new to sac and reefs... hi guys :)

[bkmorris]

hello everyone.... i am new to both sacramento and reefkeeping. i am so glad to fund a helpful forum like this. i think i should definitely join MARS. i just don't really have anyone i know in the area who shares my interest in reef tanks... so apart from LPS staff, i have no one to talk to. pathetic, aren't i? not trying to come across that way, just happy to have people to talk to.

here's what i have:

Tank/Equipment:
JEBO bowfront acrylic 26 gal with built-in trickle filter w/ biomedia under phosphate pad filter... empties into tank through flat-headed "powerhead" (if you could even call it that)
50W titanium heater
rio 800 power head
two 24-inch bulbs: 1 is the jebo 18W fluorescent it came with, 1 is a marine-glo 20W.

Live stuff:
large purple mushroom colony
little brown polyp rock
4 stalks pulsing xenia
~20 lbs liverock (total estimate)
1 blue damsel
3 scarlet hermits, 1 blue hermit
7 turbo snails
1 skunk cleaner shrimp
1 camel shrimp

the tank has been running for about 3 months now... i got a little overzealous at about the 2 month mark and subsequently lost a sebae anemone, a pair of ocellaris clowns, a firefish, and a yellow tang within one month. yes, i know i was an idiot (and followed some poor advice.) painful lesson learned. my diatom bloom is finally slowing down... and everything in the tank appears to be healthy. i have been reading and researching like crazy for the past month and am finally starting to feel better informed about my new hobby.

so i'm hoping that you guys will indulge me in a little "newbie" (hate that word) guidance. more specifically, what do you think my next steps should be in building my reef? any equipment i need to add before proceeding?

i was encouraged to see some pics of smaller tanks that some of you guys have.... i have been told that trying to do anything in a 26-gal is a waste of time, but that is obviously not the case judging by the pics of some of yours.

i really look forward to hearing from some of you... thank you so much for reading this mess .


-brooke

 

[bluenassarius]

welcome brooke. your tank is so sparkling clear -- i'm jealous!

 

[robertloop]

Welcome Brooke! Your 26 gallon is most definetely NOT a waste of time. You show me one person that never killed anything due to bad advise or being new to the hobby, and everyone in MARS will show you a liar. :lol: Dont feel bad, We've all been there. Your tank looks nice! I would recommend some aditional LR. (live rock) You are well on your way to a thriving reef tank.

- Robert

 

[bkmorris]

thanks guys! how do i achieve that look of a solid reef sloping down from the back? do you just put lr down as a base and add corals etc on top? what kind of lr arrangement would you suggest?

oh yeah... what do you think about my lighting?

 

[RxBandit]

If you need some real hardy frags my finger leather is getting too big for its britches. You keep it alive you can have it for free

 

[bkmorris]

another question... you guys meet up any time other than the mars meetings once a month?

 

[robertloop]

We meet ocasionally to trade/buy coral. On the LR.... just stack it and add coral. Some people even zip tie the LR together and create arches and caves etc... Always remember this though... Leave plenty of room between the rocks and the glass. If you cant get your fist in between, the acrylic/glass is a bummer to clean.

 

[Reefugee]

Brooke -

Be careful when adding live rock to an exisiting rockwork. You want to make sure that the rock you are adding is fully cured. If you add not-fully cured rock to the tank - you risk causing a mini-cycle to your exisiting tank. You might consider buy fully cured rock from someone who is breaking down their tank. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=784930


In regard to your built-in trickle filter w/ biomedia under phosphate pad filter, you might want to get rid of the biomedia. It could be a source of nitrate for you tank. Can we get more pictures of the trickle filter? I am not a 100% sure what you are talking about.

How much of water change and how frequently are your water changes? Since you don't have a skimmer, you probably should be doing a 10% water change weekly.

What type of water are you using? What is your salinity?

I think you are a little low on light. Based on my calculation, you have about 1.4 watts per gallon. My JBJ nano cube has 2 watts per gallon, and things don't grow very well in it. On the other hand, my 18G (3.5watt/gallon) at work has stuff that grow like crazy. Most people recommend about 4 watts per gallon.

Overall - very nice beginning. BTW - It's possible to keep a very nice small tank. Small tanks tend to do very well with softies and LPS. SPS can be harder to keep with small tanks though.

 

[racrumrine]

Welcome

At this point, I would work on getting your water parameters stable and learn to regularly test them. Dr Randy's articles at the top of the Reef Chemistry Forum are great.

In my opinion, getting the tank stable is the biggest thing to focus on when you are new. Once you master that, it's easier to add more critters and take care of them properly.

Best of luck,

Roy

 

[bkmorris]

my water quality has been pretty stable for about a month now.... 0ppm of nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia. pH is 8.2. i'm a science nerd so i test the water all the time

 

[Justin74]

Welcome Brooke! Yes as a club we meet every 3rd friday of the month. Usually we will have a guest speaker from all aspects of the industry\hobby,and my favorite part(sounds like you too ) Is just getting together with some very cool people and exchange experiences and ideas with other aquatic enthusiasts. My MARS membership was probably the most cheapest and rewarding investments Ive made to date in this hobby,highly recommend it.You can find more about the club here:MARS

The philosophy behind discouraging smaller tanks is, that there just more of a challenge especially to the novice to maintain a stable environment.This is more than just maintaining proper levels,and some of this gets lost in translation and ultimately you heard your self"Its a waste of time...".
But in the hobby some critters are obligate, depending on vast resources some larger than yours over even my 55g tank can accomodate.Everything has its niche.Finding critters that can thrive in the 26g nich youve created is the challenge youve chosen.Which if researched is quite possible, as evidenced by some of the beautifull tanks youve seen.

An extremely helpfull group here and dont hesitate to ask,its an excuse for us too to talk fish stuff

-Justin

 

[RxBandit]

Also I was going to mention that the longer you leave the tank fallow the more time your tank has to build up the bug population. Which in turn gives you a better chance at keeping waste down.

 

[yoshiod9]

bkmorris- i think i know you...check your private messages! also, if you truly do have a camel shrimp in your tank make sure that you keep an eagle eye on it. they are known soft coral munchers!! i had one when i first started reefing that ate mushrooms, zoanthids and ricordia with reckless abandon.

 

[BenH98]

You said earlier that you wanted to see some pics of smaller tanks like yours... well this is mine - it is a 25 gallon reef that has been running for about 9 months.

 

[BenH98]

you know, the more I looked at your pictures in your gallery, the more it seems to me that we have the same tank!! I don't use that hood it came with, or the trickle filter.