How is my reef tank setup?

reef dude

reef dude

Member
Hey everyone, In your opinion, what do you think of my tank? Its in the beginning stages of being cycled....
90 gallon tank
3.5" DSB
100 lbs LR
12 turbo snails
2 MH 175 watts each, 5,500k ( 8hrs a day)
2 NO flourescent actinics 40 watts each(10 hrs a day)
Total of 430 watts
wet/dry filter (I took the skimmer out until the cycle is done)
Any suggestions for the tank? do i have enough rock? Am i going about everything the right way?
The rock has been in about 5 days now, the ammonia test shows no ammonia, same with nitrites. pH is about 8.3
alkalinity is approx 1.022
Do i do any water changes?
the filter seemed to get clogged from all the cloudy water the day that i put in the rock, can i clean it? or leave it be?
thanks all!!!
 
ruaround

ruaround

Active Member
Dont do any water changes until the cycle is complete... You could use more rock and live sand, but that is entirely up to you... Just remember there isnt any ONE way to have a successful system...as long as your inhabitants are thriving, and you take care of the water you'll be alright... the photo period is also up to you...Good Luck!!! :D
 
reef dude

reef dude

Member
How long do you suggest the lights be on?
Why does everyone suggest so much LR ? why is a lot of Lr good to have?
 
fishmanmn

fishmanmn

Member
ok.
why do u have ur lights on for so long, do u sit there for 18hrs a day watching ur fish,lol.
just put them on for round about 12-14 hrs a day, but get sum 1 to correct me if i am wrong
 
ruaround

ruaround

Active Member
Its all about the bio filtration...thats the reason for the want/need for alot of live rock...a good rule of thumb is 2 to 2.5 lbs per gallon... and as far as the photo period, like i said earlier in the thread, its entirly up to you...the sun is out anywhere from 8 to 14 hours...you choose man...
 
maury

maury

Member
Looked to me like the lighting setup he has now IS on for 10 hours a day. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I fugured his Halides come on an hour after his actinics, and go off an hour before the actinics kick off. All in all, I'd say looks like a good set-up. Go ahead and clean tebh filter if it's dirty, the less debris stuck in there the better. And the reason for more LR is for your tank to have a greater ability to remove waste, though I wouldn't see the need to add much more, if any. A good rule of thumb is 1-11/2 pounds of LR per gallon. Your LR and DSB are your primary filter media, so to speak. Looks good!
 
ruaround

ruaround

Active Member
fishmanmn...i believe youre misreading...the lights are only on a total of 10 hrs...the actinics for 10 and the MH for 8...simultainiously...the MH prob go on an hour after the actinics and go off an hour b4...
 
ed r

ed r

Member
I think it looks like a good setup, except maybe for the wet-dry. The live rock and sand will provide the biological filtration. Are you using the wet-dry just to create a sump, or do you have bio-balls or something in there? Any filter media that is in the wet dry can become a source of accummulated organic matter which will raise nitrates. I believe most people no longer use wet-dry filters on reef tanks. It you just want to increase circulation and aeration, remove any filter media and just let the water circulate. Good luck.
 
byrself

byrself

Member
i think your setup looks great. ed has a point with the wet/dry, but imo it would be fine like it is. just keep the filters fairly clean and do it regularly. don't let them get clogged for a long period of time. that's when they become probs. as far as the lighting period, you could even go longer than that. my opinion is that whatever you go with, be consistent with that. i run mine closer to 14 hrs. a day, but i have different lighting than you do. but you are definitely starting off on the right track as i see it. good luck, and hold off on the water change til things are over with the cycle. <img src="graemlins//silly.gif" border="0" alt="[silly]" />
 
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