ange062
New member
Hey all, I'm new to the forum and the hobby. Figured I would post up a blog-esque thread of the progress on my first saltwater tank, a JBJ 28gal CF-quad that I purchased from my trusty LFS. I figured other noobs in the future may be able to learn from the thread, and that I could get advice from the experts along the way.
The Purchase:
I've wanted a saltwater aquarium for at least 5-yrs now but always came up with one reason or another to NOT buy one. A recent trip to the Philippines which included several snorkeling excursions over reefs finally pushed me over the edge.
My first stop was a high-end LFS down the street from me here in Houston, where upon inquiry I was nearly upsold into a 75gal aquarium with all the good stuff for well over $2k.
Before impulse buying, I ventured down to Fish Ranch who I had bought some freshwater fish from before. The owner Tran is an awesome guy, and talked me into buying the 28gal nano to make sure I liked the hobby without investing too much up front. Not the fanciest shop around, but great and honest service, great prices, and an awesome selection of livestock both fresh and marine.
Initial Setup:
As I stated, I got the JBJ 28gal Nano. The LFS hooked me up with water out of one of their established tanks, 2-cups of sand from the same tank to seed my substrate, and even let me borrow the containers to get it all back to my house. I also picked up 10lbs of cured liverock, 20lbs live sand, and 15lbs of aragonite.
When I got home with all the goodies, I already knew my location so I set up the stand and tank. Next I cleaned out the tank then did a short leak test with freshwater. It was drained, wiped dry, then it was time for some fun!
All of the livesand went in, then I dumped about half the aragonite, then mixed and leveled it out to about a 2" sandbed. The 2-cups of seeded sand went in on top and was leveled over the surface. The liverock was just piled in the middle, and the saltwater went in.
My LFS advised me to use a plate on the bottom when pouring the water, so once full the tank was only a little cloudy. I turned on the pumps, adjusted the water level until it was good, and just let it sit in the dark.
The next morning, it was crystal clear. Nothing else to do but let it sit and cycle...
Here is a picture from just after adding the water, never got a clear shot since it was such a boring tank!
Click the thumbnail for a full size picture:
The Purchase:
I've wanted a saltwater aquarium for at least 5-yrs now but always came up with one reason or another to NOT buy one. A recent trip to the Philippines which included several snorkeling excursions over reefs finally pushed me over the edge.
My first stop was a high-end LFS down the street from me here in Houston, where upon inquiry I was nearly upsold into a 75gal aquarium with all the good stuff for well over $2k.
Before impulse buying, I ventured down to Fish Ranch who I had bought some freshwater fish from before. The owner Tran is an awesome guy, and talked me into buying the 28gal nano to make sure I liked the hobby without investing too much up front. Not the fanciest shop around, but great and honest service, great prices, and an awesome selection of livestock both fresh and marine.
Initial Setup:
As I stated, I got the JBJ 28gal Nano. The LFS hooked me up with water out of one of their established tanks, 2-cups of sand from the same tank to seed my substrate, and even let me borrow the containers to get it all back to my house. I also picked up 10lbs of cured liverock, 20lbs live sand, and 15lbs of aragonite.
When I got home with all the goodies, I already knew my location so I set up the stand and tank. Next I cleaned out the tank then did a short leak test with freshwater. It was drained, wiped dry, then it was time for some fun!
All of the livesand went in, then I dumped about half the aragonite, then mixed and leveled it out to about a 2" sandbed. The 2-cups of seeded sand went in on top and was leveled over the surface. The liverock was just piled in the middle, and the saltwater went in.
My LFS advised me to use a plate on the bottom when pouring the water, so once full the tank was only a little cloudy. I turned on the pumps, adjusted the water level until it was good, and just let it sit in the dark.
The next morning, it was crystal clear. Nothing else to do but let it sit and cycle...
Here is a picture from just after adding the water, never got a clear shot since it was such a boring tank!
Click the thumbnail for a full size picture:
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