My 60 Gallon Build

[lsc4910]

So as some of you may know (I've posted a few questions already), my mother bought me a 60 gallon tank for a housewarming present. This is my first tank, and I'm probably going to have a lot of questions. Might as well start a Build Thread, right??
Anywho... I let the tank cycle for about 2 weeks (and that was playing it safe, I had a really short cycle). Last Thursday, I added my initial CUC -- 10 hermits and 10 snails. I did a group buy with some people through my local reef club and will be getting (30) Dwarf Ceriths, (17) Florida Ceriths, (9) Large Nerite Snails, (7) Small-Medium Nerite Snails, and (15) assorted Hermits tomorrow. I also added 2 Ocellaris Clowns this past Saturday (my wife named them Nemo and Flo). Nemo only nips at pellets, but gobbles up Mysis, whereas Flo is just a flat out pig and eats everything (good sign!).
The tank is 48"L x 12"W x 24"T. 60 pounds of Live Sand, and about 53 pounds of Live Rock. I'm currently running a cannister filter, with a 4-bulb T5HO that also has 4 LED moonlights. I have a few pics, and was mainly wondering about (what I assume) is brown algae.







Final two pics were taken just a few minutes ago. And yes, I'm aware there is some Aiptasia in a couple of those pics; it has been taken care of. I'm just wondering about this brown algae from the final pic... is this something that my more heavy duty CUC should be able to take care of? Or is there something else I should do?

 

[sweatervest13]

Hi and Welcome!!!
I love the look of the tank and stand. Looks very clean. What kind of water are you using for this tank? It looks like in one of the pics you are using a garden hose with tap water. Was that just to leak test the tank? Most would recommend RO/DI water ( you can pick up your own unit for a decent price, or you can get it at most walmart type stores for like $.37/gallon). The better water you use the easier time you will have. I first filled my 29g with tap and almost a year later I am still having some issues with algae.
You have some nice pieces of rock in there, and I like the look of the two islands. I would suggest tho that you make sure it is all stable and wont move, and you might want to move it from the glass a bit so you can use a Mag-float to clean the glass. Your water level looks a bit low, most folks go up to the bottom of the top trim ( you do have a very tall tank though so its up to you).
The brown algae is/should be diatoms. Here is a like to a search that will give you more info on it (https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/search.php?search=diatoms ).
Hope this all helps. I am sure some of the experts will chime in. This build looks fun so I am following along!!!!

 

[meowzer]

Looks good so far...agree with above BUT would like to add
Get a solid black or blue background....will make a huge difference
I would get more rock
you need powerheads....at least 2, and I recommend Koralias....the evolution 750 and/or 1050's should be good (Unless you can afford an MP40)
That is a lot of CUC to be adding......make sure you check your water parameters OFTEN...2 weeks is not very long to be adding all that stuff
That canister looks like a Cascade....if so it should have come with a flow bar.....you may consider using that, and positioning it on one end of the tank to move the complete top of water
P.S. WELCOME to SWF and the hobby of sw fish keeping

 

[lsc4910]

Hi and Welcome!!!

I love the look of the tank and stand. Looks very clean. What kind of water are you using for this tank? It looks like in one of the pics you are using a garden hose with tap water. Was that just to leak test the tank? Most would recommend RO/DI water ( you can pick up your own unit for a decent price, or you can get it at most walmart type stores for like $.37/gallon). The better water you use the easier time you will have. I first filled my 29g with tap and almost a year later I am still having some issues with algae.

You have some nice pieces of rock in there, and I like the look of the two islands. I would suggest tho that you make sure it is all stable and wont move, and you might want to move it from the glass a bit so you can use a Mag-float to clean the glass. Your water level looks a bit low, most folks go up to the bottom of the top trim ( you do have a very tall tank though so its up to you).

The brown algae is/should be diatoms. Here is a like to a search that will give you more info on it (http://forums.saltwaterfish.com/search.php?search=diatoms ).

Hope this all helps. I am sure some of the experts will chime in. This build looks fun so I am following along!!!!
Hey, thanks for the response. Yes, I used the hose to fill it, even though I knew better. I have a RO/DI unit, but it is affixed under my kitchen sink, qnd only produces about 2 gallons per day. As far as moving the rock away from the glass goes, I wish it were that simple. Those are pretty large rocks and the tank is only 12" wide, which doesn't give me much room to work with. My water level has been pretty low. I let quite a bit of that tap water evaporate, and have since been topping it off with as much as my RO/DI unit allows each day.
Thanks for your compliments! As I'm sure you know, the first tank is really exciting!

 

[lsc4910]

Looks good so far...agree with above BUT would like to add

Get a solid black or blue background....will make a huge difference
I would get more rock
you need powerheads....at least 2, and I recommend Koralias....the evolution 750 and/or 1050's should be good (Unless you can afford an MP40)
That is a lot of CUC to be adding......make sure you check your water parameters OFTEN...2 weeks is not very long to be adding all that stuff
That canister looks like a Cascade....if so it should have come with a flow bar.....you may consider using that, and positioning it on one end of the tank to move the complete top of water


P.S. WELCOME to SWF and the hobby of sw fish keeping
Hey, meowzer. I do have a solid blue and a black background, but decided against it for the time being. I'm skeptical of getting more rock, just because of the narrowness of the tank. If I were to put more in, there wouldn't be much of a sandbed showing for my critters. I do need a powerhead, and that's one of the questions I've been meaning to ask. I was wanting a Koralia but was unsure of which one to get. The filter is a Cascade, good eye. What is the flow bar? Is that the long skinny bar with a few small holes along it? If so, I do have that attached right now. I have been testing every other day and everything seems good, although there's always room for improvement.

 

[sweatervest13]

Quote:
Originally Posted by lsc4910 http:///forum/thread/385514/my-60-gallon-build#post_3381264
Quote:
Originally Posted by sweatervest13 http:///forum/thread/385514/my-60-gallon-build#post_3381261
Hi and Welcome!!!
I love the look of the tank and stand. Looks very clean. What kind of water are you using for this tank? It looks like in one of the pics you are using a garden hose with tap water. Was that just to leak test the tank? Most would recommend RO/DI water ( you can pick up your own unit for a decent price, or you can get it at most walmart type stores for like $.37/gallon). The better water you use the easier time you will have. I first filled my 29g with tap and almost a year later I am still having some issues with algae.
You have some nice pieces of rock in there, and I like the look of the two islands. I would suggest tho that you make sure it is all stable and wont move, and you might want to move it from the glass a bit so you can use a Mag-float to clean the glass. Your water level looks a bit low, most folks go up to the bottom of the top trim ( you do have a very tall tank though so its up to you).
The brown algae is/should be diatoms. Here is a like to a search that will give you more info on it (https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/search.php?search=diatoms ).
Hope this all helps. I am sure some of the experts will chime in. This build looks fun so I am following along!!!!
Hey, thanks for the response. Yes, I used the hose to fill it, even though I knew better. I have a RO/DI unit, but it is affixed under my kitchen sink, qnd only produces about 2 gallons per day. As far as moving the rock away from the glass goes, I wish it were that simple. Those are pretty large rocks and the tank is only 12" wide, which doesn't give me much room to work with. My water level has been pretty low. I let quite a bit of that tap water evaporate, and have since been topping it off with as much as my RO/DI unit allows each day.
Thanks for your compliments! As I'm sure you know, the first tank is really exciting!
If my RO unit only put our 2gal/day I would prob wanna use a hose too. lol. Just be careful with how much you let evaporate as it will raise your SG as the salt will not evaporate just the water. You don't want your livestock to have that big of a swing in salinity between top offs.
I hear you about the narrow tank. 12" is not very wide and can be a pain to aquascape. When your tank gets a bit older you will start to get coraline algae all over the glass and if you can't scrape it with a Mag-float daily it will spread quick and you won't be able to see out of that side panel of glass where the rock is ( you can use a razor blade once it is there to scrap it but that is more work). You can always break the rocks up a bit.
The first tank is always really exciting. Thats what sucks you in, Its like hitting a perfect 7 iron right at the pin on the 18th hole after you have been spraying the ball around all day. It gets you that "I can do it" feeling and makes you want to keep going.
Good Luck!!

 

[meowzer]

Quote:
Originally Posted by lsc4910 http:///forum/thread/385514/my-60-gallon-build#post_3381265
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/385514/my-60-gallon-build#post_3381263
Looks good so far...agree with above BUT would like to add
Get a solid black or blue background....will make a huge difference
I would get more rock
you need powerheads....at least 2, and I recommend Koralias....the evolution 750 and/or 1050's should be good (Unless you can afford an MP40)
That is a lot of CUC to be adding......make sure you check your water parameters OFTEN...2 weeks is not very long to be adding all that stuff
That canister looks like a Cascade....if so it should have come with a flow bar.....you may consider using that, and positioning it on one end of the tank to move the complete top of water
P.S. WELCOME to SWF and the hobby of sw fish keeping
Hey, meowzer. I do have a solid blue and a black background, but decided against it for the time being. I'm skeptical of getting more rock, just because of the narrowness of the tank. If I were to put more in, there wouldn't be much of a sandbed showing for my critters. I do need a powerhead, and that's one of the questions I've been meaning to ask. I was wanting a Koralia but was unsure of which one to get. The filter is a Cascade, good eye. What is the flow bar? Is that the long skinny bar with a few small holes along it? If so, I do have that attached right now. I have been testing every other day and everything seems good, although there's always room for improvement.
Look for rock that you can build up with.....make some arch's and caves....Does not have to cover all the sand.
YES, it is the bar with all the holes in it..LOL (I have 2 cascades that I use for the flow bars) what is the little thing sticking off the end?
For a 60G you might consider 2 Koralia 1050's. (JMO) Looks like you do have top water movement though....sothat is a good thing

 

[lsc4910]

Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/385514/my-60-gallon-build#post_3381275
Look for rock that you can build up with.....make some arch's and caves....Does not have to cover all the sand.
YES, it is the bar with all the holes in it..LOL (I have 2 cascades that I use for the flow bars) what is the little thing sticking off the end?
For a 60G you might consider 2 Koralia 1050's. (JMO) Looks like you do have top water movement though....sothat is a good thing
That little thing sticking off the end is sort of like a directional piece... its shaped like a V, so that the flow coming out of the return goes more straight out instead of just dispersing in all directions... if that makes sense haha. I'll check out those 1050s. I have about $111 left in store credit for a fish store that I no longer go to. I returned the light fixture that you see in that first pic and bought another one from a better LFS, so I'm gonna check and see if they'll order those 2 Koralias for me (I already know they don't carry them there). I do have a pretty good amount of top water movement just from the canister, which is why I haven't been in a huge rush to get my powerheads (although I do know that I need them). Thanks for your advice!

 

[lsc4910]

My Aiptasia has come back for a third time, and with a vengeance. I had attacked each one with Aiptasia-X twice already and it all went away for about a week each time. I added one peppermint shrimp last week, and just added two more about a half hour ago. The one I added last week does nothing but hide 24/7 and hasn't even gone near the aiptasia. The two I just added today are extremely active, so I'm hoping they'll find it and get rid of it for me. The one rock that has it really bad has a TON of coraline on it already, so I'm trying to avoid drying it out. This is my last ditch effort, I guess. Is there anything else I can do for the aiptasia that I haven't done yet? It really is starting to get out of control (I've caught a few of them eating the pellets that I feed my clowns!!). I know there's always the Aiptasia Eating Filefish, but I wouldn't really want one after it eats it all.
Any suggestions?

 

[lsc4910]

well that didn't last long. both shrimp are already dead. about to test my water for the 3rd time in two days

 

[siptang]

Did you say that you cycled the tank for 2 weeks?
Also did you cycle with clowns? Perhaps it was bit early. You need to properly cure live rocks even if it comes from established tanks. Something is bound to die while transferring unless it's right next to each other. Just a thought though keep us updated with water parameters.

 

[lsc4910]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Siptang http:///forum/thread/385514/my-60-gallon-build#post_3384121
Did you say that you cycled the tank for 2 weeks?
Also did you cycle with clowns? Perhaps it was bit early. You need to properly cure live rocks even if it comes from established tanks. Something is bound to die while transferring unless it's right next to each other. Just a thought though keep us updated with water parameters.
Yeah, I know two weeks is a short amount of time for cycling a new tank, but I saw everything spike, then drop down to normal. I didn't cycle WITH my clowns; they were added exactly three weeks after I filled the tank with water, salt, sand, and live rock with no change in parameters.
My readings right now are:
PH - about 8.3
Ammonia - .25 ppm
Nitrites - 0 ppm
Nitrates - 5 ppm
SG - 1.021 ( a tad bit low, I know )
Temp - 79 degrees

 

[siptang]

yea but you also need beneficial bacteria in the water prior to adding other fish in. That's other part of breaking in the tank.
Many people use damsels for a bit then flush them down the toilet due to it's behavioral problems.
That's something that the test won't show.
Those bacterias also help break down ammonia and nitrites as well. I recommend little dosage of nite out II by microbe. They help those bacterias get going if your tank is fairly new or simply too much bio load for your bacteria to handle.
Just a thought in case all the parameters come back normal. Which probably will since you cycled the rocks.
Also if you want to do fish only tanks nitrates aren't really a problem however if you decide to get corals, be sure to take care of that nitrate level
Nice looking tank! Very clean and sleek!! I like it!!!

 

[yannifish]

You don't want to be seeing any ammonia readings. What test kits are you using?
If you wanted you could always use a hammer to break the rock (outside of the tank of course). I have a 12" wide tank too, and it is not fun to aquascape.
And the brown algae is diatoms, which will go away with time (couple weeks). I don't think I saw where anyone answered that question.
More rock would be a good thing.
Tank is looking good! Keep asking questions! Believe me, it is much better to ask questions on here and learn from the people on this site than to make mistakes and kill things!

 

[1guydude]

Is this the marineland 60gal tank and stand combo from *****? I was gonna get this but i didnt want the stupid lid and light on top....they wouldnt go down on price so i walked!
Anyways ya ur tank might not be completely cycled and the bacteria cant keep up with the bioload....I would do a water change and make the SG of the water change water a lil higher than ur tank water to bring that SG up...Warning only raise it like 1 or 2 at a time..know wat i mean? No drastic changes wanted here! like ur SG is 1.021...u wanna get it to 1.022 or 1.023 at max 1st change!
I would also raise the water level to the bottom of the trim, so maybe just add some higher salinity saltwater to bring up the water level idk its up to u lol....
+1 on the powerheads and more rock...as meowzer said look for some that u can make caves or tunnels out of. I would get bigger rock for the base obviously and i recommend when placing it u push it down into the sand as much as u can so it dosent shift when u add more rock! I would hate it if some rock shifted and cracked my glass or killed my prized fishy...yes thats just diatom algae from a new tank. it will run out of the silicates it feeds on and disappear in time!
btw ur trates, trites, and ammonia should all read 0

 

[lsc4910]

Well, it's been awhile since I last updated. A lot has changed. I added a Kole Tang a few weeks ago, and all was fine until last week when he came down with Ich. I had it under control in less than 24 hours, though. I began feeding more of a variety, while soaking it overnight in garlic extract with a drop of pure vitamin c. I have also been doing small water changes (about 2.5 gallons) every other day to try and control the outbreak. Ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are all reading 0, and SG is up to 1.024. I've also been using only RO water for top-offs, water changes, and when cleaning the canister filter, which has obviously made a huge difference.
Anyways, I picked up a bunch of primo corals from a guy in my local reef club who has lost interest in the hobby and was just trying to get rid of his stuff. I really lucked out on this, as he was practically giving everything away...
Frogspawn...

Acan colony... about 14 head, with 3 new ones coming in

Green Star Polyps...

Green Finger Leather, which looks awesome under only actinics, and even more amazing under LED moonlights.

And my tank's showpiece and my pride and joy... Superman Monti, measuring about 5 inches in diameter

And, of course, a FTS...

I know you see three powerheads in there, but only two of them are on. For some reason, I just haven't taken that nano PH on the left out of the tank yet. The guy I bought the corals from threw in two nano PHs since I bought so much from him, and I was thinking I could use them for a little extra flow over my corals but, as you can tell from the leather on the left, I think it was a bit overkill. I'm still moving things around as to how I see fit for each coral's most healthy spot in the tank. Any suggestions? Anything you guys would move?

 

[lsc4910]

Quote:
Originally Posted by 1guyDude http:///forum/thread/385514/my-60-gallon-build#post_3384250
Is this the marineland 60gal tank and stand combo from *****? I was gonna get this but i didnt want the stupid lid and light on top....they wouldnt go down on price so i walked!
Anyways ya ur tank might not be completely cycled and the bacteria cant keep up with the bioload....I would do a water change and make the SG of the water change water a lil higher than ur tank water to bring that SG up...Warning only raise it like 1 or 2 at a time..know wat i mean? No drastic changes wanted here! like ur SG is 1.021...u wanna get it to 1.022 or 1.023 at max 1st change!
I would also raise the water level to the bottom of the trim, so maybe just add some higher salinity saltwater to bring up the water level idk its up to u lol....
+1 on the powerheads and more rock...as meowzer said look for some that u can make caves or tunnels out of. I would get bigger rock for the base obviously and i recommend when placing it u push it down into the sand as much as u can so it dosent shift when u add more rock! I would hate it if some rock shifted and cracked my glass or killed my prized fishy...yes thats just diatom algae from a new tank. it will run out of the silicates it feeds on and disappear in time!
btw ur trates, trites, and ammonia should all read 0
Yes, that's the Marineland from *****. Good eye. I absolutely HATE the 12 inch width, but like I said, it was a housewarming gift from my mother, so I didn't really get to pick the tank out. I also didn't care for the lights or the hood, but my mom bought me the current fixture you see in the pictures, which is a Coralife 4-bulb T5HO, running a mix of two 14k daylights and two actinics with 4 LED moonlights. I'm making the best of it though, and am hoping for an upgrade to the DSA 180 in a year or so from now. My wife wants my current 60, which is awesome because now we can enjoy a hobby together. I didn't see your post earlier, sorry for the late response. But I did end up doing exactly what you had advised, in raising the SG a little bit each time I did a water change. And, obviously I have added MUCH more rock, haha. I didn't realize it had been so long since I had updated this thread, and was pretty surprised to see just those three original rocks when I went back and looked at my last picture update.

 

[1guydude]

I know right crazy seeing old pics of the tank huh?!?! LOL
didnt think u were comin back man! I was like hmmm guess hes MIA....tank looks good man a big improvement from the 1st couple pics. Wat kinda light are u talkin bout? The dsa180 or watever?
I plan on upgrading my t5 fixture to a tek t5 fixture. Not only are they sleek and kool but great performance. A lil spendy though!
Hey wat kinda of canister do u have? I usually clean mine in my old W/C water so not to kill the good stuff fighting off the bad bacteria. This may have been why u got the ich?!?!?!
I dont see the kole tang>!>do u still have him?
I just got a 75gal not to long ago! hehe

 

[lsc4910]

I know right crazy seeing old pics of the tank huh?!?! LOL
didnt think u were comin back man! I was like hmmm guess hes MIA....tank looks good man a big improvement from the 1st couple pics. Wat kinda light are u talkin bout? The dsa180 or watever?
I plan on upgrading my t5 fixture to a tek t5 fixture. Not only are they sleek and kool but great performance. A lil spendy though!
Hey wat kinda of canister do u have? I usually clean mine in my old W/C water so not to kill the good stuff fighting off the bad bacteria. This may have been why u got the ich?!?!?!
I dont see the kole tang>!>do u still have him?
I just got a 75gal not to long ago! hehe

The DSA 180 is a tank, guess I should've clarified that. It's a company out of Dallas called Deep Sea Aquatics (DSA). They have some gorgeous tanks. I have a Cascade canister filter. I clean it in tank water when I do water changes, but I just meant that I refill it with RO water after cleaning it. The Kole Tang is still in there; he just disappears anytime a camera comes out. The clowns on the other hand are attention hogs. Good luck with that 75, man. You have a build thread for it?

 

[1guydude]

nope not yet.... gotta move out and get all the equipment still. Im focusing on my 20L and my 36 for now. Sry for the late response
180 is huge....stuff is quite spendy on a tank that size! Cant wait to see pics of it if u get it!