My new 34 gal reef tank-from a complete newbie

tkucifer

tkucifer

Member
Part I: History
I have had a couple of fresh water tanks over the years; always more fun at first than later. Let's face it, fish don't do much. So when my friend (we'll call her CTRF) said I should try a salt water tank I said "no thanks, I've done the fish thing". But then she showed me reef tanks--pompom xenia, pistol shrimp and watchman goby, boxer crab, electric clam...wait, this isn't my mother's fish bowl! She's a big enthusiast, and eventually it wore off on me.
Part II: The Present...
both physically and metaphysically. Yesterday I turned, gasp, 40. The DH bought me a 34 gallon RedSea 130D and the "stuff" to get started. Before and after fireworks I spent time assembling the stand and the tank (more work than I anticipated), adding "stuff", and just generally admiring my handiwork. It's a good thing; I understand I'll be admiring it in its present condition for a month or so while I patiently (!) wait for it to cycle. But I've been warned by enough experts not to cheat on the cycling, so I promise to be good.
Part III: The Future...
I'll be posting pics of the tank such as it is here, and will be asking LOTS of questions of everyone!
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S

shrimpy brains

Guest
Welcome to SWF! Congratulations!
Looks nice! I like the way you placed your live rock! I also recommend more!
Also, since you added the sand first, be sure to shimmy and press the rock into the sand till it touches the bottom of tank. If you get any burrowing critters later. You don't want them to be able to dig under the rock. This can possibly cause the rock to fall and may crush your critters or break your glass!
 
tkucifer

tkucifer

Member
It is basking in the sun in the backyard. I just finished rinsing it off; next is the salt water rinse then the big reveal. :)
I'll post a pic, don't worry!!!
 
tkucifer

tkucifer

Member
So yesterday we went to the LFS to window shop ONLY but CTRF talked me into buying base rock to go with my live. I found this completely awesome piece that I just love but it's so big that I had to completely re-do all my aquascaping. I don't like the new look as much as the old because the top is too straight, but a little more live rock will easily fix that.
I do LOVE my new rock; it is full of little nooks and crannies that are very cool. I hadn't counted on the challenge of getting all the air out though! I think I got most of it; I turned it every possible way under water until I couldn't coax any more bubbles out. Hopefully it will be enough.
As you can see, the sand is still sifting out. I did dig the rocks in more deeply on the advice of some of you, so they'll be more stable. I haven't epoxied anything though since I keep changing my mind, but they're pretty secure.
I'm having fun spending time on the forums and creating my "wish list" for when the tank is ready for some real inhabitants.
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tkucifer

tkucifer

Member
Day 28: Today I decided to add my CUC. My ammonia, nitrite and nitrate have been at 0 for at least two weeks; I didn't test at first (wish I had) so I missed any spike that may have happened in weeks one or two. I did get a nice diatom bloom at about two weeks which then evolved into lots of algae; shortly thereafter the algae faded back. Parameters today: spec grav 1.025 (after topping off with RO--keeping the salinity on track has been more difficult than I imagined here in the desert where evaporation is a big deal even with the lid closed!) temp stable at 80 (it's 78+ in the house; 110 outside) and pH is about 8.3 by API color test.
I added 12 TINY hermit crabs (they're about 1/2-1cm long), 2 "regular" snails and 2 Nassarius (I think) snails. They seemed to tolerate the acclimation well and are happy and active in the tank now.
I will take some pics tomorrow when the lights come back on but there's not much to see. My plan for this week is daily water testing to see if it handles the new bio-load well, keep the spec grav/salinity OK with top offs and watch the temperature. If all is well, I'll do a 5 gal water change next Saturday and add a fish. Not sure what kind yet; I'm thinking maybe a Chromi. Does anyone have any recommendations for fish #1?
 
gill again68

gill again68

Active Member
You seem to have a handle on things but make sure you put your least aggressive to most aggressive fish in order. Really like that big rock. You may want to elevate it so that the natural caves it is making show and perform better for you and the fish. Just a thought. First fish GOBY?
 
tkucifer

tkucifer

Member
Thanks for the heads-up; I had almost forgotten the "least aggressive to most aggressive" rule. Maybe I can elevate the big rock; I need some more LR anyway so I might try making a "pedestal" for it and see how that looks.
I would love a Watchman Goby/Pistol shrimp combo; I was thinking it's too soon (for the shrimp ?) but I love how they work together. More research!
 
tkucifer

tkucifer

Member
I was going to wait on my black clowns but they were just too nice to pass up. I added a mushroom coral with a free leather "stowaway", the 2 percs and an emerald crab. Water parameters look great but I really need a decent pH meter; the colors are just too tough for me to read accurately and I'm obsessing over the acclimations! All's well that ends well, at least this time, so we're all a happy family.
As you can see, the corals were a little put off by the move but have recovered nicely, and the clowns are much more social than in these early pics when they were scared and shy.
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tkucifer

tkucifer

Member
Thanks everyone! Now, can anyone tell me why they were so happy on day 1 and now they're punky? I did a water change this w/e and all the parameters were as spot-on as I could make them; water tests before and after and again since are OK:
SG 1.025-1.026 (by refractometer, I know that's a little high but the same as it was all along)
pH 8.3-8.4 (API high range) (waiting for my Hanna meter to get here!)
Temp 79 F (it's AZ, 110 outside, that's about as cold as it gets even with the fan on 24/7)
NH3, NO2, NO3 undetectable (Salifert)
Ca 390 (Salifert)
Phos undetectable (Salifert)
Neighbors: 2 black clowns, 12 dwarf hermits, 2 Nassarius snails, 2 Astrea snails, 1 emerald crab and LOTS of algae (I turned the lights back from 12 h/day to 10 Tuesday and today all the way back to 6 h/day)
I know the powerheads aren't exactly where they were before the water change, but I've moved them twice since the w/e with mediocre results. Any help? I haven't fed them; should I?
 
tkucifer

tkucifer

Member
Since I still have the algae issue and several sources suggest a larger CUC, I bought another emerald crab, 2 med and 2 small hermits and 2 more much smaller Nassarius snails. I also put in a 3# LR (cured), a gorgeous fire shrimp and a cute little cleaner shrimp--really shouldn't have spent that much but I just couldn't decide! They are lots of fun already although the clowns seemed a little perplexed at first.
I did a water change and will watch the NH3/NO2/NO3 levels carefully over the next few days since I added stuff and stirred up the sand a little (tried not to disturb any deep sand--anaerobes and all you know). I won't do it in that order in the future; kind of got to the point of no return before I realized my mistake. Ugh! There's so much to learn!!!!
I am starting to really gravitate to one LFS though; there are a few but this one has a seemingly very knowledgeable crew and good prices. Plus, I spend too much every time I go in so I think they like me.

Anyway, new pics. Sorry they're so blurry; I took these with my iPhone. Also, any ideas as to why just ONE mushroom coral is unhappy???
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tkucifer

tkucifer

Member
I'm not sure about the genders; I know the larger one typically becomes the female but they're still juveniles and I'm not sure how soon that happens. I have noticed that one is definitely outpacing the other for size so maybe so?
 
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