My 90g Almost 2 Years

Stingythingy- Wow thats great to hear. Beautiful looking tank. I was very scared at first with the filtration in the basement and the main tank upstairs. Never thought it would work. But i have no regrets with doing this very happy.

Shane Hoffman- Its not 6-7 ft i just measured it. Its about 11ft from the bottom to the bottom of the overflow. I forgot to measure the bottom of the sump where my pump is sitting right up to the overflow. Its no 20ft though. But the pump is rated for 22ft.
 
Litte bit of an update for you guys. Everything is going good right know. My Bluethroat is doing great. Starting to really come out and show who he is. Still eatting like a champ to since day 1. I will keep you posted on the BlueJaw.

I have been thinking for the last 6 months that i wanted to convert my tank to a Reef tank. But i never knew where to start. I am not to knowledge on the Coral part of the hobby. I do know a little bit but i dont think it is enough to keep a successfull reef tank. Hopefully i can get some of your thoughts on my thoughts and maybe i can go from there. Please tell me about levels and some starter corals for me to start off with.

Also thinking about adding some more fish soon as well. I wish i could add another tang but i am pushing the envelope already with the sailfin and kole. But i was thinking about a Foxface. Not to sure what kind but i think that is one fish that i would like to add to the tank. Is there any other suggestions that you guys can throw out there for me to think about as far as fish.
 
Hi,
My plane is delayed so I got to check out your thread before I fly...
Nice setup love the scapes you had and the caves for the fish, but not sure if it's the best for placing corals as you mentioned on my thread that you wanted to move more towards a mixed reef! MAybe a view from the side will be helpfull in seeing the rock structure better. The stairlike ledges on the left are perfect and maybe you'll eventually need somthing similar on the right side.
Your setup looks good was wondering why the 500W heaters but as you mention its because of your basement temp then that should be Ok. I love having the fishroom in the basement or separate room but as far as I can see your system is just a sump couldn't you fit it in your stand? unless you have plans to install more things down in the basement I don't see a need for a 200-300 W pump running all the time which is also casuing yo uto install 500W heaters on a 90 G.
As to moving to corals more I would suggest going slow starting up with rather easier corals however in a 90 you don't want to fill it up with easy (mushrooms,GSP, zoos) and not have place for the bright things you wanted. so Iwould suggest being very picky in coral choices. do you plan to have SPS or LPS? if yo're going with SPS I would suggest you start with a montipora and a couple of hardier SPS like Pavonas, hydnoporas... and once these ar Ok to your system pick upa few more ones, ifyou're going with LPS I would suggest you start with Euphilias before going to more expensive Acans, scolys...
Last thing I'll mention is I'm shocked no body mentioned the sailfin in a 90 G. LAst week 2 of my firends 180 and 200 G took out their sailfins as in one of the tanks it couldn't go in the rocks to sleep anymore. I love this fish but was advised to skip it in my 150 eventhough I'm going to 300 in 6-7 months The kole tank is great and I love how active it is on the alga... still mixing those with 1-2 more in the 90 would make it difficult to move to a mixed reef. especially with the trigger on the way. Maybe also start with testing yoru parameters (Alk Ca Mg Phosphates and Nitrates...) before adding any corals and fix any imbalances before having corals in.
Feel free to discuss whatever info yo uwanted more on my thred or here or by PM if you need more help.
Good luck with your system.
 
maroun.c said:
Hi,
My plane is delayed so I got to check out your thread before I fly...
Nice setup love the scapes you had and the caves for the fish, but not sure if it's the best for placing corals as you mentioned on my thread that you wanted to move more towards a mixed reef! MAybe a view from the side will be helpfull in seeing the rock structure better. The stairlike ledges on the left are perfect and maybe you'll eventually need somthing similar on the right side.
Your setup looks good was wondering why the 500W heaters but as you mention its because of your basement temp then that should be Ok. I love having the fishroom in the basement or separate room but as far as I can see your system is just a sump couldn't you fit it in your stand? unless you have plans to install more things down in the basement I don't see a need for a 200-300 W pump running all the time which is also casuing yo uto install 500W heaters on a 90 G.
As to moving to corals more I would suggest going slow starting up with rather easier corals however in a 90 you don't want to fill it up with easy (mushrooms,GSP, zoos) and not have place for the bright things you wanted. so Iwould suggest being very picky in coral choices. do you plan to have SPS or LPS? if yo're going with SPS I would suggest you start with a montipora and a couple of hardier SPS like Pavonas, hydnoporas... and once these ar Ok to your system pick upa few more ones, ifyou're going with LPS I would suggest you start with Euphilias before going to more expensive Acans, scolys...
Last thing I'll mention is I'm shocked no body mentioned the sailfin in a 90 G. LAst week 2 of my firends 180 and 200 G took out their sailfins as in one of the tanks it couldn't go in the rocks to sleep anymore. I love this fish but was advised to skip it in my 150 eventhough I'm going to 300 in 6-7 months The kole tank is great and I love how active it is on the alga... still mixing those with 1-2 more in the 90 would make it difficult to move to a mixed reef. especially with the trigger on the way. Maybe also start with testing yoru parameters (Alk Ca Mg Phosphates and Nitrates...) before adding any corals and fix any imbalances before having corals in.
Feel free to discuss whatever info yo uwanted more on my thred or here or by PM if you need more help.
Good luck with your system.
Click to expand...

Well thanks a whole lot Maroun.C. After i did the rock for the second time i did notice that it wouldnt be the best for corals. But i am sure i can find some spots for them there are plenny of ledges for them to go. I just dont want to block up any caves that the fish go in and out. But i will get you an updated picture from the side ASAP. But if i where to go with corals i think it would have to be heavy on the left side because of the ledges like you said. But we will deal with that when the time comes.
The reason i went with two heaters is because my basement is pretty cold and the tank just wasnt handling the one heater to well. But ever since i did add the second heater the temp went right where it needed to be and stayed there. Also the reason that the sump is in the basement is because one of noise, and two because my sump is really long and i wanted to have a big fuge which is a 20. And when i measured it under the tank it did not fit. If it had to fit i wouldnt be able to get to any of my filtration to easily. But my plan at first when i discovered this was i was going to buy a pieace of plexi glass and put it into the 30 sump i have but that didnt work out to well and then i thought that the 20g fuge would be better for me in the long run so thats why i went with that decision. I have no regrets as of know of doing what i did.
As far as corals yea i really dont want to fill it up with the zoos and mushrooms there nice looking corals but there is so much nicer things out there that i want. I want to go both SPS and LPS. Which one do you think i should start with first? Do you think my 8x54 Nova Extreme T5 is fine to? especially for the SPS. When i get to buying some corals i will have to ask more questions like placing and things like that unless you can tell me right know where i should place the starter corals you told me.
Thanks, I love my sailfin and he has thrived in the new 90 since i have had him. They dont grow to fast as what i have seen go on with him. But from the experince and things that i have questioned about yes he will get to big for my 90 eventually and when that time comes i will have to get rid of him and get another type of tang probably. But yes i am really starting to love the Kole Tang. I love watching him pick and the glass and rocks i think that lets me know that he likes the tank and is doing well, because thats what tangs do in the wild. But as far as the Sailfin i think you would of been fine especially if your upgrading to a 300 soon. I dont want to add to more fish as of know. I mean i dont want to make my tank a full reef but i want to make it with a lot of nice looking corals if you know what i am trying to say. Basically i would like to have more fish in the tank as i can. I love watching the fish but i do love the coral. I dont want the tank to be really heavy on corals like i said but i want it to be full. But yes i will start testing my parameters to see what i can do with corals.
What should these parameters be...(Alk Ca Mg Phosphates and Nitrates...)?

Really thank you for the help. Thanks
 
Hey just found your thread. Nice tank!
My tank has only been going for weeks so my advice is very limited from experience. I have been sticking with soft corals to begin with for the most part. Most of them feed off of light so care level is easy. Someone else will chime in I am sure but I would think you will need to watch the bio load with a large stock list of fish and corals?

Anyway I wont try to give direction as much as follow along here. Again Nice tank.
 
Thanks gill again. Yea i dont want to go to high on my bio-load i only thinking of one more fish or two depending on size of the fish i get.
 
Hey guys,

Just got back from LFS. They didnt have much in stock fish wise. But they did have a lot of corals so i decided to garb one. Its a Finger coral or a Kenya Tree i am not totally sure. I will get some pictures when i add it to the tank and when it opens up. What do you guys think?
 
Looks like you are off to a good start. I would start with what Maroun C. mentioned. Its pretty much bang on. Getting a refugium establishes is also beneficial as it will later help feed your corals and fish. Like mentioned before it would be cheaper to run everything under the stand but having the luxury of all the room you could ask for in the basement is priceless. Honestly if the tang has been running for two years you should be stable and ready for corals,,,, I remember reading your old threads when you were dealing with the ICH. Take it slow and monitor each coral as time goes on. Also i find the best thing to do is surf reef central and read a lot of the build threads, TOTM are great but on a larger scale. i would stick to build threads that way you get a good idea whats working for others.

Good luck!
 
Padrino said:
Looks like you are off to a good start. I would start with what Maroun C. mentioned. Its pretty much bang on. Getting a refugium establishes is also beneficial as it will later help feed your corals and fish. Like mentioned before it would be cheaper to run everything under the stand but having the luxury of all the room you could ask for in the basement is priceless. Honestly if the tang has been running for two years you should be stable and ready for corals,,,, I remember reading your old threads when you were dealing with the ICH. Take it slow and monitor each coral as time goes on. Also i find the best thing to do is surf reef central and read a lot of the build threads, TOTM are great but on a larger scale. i would stick to build threads that way you get a good idea whats working for others.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thanks Padrino. Yes i am going to listen to everybody that contributes to the thread. Maroun C. and you have gave me great advice. I do have a well established fuge downstairs with everything. I mean the tank has been up for 2 years so i thought i should be pretty ready for corals but i wanted to do some research since i dont have much experince. I am going to post some pictures of my new coral i just recently bought. Hope i can keep it thriving. Padrio i do look at a lot of peoples threads and it has helped me a lot i will just have to keep doing. Stay on the thread!

Thanks
 
Here are the pictures of the new coral
a>

a>


I decided to now start taking pictures about every month of the whole tank to show progress of things every month. What do you think?
 
Reeftanks6 said:
Here are the pictures of the new coral
a>

a>


I decided to now start taking pictures about every month of the whole tank to show progress of things every month. What do you think?
Click to expand...

Looks good so far, reeftanks.
Where in PA are you? Anywhere near north east MD? I ask because if you are nearby I will hook you up with some freebies.

Sunny
 
My biggest advice is plan for the future. Decide what type of Reef you want and make it happen. I decided I just wanted a full reef and now that my SPS fill that, my LPS have killed 2 corals, and I am pruning Xenia on a weekly basis. Be careful what you add to the tank. Plan for long term.
 
With your tank established for two years, this will help in going a long way to keeping new corals happy. Things to consider:

Every coral you get needs to be put in quarantine, and dipped then inspected closely before being introduced into your reef. The last thing you want to do is add a pest that will eat the corals you love to see.

Water parameters are very important for SPS corals, so you are going to need test kits that can measure the various types we watch:

Test Type ---- Recommended Parameters matching Natural Sea Water (NSW)
pH 7.9 to 8.3 - this varies from tank to tank; testing with a Pinpoint Meter is best
Temperature 78° F to 84° F - average reef temperature tends to be 81° F
Alkalinity 8 to 11 dKH -or- 2.86 to 3.89 meq/L
Calcium 390 to 450 ppm
Magnesium 1350 - 1400 ppm (or 3x Calcium levels)
Phosphate .03 ppm - leading cause of nuisance algae in your tank
Ammonia 0 - anything higher is toxic
Nitrite 0 - anything higher is toxic
Nitrate 10 ppm or less - huge water changes bring down nitrates

Flow is critical for corals. You have a couple of powerheads in there now, but may very likely need more.

Compatibility between corals is important too. If you put in known antagonists, coral growth will be dismal. That coral you posted above, what is it? If it is a Sinularia, this is a coral that is toxic to some SPS. If it isn't, no worries. Always try to find out what is incompatible. Or run a species only tank, like acropora sp only. You can't really go wrong with that method. ;) I run a mixed reef, so I run carbon in a Phosban reactor and change it regularly. This helps with the coral toxicity.

Lighting is another area not to short change. What lights do you have now, and how old are the bulbs?
 
Phillybean said:
My biggest advice is plan for the future. Decide what type of Reef you want and make it happen. I decided I just wanted a full reef and now that my SPS fill that, my LPS have killed 2 corals, and I am pruning Xenia on a weekly basis. Be careful what you add to the tank. Plan for long term.
Click to expand...

Thanks Phillybean. I mainly want to do LPS. Why? Because i dont think my T5's will be able to keep my SPS in the best shape. I might be wrong though. Please tell me if i am. I would like to mainly LPS maybe with some SPS if all possible.
 
melev said:
With your tank established for two years, this will help in going a long way to keeping new corals happy. Things to consider:

Every coral you get needs to be put in quarantine, and dipped then inspected closely before being introduced into your reef. The last thing you want to do is add a pest that will eat the corals you love to see.

Water parameters are very important for SPS corals, so you are going to need test kits that can measure the various types we watch:

Test Type ---- Recommended Parameters matching Natural Sea Water (NSW)
pH 7.9 to 8.3 - this varies from tank to tank; testing with a Pinpoint Meter is best
Temperature 78° F to 84° F - average reef temperature tends to be 81° F
Alkalinity 8 to 11 dKH -or- 2.86 to 3.89 meq/L
Calcium 390 to 450 ppm
Magnesium 1350 - 1400 ppm (or 3x Calcium levels)
Phosphate .03 ppm - leading cause of nuisance algae in your tank
Ammonia 0 - anything higher is toxic
Nitrite 0 - anything higher is toxic
Nitrate 10 ppm or less - huge water changes bring down nitrates

Flow is critical for corals. You have a couple of powerheads in there now, but may very likely need more.

Compatibility between corals is important too. If you put in known antagonists, coral growth will be dismal. That coral you posted above, what is it? If it is a Sinularia, this is a coral that is toxic to some SPS. If it isn't, no worries. Always try to find out what is incompatible. Or run a species only tank, like acropora sp only. You can't really go wrong with that method. ;) I run a mixed reef, so I run carbon in a Phosban reactor and change it regularly. This helps with the coral toxicity.

Lighting is another area not to short change. What lights do you have now, and how old are the bulbs?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response melev. Yea i am going to have to buy some more test kits to really test my water for the calcium and things like that. The flow in my tank is pretty good with those two powerheads. But if i have to change them i will. The coral is a Kenya tree which to my research isnt a Sinularia so thats good. I would like to SPS but i dont think my lights will hold them to the best ability. The fixture is a Nova Extreme T5 bulbs 8x54. The bulbs are about a year old. So i will have to change them soon. If i cant go with the SPS i do like LPS as well so thats good. But from what i seen the SPS are a lot better looking.
 
sweet post if you came this far then a reef is just around the corner....hopefully i will be doing my 110 build in the next couple of weeks and this helps get me motivated..........good job
 
fishybudguy said:
sweet post if you came this far then a reef is just around the corner....hopefully i will be doing my 110 build in the next couple of weeks and this helps get me motivated..........good job
Click to expand...

Thank you very much. Keep us posted with your build. Hopefully i can help motivate
 
Reeftanks6 said:
Thanks Sunny. I am close to the Philadelphia area. How about you?
Click to expand...

I live just under 30 minutes from the Delaware Memorial Bridge. About an hour from Philly depending on which way you go.

I have some established, hardy/easy sps and softy frags ranging from small to large if you would like to try them. I have duncans that will soon be ready to frag as well. I usually sell them back to my LFS when I get a good stock together but I am in no hurry. I can hold onto them until you are sure of your water chemistry and it is consistent and you've decided on a stocking wish list. Phillybean is right, plan your tank. It will take time and patience but you will be glad you did.

Listen to melev, he is the master.

Need to echo a few of melev's points and add my $0.02 FWIW from my 15+ years of reefing:

Buy a pH meter. Learn how to use it and calibrate it once a month. Hanna makes a halfway decent one for a reasonable amount of money and since it is waterproof it will survive being dropped into the tank/sump.

Buy a refractometer and keep it calibrated. Marine Depot sells a decent budget one for around $40.

Keep Mg and Ca at consistent levels (Mg = 3x Ca). This could take some time to get consistent week by week but worth it 'cause your corals will reward your efforts.

Buy a turkey baster if you haven't already. I "baste" my rockwork every other day and use it to stir my sand once a week. I also use it to keep my sump really clean. Doing this will keep detritus from building up and therefore keeps your nitrates down. It also makes your sand look nice and white.

Don't be lazy with your water changes. Do them faithfully and your corals will reward you.

I don't recall whether I saw an ATO but if you are still topping off manually, now is a good time to automate.

And did I mention to listen to melev. He is the master. Visit his website if you haven't already. You can't help but be inspired. I have seen many TOTM winners show some beautiful tanks just to be taken down a few years later. Then there's melev - consistently great reefing.

Keep us posted and PM me if/when you want some frags.

Sunny
 
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