My 29G project to date...

Your setup is just about like mine, 29 gallon, same light:

29galsalt-tankshots6s.jpg



Been running since early September. I'm running a 15 gallon sump/fuge with a mag 5 pump, a Coralife Superskimmer 65 (in the sump), and 2 maxijet powerheads. Best advice I can give is to get the best live rock you can find, and take your time letting it cycle.
 
20 20:

Your tank looks GREAT. If I could fast forward into the future, I think that your tank and mine will be very similar.

I can see much of what you have in there from the great pic. Would you mind posting a list of the critters in there as well?

It also appears as if you have all crushed coral substrate. How much (lbs) did you use? Did you use sand as well?

Is your sump beneath your tank then? I know nothing about sumps or skimmers but it seems that I'd better learn quick.
 
Thanks! Critters?

Fish
Ocellaris Clown
Bi-color psuedocromis
6-line Wrasse
Lawnmower blennie
Benghai Cardinal


Corals
Hammer
galaxia
Green richordia
feather duster
Open maze brain
orange sand polyps
green zoa's
green star polyps
Red mushrooms
Blue/purple mushrooms
Green favia (moon coral)
neon green claustrea
claustrea
red lobo
Pulsing xenia
Yellow polyps

Also assorted snails, and a skunk cleaner shrimp. My substrate is aragonite, about 30 pounds. Yeah, my sump is below my tank, I'm using a Quietflo-600 overflow, and a mag 5 pump for return. Here's a pic of the sump when I first set it up:


2005-10-03sump7s.jpg


That was almost 4 months ago, now it's got a bit of LR rubble in the fuge, along with a few snails, some sort of very small starfish, and a bunch of chaeto along with a light for chaeto growth.
 
My 29 g.

My 29 g.

The best thing you can do is ask a million questions before you move too quickly. Here is my 29 gallon. very similar to the last one shown, except i run a 175 metal halide bulb in a diy canopy. These pictures are a bit outdated, but to give you an idea. The sump now has calupera algae growing with some live rock in the fuge, and i took the skimmer out, basically because it broke and there is no room in my sump. That's how i broke it. I am planning to build a new more convenient stand.

HPIM0173.jpg


HPIM0181.jpg


HPIM0189.jpg
 
Bought my first live rock and some live sand yesterday. I also took out about 20# of crushed coral and replaced with the live sand. Tank was too mucky to take any good pics. I'll upload the pics tonight.

For those keeping score:

$169 Lights
$45 Refractometer
$60 Testing Supplies
$22 Salt
$12 Powerhead
$40 Crushed Coral (2x$20)
$32 Titanium Heater
$72 12# Live Rock
$30 20# Live Sand
------------------------
$482.00 TOTAL
 
New live rock and live sand

New live rock and live sand

01/26/06 Here's the latest pics. Ok, so I'm a little excited that something is actually ALIVE in my tank now. Patience, patience, patience.

01/26/06 Just got my first 12lbs of live rock on 01/24/06. I plan to get 2 or 3 more trips like this in the coming weeks to total about 35lbs in a 29G tank. I also bought 20lbs of live sand and took out 20lbs of crushed coral. I should have about 50/50 now. Bought a new 150W titanium heater too.
54033759-M-1.jpg


01/26/06 This pic didn't turn out very well, I need to mess with the settings on my camera some more. It's what looks like some kind of clam on the bottom of the big rock. It was open more earlier, now it's kinda closed. Maybe I'll take some more pics tomorrow.
54033771-M.jpg


01/26/06 This is the bigger of the 2 pieces that I bought (12 lbs total). It has 2 green little guys on it and another feather duster-like thingy too. I dunno what they are.
54033775-M.jpg


01/26/06 You can kinda see the 2 green things in the middle here.
54033786-M.jpg


01/26/06 Here they are closer.
54033804-M.jpg


01/26/06 Here they are closer.
54033750-M-1.jpg


01/26/06 Here is the little one on the end.
54033799-M.jpg
 
I must admit I didn't think you'd have the patience for a SW when you first posted long ago. But I like the effort I am seeing. You should do well.
 
heres mine set up for 3 1/2 months
bta
sarco
\mushies
rics
starpolyps

2 cleaner sh
2 camel sh
1 apheus randelii

fromia star

10 turbos

tibicen angel
tom clown
yellow watchman
 
That's sweet. Now that there is LR in there, you at least have stuff to look at while it cycles. More rock, means more stuff to look at. Your patience will hopefully be tested less, as you get more critters to keep an eye on.
 
I have a 29g that I love. I have a 175w 20K XM bulb in a custom canopy. I have a 10 gal sump w/mag 3 return pump and I grow cheato in the sump. Here is the latest picture of my setup (just omit the black perculas. I had a problem with my 90 so they had to go in there for a few days). I will try to take a new picture tonight. Some of the stuff has been moved to the 90 to make room for some new additions.

On my 90 I am going to try to add a closed loop with a mag 7. It will look much better w/o the powerheads in the tank.

If you want some pictures of my setup just let me know and I will be more then happy to take some for you.

You look like you are off to a very good start on your tank!

DSC01355.jpg
 
Just 2 new pics tonight. I found the first of some brown algae on the sand and some green stuff (too small to capture in a pic).


01/29/06
Took this pic from a high angle to show the little bit of brown alage on the sand. It looks like there is some green stuff growing on the little rock too. I stood it up better after these pics were taken. Yay, something is growing in my tank!
54413995-M-1.jpg



01/29/06
Just another pic from the front of my tank. Kinda boring, for historic purposes. This was the first day I noticed a little bit of brown algae.
54414005-M-1.jpg
 
Wow, algae after 3 days of Live Rock. That's pretty quick. Add some more LR, and wait for the massive "bloom" then you can drop in hermits and snails and let them begin the All You Can Eat Algae Buffet.
 
nice.. buddy..
i am also setting up a 29 gal..
i have been collecting and setting it for a month now..
NO water in it yet.. lol ..

keep us posted on ur progesss
 
Algae bloom underway already?

Algae bloom underway already?

OK so nothing too much new for pics since last night. My tank has changed signifigantly in the last 48 hours. The algae is really taking off. My plan was to build up to about 30lbs of live rock and then sit back and wait for a few weeks for the algae cycle to take place. It seems my tank is on its way to algae cover really soon. Maybe too soon. Yes, I'm a slacker and lost my sweet test kit that I ordered so I haven't tested anything but temp and SG (82.6 / 1.024). I plan to make another investment trip to the LFS this week to buy more LR but, I so surprised at this algae so soon. It seems to be against all that I've read. I've come this far, now I dont wanna screw anything up. The tank has tons of little white things floating in it tonight and the top of the water has debris floating on it and some kind of film except where the water is agitated. Maybe I do need a protein skimmer sooner than later.

I am of the school of thought that worrying too much can be a bit compulsive and things might just work themselves out. Said that, I'm still a little worried, and a bit compulsive I know, but that's half the fun aint it? After all that's why I'm here posting pictures of a tank full of nothing but salty water and rocks, right?

Here's the pics (like I said, kinda boring).

01/30/06
Tank shot for comparison to last night. Same 2 boring rocks.
54584635-M.jpg



Here's a shot from above for comparison to last night. More algae now. The pic doesn't do justice.
54584648-M.jpg



Here's some pics of my little feather duster thingys.
54584662-M.jpg

54584668-M.jpg

54584679-M.jpg



And I just found a new one too
54584676-M.jpg



This is what all of the algae on the rocks looks like. There are contstant little bubbles coming from the rocks and the sand. And, like I mentioned, all sorts of little white things floating in the water. Brown/red algae creeping everywhere it seems.
54584687-M.jpg



* Am I doing anything wrong here?
* Is it ok to add more LR now that algae has shown up?
* Is my temp too hot?
* Should I turn my lights off (maybe some kind of cycle)?
* Should I think about a cleaner crew this early?

Any advice is appreciated...
 
Looks like your live sand did the trick for advancing your cycle. My advice for next steps are:
1. Buy test kits and test - ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH.
2. Add more live rock
3. Wait for ammonia test to be zero, and nitrite to be low.
4. Add hermits and snails for algae buffet.

Answers to your questions:
* Am I doing anything wrong here?
--->Nope, looks like everything is going along just fine.
* Is it ok to add more LR now that algae has shown up?
--->Yes, you can continue to add live rock with algae, more LR will only help to provide additional biological filtration and keep the cycle moving.
* Is my temp too hot?
--->Temp is within normal parameters, stability is really the key. If you have had your lights on 24/7 it might be worth starting a light cycle with timers and see if that affects the temperature of the tank.
* Should I turn my lights off (maybe some kind of cycle)?
--->I would recommend a cycle (just cuz it's cool, and eliminates having to manually turn your lights on/off all the time) to help figure out temperature question.
* Should I think about a cleaner crew this early?
--->You can certainly "think" about it all you want. But I would run tests and get a handle on your water parameters before purchasing any.

Live sand, live rock, 24/7 lighting = fast algae bloom. But you need to test the water before getting serious about any livestock.
 
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