My first tank, and i need some help.

T

toughmeninpink

New member
OK
im 14 years old, and i wanted a saltwater aquarium since i was 12.
yesterday on February 24th, i got my first marine tank.
I got a 72 gallon, bow front with an over flow.
Its got a sump filter with a pump to pump the water back in to the aquarium.
I barely kno anything about this type of stuff, and i have a few questions and maybe thought i could get a few answers.
So here it goes.

1. I got the tank home, put it together, put the bags of sand on bottom , and began to fill the tank. When i was about halfway filled i slit the bags and emptied them. My tank is extremely cloudy, and i would like to know when this cloudiness will go away?There is also a small bit of sand in the sump, right by the pump carrying the water back to the tank. Do i need to syphen this sand out of the sump or will it be ok?

2. As i have said i am new to this, but i know a few things. I understand about the cycleing, but when should i introduce the live rock?As soon as the cloudiness clears or is there a certain time period?

3. Lastly, one of my most important questions, when i start adding fish and corals, should i buy a protein skimmer to sit in my sump??

Also if anybody could give me a link to a page where it shows how to clean the tank i would be greatful. Also if you need to kno more about the tank if i havent stated it, please pm me. And lastly if you guys have any suggestions on something i should buy for my tank, i would b grateful.

Thanks:D
 
You should have rinsed the sand first and then introduced it to the tank. This way it will take a week or so to settle out. I would add a power head right now to keep water circulating. Standing salt water can stagnate very quickly.

Normally you add the live rock right after the sand and start the tank cycling. But in your case I would wait a week other wise the dust is going to settle all over the rock and you will have to clean it off causing more mess.

After the dust has settled and you add the live rock dead stuff will start to fall off the live rock--this is called curing.
The dead stuff produces organic substances including ammonia in your tank. The bacteria in and on the live rock start to multiply to take care of the ammonia(ammonia is deadly to all marine life). This is called cylcing.

You need to purchase a test kit for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.

Normally this is what happen:
the ammonia level should spike(rise quickly) in your tank. Then it should start to fall off as the nitrate level starts to ris.

When both ammonia and nitrate levels test zero(anywhere between 3-5 weeks) then you can start to add slowly(weekly intervals
the clean up crew
followed by hardy corals
finally followed by fish(at this point the 5 or 6 week mark)

This is a natural cycling of the tank--be patient and give it time to happen. You will be successful with patience and the information you pick up from the experienced on this web site
Y
 
First off, I'd suggest reading this: http://www.reefcentral.com/modules.php?s=&name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=1. It should hit most of the basics you don't know already. There are also some really good articles at the top of this thread. That said, I'll try to answer some of your specific questions.

1. The cloudiness should go away in a couple days. The sand in the sump won't cause any problems, so you can leave it there if you'd like.

2. If everything is set up and operational, you can introduce the live rock at any time. You don't necessarily need to wait for the sand to settle completely.

3. As for adding fish and corals, it'll probably be at least a month before you want to do that. I'd suggest just leaving everything alone for the first couple of weeks, and then start testing your water regularly after that. Once your ammonia and nitrites are 0, and your nitrates are 30ppm or less for at least two weeks in a row, start adding a small clean-up crew (hermit crabs, snails, etc.). Give it at least two more weeks, continuing to test. If everything's still looking good, you can think about adding a fish or two. If your nitrates are 20ppm or below, you could also start adding some of the hardier corals (leathers, mushrooms, etc.).

As a note, my specifications for nitrates are just what I'd expect to see before I started adding anything. There really isn't any scientific backing to those numbers (except of course, the 0 ammonia).

As for cleaning the tank, are you talking about just regular maintenance cleaning? If so, I know I don't ever really "clean" my tank. I have a Magfloat that I use to clean the glass from time to time, and I use a turkey baster to blow detritus off the rocks and corals a couple times a week, but otherwise, the only thing I clean is my equipment (pumps, skimmer collection cup, etc.)
 
Hello and welcome!
Sounds like you've got a good, basic setup to start with. To the point:

1. The cloudiness will go away, but depending on what kind of sand you used, it can take quite some time. In the future, you can rinse dry sand with tap water from a hose, drain the excess water and put it right in the tank at startup. It can greatly reduce the dust factor. It can be a good idea to run a filter sock or some sort of basic mechanical filter for a few days, but it will need to be rinsed at least once/day until it clears up. The sand in the sump is not a major concern as long as the particle size is not large enough to jam the pump impeller. You can siphon it out later on.

2. Add your live rock as soon as possible. That's the point at which your cycle will really start. you don't need to wait until your water is completely clear.

3. Yes, I would highly recommend purchasing a good protein skimmer before you add any fish or corals. It is a very worthwhile investment and good to run from day 1. You'll be suprised at how much gunk it will pull out even with nothing but sand and live rock in the tank.

Good luck!
 
1. The cloudiness will go away but you need to get some circulation in there. When you add powerheads its only going to kick up the sand again. I would remove the sand from the sump, you dont want it stuck in the pump. Unless there is some barrier or baffle to sepearate the 2.

2. The Lr should go in now. I would have added it before the sand. WHen you do add the LR make sure to move the sand out of the way and put the rock on the bottom, this will prevent anything from borrowning under the rock and getting crushed.

3. I would also add my protien skimmer now. The cycling is where its going to pull out alot of gunk. Get it in there and get it working.

I would like to know what kind of sump it is. Is is just a tank or did you buy something premaid? any bioballs, baffles, etc?

Your not doing anything wrong yet just afew things I would have done differently. Post here with any questions you have and youll get tons of answers and opinons that will help you out.

[welcome]
 
BTW

[welcome]

to answer your third question:
yes purchase a protein skimmer.

Live rock and the sand bed form the biological filtration for your system(they process ammonia to nitrites to nitrates and then nitrogen gas which bubbles out of the tank)
This is called the nitrogen cycle--you are probably studying this now in school.

A protein skimmer removes other harmful organic compounds that the live rock doesn't.

So, yes purchase a protein skimmer.
 
WOW
thank you guys so much
this has helped immensly
also about the protien skimmer
would you suggest i buy it now or wait and get lik a week bfor i start to add fishes?
 
1. If the sand you used is live sand then you're actually instructed NOT to rinse it. However, what I normally do is open the sand up, dump it in and then slowly add water.

2. Add the live rock as soon as you can afford it.

3. Same as #2, the sooner the better.
 
Give it a week for everything to settle then add live rock at about 1lb per gallon, built up to form a nice aquascape to your satisfaction, remember to leave plenty spaces in the rocks, do not pack the pieces too tightly. your fish need plenty of nooks and crannies. Test regularly for amonia, nitrite and nitrate. if you live rock is cured when you purchase it, it should only take a couple of weeks to cycle. Then you add a clean-up crew. PLEASE, please be very patient with your stocking and you will have many years of pleasure from your tiny slice of ocean
 
ok thank you very much
one last thing(i know im getting anooying:])
there is sand in the overflow compartment
is this ok?or do i need to syphen it out?
 
<img src="/images/welcome.gif" width="500" height="62"><br><b><i><big><big>To Reef Central</b></i></big></big>

Great hobby to get into.

Most important tip, Go Slow and you'll avoid a lot of problems.

Double check all recommendations made your LFS here.

Yes the cloudyness will settle down in a few days, some silt will get on the glass so wipe the inside with an algae cleaning pad.

Yes, you should put the live rock in now if you wait you'll start the cycle again. Put base rock, dry dead rock down first, buried in the sand under your live rock. First it will keep critters from digging under your life rock and causing a rock slide. It will also become live and add to the filtering effect.

Yes you should add a skimmer. Don't go cheap, if you need to wait a little longer to get a good unit then do that.

After the cycle your regular tests should be Salinity, Calcium, Alkalinity, pH, Magnesium. If you keep these up to proper levels and consistent you'll avoid a lot of problems. You also want to test for nitrates and phosphates and keep these low.

To clean use algae pads and scrapers on the glass and a turkey baster or small power head to blow off the rocks.

Spend some time researching lighting and flow. These two thing will combine to determine what type of corals you'll be able to keep.

Read through the chemistry articles once you get a grasp and understanding of how Alkalinity, Calcium and Magnesium affect each other you'll be set. Beginners chemistry article number 1 of 4

Get a refractometer and keep your salinity at 1.0264, natural sea water.

Good luck and ask plenty of questions.
 
As for a skimmer...... Install one right away. Get one that is rated at least one and a half times your tank as they are normally well overrated and are rated when at 100% eficiency which gradually diminishes between each maintenance
 
Where in So Fla are you about? I might be able to point you to a couple of good places.

However, for your skimmer you'll find that your best option is to order it online as it will save you a ton of money. Octopus skimmers are a great bang-for-your-buck skimmer, but if you've got a nice amount of money to blow then I'd suggest waiting for a better suggestion.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14479978#post14479978 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by toughmeninpink
any suggestions on a specific type of skimmer i can get at my lfs?
Click to expand...
I would suggest online for the skimmer, a lot of LFS don't stock the better skimmers and usually mark the one's they do have up so they cost the same as a good one would online. Octopus, MSX are regularly recommend brands.
 
The sponsors of the site are a good spot to start. I bought from AquaCave,com recently. I had a problem with my skimmer and Albert told me to send it back to him and he'd get it fixed ASAP. So far I've had great customer service but I'll let you know how good it really is when/if I get my skimmer back.

Dr. Foster's and Smith is also a good site to look into.

Edit: I don't know the coral springs area too well, but I would definitely recommend Coral Reef Farm, it's in Hollywoodish. A bit of a drive for you but it's worth it. I live down by Metro Zoo and went up to Coral Reef Farm for my LR when I was setting up the tank.
 
The cheapest one should do fine in your 72g. Just make sure it's footprint will fit in your 30 gal sump.

Also, I don't know if it's been mentioned but I'd read up on how to turn your sump into a fuge so that you can grow macro algae like chaeto which will use the nuisance nutrients such as nitrates as fertilizer to grow.
 
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