Newbie Coming through!!!

[ballyhoo]

Hello All. I've been a silent reader for quite some time, so now I've decided that big step and get my self set up with a SWA. So here is my set up and what I've done so far...My tank has been up for about 3 weeks.
I have a 30g with a 10g wet/dry. I have a 296gh pump with a seaclone 100 skimmer in the sump and 95w pc.
I have 30lbs of LS and 45lbs of CLR. I filled the tank with seawater from the lfs. Now, I was told that the tank should be already cycled if it is set up that way. I let it run for a week and tested my levels at the lfs and they said they were perfect, so I added two sally crabs and a turbo snail, all is well. I waited a week and added 3 chromis and 2 sand shifters, every one seems to be doing fine. I also noticed some small feather dusters on my live rock that also seem to be ok. I was dealing with some temp issues but I added a heater and fan and that seems to be under control. The only problem that I have is that I've got to add about a gallon of water every two days to maintain water level. Am I on the right track?????

 

[turningtim]

JMO. I'm no pro but it sounds good to me!:yes: I battle evaporation also You should not add any salt for top-off b/c the salt stays and the water goes. For such a new tank I would test a lot like everyday. If you don't have one invest in a test kit. I would also take it easy for a while and see that the tank keeps going the way you want. Watch for spikes in Amm/nitrite.
Your flow seems to be a little lacking (-10x) but that depends on what you want to keep. Do you have any powerheads for water movment?
Haven't heard a lot of good things about the seaclone but if it works it works.
Don't know about your costs but it may be cheaper to buy Ro water and add your own salt.
Welcome and be prepared for some headaches. If you get hooked it's way to much FUN

Good Luck
Tim

 

[ballyhoo]

No I don't have any power heads but I was getting ready to buy one, can you recomend any?? As for the RO and Sea water, I pay about .45 a gal for RO and .50 for Sea water so my cost isn't too bad..

 

[thomas712]

.45 cents for RO? I only pay .29 cents at Miejer!
Get used to the top offs, I loose nearly 2 gallons per day sometimes.
Thomas

 

[maeistero]

my di/ro is only about 10-15cent haha. your setup sounds great but you need water movement badly. i'm in love with the powersweep powerheads. they are a regular powerhead, only they move the output side to side to create currents. as far as output goes i don't know, i bought a dozen about 3 years ago and don't have the packaging anymore, sorry.

 

[turningtim]

Wow! You guys get cheap water! My LFS RO/DI is .50 per gal and the salt mix is like $1.10
I guess that's what I get for living in a water lacking state !
maeistero, I always wondered about those Powersweeps. I guess you like them?
ballyhoo, get more than one, if you can. Go online, you'll prolly get 2 for the price you pay for 1 at your LFS. I have seen the powersweeps on the famous auction site and they come in different outputs.
Tim

 

[ballyhoo]

Thanks guys...... I'm going to buy some power heads tomorrow.
any suggestions on were are the best places to position them?
What gph should I be looking for. Should I buy just one or stick with the two that I plan to buy?

 

[ballyhoo]

Or should I replace my sump pump with a stronger one....If so what should I be at in gph?