New Reefer, Observations And Questions

[LeopardWolf]

Hello everyone!

After years of keeping freshwater aquaria, knowing people who had saltwater tanks and working at shops dealing with saltwater and supplies, I finally decided to take the plunge and try saltwater aquaria husbandry.

I'm a zoological sciences/behavioral psychology major, and have a love of animals and the natural world. I'm an animal trainer, artist, and writer.

I love to learn new things and I am constantly reading to gain more knowledge. I have always been fascinated by the diversity of life found in saltwater tanks. So much more than in any of the freshwater tanks I have ever kept.

The main thing that kept me away from saltwater for so long, besides the starup costs, has been the fact that we rented and had limitations to tank sizes allowed and space available. I'd always been given the impression anything less than 30 gallons wasn't worth it or was too difficult.

I have learned a lot since then and know you can have a successful small saltwater tank. Maybe the people who recommended bigger were doing so because of how easily things can change in a smaller system and having to stay on top of it. Maybe they recommended it because of limitations on animals you can put in a smaller tank. I respect all of that because I feel they were speaking from their own experiences or interests. Either way, I learned a lot from what they shared.

This past week I started up my first saltwater tank. It is a 13 gallon nano reef tank in the making. It's pretty bare right now since it's only a week old.

I did a lot of work on the aquascaping, trying to plan the tank out for the things I'd like to put in it. Trying to work with such limited space while still making it functional and easy to care for as well as aesthetically pleasing was a challenge I gladly accepted.

I decided to go with dry base rock and some aquacultured liverock so I could better control what went into the tank. I carefully examine anything else in a quarantine pan, which allows me to pick out and set aside beneficial things to keep or things I'm not sure about. I then treat and remove unwanted things before adding to the tank.

I tried to get some variety with some coralline plates, given to me by the LFS I am doing business with, to help me seed my tank. The coralline plates came with some copepods and roly poly Sphaeromatid isopods attached. One also has something else, that when I first brought it home just seemed like part of the surface texture with an empty worm tube near it.

The other night I noticed a little "fuzz" ( I thought decay/fungus ) as I was going to bed and thought it was die off and would remove it the following day. When I examined it again, the fuzz was gone. It wasn't until I dosed the tank with purple-tech supplement and added a bag of live copepods, that I saw the "fuzz" was back and took a closer look. Which is when I realized it was alive as I watched it appear to feed and close on something.

I treated the rock I added (even though I didn't see anything on or in it ) to avoid unexpected guests, so I didn't expect to have anything much bigger than the isopods till I added the cleaning crew. Finding the little creature has me fascinated with how tiny life ( not counting the pods ) can grow even on thin plates of coralline algae.

Is this some sort of pseudocorynactis? An orange / white ball anemone?


I don't think it's a majano or a aiptasia (glass anemone) because the shape and color is different.


I have read with saltwater tanks you want to wait for the tank to cycle and balance out and rock to cure before you add anything, which tends to take a month or more. I didn't have anything except one corraline covered coral skeleton ( live rock for all intents and purposes ) that really had risk of die off and decay. I used Seachem Stability ( have always used it with my freshwater tanks and found it beneficial ) and used some Instant Ocean Bio-Spira just to be on the safe side, since I am turning dry porous rock into live rock. I figured it would help seed the rock better. I also added a bag of live copepods to supplement lack of biodiversity from the dry base rock.

If the tank has already cycled based on the appropriate numbers when tested, is it okay to start adding macroalgae and cleaning crew? After that, how long before adding fish? Guessing it is a matter of testing levels and giving each change/addition made a chance to balance out, but I'd like to hear from people with experience doing it.

I know everything has to be done slowly. I don't plan to add corals for a while ( besides maybe mushrooms? ) because I need to get different lighting than what came with the tank kit, and most of it will be soft corals and LPS to start off with. I am used to freshwater tanks ( everything from tropical, planted, to goldfish, sirens, etc ) and being able to add things right away as long as you don't overload the biofilter.

I have seen people posting with fully stocked tanks with fish and corals mentioning they are only a few months old yet having no problems with them, which is why I was wondering how safe it was to add so much that fast and wondering how the balance worked. Is it more likely large/frequent water changes make this possible or in some cases larger tank size? Trying to better understand the similarities and differences to what I am accustomed to from freshwater.

I just want to be sure I do things the right way and make it as natural and balanced as possible for the inhabitants.

Really excited and looking forward to the reef experience!

 

[ReefsandGeeks]

Nice looking tank so far. That looks alot like the ball anenamies(no spell check?) I have in my tank. They are pretty cool, and I purposly feed mine because I like it. The tank will need to cycle even with some live rock in it, though the rock and bottle bacteria will redice the time it takes. Could still be a month though. Mine was about 6 weeks on my 40g. It could take quite a while for all of your rock to be covered in coraline, but it will happen with time sine you added some seeder coralline. Most people will tell you the purple-tech or purple up are a waste of money, as they are just expensive Ca/alk suppliments. You can use what you have if you'd like, but I'd stick with water changes for now since you have very little demand in your tank for Ca/alk. If dosing suppliments make sure you're testing your water perameters for what you are dosing so you don't over dose. Over dosing on the puple-tech will cause precipitation in the water and the perameters will be all out of wack.

You can add CUC after your tank cycles, and I'd wait a week or so before adding your first fish. Probly not a ton of choices for suck a small tank, clowns and other small stuff, so chose wisely what you want. Add fish slow like you're probably used to with fresh water and check for mini cycles/ammonia spikes. If all clear for a week or so you could be safe to add another fish. Just remember that the bacteria can likely barely handle the bioload it has, so adding more bioload could send the tank over the edge. It's best to sait longer before adding fish, and keep adding some food ot the tank for the bacteria to continue colonizing.

Things to consider with the small tank, as you have mentioned, are lack of available livestock options with fish, and quick perameter swings. It can be done, as you'd note by looking at how some people keep tanks as small as 1/4 gallon with a coral in it. These people are usualy experianced and don't mind the consant work required to keep peramters stable. You'll need to keep up with top offs to keep your salinity the same throughoutthe day. Top offs should be with freshwater, not salt. Everyone will sugest using RODI water to prevent a host of problems down the line, so you may want to consider getting a filter. Or you can usualy get it from the LFS if you don't mind paying more and making frequent trips. With a 13g tank it might not be too bad for a while. It is nice to be able to make your own though.

I think you're off to a good start. Seems as though you're willing to put the effort into keeping up with the tank. Ask lots of questions, and your tank will do well. I like the rock work BTW. I'm asuming some of the rocks are somehow glued together like that. If not, be sure nothing wobbles. Rockslides are no fun.

 

[whosurcaddie]

You might want to rethink the aquascape. It doesn't look very stable and you have rock sitting directly on the glass which will be impossible to clean behind. Most people when they get into the hobby dont really think about the growth of coral and how large some of these species can get. Your scape should be a foundation for coral growth. With your rock stacked so high the corals will have nowhere to grow. I would do two separate islands and lower the profile of the scape quite a bit.

Something like this comes to mind.

Welcome to the hobby and Reef Central.

 

[Savant]

Nice rock work :beer:

I think Guns and Roses might have said it best about tank sizes:

I used to do a little but a little wouldn't do it
So the little got more and more
I just keep tryin' to get a little better
Said a little better than before :ape:

 

[Dino]

First things first .

<b><big><big>To Reef Central LeopardWolf!</big></big></b>

I had to remove the links in your signature though. We don't allow "outside" urls in the signature area. You're welcome to set one in the "homepage" area of your profile though .

I'd agree with you that that is a pseudocorynactis, I used to have a ton of them in my tank at one time. They tended to only show themselves at night though, as soon as the tank lights would flip on in the morning they'd suck back into their little holes in the rock and be practically invisible.

 

[LeopardWolf]

Thank you all for the warm welcome and helpful feedback!

= = =

Nice looking tank so far. That looks alot like the ball anenamies(no spell check?) I have in my tank. They are pretty cool, and I purposly feed mine because I like it. The tank will need to cycle even with some live rock in it, though the rock and bottle bacteria will redice the time it takes. Could still be a month though. Mine was about 6 weeks on my 40g. It could take quite a while for all of your rock to be covered in coraline, but it will happen with time sine you added some seeder coralline. Most people will tell you the purple-tech or purple up are a waste of money, as they are just expensive Ca/alk suppliments. You can use what you have if you'd like, but I'd stick with water changes for now since you have very little demand in your tank for Ca/alk. If dosing suppliments make sure you're testing your water perameters for what you are dosing so you don't over dose. Over dosing on the puple-tech will cause precipitation in the water and the perameters will be all out of wack.

You can add CUC after your tank cycles, and I'd wait a week or so before adding your first fish.

It's best to sait longer before adding fish, and keep adding some food ot the tank for the bacteria to continue colonizing.

I think you're off to a good start. I like the rock work BTW. I'm asuming some of the rocks are somehow glued together like that.

Thank you! I'm so happy to hear so many feel same as I do, that it is a pseudocorynactis. I like it and as long as it doesn't cause any problems, it can stay. At least during the cycle phase I don't have to pretend to feed fish, I will just feed it and help the bacteria at the same time. Curious, what do you feed yours?

Good to know it will still cycle as normal and to watch for the diatom bloom to know when it is almost ready. I did realize after I bought it and used it to find it was the milky white liquid, just that. But I figure I can still use it when I get the corals going as needed, so it's not a total waste. I will be careful with how much goes in to avoid any negative effects.

You are correct, the larger bases of the formation are epoxied and reef glued together to make them stable. The arch and some of the smaller pieces close to the glass are removable for easy cleaning.


= = =

You might want to rethink the aquascape. It doesn't look very stable and you have rock sitting directly on the glass which will be impossible to clean behind. Most people when they get into the hobby dont really think about the growth of coral and how large some of these species can get. Your scape should be a foundation for coral growth. With your rock stacked so high the corals will have nowhere to grow. I would do two separate islands and lower the profile of the scape quite a bit.

Something like this comes to mind.

Welcome to the hobby and Reef Central.

Thank you for the recommendation. In a larger tank size with more room for creating a wider spread, I could agree. However my tank doesn't have a very large footprint to begin with.

It's only a 13gal, and going to be mixed reef and fish, so I have to consider both. I did think about the things you mentioned as I designed the layout, but I also realized there is no way I am keeping a ton of things that will get very large in here. This is a small taste and learning experience for me, of what can come with a larger tank, to see if I like it enough. So far I do.

As I mentioned in the other comment, the pieces are actually very stable. There are 4 main pieces that are epoxied together to form the shapes you see. Some of the smaller pieces are loose and can be removed so I can easily clean the glass, and the arch is stable propped but can also come away from the larger structure supporting it if it needs to be removed for any reason. I figure between that and the powerheads I plan to add to help with flow, it should help prevent most problems.


= = =

Nice rock work :beer:

I think Guns and Roses might have said it best about tank sizes:

I used to do a little but a little wouldn't do it
So the little got more and more
I just keep tryin' to get a little better
Said a little better than before :ape:

Thank you! I'm thankful for even a chance to attempt this in a smaller tank. I dream of a day when I have the space and financial stability for a larger tank. For the time being, I have to work with what I can to be sure I want to invest more in the future. I already have a feeling I will.

Adorable dog in your pic, by the way.

= = =

First things first .

<b><big><big>To Reef Central LeopardWolf!</big></big></b>

I had to remove the links in your signature though. We don't allow "outside" urls in the signature area. You're welcome to set one in the "homepage" area of your profile though .

I'd agree with you that that is a pseudocorynactis, I used to have a ton of them in my tank at one time. They tended to only show themselves at night though, as soon as the tank lights would flip on in the morning they'd suck back into their little holes in the rock and be practically invisible.

Huzzah! Thank you! And oops, my sincere apologies! It's a force of habit to just copy/paste that into signature lines on different sites I use. Thanks for letting me know.

So happy it is a pseudocorynactis. I have been trying to find information on care for them, but it seems few and far between. Mine doesn't seem to be as photosensitive, but it also came from a LFS in a big bright display tank right off the coralline plate they had growing on the tank wall always getting light. So maybe it's adjusted to not caring for sake of feeding.

I'd imagine it is probably hungry too which may explain why it is staying visible. I thought I only had the coralline and two isopods in the bag I brought it home in, so it sat in the bag for two days while I arranged the aquascape.

Any recommendations on what to feed it?

Beautiful dog in your pic there. Border collie mix?