So you got a new fish tank Newbie

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leg art eh? sure you weren't in the Village?
you should check out this site... http://www.artchive.com/ftp_site.htm
Check out Damion Hirst, you could see that piece I talked about with the tiget shark, kind or weird.
I wouldn't call you a "bogus" info expert. ha ha, you seem to know as much bull-o-ny (bologna) as anybody else around.
Did you say you started with TBS rock? I'm suggesting we use them as a supplier for the schools because of the natural set up it provides, and the massive ammounts of live that supposedly come along. the potential for being a great teaching tool is awsome if what everybody says is true.
 
I haven't tried TBS but it is the "hot" rock right now according to the number of posts that give pictorial reviews of its attributes. Check out these to see if it is the Picasso of rocks. Our TBS and TBS Experience.

I think my rock came from Here.
 
Seems to be a good rock with a lot of diversity. A teacher up in the Dallas area put TBS in his classroom tank, the kids love it
 
One of the members in our club has TBS. The diversity of sponges and tunicates that are on it is amazing. He said that he did have a couple of unwanted hitch-hikers with it. Couple of mantis shrimp, so be sure and observe the rocks closely when you first put it in. And don`t add anything to your tank until you are sure that you gotten rid of all the pests. Overall I think it is an outstanding rock for coloration. Best of luck with it.

Greg
:beachbum:
 
thanks guys
I've read a TON of posts that are pro TBS, despite the nasty hitchhikers. Now I just have to convince the schools that the bigger the tank the better.
 
Lighting info.....

Lighting info.....

Newbie question here - I set up a tank (55 gal) approx 3 months ago - during the 3 months, I have added live rock, approx 30 lbs, most of it already cured and with alot of good colors and good coraline algae, also some live sand - to establish the bacteria base, into my crushed coral base.

The tank fully cycled, got to good water readings on the ammonia, and nitrites, etc.... and started then adding creatures.... blue legs, red legs, snails... a few of these had come with the live rock itself and made it thru the cycling.

I have done 1 water change of about 10 gallons - 1 month ago. Everything went great!! During the past 3 weeks, after good water readings were in place, I step by step, week by week, added a sally lightfoot, a small goby, and now the latest additions, 2 small percula clowns and a cleaner shrimp were added about a week ago - SO FAR, SO GOOD - everyone seems to be doing great!! At this point, again, I now have approx a dozen blue legs, 5 or 6 red legs, a sally lightfoot, a cleaner shrimp, a small goby (mottled black, white and rust colored spots), and 2 small clowns. Luckily, I haven't lost anyone....

Now 2 questions... This weekend I am boosting the light system, from a weak 40 watt All Glass tube light, up to a 48", 4x65 watt, 2 12k daylight bulbs and 2 actinic blue bulbs....

Should I "gradually" increase the amount of time the lights are on?? Does it matter?? Is there a possibility of it causing problems (algae bloom, damaging (burning) the coraline algae) if I turn them on for 12 hrs a day from day 1?? Should I watch for specific water test items?? etc....

Question #2 - I want to get a nice community tank setup going and I am looking for suggestions of additions/compatible tankmates to the current residents. Thanks in advance!!
 
Hi Boggins
[welcome]

Changing the light should be no problem with what you already have in the tank. Usually the problem of increasing lights is with coral. If they are accustom to one light level a sudden increase may shock them. In that case using screens, elevating the lamps and decreasing the photoperiod come into play. With what you have this shouldn't be necessary.

Question #2 is more difficult to answer without knowing what your overall plan is. A dwarf angel, for instance, would be fine in that size tank but if you plan to have corals it might not be suitable. Need a little more of your game plan before making suggestions.

Glad everything has gone well so far.
 
You see what staying up so late does? You were so groggy you lost your clear thinking. :D

Thanks for your kind comments.
 
Waterkeeper, I noticed that you do alot of howto's basically... So can you do one on proper ways to do a water change so i can print it out and hand it to people that come in my store? I have had alot of people wanting to know how to properly change water in a saltwater tank.
 
Oh almost forgot, I need to get your permission to print what you posted as far as advice on all the different topics so far. I was going to combine it in a little pamphlet to give to people in my area trying to get into the saltwater aquarium Hobby.
 
Man, If anyone should know about how to move water about it should be a fireman! :D

Ok, see how this sounds---


Over time many possibly toxic compounds can find there way into your tank. Contaminants in the food, byproducts from the consumption of that food, toxic secretions from the creatures you keep, air pollutants and common dust all find there way into a reef tank. Sure, skimmers, activated carbon, bio-filters and macro-algae all can remove these contaminants but none is easier to perform, and removes every known pollutant, other than a water change.

To do a water change only requires a few things. A good source of pure water, or ready mixed water at the local fish store, a hydrometer/refractometer, a good salt mix, a few containers, a heater, a pump to mix it, and perhaps a transfer pump.

Since the major purpose of changing tank water is to remove pollutants it is needless to say the water you plan to add must be of the highest quality. For a small tank you can get water from the local fish store, a water vending machine or off the shelf at the grocery store. It you buy off the shelf use pure distilled water and avoid ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œspringââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ and ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œspaââ"šÂ¬Ã‚ waters, which often are no better than tap. For tanks much larger than 25 gallons having your own RO/DI unit will pay off in no time flat. Just remember, the conditions inside the tank depend on first rate water and, while tap is fine for drinking, it is not good enough for your tank.

If you go the make it yourself route then you need some salt mix. Most major brands will do. The density of salts varies but in general you use about Ã"šÃ‚½ cup of salt per gallon of water. For a mixing container I like to use a 30 gallon plastic trash pail. I use around 20 gallons each week for water changes and any left in the pail is fine to use in the next change. Keep it covered and salt solutions last forever in storage.

I fill the container with the desired amount of RO/DI water and, using a glass or plastic measuring cup, add the right amount of salt mix. I use a lab mixer with a long plastic impeller for the initial mix but a powerhead works just fine. I let it flash mix for about an hour then remove the stirrer and place a powerhead in its place. At this point I do an initial salinity check. I like to have the salinity at 1.027-1.028. I have it slightly high at this point as the salinity drops slightly when the water is heated. It is always, at least in my opinion easier to add more water rather than salt to adjust salinity. With that done I place a heater set to 80Ã"šÃ‚º F in the container and let it and the powerhead run overnight with the container loosely covered.

The next day I check the temperature, salinity and pH of the solution. If needed, I adjust salinity at that point. pH should not need adjustment with a good salt mix. Since I do 10% weekly water changes I now remove 10% of the water from the main tank. I have a mark on the rear side of the tank that tells me where that is so I donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t need to measure the amount every week. If you do much larger water changes you may stop things like the overflow so be careful. I then add the new water into the sump. To avoid a lot of lifting I have a small submersible pump to use in the draining and refilling operation. It saves on the back strain. A final check on the main tankââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s salinity is then done to make sure things are in order and the change is done. Total time to mix the salt and do the change is under 20 minutes.

One word about safety here; have the electrical equipment used in making salt solutions on a GFCI, like your main tank. There is more danger of splashing water about during a water change than most other times so donââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t fry yourself in the process.

By the way, the water I take out of my main tank is used to do a water change in the quarantine tank so I kill two birds with one stone.

You hear people saying it has been so long they changed water in their tanks that the water is worried that Social Security will be bankrupt by the time they replace any. To me this is a fool hardy decision. You have a large investment in your reef so why skimp on pennies and a few minutes of your time. Water changes will pay off in a healthier tank and especially pay dividends over time.


Feel free to edit or change it as you wish. I hope it helps.
 
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Typo...
5th paragraph down, second to last sentence, I think you wanted to say "to add MORE water..." Instead of "to add MOVE water"
Might help to fix that if you're handing it out to customers. could be confusing.
Sooooo... For a smaller tank (25g), provided there is enough room to drain, without exposing any rock dwelling life forms, couldn't I just drain the nessessary ammount, then add the new stuff in on top?
 
I only slur when I get drunk. :D

n8thgr8

Hey, you're an art teacher not a English teacher. ;) Thanks for the heads up, I fixed the error. Now go back to the beginning as I bet there are a lot more errors elsewhere in this thread. :D

Sure you can change the water that way, fast and dirty. With small tanks water changes are easy but when you get up in size a game plan helps. You do want the water temperature up to that of the display tank even in a nano.
 
uuuh, 21 pages? no thanks, I'm on summer vacation!
That's the way I've been doing the water changes in my FW tank in my classroom. Seems to work pretty well. I didn't know if it would "cross over" into the "marine" world.
 
:lol:

And those are loong pages at that. Over on my Lighting Thread, which is only 11 RC pages, someone took the time to just include what I wrote without any other posts. It turned out to be 43 pages, no pictures, of my BS as a Word document. I sure can be long winded. :D
 
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