120gal tank SW discussion only

[headlessfish]

Hello i am new to saltwater, i have had FW tanks for years and after a few years out of the hobby (and deeper pockets) i decided to go with a saltwater tank.

I purchased this tank from someone else who had it running for a little over 2 years. Here is what i have so far:
120gal tank 2x2x4
rack of 4 T5 lights
crushed coral bed
300watt heater
2x 110 gallon hang on filters
i am going to use this thread to discuss things concerning my personal tank and other things related to this great hobby. I would LOVE to keep the internet drama out of this thread, so if you don't have something nice or perhaps useful to post please find another thread and avoid this one. thank you.

 

[the egregious]

To keep the focus on your tank personally, they first thing I have to say is that crushed coral is a nitrate factory, you may want to consider getting LS or a mix of LS and dry aragonite. My second question is what is your future SL?
Korbin

 

[cracker4418]

welcome.

first off thats a great size tank to start with.second get rid of the crushed coral,it will only cause you trouble.third reef or fish only.

 

[headlessfish]

currently i am working on building some nice coraline algae. The T5 lights are about a week old and i just started adding trace elements to the water. It has been less then a week and i can see a huge difference.
this animated photo shows the progress of just 5 days with the new lights and kent's "coral-vite" it really is pretty with the coraline algae, my goal is to cover the back and one side of the tank and clar the glass on the front and other viewing area.

 

[headlessfish]

Originally Posted by cracker4418
http:///forum/post/2559488
welcome.

first off thats a great size tank to start with.second get rid of the crushed coral,it will only cause you trouble.third reef or fish only.

interesting, the tank came with the crushed coral my nitrate level are around 15ppm at the moment. While i haven't really thought about going the reef route with this tank i will note that the crushed coral has some negitives, perhaps you can inform me what the advantages the crushed coral does have. (if any)

 

[the egregious]

Being a person who mainly keeps eels, I will tell you that Crushed coral would be a godsend in my tank, because when My eels build new dens, they stir up the fine sand it lasts for hours and hours and hours. The crushed coral wouldn't be so bad.

 

[azul1994]

Very nice tank! I like the aquascape, lots of caves for the fish to swim through. What are you thinking for some fish?

 

[cracker4418]

crushed coral has no benifits,but it looks kinda nice.it will be a pain and cost more, but it will save you more money and time in the long run.

 

[headlessfish]

i like the looks of the CBBs but i am kinda worried about my green carpet anemone at the moment. It ate one of my sally lightfoot crabs i have in my tank, i was kinda bummed when i realized what happened. I had 3 in the tank, but this one must of got a little too close one night. I fear that some fish could also fall prey to the GCA. Does anyone else have one of these and what have you observed?
I am also going to get a pair of clown fish, but i am waiting on getting ANY other fish (other then the few damsels the tank came with) until i got a hospital tank just incase i need to doctor them.
Generally i want a peaceful tank and i fear that my GCA might prevent that from happening. More research is needed to determine if i should keep it or perhaps trade him in for something else.

 

[headlessfish]

ok, at the moment i have been using tap water when i do my water changes, many people talk about a reverse osmosis system as being the desired way to treat water, does anyone out there have a RO unit, and if so what brands should i avoid and which brands should i look into? any links would also be helpful.
thanks

 

[the egregious]

I have a RODI system that I got where I used to work, Sears. It is a kenmore but as far as advocating certain systems, I cannot effeicently do because I have only ever owned the one kenmore model. Although if you are using tap water with CC I will say that over time you will get a very bad nitrate spike if not taken care of quickly.

 

[nicetry]

Crushed coral; pretty much outdated as a substrate. If you want to keep it, go with a shallow covering and be prepared to siphon it out regularly. THe coarse particles trap waste and this will compromise water quality. I'd consider replacing the two hang on filters with a good skimmer. It doesn't appear you have a sump so you can invest in a nice hang on skimmer, or incorporate a sump (additional water volume/more stability, place to keep heater, filter media, skimmer and return pump, etc..) You'd need a hang on overflow if you opt for the sump, but it's not a major project.
I keep FOWLR tanks so don't have personal experience with carpet anemones other than seeing various pictures of them eating fish.
Stocking; a pair of clowns is always nice. Damsels can be nasty but the family as a whole gets a bad rap, and there are species that add to a community tank. Depends on which ones you like. Best if added last, IMO as once established thay can bully pretty much anything. Peaceful community fish could include flasher/fairy wrasses, basslets, some cardinals, firefish. A dwarf angel would be colorful but they're a gamble in a reef.
Some folks like to select a centerpiece fish and then build the rest of the stocking around it. Again, it depends on what you like.

 

[headlessfish]

ok so i have a few questions. I decided to take out half the crushed coral and add it to another tank that i will use as a hospital tank. Because i am going to do this i will take the hang on filters form the main tank and i am thinking about going with:
HAGEN FLUVAL FX5 CANISTER FILTER

to filter my 120gal tank. Does anyone use this filter or know anyone else who does?
Also can i mix livesand with the crushed coral to create a better bedding for my tank, perhaps one that is not as porous as just the crushed coral?

 

[cracker4418]

you can mix cc and sand but the outcome will be the same, it just takes more time. You don't have to use live sand, you can use dry aragonite sand(much cheaper).you want to setup your aquarium to be as efficient as possible, and prevent stress to the natural ecosystem. Using cc just adds that extra x factor preventing your system from keeping its proper balance naturally, with out all the extra unnecessary maintenance.

 

[saltymac]

Hello , and welcome,
I also bought my tank used, a 6ft 125gal, that came with 2 cans, the same brand as yours, but the 404 model. Which at first seemed to be o.k. Now, IMO this depends on the livestock you keep, these, for me were not adequate enough. You want your total water turn over to be at least 10x total tank volume. IMO the more the better. Im currently at 16-18x..and looking for more. Also, once your fish mature the more waste, thus even more of a reason for a protein skimmer. I added an overflow wet/dry with built in skimmer......and had no problems with, but after some research converted it to a refugium. I kept the skimmer , but removed the trays of bio balls and filter floss added some sand and LR with a 6500k light and some grape cheato. My levels of trites and trates ammon are always 0 the only flux I have is SG, due to evaporation.
I guess my point after all the ramblin is, this is a hobby. Take it as fast as you can afford. I started out with 40lb of sand 10 lbs of rock and 6 yellow tail damsels for break in............OMG I know it was terrible the damsels screamed every day they were in the peak!!! Sorry for that, but I didnt know there was a new method to break a tank in at that time. I currently have 120 lb of sand and well over 100 lb of rock.
I recommend a rodi system it changes everything. You can do all the water changes you want, but if the source water is full of phosphates/nitrates whats the point? Take your time do alot of research and ask all the questions you can on this board, these ppl know, good luck.

 

[headlessfish]

awesome good to hear, this is my outline for the new steps in my hobby;
55gallon reef tank
-2 t5 48' lights
-6 inch LS deep bed
-50lbs LR
30gal refugium $70
-protein skimmer $
-2 t5 24' lights $160
-live rock - have already
-live plants - cheap
-300watt heater $30
After doing the research this setup once established should provide the ability for everything i want to do in this hobby. I am going to spend a few $$ to get it started but in the long run i think it will be the best way to go.

 

[headlessfish]

ok so i got the FX5; I have had it running for two days now, I no longer have the 2 piggyback filters running. This unit is very quiet, you don't hear anything on this tank but the slight hum to the lights. The hang on filters made the sound of running water, not too annoying but quiet is better. IMO
I also took out my CB shrimp and the last two damsels that came with the tank when i bought it. The LFS gave me $16 for the lot.
I have made a few other changes.


I bought this hang on holder, drilled a few holes in it, then added a few suction cups. This will keep the plants contained: close to the lights and away from fish that would over eat them.

Any input any of you have on possiable problems or advantages this will have for my tank is welcomed.
I also added one fish, which is now my only fish i have in the tank.

He looked amazingly healthy at the LFS, i had seen many pass thru the store but this on looked amazing. I have had him in the tank for about 2 hours and already i have seen him grazing among the live rock. He set me back $40 but i think i got a fair deal for what i got.

 

[headlessfish]

fx5 works great