3rd Installment Of Setting Up A Reeftank And Cost Cutting Tips

3rd installment for SWF.com

The first installment so you decided to setup a tank is here http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=293520


The second installment here is the cost cutting tips post http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=293907

First after figuring out where you want the tank and using the cost saving tips now you are ready to begin actually setting up the tank.

Now the fun begins.

Did you remember the Ro filter? if not you will need to find a water source to fill your tank. contrary to some beliefs tap water is not all right. especially since recently they have found elements of medical drugs that we take for our illness' is showing up in the tap water. not only that but the EPA says low levels of things like copper and mercury and lead are fine in the water along with phosphates, nitrates, and many other harmful elements. You can get water from Wal-mart or any other store just remember to read the label and also remember that some places dont replace the filters as often as needed. If you have a LFS close to you that sell RO/DI or pre mixed saltwater that is another way to go.


Alright now done to buisness.

When you start getting ready to put everything in the tank. its best to start with a dry base rock directly on the glass or on a thin layer of sand and get your first course of rock down. This will insure things like gobie and pistol shrimp cant dig under the rock and weaken the structure of the rock. If you add all the sand at one time it will leave an area where they can dig under and could cause the rock structure to collapse if it hits the glass right it could cause the glass to crack and break so keep that in mind.

As you add the first layer of rock add your sand around it and build up.once you have your base course of rock and sand in the tank this is where you can add the water to the tank. when you go to add the water to the tank try to get it as close to where you want it with temperature and salinity so that when you add the rock it will help if only a little to keep some of the life alive in the live rock. Do not fill the tank all the way up or you will have to take some out when you start adding Rock to the tank. If you are planning on power heads towards the bottom of the tank and behind your rock work this is the time to add them while you can access the area easily.

Now comes the fun part.

There is no right or wrong way to aqua-scape the tank. there are some things that are not very good to do though.
try not to stack the rock against the back wall of the tank. This will help keep flow going around the rocks and help keep deterious down and help with water quality.
Try to leave lots of caves and crevases for fish to swim and hide in. This will help them feel safe and secure in their new home.
Try to leave plenty of swimming room and position the rock in a natural look,
And lastly Do not sweat it once you have all the rock in the tank you can always move it around and change it up.

Alright now that we have the sand in the tank the saltwater and the new live rock no comes the hardest part of all WAITING.
This is the part that gets most people in trouble the tank is set and the fish and corals are bekening you to come over and take them home. Resist at all costs. If you add fish or corals to the tank now they will probably die from whats about to become a toxic enviroment in your tank. Sound bad huh. well it is but its not its part of the cycle of the tank.

Here is where it starts.
Add a raw grocery store shrimp to the tank *o by the way did you get your test kits yet?* and wait in a day or to take a water test for ammonia. This is where some debate comes up though some people like me leave it in there till it degrades on its own and the worms and critters in the tank eat it up. some say keep an eye on your ammonia levels anything above 1 PPM is bad take it out. Either way IMO is fine it serves the purpose of kick starting the cycle of the tank. next thing is more waiting ammonia is toxic to fish and inverts so adding anything now is a bad thing. as the ammonia levels rise there is a new resident of your tank a bacteria that eats ammonia and turns it into a less toxic chemical nitrite. once these start to show up the ammonia will start to lower slowly. The next thing you got it MORE WAITING as the nitrites build up there is yet another new player in your tank another bacteria that will eat the nitrites and turn them into a even less toxic chemical that we can deal with called nitrates. we can remove these by several different ways more on that in a minute. Once the ammonia and nitrite levels are at 0 the nitrate levels should be about 20-30PPM maybe alittle higher. Now its time for a water change. changing 15-20% of the water out of the tank will lower the nitrates on the tank. There is a goal of 0PPM of nitrates but most tanks will have some nitrates no matter what.

Are you tired of waiting and see why this is the part where most people fail when setting up a tank. it takes a lot of will power but here is a few things to keep you mind busy and give you something to do during this time.
1) plan ahead on what fish that you want to add and the best time to add them some fish like the manadarins dont do well in a new tank.
2) read and ask questions on the board anything you can think of. There are several different ways if you dont feel like posting a question is using the search button at the top and read through some posts related to your search.
3) think of a clean up crew for the tank. once the cycle is complete the first additions are the clean up crew so having an idea of what you want to add as far as a clean up crew will speed this up a little.
4) price check!! there is a premium at the LFS for overhead and loss you can find things cheaper online right here on SWF.com or through fellow hobbyest in the selling and classifieds sections.
5) watch the tank during the cycle and weeks to come things are going to change in the tank from the different algaes that will appear to the occasional coral hitchhiker to worms pods and micro fauna that will start to appear. cant find anything during the day try finding a red lens filter for your flashlight and look a couple of hours after lights out. dont be alarmed though you will see a ton of things check out this link to see if you can ID them http://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=181286



OK now you have waited and waited and tested the water and now the water change from the cycle is done and your ready for the next step. unfortunaetly it also involves some more patients and waiting. If you go to the LFS and buy all the fish you want for the tank it will throw off the delicate balance that we have just created. You will have to stock slowly a fish or two here and there so the tank can re-balance in between the additions of the tank. is take your time.

After about a month of the tank being set up then you will have to another water change there are a couple of different reasons for this.
1 changing out some of the water will replace the trace elements that the tank needs to grow and mature.
2 it will lower the nitrate levels in the tank and keep them from becoming toxic.

There are a few other things that can be done to help keep the nitrates down. some algaes called macro algaes eat nitrates and use them to grow. like calupera and cheato. These will use up some of the nitrates and help you keep the enviroment in your tank a healthy one but come with a price if you put these algaes in the main tank the can quickly over run the tank and smoother out corals that you may have. putting them in a seperate tank called a refugium or sump will keep them from overrunning your tank. * come places like California have outlawed bringing some of these into the state because of how fast they can grow and can become an invasive species quickly so if your in California check around and see whats available to you.* dont forget these dont negate the water change that is still needed to add the trace elements back tot he tank.





Thanks
Mike