Help with new setup.

ndocds

ndocds

New Member
Hello people!
I need help with a new salt water setup we are trying to put together.
We got a 29G biocube.
So far we've added a protein skimmer which i have yet to figure out how it works.
a powerhead.
i feel like the stock filtration is very poor.
the tank does clear up after about an hour or so. mostly between adding the rocks and power head.
live sand and live rocks are both being used.
our plan is 2 clown fish another small fish and a few pieces of coral. We don't want to over stock the tank and we don't want to kill any fish.
i have started the bio process already and our nitrate levels are very very close to 0.
we know it isn't quite time to add fish yet.
the tanks only been setup for about a week.
so here are my list questions.
1. is the stock filtration enough? am i doing something wrong? i'd hate to have fish pay the price for my mistake.
2. is a sump really needed?
3. how do i setup the skimmer? the directions are pretty horrible and the thing only bubbles way too much and causes my over flow to run way low. which is why i know I'm doing it wrong :)
4. water being clear. i've noticed in some tanks its SUPER clear... how to i reach this level.
Thank you in advance.
HIGH RES /w FLASH
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HIGH RES W/O Flash
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rcdude1990

rcdude1990

Active Member
hey and welcome to the saltwater crew!
first things first... did you cycle your tank? the way i did it was putting in a cocktail shrimp in the tank, i tested the tank every day and watched for the levels to spike really high and then come back to zero. dont only look at nitrate, look at ammonia, nitrites and ph
im not a pro but i believe the bio cubes were specificly designed for saltwater tanks so i believe the filter would be fine, but wait on some others opinion. look into placing a powerhead to add circulation to to the tank.
is the skimmer a Hang on Back skimmer?
 
ndocds

ndocds

New Member
Thanks for the reply!
so i did cycle the tank with the shrimp trick :)
the skimmer is a hang on the back type of skimmer but the back of the tank is closed so it had to be placed on the inside.
i also placed my heater on the in side to hide it from view.
i have a power head installed and is circulating the water right above the sand.
which is why its a little cloudy right now it hit the sand floor once and POOF! :)
my ammonia levels are steady at 0 for the last 2 days and my PH is at 8 currently.
 
rcdude1990

rcdude1990

Active Member
Hahah alright good job your starting good.. Smart idea with the heater and the cloudyness will go away sometime, leave the powerhead running dont shut it off. Whats te name of the skimmer? Maybe theres a online how to... I never did a hang on back skimmer but ill do some research to help out
Your cycle seems almost down but i always get nervous, if it was me i would buy a cheap fish and see how it does... The only reason i say tjis is because buying a fish thas like 35 dollars and finding out it died just really is a terrible feeling. ( had it happen to me in my 125 lol)

Thanks for the reply!
so i did cycle the tank with the shrimp trick :)
the skimmer is a hang on the back type of skimmer but the back of the tank is closed so it had to be placed on the inside.
i also placed my heater on the in side to hide it from view.

i have a power head installed and is circulating the water right above the sand.
which is why its a little cloudy right now it hit the sand floor once and POOF! :)
my ammonia levels are steady at 0 for the last 2 days and my PH is at 8 currently.
 
ndocds

ndocds

New Member
ouch lol
i feel your pain
when we set up my daughters fresh water tank we got really bad advice and we ended up killing a couple of sets of fish :)
the skimmer is the biocube skimmer
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&q=biocube+skimmer&gs_sm=3&gs_upl=2230l2408l0l2415l2l2l0l0l0l0l0l0ll0l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1438&bih=662&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=7557318858163770862&sa=X&ei=-StDT8mVJIWniALBpt3GAQ&ved=0CD0Q8wIwAA#ps-sellers
and i wanted some youtube videos which were helpful.. but i still couldn't get mine working correctly.
the salt build up on the glass of the tank is that normal?
also i read that ocellaris clownfish were very hardy fish.. is this true?
 
rcdude1990

rcdude1990

Active Member
Hmmm ok i seen a few videos on it... It looks loke its designed to be in the back of the bio cube but w.e lol. It seems as thought the cylinder has to my submerged in the water and the bubbles rise the junk up into the collection cup... Now you said when you run it it runs your overflow low? A little confised buy that. My protein skimmer in my wet/dry is submerged about 80% into the water and the bubbles rise the junk up. Do you have enought water to create the bubbles?
 
rcdude1990

rcdude1990

Active Member
I believe that is perfectly fine, keep it running over might and youll see some junk start to turn up, as long as there is no kinks in the line and the air is at max it should be fine. When you took the cover ovver the bubbles are right at the rim. The junk will rise with the bubbles and fallover into the collection cup and then slowly turn into a brown liquid. Its not a 123 kinda thing it takes some time, let it run over night and youll possibly see some stuff appear.
Also its a new tank without any animals, so no junk has been created yet lol ( and by junk i mean poop and stuff) your set up is fine good work. About the salt on the tank, thats salt creep. That happens when there is condensation ( which is natural an will happen) water rises and evaporates but the salt rises as well but drys up and crystalizes. Simply clean ot woth a wet cloth. Also youll notice your water level decreasing after days, this is due to the condensation and evaporation... Have RO water on the side to "top off" or add water tothe tank. Notice only add regular water, not mixed salt water. Only time you mix salt water is to do a water change
 
ndocds

ndocds

New Member
awesome!
you've been great!
my last question is about the type of fish.
would ocellaris clownfish be okay to try as a "test" fish?
this is where i am getting info
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/clownfish/ocellaris.php
 
rcdude1990

rcdude1990

Active Member
Those clowns are great! I have 2 myself and there awsome to watch. My lfs sells them for like 20$ each so if money isnt a issue then go ahead i guess. When i started i bought 2 damsels and after 2 weeks of survivig i tookthem back and got some real fish lol. Its really up to you. Also its a little early for coral and inverts but if you want you can get some snails or hermit crabs to have as a cleaning crew
As for the clowns, buy them in pairs, i bought 3 clowns and they surprisingly survived together for about 6 months but then one was eliminated, so try to get 2 . Im not an expert and i have a feeling people are going to be mad at me for saying yes to buying a clown lol, im not a pro, possibly check back tomorrow morning for others opinions lol
 
njbillyv

njbillyv

Member
Welcome!
Couple of quick things.
Get your protein skimmer working properly before you add fish.
Get youself some 25 micron filter felt to clear the water up, it may get clogged pretty quickly but it'll scrub the water.
Make sure your temp is 78 - 81 and doesn't fluxuate more than 1 deg with lights on and offf.
Lights on for 8 - 10 hours a day.
Have your lfs check your water specs, if:
Ammonia = 0 ppm
Nitrite = 0 ppm
Nitrate = under 20 ppm
SG = 1.023 - 1.025
Then you are ready to add a fish, I'd go with one clown to be safe. Watch your Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate levels and go from there.
It's always better to go slow.
Read the article on how to properly acclimate the fish and never add lfs water to your home tank.
Use frozen fish food and don't overfeed.
Good luck!
 
ndocds

ndocds

New Member
hey everyone! just an update.
took our water down to a local fish store and had them test it
100% all the way across.
so we decided to pick up some fish.
for saltwater fish there a "higher" end store we go to where the prices are good and the fish are really healthy.
looking for some ideas.
a few things we added....
a small piece of coral.
a new powerhead 425 magnet. (the suction cup was not so great placement)
Let me know what you guys think!



 
rcdude1990

rcdude1990

Active Member
Congrats on your first buys hahaha great looking pair of clowns... How did u acclimate them? Drip?
Just a good note when looking at fish at a fish store... EXAMINE EVERY FISH IN THE TANK! So lets say your eye catches a noce pair of clowns and the tank there in has other fish, be sure to examine EVERY FISH!!! First thing; if you see a dead fish in the tank, stay away from that tank. Also i look for bite marks, fin tears and most important "ick" on fish. If you see fish with white spots almost like salt, thay fish has ich and most likely all the fish in that tank have ich. Just a little lesson when buying fish lol
Good size clowns you got, now sit back and enjoy the swim haha
 
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