First Time 34G Solana

[LaCoCaNostra]

Hey guys, I'm new to the site and to reefing and I figured the best way to introduce myself would be to keep you guys up to speed as I begin my journey to set up my first tank. I was able to get all of my equipment from fellow members.
The tank, stand, LED's and a bunch of miscellaneous heaters and pumps I was able to pick up from @Will2C
Tank:
34Gal

Lights:
DIY LED set up

Typhoon 5 stage RODI I picked up from @JennaX

Day1:
Thanks to @Noelskii I was able to pick up everything on Tuesday night. Heading up to Porthester for the tank and stand then back down to queens to get the RODI and finally UPTOWN to the home base. All I was able to do the first night was manage to get everything in place with 2 fish ( pajama Cardinal & black clown fish) and rocks in the 5G bucket I transported them in with a powerhead and a heater.

 

[LaCoCaNostra]

Day 1: The Struggle



http://youtu.be/qUM8_KX3u00

 

[LaCoCaNostra]

Day 2

The next morning being NYE I had to be up early to get that fresh cut. After that I took a trip to my local Petland to pick up some sand and salt for the tank as wel as some other odds and ends that I needed.

First being the adaptor for my faucet to the RODI so that I could start making some water. This took 2 trips to the local hardware store because I got the wrong size lol.

Once I got it up and running I started out dumping the water into a 5G bucket that I got. Noel new I was slacking so he came through and help me run a tube all the way from my bathroom all the way to the living room right into the tank which definitely simplified everything! Check out the video : http://youtu.be/ruNPhB40eqA

 

[LaCoCaNostra]

So the sand selection was limited at Petland I ended up going with this brand called Marine Life. At first they talked me in to buying the live sand but I had i stand buyers remorse so I returned it lol

After I added the sand:


After I got the RODI running straight into the tank it was just a waiting game hoping it was full before I stepped out for some NYE fun.

Before I stepped out I left a 5G bucket with fresh RODI and salt mixing with a powerhead overnight. I was able to get the return pump and a heater going in the tank as well. I waned the salt and water to be circulating while I was gone.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

Good luck with the tank

 

[LaCoCaNostra]

Day 3 & 4

Day 3 was pretty much because I was just recovering from the NYE activities lol. I decided to add the rest of the live rock I had into the tank.



Day 4:
By day 4 the water had been circulating for a couple days. After constant tweaking and adding salt cup by cup, the salinity test was finally at .025! I had recieved an LED set up with the tank but the blue lights weren't working so I had a decision to make. Either attempt to fix this one or shell out the cash for a new light.

I had no clue what the hell was going on but only the whites were working.

 

[rookie07]

A few things:

DO NOT OUT ANY FISH, CORAL OR INVERTS IN YOUR TANK!
Next, salinity should be 1.025, not .025.

The reason I say don't add anything to your tank is because it sounds like you killed off the live rock by putting it in fresh water in your tank, and you then added salt.... If that is the case, your "Live Rock" (LR) is now dead rock. Because you used non live sand, you tank is going to cycle and anything alive in it (including LR) will die off and give you a massive cycle.

Either way, your tank is going to cycle! You are going to have to wait up to 8 weeks until your tank is ready for livestock.

Test your water every few days to check and see what is going on.

Take it slow!!

 

[LaCoCaNostra]

Once again Noel came thru to save my @$$. He helped me fix the light as well as help me level out my tank. He gave me a lot of pointers and tips on water changes and things to look out for.

Let there be light!


By the time Noel left I felt comfortable about my tank and things seem to be going smoothly. Now that the lights were working I decided to add the mushroom into the tank and pray for the best.
Here's a look at where im at now:

 

[LaCoCaNostra]

A few things:

DO NOT OUT ANY FISH, CORAL OR INVERTS IN YOUR TANK!
Next, salinity should be 1.025, not .025.

The reason I say don't add anything to your tank is because it sounds like you killed off the live rock by putting it in fresh water in your tank, and you then added salt.... If that is the case, your "Live Rock" (LR) is now dead rock. Because you used non live sand, you tank is going to cycle and anything alive in it (including LR) will die off and give you a massive cycle.

Either way, your tank is going to cycle! You are going to have to wait up to 8 weeks until your tank is ready for livestock.

Test your water every few days to check and see what is going on.

Take it slow!!

Sorry I actually meant 1.025 lol. And yeah that is what I did. What should I do about the fish I have hanging out in this bucket? Also what tests should I be running on the water?

 

[LaCoCaNostra]

Good luck with the tank

Thanks! I'm excited to get everything going.

 

[Jlavine]

Take your time and do not add any fish yet. Your tank may need a few weeks to cycle first. Some recommend trying to add bacteria to the tank (Dr. Toms) to speed things up, but that is a controversial topic.


I'll help you with a frag or two once you're ready a few weeks from now.

 

[rookie07]

Do a google search for "new saltwater tank cycle".

Short end of it, you need to test for nitrate, nitrite and ammonia. You can in theory keep all live stock alive in the buckets they are in now, just keep on a heater, pump (to keep water moving and oxygenanted) and light (for each bucket). Do water changes as needed to keep up water quality in buckets.

 

[LaCoCaNostra]

Take your time and do not add any fish yet. Your tank may need a few weeks to cycle first. Some recommend trying to add bacteria to the tank (Dr. Toms) to speed things up, but that is a controversial topic.


I'll help you with a frag or two once you're ready a few weeks from now.

Thanks for the advice...I'll take it slow and I'm definitely open to any help.

 

[LaCoCaNostra]

Sorry I actually meant 1.025 lol. And yeah that is what I did. What should I do about the fish I have hanging out in this bucket? Also what tests should I be running on the water?

So I actually got the order of things wrong. I mixed the salt in the water before I Added the rock. Then after I added the rock it was a little low at 1.023 so I decided to mix some salt and RODI and then added it to the tank. Hopefully this makes A little more sense.

 

[LaCoCaNostra]

Update

So after a few days of the tank running smoothly I began to notice some movement on this coral. I believe this to be a chalice but I'm not to sure but it is cool to see it looking better than it was when I got it . It's looks like the mouths opened up and the tentacles are sweeping.

 

[noelskii]

Is that the coral that came with the tank? That thing is a trooper! Just wait til next week to add the fish that he gave you. Also, make sure you're topping off some FW in the bucket where the fish are.

You're all mixed up! Pretty sure you mixed all your salt in the bucket before adding it into that tank!

 

[LaCoCaNostra]

Update

Hey everybody, It's been a little over a week now and things seem to be going well. I started noticing some coloration on the sand and LR. The chalice seems to be chillin...def a tough cookie, if you can see in the first picture a piece of him was cracked while transporting him on day 1 which eventually just fell off. Ive noticed it likes to feed when it's dark...I usually notice the mouths open early in the morning when my lights are off.

 

[LaCoCaNostra]

Help Identifying

While I was looking I noticed this and had no clue what it was. Any ideas?

 

[LaCoCaNostra]

Update: Clean Up Crew

So it looked like it was time to get the CUC going in my tank. I had been reading a lot of good things about Central Aquariums so I decided to take a trip out to the BX. I must say the place definitely didn't dissapoint. They had a very large selection of fish and coral.As a beginner it was tough for me not to buy things my tank wasn't ready for. I decided to go with a Sally Lightfoot Crab, a couple Star and nassarius snails and a couple Halloween Hermit Crabs. Once I got home I floated the bags for about 15 minutes and dumped them in. They took nicely to the tank and got to work.

Here's some pics of the latest additions.







I'm surprised at how active the Star snails are. I dropped them on to the sand bed and went out to grab a bite to eat. When I got back I found this little guy all the way at the top of my rocks.

 

[duromega]

best of luck
welcome to Manhattan reefs