4 month old tank...looking for suggestions on improvements.

[Redcrown]

Hi there,

I have been lurking on these boards for about a month now, and have learned a lot. Still, much is confusing and I was hoping to get a little personalized attention and suggestions for improving my tank.
I am not new to fishkeeping (my dad has an aquarium maintenance buisiness) but am definitley a rookie in the reef aspect.

I have a 79 gal Bowfront that I recently set up about 4 months ago. We were originally going to go with a FO tank...and then...you know how it goes. and you all are right, it is more expensive and exhausting trying to convert than to start reef.

Anyways, I am running a Rena Filstar XP2 canister filter with carbon and some filter pads, and I have 1 additional Aquaclear 400gph powerhead just sitting there circulating water. I started with crushed coral gravel about 1 inch of it, and recently added 20lbs of live aragonite sand. I have 30lbs of live rock collected from local LFS and 1 internet company, and at least another 10 of base rock.

I recently upgraded from old flourescents to 4 PC bulbs, 2 daylight and 2 50/50. I am rather dissappointed in the pc...but maybe my bulbs are just crappy.

I have 12-15 hermits-a mix of red/blue legs and zebras.
2 mexican turbo snails
1 nassarius snail
1 arrow crab "Ike"
1 emerald crab "Emmy"(how original)
1 skunk cleaner shrimp

as for the fish...

2 green chromis damsels
1 yellowtail damsel (he gets bullied)
1 male lyretail anthias
1 black cardinal
1 bi-color blenny
1 green coral wrasse/finspot wrasse/unidentifiable wrasse
1 small snowflake moray eel "Mr Snurdley"

as far as anything coral-ish... these are small frags.
1 mushroom
some button polyp
star polyp
pulsing xenia

I dont have access to RO/DI water...so I use tap.
*Gasp!! the horror!!* I have tested the tap for nitrates, and I cant detect any.

I know I am breaking a lot of rules here....so please dont flame me too bad for it. I plan on getting a protien skimmer ASAP, as soon as I get the fundage. I also need a calcuim/phosphate test kit, and those are my first priority. I have the doc wellfish test kit for ph, nitrite/nitrate and ammonia.

The tank came with a sump..It was my fathers tank and he used the sump in the FO tank for the sole means of filtration. I have thought about setting it up as a refugium, but I really have no idea how.....and if I remember right it was extremely noisy and messy and spilled salt EVERYWHERE.

I havent had any algae blooms yet. Since I got the PC bulbs, I seem to be growing a lot more green algae that the turbos dont eat. The biggest problem I have with my tank was that it can get a little cloudy sometimes.

I am looking to have this be a mixed reef tank...with very little coral. Probably just stick with softies and polyp things, but I do want to keep them alive and to grow well. I really enjoy my fish and crustaceans.

WHEW!!

Thanks for reading. I am looking for your suggestions on how to prioritize...what do I REALLY need to do?

Picture below...

 

[Len]

They'll be no flames here 8)

What specifically about your PCs don't you like? What length/wattage are the four bulbs? What type of bulbs (kelvin rating, brand)?

A RO/DI filter can go a long way in helping your reef tank thrive. The magnitude of improvement, of course, depends on the quality of your tap water. It's not just nitrates to worry about from tap. The big concern is heavy metals that will acculumate in the tank over time, phosphates, silicates, etc. RO/DI is the surest way to prevent these types of problems from developing over time.

Another great buy is a protein skimmer. It will serve as your primary filtration, aerating the water as well. I've run tanks with and without skimmers, and every time, the tanks with skimmers were always easier to run as well as healthier. There are some good hang-on protein skimmers (Precision Marine HOT-1, AquaC Remora Pro, Deltec MC500, Turboflotor Multi, et al.) that are easy to use. This, in addition to the RO/DI, will help with algae problems and may help with the cloudy water (not sure what is causing this ... could be bacteria, algae, or chemical precipitation).

The canister filter is fine, but I would consider removing the mechanical filter floss from it. This floss will very quickly collect detritus. Unless you're willing to clean the canister every week or so, remove the filter pads. Use only good quality carbon; some carbon (granular activated carbon, aka GAC) can actually leech back unwanted compounds into the tank. I recommend Two Little Fishes' Hydrocarbon or Seachem's Matrix carbon.

A under-tank sump or refugium is a nice tool, and when set up properly, it shouldn't spill any water or create too much noise. But it's not necessary, and for beginners, it might be too much to tackle. There are plenty of hang-on options these days that make life easier. There's even hang-on refugiums made by CPR which you can consider. Using chaeto or other macroalage in the refugium can also help with your algae problems.

I'd add another powerhead for more circulation. Reef/saltwater tanks aren't anything like freshwater tanks. They need A LOT more flow.

I'm not a fan of crushed coral for substrates. It's particulate size is simply too big. Consider removing it and replacing it with finer aragonite sand seeded with live sand.

One word about your snowflake eel: It will grow bigger and eat all your crustaceans. So you have to pick which one(s) you want to keep.

 

[owenz]

If easyness is your prime concern, CPR makes a combination hang on the back refugium/protein skimmer:

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=CR1745

It is not as effective as an under the tank refugium, nor is the skimmer likely to compete with top of the line HOB models, but in terms of instant results combined with simple, plug n' play operation, it's tough to beat.

As for RO/DI water, I got a unit for $65 off of Ebay. I set it up in my basement by putting a 25-gallon trash can in my big industrial sink, which I fill up periodically to make mega mixes of salt water.

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with Len, the RO/DI unit and skimmer should be at the top of your list. A refractometer wouldn't be a bad idea either. As far as the fuge goes, a 10g tank w/ some rock, macros and a cheap light = instant fuge. Large and frequent water changes will help with your algea bloom.

 

[Redcrown]

Thank you for taking the time to read my lengthy post and offer me suggestions!

As far as the lighting goes....
I have a crappy Jebo fixture that I bought with four bulbs....they sucked. I kept 2 of them and replaced the other 2...

2 are Jebo brand 24in 55w 10k daylights. The other 2 are Catalina 22in 55w 10k 50/50 actinics. The overall lighting on my tank is just dull, and the color is a little more yellow than I would like.

It is about 20 inches from the water to the substrate.

Should/can I get more powerful PCs and use the same fixture? I also have the old hood which housed traditional fluorescents. Should/can I put VHOs in it? I would have to get different ballasts....right??

Thanks for your patience, I really am a newbie when it comes to this stuff.

 

[scifi_3d_zoo]

I hear that you should have 1 snail and 1 crab for every gallon. People get away with far far less all the time but you really should have a LOT more than you do have. 12 crabs and a few snails. I'd try at least 25-35 of each. It'll help a lot and add more life to your tank.

Good that you added some real live sand. Crushed coral stinks. I would have just removed the crushed coral and gone with all sand. It's not terribly expensive. Crushed coral just traps a lot of waste and doesn't get rid of it. Can get really nasty and ugly.

I use to have the same bowfront. I think the rocks you do have could use upgrading, and more rocks too. You can get some nice pieces of corals and you can put them on top of your base rock but I think you should make a better mound of rock. You'll need better pieces. I'd say 3-4 good big pieces then put the rest of the small and rubble on top of that or just get rid of some if it.

TAP water? I think you should really really really avoid this. You don't have to buy that crazy expensive boxed sea water either. I was told if you have to do anything... really small amounts of tap water won't hurt sparingly... but use distilled water. I have tested water before and it's NOT GOOD. There's A LOT more to it than just nitrates. If you have a local shop you can buy RO water by the bucket pretty cheap.

Skimmer is important if you really want to get into a lot of corals. I heard some other people in another thread saying it's not that important if you have a lot of rock and other things. I don't agree with them though. It is probably possible but it's another one of those things that won't do anything but improve your tank.

Oh... you don't want a lot of corals. Xenias are good. They'll grow fast too. But you gotta feed the filter feeders with some phytoplankton. You might also want to think about some easy stuff like ricordia ($$), there are really colorful mushrooms like red/blue/watermelon/etc. They usually do well with little fuss.

Some of this... stuff the other guys have already said. You sound like you don't really have tons to dump into this project. I'm not sure how you can improve your lights but the bulbs that come with your fixtures are usually not very good. Just use them up for a year then look into replacements that may be brighter and have a color tint to them. I just did that to mine and I went from a ugly white-wash look to a nice blue tint. Maybe a huge difference in the color of everything.

 

[Anonymous]

I think hermit crabs are unecessary and often do more harm then good.
There are much better/safer cleanup animals IMO.
Snails, on the other hand, I think are great.

 

[Anonymous]

Hey redcrown, Did you decide on what to get next?

It may just be that since you have two different brands of lights going on, that is why your not liking the colors. 50/50 lights are half blue and half 10k and added to the other two 10k's makes for a very "white" light tank which can appear to be more yellow. Actincis are blue and actinic 03's are a nicer color of blue.

If you really don't want to let the hair algea get out of control, get the ro/di unit and skimmer. You'll be really glad that you did. Do large and frequent water changes and reduce feeding to once/twice a week and very little. It will make a world of difference.

 

[LA-Lawman]

ditto on Len's post....dont go out and buy the cheapest skimemer u can... get a quality product that you can rely on... hit the people on the board here.. we will help you out...

the RO unit should be #1.. start with good water quailty. skimmer,fuge.... then u can fiddle with lights..

hth