Planted freshwater turned reefer

[F1EA]

Hi guys and gals,

Just joined the forum. Pretty novice reef keeper, but lots of previous experience with fully planted freshwater tanks....

I guess I wanted a new challenge, plus constantly trimming plants got kind of old. So just setup my first reef tank. It's a small 20Gal with a 10Gal sump. Used about 18lbs of live rock, plus a live sand bedding and reef crystals salt.

Right now I have an Eheim canister filter with mostly coarse foam pads, some bio media and activated carbon, a coralife 65G protein skimmer, dual T5HO (actinic + 6,700K).

Tank's been setup for about 2 weeks and a couple of days ago I added 2x DaVinci clowns, 3x Fire shrimps and 3x Hermit crabs.

So far all's great. The Clowns are a mated pair and seem to be already in mating behaviour (seizures, cleaning a few areas and dancing together - similar to African cichlids). Shrimp are doing good, one of them just molted. I have a feeling the 3rd one will get killed because 2 of them hang around together a lot and the bigger guy bullies the 3rd one quiet a bit.... He's lost a leg already.

Will add some corals this weekend. Will change the carbon in the canister for a nitrate remover insert once I add corals. It's possible I remove the whole canister, but so far it's worked fine so will wait and see if I start farming much nitrates before I take it off.

I've been getting 0 ammonia and nitrite, but still added an ammonia reducer filter insert, and have been dosing seachem Prime since I added the fish to play it safe. Feeding basic flakes and frozen krill which they all hog. It's a party whenever I feed the frozen krill...

Anyways.... happy to join the community.
Wish me luck.

I know I took it a bit faster than "advised", but our local water is really really good and my Fish shop is nearby with great live rock, livestock, etc so I think I have it a bit easy

Cheers!!

 

[mcgyvr]

Welcome to the dark side...

Nothing good happens fast
Read/Learn extensively then do..

 

[jlmawp]

Sounds like you're off to a good start. Best of luck.

I know what it's like to be new at this, and it's hard to slow down when you're excited about this stuff, but I would follow mcgyvr's advice, if I were you. Take it slow.

 

[F1EA]

Thanks guys

Yes it is kind of the dark side. A bit more obscure magic going on in the salted world......

Also, agree. I should take it slowly and slow it down no matter what. I'm still not planning to load the tank right away. Will get 3-4 easy corals to start with in a week or so and let that go for a couple of months. Then will add the remaining.

The BIG difference between planted freshwater and reef is that in planted tanks, healthy growing plants hog up the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates (ammonia is still toxic to plants). But it's easy to tell if your plants are thriving; if they are... chances are your ammonia is non-existent.

On reef tanks it seems only some corals intake Nitrates (Xenia sp? probably other fast growing corals?) and that's about it; so you're left only with bacteria, which you cannot see, dealing with the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. So it's definitely much trickier to keep everything in check.

 

[ReefMaster48]

Dark side... or expensive side?... lol both! mainly the latter.

 

[F1EA]

Dark side... or expensive side?... lol both! mainly the latter.

Brutal!

The cost is pretty absurd really. I guess it tapers off once you stop stocking the tank and things are running smoothly... but man... the initial $$ is steep.

 

[F1EA]

Sooooo tank's doing REALLY well

Got some corals and they are doing great.

I started with the easier, then added a couple slightly more difficult, roughly in this order (round 2 was after two days):

1. Xenia
2. Protopalytoa
3. Zoanthus
4. Toadstool sarcophyton
5. Actinodiscus
6. Green star polyps

7. Candy cane
8. Torch
9. Open brain
10. Duncan

All of them are doing pretty decently. They look really good and healthy, all opened up within ~1hr of placement (except for the toadstool which opened by the next morning), and they all bunch up at night time.

Two problems at the moment are that the fire shrimp are a bit too aggressive, lively, eat too much, step on the corals, etc. I took the most aggressive one out so the two remaining have gotten much better; except during feeding, it's a free for all.... but I love how they scope out the duncans.

And the other real problem I need to solve is the placement for the Torch... The toadstool is pretty big and heavy, and where I have it right now it's doing great, but that may be a better place for the Torch as I need to give him room.

I guess a third problem is that the Protopalytoa is a weed. I may have to place it under less light (it's ~midway up).

I'll post some photos later because I have to solve the whole Photobucket vs online sharing fiasco...

 

[ca1ore]

FWIW, I'm not sure that a reef tank isn't easier than a planted tank - certainly not more difficult (though unquestionably more $$).

 

[F1EA]

FWIW, I'm not sure that a reef tank isn't easier than a planted tank - certainly not more difficult (though unquestionably more $$).

Definitely more expensive.

As far as difficulty... I guess the bottom line is the same: you're trying to find a balance between the tank's inhabitants, the water, bacteria and lighting.

How you go about it and the specific details are different... but in the end it's the same goal.

The biggest challenge/difference to me is that on a heavily planted healthy growing tank, the ammonia gets quickly demolished. On reef tanks you rely entirely on bacteria, which is slower and more fragile. That's why I'm going with a canister filter for support; also for the carbon to remove aleopathic chemicals and the option to run NO3 and/or phosphate reducers later on. I'm running ammonia reducer now for at least a couple more weeks, and I used seachem Stability for 7 days when added the fish. Even with healthy live rock a live sand. Cant risk it with ammonia.

 

[jayball]

Sooooo tank's doing REALLY well

Got some corals and they are doing great.

I started with the easier, then added a couple slightly more difficult, roughly in this order (round 2 was after two days):

1. Xenia
2. Protopalytoa
3. Zoanthus
4. Toadstool sarcophyton
5. Actinodiscus
6. Green star polyps

7. Candy cane
8. Torch
9. Open brain
10. Duncan

All of them are doing pretty decently. They look really good and healthy, all opened up within ~1hr of placement (except for the toadstool which opened by the next morning), and they all bunch up at night time.

Two problems at the moment are that the fire shrimp are a bit too aggressive, lively, eat too much, step on the corals, etc. I took the most aggressive one out so the two remaining have gotten much better; except during feeding, it's a free for all.... but I love how they scope out the duncans.

And the other real problem I need to solve is the placement for the Torch... The toadstool is pretty big and heavy, and where I have it right now it's doing great, but that may be a better place for the Torch as I need to give him room.

I guess a third problem is that the Protopalytoa is a weed. I may have to place it under less light (it's ~midway up).

I'll post some photos later because I have to solve the whole Photobucket vs online sharing fiasco...

Be careful handling the protopaly, they can create a potent toxin. Gloves and eye protection recommended. (light reading: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6431a4.htm)

Also be sure to keep the xenia and GSP separated from anything you do not want them to take hold on. They will spread faster than you realise.

 

[F1EA]

Be careful handling the protopaly, they can create a potent toxin. Gloves and eye protection recommended. (light reading: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6431a4.htm)

Also be sure to keep the xenia and GSP separated from anything you do not want them to take hold on. They will spread faster than you realise.

Yup, thanks.

The GSP is in a partly isolated live rock piece. I had the Xenia in an isolated rock too, but when I moved the Torch, I also moved the Xenia to a new location which is not as isolated... it now has the "back of the live rock" to grow, so hopefully it chooses that direction and not the front. If I see it trying to take the front, I'll probably take it out; but I want to have some Xenia in the tank as I think it consumes NO3. For it to grow so much and so quickly, it must.