help!

[reef ring]

hey , well i finally got my 75 gallon tank set up with americal wet/dry and sump pump with a over flowe box and a in the sump protein skimmer(cpr 600) i also have about 70 lbs of live rock and about 30 lbs of non live rock bought dry for my bottom layer with 80 lbs of live sand i also have a magnum 350 canister filter with just reusable mech with filter medium around it that sits under neath ,and a wisper 60 that over hangs the tank for lighting i have coral life 48"cp with 4-65 watt and lunar lights my question is i 've run this tank for about 4 months but i dont know what i am doing the more i know the more i know i don't know. i've put some fish such as a damsel .grammy and aclown fish also ive got 3 pepper shrimp and 2 anemones a green carpet and a i forget the name but anyway i just started with goods lights and i am waiting for some good algae to start nothing really is starting to grow just some slight brown algae but nothing really to speak of and i'm trying the tank set up for coral do i need algae to start growing before i present corals into the water ? and do i need to put carbon back into my filters? how long should i wait ? is the water o.k the levels are nitrite 0 nitrates 0 ammonia 0 ph 8.2 alk medium to high, i also have this white like cotton carpet substance on my non live rock does anybody now what this is? should i get more lightin for what i want to do? will i need to continue to add nutrients to the water for the corals? i don't use a power head now should i ? what should be my firststep to take in getting corals?

 

[mudplayerx]

Your 1st step to getting corals is to have your tank running with liverock for at least 4-6 months before buying any corals.
I know it is hard to be patient, but corals tend to do poorly in non-established tanks.

 

[reef ring]

yes . it is hard but do you that the algae will start to grow and is there anything i can do to increase the time

 

[snipe]

First off slow down. Take the anemones back "and you dont even know the name of one of them!" Carpets need intense lighting and 4x65 is not intense by no means. I would take bolth back and dont get any type of coral until your tank is 6 months old. Now has your tank cycled? If not then you need to take all live things out and cycle it. If so still take the anemones back.

 

[mudplayerx]

Algae growth is not a good indicator if the tank is ready for corals. Corals need a 4-6 month old tank minimum if you want to be absolutely positive they will not suffer or die.
Corals also need the right supply of calcium in the water so that they can build their skeletons. Without the calcium they need, corals will not grow, and may even die.
You will definately need a calcium test kit, an alkaline test kit, and a ph test kit. The readings for corals should always be:
Calcium: 380mg/L
Alkalinity: 6 to 7 dKH
ph- 8.4 to 8.45

 

[snipe]

ONLY add calcium if it is needed if your calcium is right then dont add any!
As for calcium level my test sais for salt tank it should be 400 to 450.

 

[reef ring]

lfs recommended for soft coral what do recommend i do without spending another $ 900 for mh should i get another set of pc's and what wattage ? as for calcium i'm going to buy all the test kits today then so coral should maintain a constant 380 for coral?

 

[reef ring]

also what kind of algae should i look for after sometime?

 

[snipe]

Well from your params your good for fish. You just need an established tank around 6 month. Its so you know how to keep the water under controle and how to add or take away unwanted stuff in the tank. With out that experience you can kill stuff really quick.
2 of thoughs light fixtures may run around the same price as metal halide system that costs around $400

 

[puffer32]

Did you say you do not use powerheads? I think you need to get a couple!

 

[reef ring]

Originally posted by Snipe
Well from your params your good for fish. You just need an established tank around 6 month. Its so you know how to keep the water under controle and how to add or take away unwanted stuff in the tank. With out that experience you can kill stuff really quick.
2 of thoughs light fixtures may run around the same price as metal halide system that costs around $400
what do you mean unwanted stuff what stuff are you referring to nitrites ,nitrates,ammonia or such as solid substances, or chemical substances ?
oh and i already have one pc so if i bought mh i would be 400 in the hole aiun't that rich

 

[reef ring]

Originally posted by puffer32
Did you say you do not use powerheads? I think you need to get a couple!

i did say that i stopped using them because the last time i had one in the tank a fish got sucked into the motor .so i wrapped a filer around the intake but that didn't work either. but i started using one again hopefully i won't have that problem again.

 

[reef ring]

i also was wonder how long should i keep the lights on for and should i stage them right now i just shut the tank lightss off then the house light a few minutes after that. and i turn on the lights afterdaybreak?

 

[reef ring]

another ? if i might , my temp seams to be rising to high its about 81 and i have the heater set at 78 the house is at 73 do i need to get a chiller?

 

[snipe]

what do you mean unwanted stuff what stuff are you referring to nitrites ,nitrates,ammonia or such as solid substances, or chemical substances ?
Im talking about the water parameters from nitrate to calcium to alkalinity everything when you can keep that under control and in the right range then "and only then" can you keep corals and they be healthy.
i also was wonder how long should i keep the lights on for and should i stage them right now i just shut the tank lightss off then the house light a few minutes after that. and i turn on the lights afterdaybreak?
Lights can be on any were from 10 to 12 hours for a normal tank cut them back if your fighting algea. "I know your not but I was just letting you know its ok to cut them back if you need to".
another ? if i might , my temp seams to be rising to high its about 81 and i have the heater set at 78 the house is at 73 do i need to get a chiller?
Most ppl keep there tanks from 80 to 82 degrees that seems to be a good spot I would leave it there.
As for your powerheads put some foam filter peices over them that will help. I use them and nothing not even inverts have met my powerheads.

 

[reef ring]

thanks snipe good advice! i was dreading the chiller expense