My 29G is well on its way....

[Pez68]

Just a picture of my tank with the live rock and sand done. I've had the tank running for a little more than a week, and seem to have plenty of life in there already. Saw some peanut worms last night when all the lights were out, which was really cool. Have some amphipods, quite a few snails, coralline spreading nicely... My equipment right now:

Aqueon standard 29G
Hydor Koralia Evolution 850
Zoomed Aquasun T5 HO 30" w/ 10k and 420 actinic bulbs
30 lbs. of live rock from the LFS
30G of pre-mixed salt water from the LFS($1 a gallon....almost as cheap as DI water)
20 lbs. of Nature's Ocean Black Beach Live Aragonite (love the look of this sand, and got the sealed bag for $6!!)
API Saltwater Master test kit
Aqueon 100w Pro Heater(Great reviews, plastic not glass, black)
Instant Ocean Hydrometer(will be verifying accuracy with LFS)
Stainless Steel Handle Net(Drs. Foster and Smith)
Lee's 6" Slim Jr. Ultra Gravel Vac
160G bucket of Instant Ocean salt

Right now I'm just planning on a clean-up crew, and a couple Clown Fish to start. Once the tank is more established and I get a better feel for maintenance, I'll order the Red Sea Reef Foundation Pro test kit, and start researching corals, and maybe an additional fish or two. Eventually I would like to keep a nem for the Clown Fish, but I realize that is probably a long time off, as they are difficult to keep.

I'm debating getting a skimmer, but not sure if it will do much good for me? Should be OK with regular water changes? Any suggestions? Anything I'm missing? My ammonia levels have been at zero since the tank was setup, even if I add a bit of fish food, probably because I used actual live rock? Will I see a cycle at all with what I started with?

Oh, here's the tank with my newbie aquascaping:

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

That looks great! A skimmer would be a good choice. You can get away without it by doing weekly 10-205 water changes but a really decent skimmer will pull all kinds of gunk out of the water. Look into the Reef Octopus brand - great skimmers for a decent price.

[welcome]

 

[Pez68]

Thanks. I'll take a look at those skimmers. I did notice dust/lint riding around on top of the water. Will the skimmer help with that too?

I rearranged the rock when I pulled the aiptasia piece out and torched it, and I much prefer how it looks now. I really like the live rock I got from the LFS. It locks together perfectly. A little messing around here and there to get it to fit together, but it all fits together really snugly and securely.

 

[Pez68]

Was just wiping down the inside of my glass a little bit ago, and seems that the amphipods in my tank are doing pretty well. Stirred up 3-4 molts that blew around the tank for a bit before getting caught in the live rock... Good sign, right?

 

[cbass488]

I love what you did with your rock, it looks fantastic! Welcome to the hobby, it's a highly addictive one!

 

[Pez68]

Thanks!

Addictive... Yeah, I'm finding that out....and so is my wife! hah... I think she might be getting jealous of my aquarium....

I think I got really lucky with the live rock. I got that for $5 a pound, fully cured(2-3 months in the tank), and it is absolutely AWESOME for aquascaping. The great part of getting the LR at the LFS is getting to pick out the pieces you want... Only drawback is the small aiptasia I got on one rock, but it's already been torched. I'm planning on a couple of peppermint shrimp regardless, as I think they're really cool.

 

[Morbeus]

Looks cool.

Which LFS did you go to? I ask because I live close to you and am always curious to find new aquarium stores.

 

[Pez68]

I actually went to ReefWise for the live rock.

A newly found pet in my tank:

Looks like an Asterina Starfish?

 

[Morbeus]

Cool. That is where I'm planning to get my live rock from. And eventually corals. Small place but high quality and reasonable prices.

 

[Pez68]

Agreed. I got my Hydor Koralia Evolution 850 there when I bought my LR and water. It cost me what it would have if I ordered from any number of online retailers. I've been to a bunch of shops in the Chicago area, and the smaller shops always seem to be the best.

Coral Reef Pet Center was a good store as well. I got a good deal on my tank/stand combo from them. The bucket of Instant Ocean was below internet prices as well. I plan on visiting Rob's Aquatics tomorrow, as I think it might be time for some snails/shrimp, and I haven't yet been there.

I've basically been spreading my wealth out to all different stores while starting up... haha

 

[Nanoreefjj22w]

I really like that black sand and the aquascaping! when your rocks gain more color everything will look really nice

 

[Nina51]

I did notice dust/lint riding around on top of the water. Will the skimmer help with that too?

i had that when i set up my 29g cube. i just got another power head and pointed it toward the top to keep the surface agitated. problem solved.

your tank looks great!

 

[Morbeus]

Agreed. I got my Hydor Koralia Evolution 850 there when I bought my LR and water. It cost me what it would have if I ordered from any number of online retailers. I've been to a bunch of shops in the Chicago area, and the smaller shops always seem to be the best.

Coral Reef Pet Center was a good store as well. I got a good deal on my tank/stand combo from them. The bucket of Instant Ocean was below internet prices as well. I plan on visiting Rob's Aquatics tomorrow, as I think it might be time for some snails/shrimp, and I haven't yet been there.

I've basically been spreading my wealth out to all different stores while starting up... haha

Cool. I have not yet visited either of the other two mentioned but good to know. I used to get freshwater supplies/livestock from Odd Lots in Bridgeview and always had great "luck" with the livestock. They have some reef tanks there too. Worth a look see.

Hopefully you find some more beneficial "freebies" in your live rock.

Cheers,
Morbeus

 

[Pez68]

So, I got a couple peppermint shrimp. These guys are awesome! They seem to have a lot of personality, and they haven't stopped scouring the rocks since they got put into the tank. They are very active for being nocturnal as well. Just been running around the tank checking everything out. I thought I was going to lose one, as it swam up and parked on my powerhead earlier! Turns out he was just picking stuff off of there, and was able to swim away without a problem. Some pictures:

They seem to be good friends too. Always hanging out together cleaning the rocks and stuffing their faces.... :lol2:

 

[Pez68]

Trochus Snails...spawning!

Trochus Snails...spawning!

So I've got another update. Quite interesting. I've got a few Trochus snails in the tank along with the two peppermint shrimp. Apparently all of my snails spawned a short while ago. They were hanging out on top of the rocks when I noticed some clouds/strings flying around the tank and dissipating. I check the snails and they've got their tubes sticking out, and are blowing what I assume is sperm and eggs into the water column. I had to youtube it, because I thought something was wrong and they were dying! Turns out...no...they're doing QUITE well.

A lot of action in this tank for having been up two weeks....

Just figured I would share an update!

 

[Morbeus]

Congratulations on your first snail porn flick. Nice update. You are overdue again for another. Our LFS has been getting some cool shipments of livestock in but I am still cycling for now so I just get to look.

Snails multiply like crazy. I had a freshwater tank that almost got overrun with them because I did not want to flush them but I did introduce a predator that loved eating them. They hitchhiked in a plant that I had thoroughly rinsed and QTd and they still got in somehow.

If they keep multiplying and you start selling them would that make you a snail pimp?

 

[joshyross70]

love the black sandbed. im starting a tank up and looking at yours just proves that doing the black sandbed is the way to go for me

 

[Michigan Mike]

Congrats.

My 29g tank was fine without a skimmer and I'm sure you can go without, but it sure doesnt hurt to have one.

I'd stay away from anemones unless you are dedicating the tank to them as a species tank or as the center piece as they tend to be destructive to other life in the tank so just my thoughts about that. I got my toadstool to host my clowns anyway.

Can't wait to see what you do next.