Just bought a 100 reef tank with fish and coral...need help

[whitey_blues]

I have a ton of questions and am pouring over web pages and youtube videos. This might be the best place to get the specific answers I'm looking for.

1. Protein skimmer. It is not bubbling over the top of the tube and into the collection container. There is only about a half inch of bubbles resting on top of the water. Is this because of the 60% water change (with the move)? ...or maybe I just need to wait more than a few days to see some crud.

2. Feeding. Do I specifically need to feed the coral? And what would that be? There is 5 fish in the tank (a pair of clowns, a majestic, a damsel and a midas blenny. I'm trying to feed them sparingly once a day. The fish are quick to go after the frozen food...the flakes and pellets seam to go straight to the overflow.

3. Lighting. I would like to put the lights on a timer. Do I turn them on one at a time (there are three)? When do I use the blue (actinic?) light? How long each day should I light the tank? Can I split the time...IE 3 hours in the morning and 7 hours in the afternoon/evening?

Thanks in advance for any info...

 

[Ztous]

Turn off your return pumps when feeding.

 

[SFish]

To be honest I would probably give up the coral and most of the fish as there is a good chance they could die if you don't know what you are doing. Maybe keep the clowns or the blenny till you get a handle on how to maintain a tank. I would start by reading these

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2588686

 

[bill120reef]

find a manual for your protein skimmer most are available online.
lights should be on a timer on 8- 10 continuous hours, depending on fixtures and corals, do they have ramp settings? LED? Halide? t5? etc.
What coral do you have?
Where is your protein skimmer? if you have a sump you can shut off your return pumps and protein skimmer when feeding for about 10-15 minutes.
detailed photos of your system would help a lot , maybe a video of your skimmer in action.
See if the person you bought it from will share their regiment to get you started.

 

[whitey_blues]

@ztaos - That makes sense...thanks.

@bill120reef - Thanks for addressing my questions.

Lights are LED. there are three bars of lights. They do not dim. But I could turn them on one at a time (with a timer).

The coral is green star polyp looking like it's taking over...and one large 7" white mushroom looking one and a small 2" mushroom.

The protein skimmer is standing up in the sump. The flow and the bubbles seams right. It's only been four days since the move (Sunday) and I'm seeing some flowing this morning.

I am in touch with the seller about these topics too.

Thanks again!

 

[Betaktical]

Read read and read some more. You should learn something new everyday. The green star polyps will prly be ok as they are really hardy. How big is your tank, sump, what are your plans for water changes, do u have test kits, and RO system for water


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[whitey_blues]

a couple more pics...

 

[whitey_blues]

100 gallon tank with 20 gallon sump. I do have test kits and thought I should wait a couple of weeks to do the first water change and just leave everyone be for a bit after the move. I can see lots of damaged pieces from how they were stacked in the buckets and the stress of the move.

 

[gone fishin]

I have a ton of questions and am pouring over web pages and youtube videos. This might be the best place to get the specific answers I'm looking for.

1. Protein skimmer. It is not bubbling over the top of the tube and into the collection container. There is only about a half inch of bubbles resting on top of the water. Is this because of the 60% water change (with the move)? ...or maybe I just need to wait more than a few days to see some crud.

Depending on the brand of skimmer most will recommend a certain level of water for the skimmer to be in, for example 9-11 inches of water, for optimum performance. some skimmers are more finicky than others. Knowing the brand would help out.

2. Feeding. Do I specifically need to feed the coral? And what would that be? There is 5 fish in the tank (a pair of clowns, a majestic, a damsel and a midas blenny. I'm trying to feed them sparingly once a day. The fish are quick to go after the frozen food...the flakes and pellets seam to go straight to the overflow.

You do not need to specifically feed those corals. you could shut of your powerheads for a minutes during feeding.

3. Lighting. I would like to put the lights on a timer. Do I turn them on one at a time (there are three)? When do I use the blue (actinic?) light? How long each day should I light the tank? Can I split the time...IE 3 hours in the morning and 7 hours in the afternoon/evening?

It sounds like your lights are either on or off. Not all lights are suitable for corals. If you could give the brand it would help in giving better advice.


Thanks in advance for any info...

It would be helpful to list tank size and other equipment such as power heads and also to list your tank parameters. Specifically Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate if this tank was moved or is newly setup.

 

[GimpyFin]

First off congrats on the tank. There's a lot of good info. here and on the web to help.

1.) Skimmer. Seeing the skinny neck inside the collection cup, it looks like a Coralife. In addition to what Tomy mentioned above with the water level, Coralife skimmers really fall short in being effective. (Probably one of the worst.) IMO, if it is a Coralife, it would be something to consider upgrading in the future if at all possible.

2.) Coral feeding. IMO, it's most important to have good water parameters and lighting to keep them healthy and I'd try to make sure that's in check first. That said, there are several good liquid foods as a supplement for corals. Oyster feast from Reef nutrition is one and feeding maybe once or twice a week is sufficient, IME.

3.) Lighting. It's hard to say if your lights are actually rated for corals. If they are, you can buy a digital timer that plugs into a wall outlet that you could use to simply control when the lights come on and off. For more advanced color control, etc. you may need to get lights that are controllable/programmable. As Tony mentioned, though, it would help to know the brand/model to provide adequate advice.

Anyway, hope that helps.

 

[Betaktical]

Looks like you've got a pretty awesome set up tank wise. All the rock looks well established and that will def help with the stress of the move. Don't worry too much about damage spots as they will quickly repair its self


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[whitey_blues]

Thanks everyone...very helpful. I'll test my water tonight.