NEW 2 SW fowlr

[zapirk]

Ok so i have set up my first ever SW tank . I am going fowlr in a 10gal with 1 clownfish i have a penguin 200 biowheel running and about 3 lbs of live rock and a bed of crushed coral. I was told that the liverock is already cycled and i was able to put a fish in right away. Tank is about 24hrs with fish in now was up 24 hrs prior to fish.


Questions i am a dialysis RN and we run a RO system is that the water i shoukd be using as up till now i have used tap water with conditioning. :hammer::hammer:.

I will have more questions later on. Thanks in advance

 

[gone fishin]

A lot of people use RO/DI. RO would be better than tap water.

As a side note keep a very close eye on your ammonia and nitrite levels. Even with cured Live rock I would have checked it to make sure before adding the clown. Also, the crushed coral could become an issue in the future. The crushed coral has a tendency to trap detritus.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074

The sticky could be of use to you. It is basically a book with multiple topics. Good luck

 

[anthonys51]

just a suggestion. 3 lbs of live rock doesn't seem that much. depending on its density you might have a lot of room left to add more. imo more is better with live rock.
also you might be better with sand on the bottom over crushed coral. food falls between the bigger pieces of crushed coral and hard to get out, while sand it will lay on top and can be siphoned out. you dont have to go to deep with the sand though its only for looks

 

[zapirk]

I checked ammonia prior to adding the fish and checked this morning still 0ppm using api master test kit.

I use the crushed coral for its buffering effects i have had PH crashes before in my fw tanks and since then i have had a bag of crushed coral in the filters and no crashes

 

[Martini5788]

The sand that we use for sw tanks is aragonite sand, which has the same buffering abilities as crushed coral. Also, the salt mix will increase the alkalinity.

 

[zapirk]

I got 3 more pounds of aqua culture live rock today. And a quick lighting question. I have a hood cover on my tank that has glass where the light shines threw. Is this acceptable for LR? And if i want to move to coral is that acceptable

 

[ericarenee]

I got 3 more pounds of aqua culture live rock today. And a quick lighting question. I have a hood cover on my tank that has glass where the light shines threw. Is this acceptable for LR? And if i want to move to coral is that acceptable

If its the light that comes stock on a 10 gal tank . Very Unlikely will it do for Corals. But for just having live rock in there it could be OK Just watch out for algae growth. Your light needs to be 6500-7000k or above. So if its yellow looking it could grow un wanted algae.

Would need to know more about to give a Correct answer

 

[Dkuhlmann]

If its the light that comes stock on a 10 gal tank . Very Unlikely will it do for Corals. But for just having live rock in there it could be OK Just watch out for algae growth. Your light needs to be 6500-7000k or above. So if its yellow looking it could grow un wanted algae.

Would need to know more about to give a Correct answer

Any and all lights will grow algae and several different types of it as a tank matures, it's all part of the process.

For corals you want at least T5 10K-14k lighting IMO Lots to learn about the whole process before you dive into corals. We are all here to help you. Some leathers ie Softies and LPS aren't hard to keep with the correct lighting and flow in the tank. Look around and see what you want and ask the questions so we can help you get setup properly for success. Yes RO water will be fine

Welcome to RC :thumbsup:

 

[zapirk]

Its a T8 bulb that was stock for my 60gal tank (im eventually making the 60 a SW tank its empty and needs a deep cleaning)

 

[zapirk]

This 10gal i started was to see if i can do SW and to ease my wife into the cost of a SW setup. I fully plan on upgrading to my empty 60 gal tank with in a year or so. I also have an empty 29 laying around. Ill do some more research and see what i like. So far i like the buble tip and softies

 

[Dkuhlmann]

This 10gal i started was to see if i can do SW and to ease my wife into the cost of a SW setup. I fully plan on upgrading to my empty 60 gal tank with in a year or so. I also have an empty 29 laying around. Ill do some more research and see what i like. So far i like the buble tip and softies

Well the bta needs more intense light than the softies do. If you don't upgrade the lighting It could be death to the nem. The softies would be a bit more forgiving. Maybe check Craigslist for some used lights? MH would be cheapest but burn a lot of electricity. T5 would be my next choice but the bulbs need replaced every 7-9 months. THen there is LED. You can possibly burn your corals with too much light with them until they are acclimated to the intense lighting. There are several cheap Chinese LED's on Amazon and Ebay, I've got a local reefer buddy that has them and only paid $85 and that included shipping, they work well. Just look around.

There are many good sticky's here on the different forums with lots of information that you can use to see what fits for you.

 

[ericarenee]

Any and all lights will grow algae and several different types of it as a tank matures, it's all part of the process.

For corals you want at least T5 10K-14k lighting IMO Lots to learn about the whole process before you dive into corals. We are all here to help you. Some leathers ie Softies and LPS aren't hard to keep with the correct lighting and flow in the tank. Look around and see what you want and ask the questions so we can help you get setup properly for success. Yes RO water will be fine

Welcome to RC :thumbsup:

Actually this is not exactly true. Some Algae and plants grow better under different bulbs. 6500 k or less bulbs will Over run your tank with Green algae.
Also remember .. K=KELVIN. The Color of the Light the bulb produces.
Par= the Intensity of the light.
These are both what to look at. A old bulb can still put out good PAR But Teriable k .

AS Far as right light for a 10 gallon tank There are many Choices T5 Or power Compact would be good . if you want programmable i would say LED.

In my Opinion like most who have been in Reef Tanks more then Half of there life NO LIGHT IS BETTER THE M/H..

So i would replace that T-8 Bulb to a New full spectrum or 50/50 bulb.as said by dk 10k or above..

 

[zapirk]

Thanks for your responses, can these lights go trough the glass on my hood and still be good or will the glass filter out the "good" light. I cant go naked top as i have toddlers

 

[ericarenee]

Thanks for your responses, can these lights go trough the glass on my hood and still be good or will the glass filter out the "good" light. I cant go naked top as i have toddlers

Just keep it clean. Its best to clean the inside with Vinegar to Keep the Salt Creep off .I scrape mine with a Razor blade thou.. shhhh dont tell on me please...

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Actually this is not exactly true. Some Algae and plants grow better under different bulbs. 6500 k or less bulbs will Over run your tank with Green algae.
Also remember .. K=KELVIN. The Color of the Light the bulb produces.
Par= the Intensity of the light.
These are both what to look at. A old bulb can still put out good PAR But Teriable k .

AS Far as right light for a 10 gallon tank There are many Choices T5 Or power Compact would be good . if you want programmable i would say LED.

In my Opinion like most who have been in Reef Tanks more then Half of there life NO LIGHT IS BETTER THE M/H..

So i would replace that T-8 Bulb to a New full spectrum or 50/50 bulb.as said by dk 10k or above..

Pretty much all light will cause photosynthesis that creates algae, yes some better than others and I totally agree those plant 6500k lights are insane at growing macro algae like chaeto. That was kind of my point they can grow algae but not corals and anemone's. I always forget about the pc's for nano's

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Yes keep the glass clean but watch your water temp. Glass tops will keep in more heat and that can be a huge problem.

 

[scootshoot]

If you on a budget always keep eye out for used setups from sites like Craigslist. Some ex hobbyists may be moving out of state and don't want to lug their Saltwater setup around so can be had for pennies on the dollar.

Just make sure you do your required checks as you would for any used merchandise and you will be a happy camper.

 

[zapirk]

Is my penguin 200 a sufficient filter for my 10gal with aproc 5lbs of live rock. Only inhabitant is a small orange clownfish with black outline

 

[zapirk]

Update.

Fish is alive and well.
Reading
ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate >0 <5
Api master kit.

I had ammonia up to 1 and nitrite up to 0.5 now both are zero.
Plan on adding a chocolate chip starfish in august after vacation

 

[Dkuhlmann]

you better do some research on chocolate chip starfish first. They eat anything alive in your tank, including fish.