Help me turn my tank into a reef! Please!

bethany

bethany

Member
I have a 45 gal tall with about 55-60lbs of lr, 2 in of ls, 1 tomato clown, 1 yellow wrase, 1 blue wrase, a few sally crabs and other smaller, 3 shrimp, and a bunch of snails. As far as lighting is concerned if have 2 blue and 2 white full spectrum bulbs. The total wattage is 80. I am looking to keep anenomies and stuff like that. I don't want to put anything that is too sensative that I can easily kill. I kind of like the fluffy ones!! What should I do to start turning it into a reef. What should I be adding? I get my water tested weekly and the lfs says that I have good water. What should I do to prep my tank? Thanks for anyhelp. You can also email me at colorfulb@hotmail.com.
:)
 
logan15

logan15

Active Member
Get a protein skimmer. Are your lights right now strip lights that you buy the flourscent bulbs?Get some good test kits in the long run its cheaper i reccomend salifert test kits a little pricey but super accurate get a ph,ammonia,nitrite,and nitrate kits at least.Depending on how old your tank is you don't want a anemone there not easy to keep and if they move a lot they will sting and kill your corals.Most people dont have anemones in there reef.Keep you nitrates below 15ppm and raise you salinity slowly to 1.025.If you do have NO lights you'll want to either get VeryHighOoutput or MetalHalide depending on what you want to keep Power Compacts.Tell us what kind of corals you want to keep as far as once you get your tank setup start with a small mushroom coral not hard corals or soft corals yet get a mushroom and see how it does in your tank.
Hope This Helps,
Logan
P.S your local Fish Store saying its okay its good wnough we need parmeters so its better to get your own test kits.
 
bethany

bethany

Member
i'll get the water parameters this weekend when i go back to the lfs. The lights i have are the long 18inch bulbs from "corallife". I don't care what kind of corals, anenomies, invertabreas(sp) (they are all the same to me!!). I just want my tank pretty and colorful but I don't really know how to care for any of them except keeping my water stable. What about food? How much light and how long?? What stuff can i put in there won't pick at them or eat them??? But to start what water parameters do i need to put s mushroom and what type of mushroom??? Does it move around? Should it be closer or farther away from the light?
 
logan15

logan15

Active Member
Well okay one step at a time research first get a good book on corals or get the saltwater aquariums for dummies a lot of care in it for corals.Most of the mushrooms get their food from the light photosynthesis but you can feed them small brine shrimp.No coral moves around that I know of.The mushrooms are more of a low light coral and you should try him at the bottom if he dosent open up then move him up a bit till he opens.Any mushrooms would be good try maybe a blue/purple mushroom maybe a bullseye mushroom.I Repeat Do Not Buy A Coral Till You Have Researched Them Totaly!!Is anyone else behind me on that one? Don't just buy a coral because it looks pretty if thats the only reason you want them dont get it.For lights leave them on for 10-11 hours and get a timer so the fish and coral are on a time schedule.Most shrimps wont eat any corals but you cant get any aggresive I would say your tank is staocked as far as fish go maybe a few more red hermits and some more snails.Get a skimmer very very important in reefs.
Hoped This Helped,
Logan
 
bethany

bethany

Member
i still don't have a computer at home. At work I have access to all of them but primarily msn. Also, again, if my water parameters are okay i plan on buying a mushroom this weekend. But what should the water parameters be if i am only buying a mushroom to start?
 
logan15

logan15

Active Member
There pretty hardy but nitrates below 15ppm, ammonia nitries have to be 0ppm and ph should be at or around 8.2 other then that first do a search don't buy the coral without knowing anything about them.Please Don't
Hope This Helped Anymore Questions I'll Be Happy To Answer,
Logan
 
logan15

logan15

Active Member
Ok do me a favor hit the search button here and type in mushrooms and read some threads to learn about them.
I hoped I helped You Out,
Logan
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top