150 gallon start up help

redc5vette

redc5vette

Member
Past exp. 29 nano, only had a snowflake eel and some damsels along with crabs and snails, 30 gallon freshwater conversion to a saltwater, I had a blue line snapper, a clown, some gobbys, and a few crabs and snails, 120 startup but never had the chance to finish due to a relocation. last aquarium 4 years ago.
I recently purchased a 150 fully setup "minus sand,salt, and rock" aquarium from a local person that upgraded to a 210 gallon. reef tank.
I will be adding salt and water this weekend along with 50 pounds of live rock after i get the temp stable and all levels stable. after the 50 pounds of rock are added i plan on waiting another week or two before adding another 100 pounds of rock..
After I get my first cycle I plan to add 50 hermits and 50 snails. "mixture of blue,emerald, and red crabs, also a mixture of snails"
After another week wait I plan to add a few damsel fish to see how they take to the tank.
Also I ordered the sand and rock from ebay. Was this a mistake???? I ordered from what seemed to be trustworthy sellers. I have only ordered from saltwaterfish.com in the past and picked up fish from *****. But we have one saltwater store in my city and it is extremely overpriced so I would prefer to order online.
I'm looking for any and all help from you lovely hobbyists. This will be my first tank of this size I will have setup and running by the end of the weekend. The person I bought the tank from will be helping with the setup but after that I dont plan on bothering the person with my newbie questions haha.
Also I need to add I will be moving in one year into a house. I dont plan to add any high dollar fish or corals until I have moved, but I would like to get this tank up and running for the time being..
 
S

saxman

Guest
Sounds like a nice project...I would, however, rethink your CUC, esp. for a new setup.
50 assorted crabs is WAY too many. Crabs are opportunistic omnivores and in a new setup, most will starve back to what the tank will support. Also, since food will be scarce, guess what they'll be eating? That's right...your snails!
If you want crabs, get scarlet reef hermits (Paguristes cadenati). These are the most docile of all the hermits, and the least likely to feed on your snails. Stock them at 1 per 25 gals to start. Nassarius snails are an alternative as carrion feeders.
As for snails, get a mix of Nerite, Astrea, and Trocus. You'll eventually want to end up with 1 per 3 gals, which is 50, but I'd go a little light first and see which snails are doing a good job in that system, and go heavier with them.
Stay away from margarita snails, as they're temperate species that are short-lived in tropical setups. Also wait on the turbos unless you have a HA problem.
Here's a good primer on choosing a CUC: http://www.lionfishlair.com/cuc/cuc.shtml
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
150g tanks are pretty tall. Your gonna need some strong flow. Get some base rock to put down first, then stack your live rock on top.
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
lol snake i fugured you would have at least 3-4 paragraphs on this.i had a 150 for 10 years it was an awesome sized tank.if you want to do it right get 2 mp40 powerheads .you will never need more that that.a bit pricey but worth every penny.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Hah, DeeJeff, you know me too well.
I could write a small book on how to do it, but I figure this OP somewhat knows what he's doing. I don't want to give a general blanket answer, because he didn't ask any specific questions about setting it up, besides a question about e(bay). I don't do business on e(bay) so I can't answer the question. Now, when the OP has something specific to ask - I'll be there!
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
i bought a box of rocks on ebay years ago.for the price not bad at all.but really it would be for a tank like a 90 or under.there was one big rock like 8-10 inches then the rest were 4-6 inches .not really good for building.but the rock had alot of life.
 
redc5vette

redc5vette

Member
Well I got the aquarium today. This will be my first time using a refugium "however you spell it" so here come some more rookie questions. What will I need to watch out for and what is the normal maintenance for these things. I will be cleaning it up a bit and hopefully putting the sand and water in next weekend. The person I bought it from will be helping with the start up still so hopefully I wont make to big of a mess haha.
Also I'll take any and all help. If you have any past experience you would like to share please do. I will listen to all you would like to share
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Hmm, ok...
I suggest going to the New Hobbyist Forum and start reading the 101 tips for new hobbyists. I also suggest picking out some good reading material. Start with your local library first, and if they don't have anything on saltwater aquariums, then you can always get stuff from Amazon. Basically, almost all beginner saltwater aquarium books will give you basic advice on how to start a tank and keep it going. Maintenance always depends on the type of equipment you are using. Always research every purchase, including equipment and livestock. There are no exceptions.
Make sure you mix your saltwater 24 hours before you use it in your aquarium. Don't add water to salt, always add salt to water. Only use pure water - either RO/DI water from your local grocery store, Wal-Mart, or water store. You can also use distilled water. Only use pure water for everything you do. Only top off your tank with pure freshwater. Salt does not evaporate, only freshwater.
Since you are starting a new aquarium, you will have to cycle your aquarium. Cycling is the process by which dead organisms on your live rock will create ammonia, which is then converted into nitrite and then into nitrate by bacteria that is on the live rock. You will need to add a small piece of shrimp to get your cycle going. During this time, do not add any fish until your test kits read zero ammonia and zero nitrite.
Once your cycle is completed, then you can add one fish. While the system is so young, you can not overload the tank with new fish, it will cause a new cycle to get started, which will most likely kill your fish.
During this cycle period that can last anywhere from one week to thirty days, you need to start doing some researching, reading, and asking many questions and participating on the forums so that you can get a better idea of how to maintain your system.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I also want to direct you to this thread: https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/388629/can-this-tank-be-salvaged-what-to-do-for-dirty-neglected-tanks It has some information in it that you may find helpful. Here's something that I posted in it that may also help you, since you are setting up a used tank.
Aside from the basics of moving and setting up an old tank, check to make sure that all the equipment is working properly. You may want to soak all the old pumps and powerheads in vinegar for an hour or so to break up any calcerous deposits that build up over time. That way they don't cause excess heat, and will run at full efficiency.
Before the tank is set up again, and everything is out of it - before you put down a new sand bed, you might want to take some vinegar and scrape the glass with a razorblade. If it's acrylic, you need to scrape it with a plastic credit card and some vinegar. This will get all of the calcerous deposits, algae, and so on off the glass and make it look a lot better.Regular white vinegar is very acidic, so it will eat through the calcium, and make it soft and able to be scraped.
If you have a voltmeter, you might want to go ahead and check each individual powerhead, pump, and heater to make sure it isn't leaking voltage into the tank before you put fish in the system. Sometimes when you move old tanks around, you can damage the pumps/powerheads/heaters which cause voltage to leak into the new set up. It's just something to look in to.
I also think you should have a bit of saltwater already pre-mixed (or bought) so that after your tank is set up, you can do water changes as necessary, or have it as an emergency in case something goes wrong or your ammonia spikes and you have fish in there.
I don't think the back of the glass on that tank is painted or anything, but before it's set up, you may want to consider painting the back of the glass with some black or blue (or whatever color you prefer) Krylon spray paint. It gives it a background so you won't be staring at your wall. It also can't be done after the tank is set up. Spray painting the back of your tank should only take 15 minutes, including taping the tank up. Painting a black background, to me, makes the colors of the fish and corals "pop" and is well worth the extra 15 minutes.
I'de also go ahead and replace the light bulbs in the fixture. No telling how old they are. I'de start keeping a record of how old the lights are when you replace them, or write the date on them with a sharpie, unless it's a metal halide. Old lights cause algae problems, they aren't good for corals, and have lost their intensity, and shifted their color spectrum to be more "red."
Anyways, those are just a few thoughts. I hope this helps.
 
redc5vette

redc5vette

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/388602/150-gallon-start-up-help#post_3428501
I also want to direct you to this thread: https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/388629/can-this-tank-be-salvaged-what-to-do-for-dirty-neglected-tanks It has some information in it that you may find helpful. Here's something that I posted in it that may also help you, since you are setting up a used tank.
I will check this one out right after this. Thank you for the redirection any link you guys give me I'll gladly check out
Aside from the basics of moving and setting up an old tank, check to make sure that all the equipment is working properly. You may want to soak all the old pumps and powerheads in vinegar for an hour or so to break up any calcerous deposits that build up over time. That way they don't cause excess heat, and will run at full efficiency.
I will go ahead and do this tonight so everything will be clean and ready to go
Before the tank is set up again, and everything is out of it - before you put down a new sand bed, you might want to take some vinegar and scrape the glass with a razorblade. If it's acrylic, you need to scrape it with a plastic credit card and some vinegar. This will get all of the calcerous deposits, algae, and so on off the glass and make it look a lot better.Regular white vinegar is very acidic, so it will eat through the calcium, and make it soft and able to be scraped.
Now the tank was setup just 3 months ago would i want to scrap off all the good algae. Or is it just a good idea to look at the tank as brand new and try and start as fresh as possible?
If you have a voltmeter, you might want to go ahead and check each individual powerhead, pump, and heater to make sure it isn't leaking voltage into the tank before you put fish in the system. Sometimes when you move old tanks around, you can damage the pumps/powerheads/heaters which cause voltage to leak into the new set up. It's just something to look in to.
I dont but hopefully since it was a short drive from my place to his nothing got damaged
I also think you should have a bit of saltwater already pre-mixed (or bought) so that after your tank is set up, you can do water changes as necessary, or have it as an emergency in case something goes wrong or your ammonia spikes and you have fish in there.
I have what looks to be about a 30 gallon rubbermaid container that i planned on keeping freshly mixed water in
I don't think the back of the glass on that tank is painted or anything, but before it's set up, you may want to consider painting the back of the glass with some black or blue (or whatever color you prefer) Krylon spray paint. It gives it a background so you won't be staring at your wall. It also can't be done after the tank is set up. Spray painting the back of your tank should only take 15 minutes, including taping the tank up. Painting a black background, to me, makes the colors of the fish and corals "pop" and is well worth the extra 15 minutes.
Sadly I already have the big thing in my apartment or this would have been a great idea. It did come with one of the cheezy wallpapers you get at the local pet store lol
I'de also go ahead and replace the light bulbs in the fixture. No telling how old they are. I'de start keeping a record of how old the lights are when you replace them, or write the date on them with a sharpie, unless it's a metal halide. Old lights cause algae problems, they aren't good for corals, and have lost their intensity, and shifted their color spectrum to be more "red."
It came with just the regular lights for a non coral tank. and then it came with some led moonlights. I plan on buying a full led day/night kit sometime this month
Anyways, those are just a few thoughts. I hope this helps.
Thank you again for the input. A lot of it has come back to me on how to keep the tank consistent, but I just always feel like I'm forgetting something every time I look at it lol. I think I'm just messing with my own head, considering the small amount of experience I have with saltwater. I have only lost about 4 fish from start to finish on all my tanks combined. Idk maybe I'm just lucky haha
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Your welcome. There's a lot to it, but if you stick with it, you'll be successful. There's a lot to learn - heck, even I learn something new every day.
In your case, yes, start the tank as if it were new. All that old coralline algae will just turn white and flake off and not look good. What you want is new purple growth everywhere, which will come in time, with practice, and with knowledge.
 
redc5vette

redc5vette

Member
Haha hello everyone. I'm trying to post some photos now that i have the tank here. but my phone is refusing to send the pictures to my email for some reason. I thought smart phones were suppose to be smart haha
 
rainbow grouper

rainbow grouper

Active Member
If you have a memory card i find it easiest just to put it in the computer import the pictures, then go onto insert image, click browse and that takes you to the home folder. Choose the picture you want to post. Click open then wait for it to load the picture. it works well for me.
 
redc5vette

redc5vette

Member
sadly no i dont. I have a usb but its not working for some reason. I updated the phone the other day and its been acting funky ever since so who knows lol.
But I have a few new questions. I got the sand in today, How long will it live if i put it in the tank without water/ Ive never tried this I have always done the sand and water at the same time. Also If I put snails in before the tank has its first cycle will it kill them?? Ive never tried this either.
 
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