First tank pics and parameters

kanicky

kanicky

Member
Finally! :joy:
We got our live rock last night and were up till about 2:00 this morning setting it up "just right." Here are some pics and our first readings from this morning:
(From Marine Enterprises' "Deluxe Marine Master Saltwater Test Center:")
pH: 8.0
Ammonia: .025
Nitrites: .1
Nitrates: 10 p.p.m
Temp: 80
Oh, on a side note- I haven't noticed any air rocks or aerators in anyone's tanks. Are these necessary? As you can see, we have three powerheads...
 
monalisa

monalisa

Active Member
Tank is looking great, but I would take the air stone out. The only time I use an air stone is to help keep my saltwater circulating in the bucket for a change out.
What size is your tank? How long have you had it set up? Again, looks great. Can't wait to see more pics as things progress :jumping:
Lisa :happyfish
 
30-xtra high

30-xtra high

Active Member
is that base rock?... it has almost no coraline at all :notsure:
and airstones cause a disease called "popeye" which is hard on fish.
looks good so far... how many galloons?, you might not need 3 powerheads.
 
kanicky

kanicky

Member
Okay, we'll take the air stone out this evening. Thanks for the heads-up!!
It's a 45-gallon tank, and it is LR, but with very little corraline. A friend was selling a couple of his tanks for a move, and before putting the LR in a Rubbermaid to keep the cycling going, he scrubbed them down with a clean toothbrush...We're hoping more will grow, but if not, will we be able to add some LR that does have corraline algae and seed it that way?
 
30-xtra high

30-xtra high

Active Member
yea... if more doesn't grow, some live rock with coraline will seed it... you don't really need 3 powerheads, its not to much flow, but definatly on the heavy side. just tryin to save you some money.
 
monalisa

monalisa

Active Member
Originally Posted by Kanicky
Okay, we'll take the air stone out this evening. Thanks for the heads-up!!
It's a 45-gallon tank, and it is LR, but with very little corraline. A friend was selling a couple of his tanks for a move, and before putting the LR in a Rubbermaid to keep the cycling going, he scrubbed them down with a clean toothbrush...We're hoping more will grow, but if not, will we be able to add some LR that does have corraline algae and seed it that way?
Absolutely...most likely the coraline will blossom on the rock you have in there. GREAT aquascaping, by the way!! I really like it.
Definitely take the airstone out and just use it to mix your saltwater for changes. What kind of powerheads do you have and how strong are they? Are you planning a reef? Anywho, welcome to the obsession!!
Lisa :happyfish
 
gmidd

gmidd

Member
Looks great

As for the air bubbles I've read that they get caught in the gills and could kill the fish? Is this correct and why doesn't that apply to Freshwater Fish?
 
kanicky

kanicky

Member
Originally Posted by MonaLisa
Absolutely...most likely the coraline will blossom on the rock you have in there.
We think we already see some more pink popping up all over the place. We also have found some lime green spots!!! (I hope thats good, because it looks really cool!)
Originally Posted by MonaLisa
GREAT aquascaping, by the way!! I really like it.
Thanks. Jonny, the guy we bought it from told us, "The more time you spend on it, the more you'll like it." He was right! Five hours last night, plus all day today of little "tweaks" to get it perfect!
Originally Posted by MonaLisa
What kind of powerheads do you have and how strong are they?
We have a 375gph for the sump, and it's probably more like 300gph since it's a tad higher than what the chart said it will flow at 4'. The other 2 powerheads in the tank (shown in the picture) each pump out 120 gph but really are not that strong IMO. We will know more when we put our clown fish in. We read/heard that they enjoy playing in the currents produced by the power heads.
Originally Posted by MonaLisa
Are you planning a reef? Anywho, welcome to the obsession!!
I'm not sure yet. We want our LR to flourish, and we currently are planning on having
2-True Percula Clown Fish
1-Picasso Trigger
1- Chocolate Chip Starfish
2-Emerald Crabs
1-Cleaner Shrimp
We LOVE these next 2 fish, however are not sure if they are completely compatible...
1-Snowflake Eel
1-Dwarf Lionfish
To be honest, I'm not sure what the difference is between FOWLR's and reef tanks... :thinking: Does having a reef tank mean you have corals and other similar things?
 
monalisa

monalisa

Active Member
Originally Posted by Kanicky
We think we already see some more pink popping up all over the place. We also have found some lime green spots!!! (I hope thats good, because it looks really cool!)
Thanks. Jonny, the guy we bought it from told us, "The more time you spend on it, the more you'll like it." He was right! Five hours last night, plus all day today of little "tweaks" to get it perfect!
We have a 375gph for the sump, and it's probably more like 300gph since it's a tad higher than what the chart said it will flow at 4'. The other 2 powerheads in the tank (shown in the picture) each pump out 120 gph but really are not that strong IMO. We will know more when we put our clown fish in. We read/heard that they enjoy playing in the currents produced by the power heads.
I'm not sure yet. We want our LR to flourish, and we currently are planning on having
2-True Percula Clown Fish
1-Picasso Trigger
1- Chocolate Chip Starfish
2-Emerald Crabs
1-Cleaner Shrimp
We LOVE these next 2 fish, however are not sure if they are completely compatible...
1-Snowflake Eel
1-Dwarf Lionfish
To be honest, I'm not sure what the difference is between FOWLR's and reef tanks... :thinking: Does having a reef tank mean you have corals and other similar things?
More than likely, the green spots that you're seeing is coraline. I will be very interested in seeing pics of your rockwork after a couple of weeks to see the progression.
Mmmm, I'm not sure about the trigger, the eel, or the lion in a 45...I just don't think the tank is big enough for those, maybe 1 or 2 of those choices, but not all. Maybe someone who knows more about those species will chime in.
Anyway, with the collection of fish you are hoping to get, a reef is probably not in your future. A reef would include corals, soft and/or stony. The species of fish you're wanting will not do well either with the coral or with the inverts that are crucial to a healthy reef (crabs, shrimp...sorry). Keep posting. We'll help you figure out something doable!!

Lisa :happyfish
 
kanicky

kanicky

Member
Originally Posted by MonaLisa
More than likely, the green spots that you're seeing is coraline. I will be very interested in seeing pics of your rockwork after a couple of weeks to see the progression.
Mmmm, I'm not sure about the trigger, the eel, or the lion in a 45...I just don't think the tank is big enough for those, maybe 1 or 2 of those choices, but not all. Maybe someone who knows more about those species will chime in.
Anyway, with the collection of fish you are hoping to get, a reef is probably not in your future. A reef would include corals, soft and/or stony. The species of fish you're wanting will not do well either with the coral or with the inverts that are crucial to a healthy reef (crabs, shrimp...sorry). Keep posting. We'll help you figure out something doable!!

Lisa :happyfish
I guess I should have clarified myself- I didn't mean the trigger, the lion and the eel in the same tank- just either-or
We really L-O-V-E the Picasso Trigger though...
We try a reef tank later, but for now we're happy with our FOWLR :happyfish
 
kanicky

kanicky

Member
I made a moon light. These pictures do the tank ZERO justice, I'll get a better camera and take better pictures...
 
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