Desperate-please advise

inawe

inawe

Member
I've had my 37 gal. tank for 3 months. Crashed it (I used tap water and I think mine is bad). I stupidly put in 3 clowns and now I know that was a bad thing. Anyway, they had been temporarily relocated and I have completely started over. I went from cc to sand, and am using RO water. I put in about 25 lbs. LR, and 10 lbs. base rock. The filter system is an Eclipse (which now I wish I'd done something different). The light is 2 long bulbs that say Eclipse Natural Daylight, and the hood says replace with any T8 florescent bulb. I've added a powerhead and protein skimmer. The height of the tank is 22 inches.
My problem... :help:
My DH says if it doesn't work this time, I have to go to freshwater fish, and since this completely defeats the purpose of a tank, I'm looking for all the advice I can get!
Questions:
1 - Cycling - leave it alone, add a frozen shrimp, or add Biospira?
2 - Rock has pretty decent coraline algae on it now, but I saw something about needing Purple Up or calcium to further develop this. Thoughts?
3 - What about my lights? Completely changing out the top is out of the question due to $$$ and DH. I need to keep things as inconspicuous as possible for a few months, anyway. Are these sufficient, or is there another type of bulb that would be better that I can use in my existing hood?
4 - When putting the LR in I wanted to glue the pieces together (I'm afraid of an avalanche and 37 gal. of saltwater on my wood floor), but the first stuff I bought, which came from the LFS was Loctite Marine Epoxy that can be used underwater, but the label said not for use in aquariums. So I bought another one from HD...Loctite Extreme Repair adhesive, which said it IS for aquariums. But this didn't work on wet LR. :notsure: Any suggestions? It's not too late to redo this as I just got the thing back together yesterday. Or just leave it alone? The rock feels pretty stable, but it is not tightly packed. should I break the rock in smaller sizes to pack it tighter or would this create less water flow and less efficiency? It is mainly very porous Figi, with small amount of Tonga branch rock on top.
5 - I would like to add corals later. I know with my setup I will be limited on choices, but what should I do to prepare for this?
Any help will be most appreciated!
CC in Texas
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Originally Posted by inawe
Questions:
1 - Cycling - leave it alone, add a frozen shrimp, or add Biospira?
Just feed the tank a very small amount of fish food every day. Just a tiny amount. The idea is to provide food for bacteria but not enough to spike Ammonia. try to keep ammonia detectable but less than 0.5ppm. If it gets above 0.5ppm do a large water change and cut back on feeding. Remember, just a trace of food. You need an Ammonia test kit.
Expect the tank to be too unstable for fish for 2 - 8 weeks. If you're in a hurry then you'll need to try freshwater instead.
2 - Rock has pretty decent coraline algae on it now, but I saw something about needing Purple Up or calcium to further develop this. Thoughts?
Now is a good time to practice keeping Calcium around 400 - 440ppm and Alkalinity around 3.0-3.5 Meq/L Calcium chloride will maintain Calcium and Baking Soda will maintain Alkalinity. You need to test the levels and chart them to keep track of the consumption rates of each. B-Ionic is an easier product to use if you're uncomfortable with Calcium chloride.
3 - What about my lights? Completely changing out the top is out of the question due to $$$ and DH. I need to keep things as inconspicuous as possible for a few months, anyway. Are these sufficient, or is there another type of bulb that would be better that I can use in my existing hood?
The problem is the type of lighting. This is called NO (Normal Output). It's OK for fish but for corals you will have to stick with animals that don't require a lot of light.
4 - When putting the LR in I wanted to glue the pieces together (I'm afraid of an avalanche and 37 gal. of saltwater on my wood floor), but the first stuff I bought, which came from the LFS was Loctite Marine Epoxy that can be used underwater, but the label said not for use in aquariums. So I bought another one from HD...Loctite Extreme Repair adhesive, which said it IS for aquariums. But this didn't work on wet LR. :notsure: Any suggestions? It's not too late to redo this as I just got the thing back together yesterday. Or just leave it alone? The rock feels pretty stable, but it is not tightly packed. should I break the rock in smaller sizes to pack it tighter or would this create less water flow and less efficiency? It is mainly very porous Figi, with small amount of Tonga branch rock on top.
The larger the pieces the more stable you can make it. If it feels stable it's probably fine. An avalanch isn't going to break your glass but watch out for scratches.
5 - I would like to add corals later. I know with my setup I will be limited on choices, but what should I do to prepare for this?
Test water parameters and learn how to maintain them and keep them fairly stable.
Any help will be most appreciated!
CC in Texas
Other notes -
Waterflow! Lots & lots of waterflow. The saltwater reef environment is turbulent.
Test levels before adding anything. Don't add anything you don't test for.
If something sounds to good to be true then it is.
Stock lightly. Especially as a new hobbiest. Be happy with a Pair of Clownfish for at least a year.
 
dutch06

dutch06

Member
I will do my best, but there are others on here much more qualified than I to answer these questions.
Questions:
1 - Cycling - leave it alone, add a frozen shrimp, or add Biospira?
- Don't add anything. Time will cycle your tank. Of the two, if you have to add something throw in a shrimp, watch your levels, when the shrimp starts to slime, get it out. Personally, I would just wait. (Boring, I know.)
2 - Rock has pretty decent coraline algae on it now, but I saw something about needing Purple Up or calcium to further develop this. Thoughts?
- Once again, don't add anything. There have been people who have had success with Purple Up but I have never tried it. Honestly, I'm not sure your lights will even promote coraline growth. If your calcium levels are maintained, your coraline will come, providing your lights are sufficient.
3 - What about my lights? Completely changing out the top is out of the question due to $$$ and DH. I need to keep things as inconspicuous as possible for a few months, anyway. Are these sufficient, or is there another type of bulb that would be better that I can use in my existing hood?
- I started with an Eclipse, I think they can be tinkered with to change the lighting, but my suggestion would be to go with low-light corals until you can invest a little more money into lighting and do it the right way.
4 - When putting the LR in I wanted to glue the pieces together (I'm afraid of an avalanche and 37 gal. of saltwater on my wood floor), but the first stuff I bought, which came from the LFS was Loctite Marine Epoxy that can be used underwater, but the label said not for use in aquariums. So I bought another one from HD...Loctite Extreme Repair adhesive, which said it IS for aquariums. But this didn't work on wet LR. Any suggestions? It's not too late to redo this as I just got the thing back together yesterday. Or just leave it alone? The rock feels pretty stable, but it is not tightly packed. should I break the rock in smaller sizes to pack it tighter or would this create less water flow and less efficiency? It is mainly very porous Figi, with small amount of Tonga branch rock on top.
- You can epoxy rocks together, but from my experience with epoxy it doesn't take much to move a coral that has been expoxied into place for quite some time. So why would it take much pressure to break an epoxy seal that has been together for a long time? I don't know. I would rearrange the rocks into position that you feel is stable, will allow good flow, and allow you to apply a moderate amount of pressure when placing corals. Keep working with it, you will find a combination that you like and will provide these necessities.
5 - I would like to add corals later. I know with my setup I will be limited on choices, but what should I do to prepare for this?
- Prepare? Research corals that will fit your lighting requirements and compatability with your particular tank.
Suggestion: I made a deal with my wife. Let me set up this 24g Eclipse on a bare budget. If I can keep everything alive for six months then we can spend some real money on a nice set-up. 15lbs of live rock, 2 damsels (I cheated a little with the hardiest of fishes), one emerald crab, and six months later; I got the set-up I really wanted. Good Luck. Hopefully others can chime in with other responses.
 
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