Did I over do it?

[sunfish]

I have recently setup a new 200-gallon reef aquarium (finally after 12 years!) and I have started to add snails, crabs, shrimp and the like to start the aquarium off right. I am now worried I got a little too excited and over did it. The Aquarium does have 225lbs of Live rock and 2 – 3 inches of live sand. Here is what I got:
6 - Emerald Green Mythrix Crabs
6 – Black & White Hermit Crabs
36 – Baha Red Leg Hermit Crabs
29 – Red Scarlet Reef Crabs
6 – Tiny Blue Hermit Crabs
18 - Baha Snail (Cerith)
3 - Mexican Turbo Snails
48 – Nassarius Snails
12 – Margarita Snails
12 – Astera Snails
3 – Conehead Algae Eaters
1 - Blood Red Fire Shrimp
1 – Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
1 – Peppermint Shrimp
1 – Banded Coral Shrimp
1 – Blue Linckia (who likes the light)
Thanks for the help.

 

[tonka]

You said recently. How recently did you start this tank?

 

[sunfish]

A little over 4 weeks ago and I started to add after about two weeks.

 

[orby]

I think the amount of crabs and critters sounds about right considering that it is a 200gal with much LR, however I'm concerned that your tank has not finished cycling. what do your tests say?

 

[kappadoku]

My only concern is that they may starve. Do you really have enough algae growth allready to support that many crabs and snails?
You could start feeding them, but then they get used to that and dont become the cleanup crew anymore.

 

[nm reef]

sounds like a very nice tank.....curious about the quick cycle though....what are the levels like....ph-amonia-nitrite-nitrate???200 is in my future someday......curious about your lighting for this one........

 

[burnnspy]

I hope you dont have what I think you have, I believe Baja Red hermits and Black and white hermits will eat your corals and cleanup crew. Keep an eye on them. What is your lighting, what equipment is running, how much and what kind of gravel do you have and what are the water parameters?
BurnNSpy

 

[sunfish]

The Tank Setup is as follows:
- ASC-4 Inline Chiller
- Sump 30x14x16 with a Euro Reef CS8-2 Protien skimmer and Some active Carbon right
- 3 Rio 800 powerheads, two of which are on ocilators
- 3 150 watt 12,000K Metal Halide (HQI)
- 6 15 watt Actinic Flourescents
- 2 moonstrips
- Refugium with maiden hair and caulerpa and 24x7 lighting
- 2 250w heaters (in sump)
- Octopuss 3000 loaded out
- Pinpoint Salinity Monitor

The current water conditions are:
Temp 78.4
PH 8.06
Salinity 1.024
Ammonia 0.0
Nitrate 25
Nitrite .25
I have yet to do the water change this week and will replace the active carbon. No Fish yet, I am planning to wait another 6 - 8 weeks before I bring any in.

 

[burnnspy]

The lighting is way to weak for a reef tank if you plan on keeping any photosynthetic animals. I recommend 3-400watt MH 10000K with the 6 strips or 3-250watt MH with 2-6'VHO in place of the weak strips.
Your Ph is low and should be boosted to 8-2-8.3 and you need to measure alkalinity 3.0-5.0 mel, phosphates 0-0.5ppm and calcium 380-480ppm.
Your tank is still cycling prolly due to the overstocking so no need to change water. What kind of gravel and how much do you have?
BurnNSpy

 

[maestro]

I agree with burn n spy good luck with your 200

 

[fixitdude2001]

Hi, lighting is low but , everything sounds great, keep an eye on that coral banded shrimp[aka boxing shrimp] they can be buggers for territory but, with this size setup you might get away with it. Love them cleaner shrimp. also I believe its a little early for the linkia, if you have a high ammonia spike it wont make it, sorry,..cya

 

[sunfish]

I must be wrong about the wattage of the lights, it is as bright as any reef I have ever been diving on and they generate a ton of heat (maybe that does not mean a thing though). When the hood is up it is way too bright to look at. How would I verify the wattage of the metal halide units, I did not see it anywhere on the unit, but I do know the balsts below are rather heavy and do generate a lot of heat.
Let me describe the units and maybe that will help, there are three of them and each unit has a metal halide bulb in the center and two flourcnets (one on each side of the metal halide).
As for the gravel/sand I have a mix of Aragonite gravel and live sand 2 - 3 inches deep across the tank.
As for boosting the the Ph, I have a Calcium reactor on order, what should I use in the meantime?
Thanks for all the help, I really do appreciate it.
Sunfish

 

[fixitdude2001]

Hi my 400 watt balist is seperate from my light , the ballist is 8 in long by 6in high and 6in wide, Does the light you have penatrate the substrate? mine goes about two in into it, MY shrooms I thought would shrival up get huge when the mh is on , but had to move the brain because it was to much
you only have a little over 2 watts per gallon you should be looking at 3- 5 watts per gallon for keeping most corals and anenomes..cya

 

[sunfish]

Well the balist is 8 in long by 4 in high and 6 inches wide and I just measured the light penatrates 2 inches, but I am concerned about lighting now, because I bought the wole thing for keeping Clams, Stony coral and anenomes.
I am planning to call the store that setup it up on Monday and get the exact spec's, everything else seems really great and from what I can tell is pretty much top of the line.
I was very clear what I wanted to do with the tank when I bought it, I was just unsure of the best brands (not the most expensive) and left it up to the store which I chose after visiting everyone in town (several times).
How long would you recomend I leave my lights on? I do stager them, but have found no real exact recomendation.
Thanks Again