package part 1 on route

B

bryanvin

New member
am patiently awaiting the 1st half of a 45 gallon package from TBS. I ordered it yesterday and was completely taken back when Richard said he could have it here this afternoon. You're the man Richard.

As far as everyone else on this site, if you guys have any good tips, experiences, etc.. for a novice, they'd be greatly appreciated. Am setting up a 46 gallon bowfront tank, using Tropic Marin Salt Mix and RO water from my kent 25gpd unit. Using AquaC Remora protein skimmer w/maxi-jet 1200 pump, Eheim ecco 2234 canister filter, 2 aquaclear powerheads (270 gph each), and 2 x 96 watt Orbit Power Compact 10,000k lights.
If anyone has experience with a similar set up, and advice would be great.

Tried to put pics of bare tank up but not having any luck with the image uploader on this site and converting my pics to only 50kb. Will keep trying for you all, especially after part 1 of the package arrives.
 
Hold off on water changes. Dont do alot of them until you see them max spike then do water changes. Otherwise youll prolong the wait. Other than that just be prepared to see alot of good stuff pop out and sharpen your skills in gorilla hunting :)
 
Just put in first half of the package. I immediately saw life when i put the rock in my tank, found a few gorilla crabs right off the bat, and can here at least 2 mantises clicking, saw a few lancelets when i put the sand in. Got a little nervous when a saw an orange/yellow worm and clear cucumber pop out of their hiding places and fall to the bottom and die. I checked my salinity and pH, but they looked fine, so Im not too worried.

will try to post pics on here when the water settles and clears.
 
Been running my protein skimmer for a little while now, i tried adjusting the height of the collection cup but its still producing wa too much foam, its actually bubbling out the air vent hole on top of the collection cup cover. If i didnt have a drain tube hooked up to it, it would have surely overflowed last night.

Could it be that the pump is moving too much water through it?
Does anyone have any experience with these Remora skimmers?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11300524#post11300524 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bryanvin
Anyone know of a good way to shrink pictures so theyll upload on this site
Click to expand...

I use photobucket.com. Create a free account, upload pics then you can resize them on that site; then link to them in your posts here. It is really easy. Looking forward to some pics of your set up!! :rollface:
 
Exactly, refrain the water changes.
I need more practice and more devices on collecting gorrilla crabs. I did not however that I saw a small gorilla crab shell. I hope it's not just a molt and something is in there killing them off.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11293106#post11293106 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scowiii
Hold off on water changes. Dont do alot of them until you see them max spike then do water changes. Otherwise youll prolong the wait. Other than that just be prepared to see alot of good stuff pop out and sharpen your skills in gorilla hunting :)
Click to expand...
 
What type of ammonia testers would you recommend, i use API's but after you reach 1ppm in the color scale, the next level is 2 ppm, so its not very precise.

Am running my protein skimmer, but should i be running my canister filter too, a least to polish up the water for a day or so, keeping it very clean. And if yes, should I also be running activated Carbon and phosphate treatment yet, or let the system do its thing before starting those treatments?

And as far as holding off on water changes, what would you consider, start doing them when ammonia levels reach 2 ppm, cause wouldnt ammonia levels just continually climb and never really plane out?
 
My package at its highest was about 2ppm SO I would just test it daily and you should see it not get any worse then go ahead and do your water change.
 
well the rocks have been in the tank now for 3 full days, and with the exception of adding a bit of top off water everyday, havent made any significant water changes at all. My ammonia has steadily been rising and is right at 1 ppm as of tonights tests. pH is lower than I'd like but im figuring its low because of the higher ammonia levels.

Even though my ammonia level is only at 1 ppm, should timeline have anything to do with water changes or should i just continue waiting for the ammonia level to reach its peak, then do my water change?
 
i'd wait for it to reach its peak then do the water change.

the tank looks good but you may need a little more surface agitation - jmo
 
<<< Even though my ammonia level is only at 1 ppm, should timeline have anything to do with water changes or should i just continue waiting for the ammonia level to reach its peak, then do my water change? >>>



If your amm. has reached 1 PPM do a water change now about 20 - 30% and check it again and repeat as necessary daily or twice daily until it comes down. Also check all the rocks carefully for anything that may be on its way out (primarily sponges) that will cause amm. spikes. A slightly lower pH during the cycle is ok but I wouldn't let it go below 7.7 or so at night with the tank lights off. Doing water changes will also help raise the pH a bit.
 
I have the same skimmer and also purchased TBS about 1 month ago. The skimmer will eventually settle down (if it hasn't already). Your tank looks great and the water will soon sparkle.

I second the motion to lose the back panel....just a suggestion.
 
alright alright, I'll loose the back panel, it came with the tank so i figured what the heck. Anyone know if they make straight black or blue in that same material? Or would it be ok to paint the back panel now that its full of water and cycling? don't want to contaminate the water.
 
How am i doing so far...

Performed 1st 25% water change yesterday morning after ammonia reached about 1.5ppm, did a second later that night, about 20%. Just checked water parameters now, specific gravity 1.023, pH 8.3, ammonia is at 1ppm. Noticed that the water smells a bit like dirty socks or feet. Rocks been in tank just about 5 full days now.

?, since the tank smells and ammonia level is still up around 1ppm even after doing 2 water changes, should i be looking hard for something thats dying off, or is this just how the cycle goes?
 
Check the sponges on your rock. I just scraped most of them off because they will die very fast. And that should keep your tank from spiking hard.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

L
TBS The Package is amazing
Replies
3
Views
2K
Ambiturner006
A
FlyingFishSKYw
TBS Rock headed to the Last Frontier
2
Replies
27
Views
8K
moondoggy4
M
mpderksen
Upgrade package?
Replies
0
Views
1K
mpderksen
mpderksen
riverviewmike
Picking Up Part 2 of The Package Sunday
Replies
15
Views
7K
riverviewmike
riverviewmike
C
Part 2 Arrives and OMG!!!
Replies
1
Views
1K
d2mini
d2mini
Back
Top