with a higher K bulb per recommendation.

I guess I can look at throwing a fish in sometime this month. I'll have to find an expendable one. Maybe the upper section of the CuC can be ordered sooner rather than later, I'll have to ask my wife. I hope to buy some live rock this weekend in Warsaw, so I'll start there.

Best,

Paul
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14684401#post14684401 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tazman71
Contact me if you are come to Warsaw. I can get you some starters. I am out of town this weekend, but am home most evenings.
Click to expand...

I'd love to swing by, I'm only like 30 mins from Warsaw. It'll probably be 2nd week of April before I'm ready to go on anything but I'd appreciate it.

Thanks,

Paul
 
Hey ill bring you a bag of cheato to the next meeting if you want some. I dont think you should have to pay for something that grows that fast lol
 
That would rock. I've heard that 'pods love to hang on chaeto, so it'd be a great way to get my 'pod population started. I need to order some marine plankton to start dosing that shortly after they are added.

Over night update, tank was mostly clear this morning, until i took the turkey baster to clean off my works. I re-leveled the sand bed while I was at it. The temperature stabilized at ~78 degrees so I cranked the heater up another notch to bring it closer to 80.

My Hydrometer is still seasoning, so I'll check SG when I get home from work tonight.

Also going to check my Ammonia, Nitrates, Nitrites and Ph. If the Ph is low, what buffer should I get?

Best,

Paul
 
Hi , I live in Bremen (southside)when you are ready for some corals let me know, I will give some starter corals if you are interested, always have waving hand, pulsing xenia , kenya, nepthea leather, shrooms and a few others that frag themselves all over the tank. Also have a lot of micro stars too!
 
That would be totally awesome. I'll have to come up and see your tank at some point, I drive "through" bremen on the way to take my step-kids to their dads house almost every Friday.

Thanks,

Paul
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

five.five-six
Need help! How do I cut up thick SPS colonies in the tank?
2
Replies
33
Views
955
five.five-six
five.five-six
U
New build
Replies
3
Views
236
griss
griss
J
Bare Bottom QT tank won't start cycle :(
Replies
13
Views
353
Dr. Reef
Dr. Reef
Markarian421
Parting out our 120 gallon tank -- Fremont
Replies
5
Views
347
Markarian421
Markarian421
A
Tank Set Up and in Cycling process Help
Replies
6
Views
554
Dr. Reef
Dr. Reef
Back
Top