new to the hobby..any help would be great

[new-2-the reef]

Hello all I recently just set up a 55 gallon salt water tank and im 1 month into it,I have been a fresh water tank owner many times over the years but now Im strickly a salt guy now

I want to set up a coral tank with a few fish and other small creatures (snails,shrimp etc..etc..)

I now have about 30 pounds of live rock added to it (fiji type)
and have added some damsel fish (the easy to keep type) lol
as the guy at my aquarium store put it...aquarium services ontario canada

along with aragonite bottom 30lb bag approx.1 inch coverage on bottom of tank
I have a 65gal.coralife super skimmer ,eheim 2215 cannister filter up to 90 gallons I beleive, digital thermometer heater,and 2 maxi jet 600 power heads on either end of tank..quick question on the power heads
should i point them at angle downwards in tank or keep them level?

I have recently just won a 48" lunar light from ebay should arrive in 2 weeks..

any help and pointers would be appreciated from anyone here
like how long should i let tank cycle befor i attempt to add any coral
approx.. how much live rock should i end up getting for my tank (55gal)
befor i get to much..
and just any general tips that would make this stressful event ..lol
go alot smoother for me

thanks guys/gals
:?:

ps I will add some pics of my set up when i find my camera...

 

[cindre2000]

first off,

:welcome:

The most important thing with corals is a stable environment. So, before you spend a whole bunch of money you need to figure out how too keep your tank stable- some people just can do that naturally, others need to automate a whole bunch of equipment. Bottom line, keep the tank stable.

Second big thing- be patient. You could run out and get coral as soon as you don't read any ammonia and nitrites; however, those people don't have the same success as the hobbiest that take their time and make sure the algae cycle is through and the tank is stable.

As for live rock, just keep on adding till it looks good, go for an open structure rather than a massive pile, more rock is not better if you have stagnant zones. Also, you generally want to leave at least the top third of your tank free of rock to allow room for eventual coral growth, I have seen a number of coral only tanks were the top half was free and most of the top 2/3 free.

Also, you probably want to add more flow- specifically from a Powerhead that has a broad stream rather than a tight stream, such as a Tunze, SEIO, or Hydor-Koralia.

Finally, do your research and ask lots of questions!

 

[Anonymous]

you're gonna want to upgrade your skimmer. I had the same one but I had to change. Reef aquariums demand highest water quality which means more equipment. Every coral has specific needs and depending on the type of setup/equipment you have you will be limited on which corals you can have.

Like it was mentioned, research and ask a lot of questions.

 

[mr_X]

hi. i would take off the eheim filter and just keep it for occasional runs with carbon or phosban from time to time. that filter is going to quickly build up gunk inside it and it will start producing nitrates. it will work against the nitrifying bacteria in your expensive live rock. in a reef system, live rock and a good protein skimmer is all that's needed. one step further would be to implement a sump with refugium, and use macroalgae as another form of nutrient export.

i also agree with increasing the flow.
i've never owned a coralife skimmer, but the popular vote is that they are not among the best. :?

get as much live rock as you can nicely fit. anotherwords, don't pack the tank so full your fish can't move and your flow/current is restricted. however, the more you have, the more stable your tank will be. some say a pound a gallon is sufficient.

and lastly, i would remove the damsels. they can be EXTREMELY aggressive towards any other fish you introduce later, and you don't need them to cycle the tank- your live rock is starting the cycle for you. you will want to remove them before you get more live rock, because they can be tough to catch. not to mention that you have introduced the little guys to a toxic enviornment

 

[new-2-the reef]

thanks alot for all your help guys....


1st -would running a second skimmer help? if i got another one..
2nd- for flow should i aim my power heads at an angle downwards to bottom of tank ...and perhaps getting a third powerhead?
should i crank up the powerheads to max level..

3rd.
i have alot of air bubbles building up on the bottom of the powerheads and the skimmer pump...is this a problem?

and one more for now
mr.x should i let the eheim filter run until i get corals latter (3months from now) or should i just turn it off now?

thanks again to all of ya for help

 

[Anonymous]

since i had the skimmer... it works. It pulls skim but it's not very good. You could use two skimmers... but one good one is sufficient. Get the best that you can afford.

 

[mr_X]

yes, get the best skimmer you can and run one. no sense in having double the wattage on your electric bill.
i don't think you need the filter now. but, just watch your test kits and see if nitrate zeros out. if you have zero nitrate, then all of the sudden you have .10, .20....you will know it's the cannister filter. for now, if you want to run it, wash it out regularly.

what kind of powerheads do you have? yes, you should have them at max power (i don't know a powerhead that can adjust gph :? ). make sure you don't have any dead zones in your tank..without flow. you'll know if you have them by the algae and detrius that will accumulate there.

the bubbles don't matter..they will disappear.

 

[new-2-the reef]

I have 2 maxi jet 600 powerheads running max
and seem to have good flow allthrough out my tank

so far my test show all at o

nitrate
nitrite ,ammonia,ph level all good according to colour charts

i will probally turn of my filter,but im just wondering why the guys at the fish store told me I need it?


i have pics up off my tank set up on the picture forum

thanks again for all your help

 

[mr_X]

employees of fish stores aren't always the most knowledgeable. i've gotten plenty of bad advice from LFS employees, because they didn't know, or more likely, because they were instructed to sell me something.

 

[new-2-the reef]

employees of fish stores aren't always the most knowledgeable. i've gotten plenty of bad advice from LFS employees, because they didn't know, or more likely, because they were instructed to sell me something.

true a sale is a sale

I will keep it on until the levels get high then i will more then likely take your advice and just run skimmer and powerheads

shoould i add another skimmer perhaps

the one i have is good for up to 65 gallon tank

 

[FinalPhaze987]

run one good skimmer...try and limit the number of motors submerged in water...these radiate heat...

also, if your budget permits, consider using a sump instead of the cannister..you can put your skimmer in there and that may help with your bubble problem a bit...

when you plan on adding coral (after your tank has cycles and is established ofcourse) do ALOT of research on it before purchasing...dont jump into a purchase because "it looks cool"...make sure you know everything about it before purchasing...itll save you alot of money on dead livestock not to mention the lives of the creatures...

 

[cindre2000]

If you are willing to do some DIY, you could try the maxijet mod to increase your flow. Also, the ehiem filter is a good filter, it is just not a good filter for saltwater unless you clean it often. Finally, tell about this light you won so we can give you coral suggestions.

 

[Anonymous]

employees of fish stores aren't always the most knowledgeable. i've gotten plenty of bad advice from LFS employees, because they didn't know, or more likely, because they were instructed to sell me something.

true a sale is a sale

I will keep it on until the levels get high then i will more then likely take your advice and just run skimmer and powerheads

shoould i add another skimmer perhaps

the one i have is good for up to 65 gallon tank

those max gallon rating for skimmers, or min tank size of fish are often subjective. Before you buy a 2nd, skimmer find out which fish you want to keep first then work backwards. After you know which fish you want come back here and ask for protein skimmer suggestions. I bought 3 skimmers within a few months time. If you don't have the money, then you better put in the time (research research).

The coralife skimmer you have works. It says up to 65 gallon, but more like half of that. It will pull skimmate, but it won't maintain high water quality. Corals need the best water conditions in order to thrive.

 

[new-2-the reef]

If you are willing to do some DIY, you could try the maxijet mod to increase your flow. Also, the ehiem filter is a good filter, it is just not a good filter for saltwater unless you clean it often. Finally, tell about this light you won so we can give you coral suggestions.

im new sorry diy please help

also the light i bought of ebay is the 2007 oddysea lunar light 48"
retails for $389

won it for under $100

as for the eheim filter
how often should i clean it and change materials inside of it?

thanks again to everyone for the help !!!
i really appreciate it

 

[Anonymous]

not bad of lights but you will be limited on what you can have.

DIY, Do It Yourself. If you are handy, you can save a lot of money.

As far as canisters. A lot of folks here are against it. A strong skimmer and live rock is sufficient. Unfortunately, lights and skimmer are one of the priciest pieces of equipment.

 

[new-2-the reef]

not bad of lights but you will be limited on what you can have.

DIY, Do It Yourself. If you are handy, you can save a lot of money.

As far as canisters. A lot of folks here are against it. A strong skimmer and live rock is sufficient. Unfortunately, lights and skimmer are one of the priciest pieces of equipment.

what do you mean by do it yourself

i can modify the powerheads i already have?

so should i get rid of the cannister filter the and just add more live rock and get a better skimmer?
im wondering if the aquarium store would take back my cannister filter?


also what is the maximum ammount of live rock i can add to tank
im at 62 pounds now in a 55 gallon tank with dimmensions of 48x20x12

 

[Anonymous]

DIY... You can buy a stand or you can build your own stand. You can buy light fixtures or you can buy the kits and put it together yourself, etc.

The mod that was mentioned. It's a mod for needle wheel pump skimmers. You cut a piece of mesh and zip tie it to the wheel of the pump. It's supposed to increase the efficiency of the skimmer.

As far as what to do, I really don't know. You can get by with what you have. It's just you may be limited on what kind of fish and corals you can support. You have a good amount of rock IMO.

 

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't use the eheim as a filter, IMO.
The little benefit you might get out of it will be easily out-weighed by the nuisance of maintaining it. Most mechanical filtration is bad news in a reef tank. However, canister filters can work well to run activated carbon, and they can provide extra circulation in the tank, so you'll get some use out of it.

As for rock, there is no upper limit on how much you can have. But a tank packed full of rock doesn't tend to look good IMO.

 

[new-2-the reef]

thanks guys much appreciated...
talk to ya soon

Clint.

 

[cindre2000]

Actually, the mod that was mentioned is that you can buy a propeller to replace the impeller of your maxi-jet, thus you can get approximately 2000 g/hr on a maxijet 1200. I am currently trying this out on an Aquaclear 50 and 70.

I would rate it as a medium difficulty modification. It requires some know how and pre-planning. Unlike a DIY enductor or just chopping the output nozzle of a Maxijet so you get random flow on a wavemaker or even wiring up a store bought DIY light kit. However, I would not rate it as hard as making your own skimmer; rather it is more on par with wiring LEDS and computer fans or building your own glass tank.