Newbie needs advice

[RAYNOR]

I am extremely new to the hobby and only stumbled upon this message board a few weeks ago. I cannot say enough about the quality of advice! I did a good deal of research before setting up my tank, but certainly wish I had found you guys earlier.

That being said, here’s my setup. My tank is 30 gallons (36” L x 12” W x 16” H) with appx. 15 lbs. of live rock, live sand as substrate (appx 2 inches), a Thermal in-tank heater, and a Penguin Bio-Wheel 350 filter (hang on tank mount) lit with a standard fluorescent. Very basic to say the least… My tank has been up and running for about 8 weeks – it completed its cycle in 3, at which time I added 2 bi-color chromis, a turbo snail and 5 small hermit crabs. All are alive and doing very well today. I am planning a final addition soon, a shrimp (either a skunk cleaner or a fire/blood).

However, my motivation for starting the tank in the first place is to eventually keep soft corals. Is it too early to start (8 weeks?) and what would you recommend as a beginner soft coral (mushroom, etc.?). I have also read that switching to a T5 bulb in my fluorescent fixture will be sufficient lighting for most soft coral species (?)

Even more importantly, I now realize the importance of a skimmer. I am looking hard a buying a Remora. As of now, the Bio-Wheel is my only source of aeration / water flow… can it be totally replaced with the Remora or will I need a powerhead? I am also very pleased with water quality and clarity - will the switch decrease either level ?

I know this is an extremely long post (forgive my rookie-ness), and would appreciate any advice feedback you can give. Thank you so much!

P.S> I am changing 15% (5 gal) water bi-weekly and have tried to attach a pic of the tank (although taken right after it cycled and before I added the clean up crew and damsels, no more brown algae, etc)

 

[Anonymous]

Remora use a powerhead, so you don't have to worry about the impact on water flow or aeration as you switch to a skimmer. It is definitely a good thing to do. However, if you have no nitrate issue, you may keep the biowheel working along side with the skimmer if you have no better use of it.

 

[Josh Weber]

hey, looks like a good setup to me. i would get more live rock, some very colorful live rock, so the coraline alege can grow and spread in your tank. i would suggest a pc floresent so you'll have no problen keeping leathers and such. also you might want to think about a sump/refugium. it is not needed but would help alot with filtration and make your tank a little more stable. and i would look at a nice skimmer, you can't go wrong in buying one.
i'd say wait a few months at least to get the process down and get your tank nice'n healthy. also you might be able to add another chromis or two if you would like, but i would hold off a little longer on most of the stuff that you'll keep in your tank for good.
looks very nice!
josh

 

[Omni2226]

Looks like a nice start. Mmmm...I see no dirt. Be careful and dont go overboard on keeping the tank "clean". Sterile does not equal healthy.

A little bit of "gunk" floating around aint gonna hurt anything and your filter feeders and worms/bugs will thank you for it.

A Remora skimmer from Aqua C is well worth the money and you can keep the power filter running with charcoal pads to "polish" the water.

Just my opinion.

 

[ChrisRD]

Hi Raynor and :welcome:

I would plan on having a couple of small powerheads in addition to your skimmer (and the powerfilter if you keep it on there). Good circulation is very important in a reef tank.

As for the lighting, a T-5 lamp is not going to work in your fixture and even if it would you wouldn't have the correct reflector for the T-5 lamp which is what makes them so effective. You'll need to get a fixture (or retro kit and DIY a hood) for T-5s when you upgrade your lighting. VHOs would work nicely too. PCs are fine as well, but personally I'm not a big fan of them and wouldn't bothering running them again.

HTH and welcome aboard. :wink:

 

[Sponge_Bob]

A quick note on carbon. Make sure you use TOP quality carbon in your filter...and I mean top quality. That is, if you decide to run some. The reason behind this is that no matter how good quality carbon you use, it will, without a doubt, leach phosphate in your system. Now, low quality carbon at bargain prices releases a lot of it compared to top quality one. But don't be alarmed now... we are talking about very small amounts here but nevertheless, you should pay attention to this detail when you are ready for your corals.

I don't remember where I read this, I think it was in TFH magazine. Anyway, the amount of carbon required for a 50gal tank would be around 3 tablespoons! I run a Fluval 304 and 1 pack of carbon is probably around 2 -3 times that amount! I do not know the quality of their carbon but I tested my system thrice so far. The first time was a few days after I changed the carbon in the filter and had 2 pouches in there (didn't know about the carbon/phosphate thing at the time). The test came out with less than 0.25ppm but not 0. The second test was made a few weeks after and I had 0. Since then, I took out one pouch and replaced only one in my filter. The other "basket" was filled with filter wool. Test came out at 0.

I don't know if this is of much use to you at this stage but I felt it would be good to share this information with you. Maybe someone else on the board could also confirm or infirm what I have read. That would be nice.

Kind regards,

 

[Omni2226]

Activated Carbon/Charcoal does far far more good than any possible harm.

Replace it every two weeks or monthly and you should have no leeching troubles.

My self I have always replaced it monthly in my FW systems and nothing I have read makes me think it would be any diffrent in Marine systems, and with corals you have chemical warfare being waged which gives more weight to the Pro side of using carbon.

Of course your mileage may vary and Im sure others think carbon is the bane of all living things.

 

[RAYNOR]

Thanks for all the great advice! The appeal of a protein skimmer was in large part because I thought I could do away with the bio-wheel… it is very large and mulch bulkier than the Remora would be (and viewing on all sides is a plus). It also sounded like it would be better for keeping corals in the long run. Sounds like I should hang onto it.

If I were to switch to a PC or VHO bulb (what is difference?) – would I be ok to add a mushroom?

 

[Omni2226]

Sure you can do away with the biowheel after you get the skimmer going.
Most of your biological filtering is done by the LR and sand anyway.

If water flow/turnover seems low add one or two small powerheads in the corners.

As far as carbon goes you can put a ounce or so in a kneehigh stocking and stash it behind a rock or in a corner. If your faithful about water changes and cleaning your skimmer you can forgot about carbon all together.

Keep the biowheel in a closet or something and some new carbon/poly pads just in case you need it for something.

I think most people will suggest getting the best lights you can afford now so you wont be sorry and want to upgrade later.

 

[Sponge_Bob]

Activated Carbon/Charcoal does far far more good than any possible harm.

Replace it every two weeks or monthly and you should have no leeching troubles.

My self I have always replaced it monthly in my FW systems and nothing I have read makes me think it would be any diffrent in Marine systems, and with corals you have chemical warfare being waged which gives more weight to the Pro side of using carbon.

Of course your mileage may vary and Im sure others think carbon is the bane of all living things.

I'm sorry to say this but your information is incorrect. Any carbon, like I said, will leach phosphate in your tank, whether you like it or not.

Furthermore, you can not even know when your carbon needs to be replaced. The reason behind this is that carbon is pretty much like a sponge, a chemical sponge if you will. It will adsorb a define quantity of chemicals and then stop to adsorb anything. Depending on the amount of chemicals that can be adsorb in your tank, your carbon could be loaded within 12 hours, 12 days, 12 weeks... Who knows? That is why some aquarists never use it, besides to remove medication from the water or coloration from an algae growth (caulerpa going sexual for instance).

 

[Anonymous]

Activated Carbon/Charcoal does far far more good than any possible harm.

Replace it every two weeks or monthly and you should have no leeching troubles.

My self I have always replaced it monthly in my FW systems and nothing I have read makes me think it would be any diffrent in Marine systems, and with corals you have chemical warfare being waged which gives more weight to the Pro side of using carbon.

Of course your mileage may vary and Im sure others think carbon is the bane of all living things.

I'm sorry to say this but your information is incorrect. Any carbon, like I said, will leach phosphate in your tank, whether you like it or not.

Furthermore, you can not even know when your carbon needs to be replaced. The reason behind this is that carbon is pretty much like a sponge, a chemical sponge if you will. It will adsorb a define quantity of chemicals and then stop to adsorb anything. Depending on the amount of chemicals that can be adsorb in your tank, your carbon could be loaded within 12 hours, 12 days, 12 weeks... Who knows? That is why some aquarists never use it, besides to remove medication from the water or coloration from an algae growth (caulerpa going sexual for instance).

Actually I was going to address that same comment Omni made. Phosphate being leached out of carbon can be a problem in the marine evironment, while it's no big deal in most freshwater setups. AC is very helpful for certain applications, but buy the best stuff (like Black Diamond) as it leeches far less that the cheap stuff.

As far as Sponge Bob's comments they are true to a point, activated carbon does absorb a finite amount of substances, but as far as not knowing when to change it you are better off knowing why you are using it in the first place . That info alone will give you a hint as to when to use it, and for how long.

 

[ChrisRD]

Inland Reef used to do a lot of testing of various products and share results with us here on the board. They tested the phosphate leaching thing with a bunch of carbons...

We have found TLF Hydrocarbon, Kent, and Marineland Black Diamond to be completly phosphate free

I have used the TLF HydroCarbon and Marineland Black Diamond products for years with no evidence that they introduce any significant phosphate into the system.

Also, soaking/rinsing activated carbon in RO/DI water before using it can help minimize the possibility of phosphate leaching as well.

HTH