newbie with lighting,etc. questions

[ddg216]

First of all, I'm SO thankful I found this board. What a wealth of information here. Hearing the actual experiences of aquarists is far more helpful than any lfs I've talked to. Here's my endeavor...I have a 55g. I tried sw 10 years ago and failed miserably. (I was so clueless) So, fast forward in time and I'm READY to do it again, RIGHT!!!! I've been reading everything I can get my hands on (including this board). and talking to anyone and everyone that has a sw. I've learned more in the last month than I can believe. So, right now this is where I am. I used 40 lbs. aragonite, 20 lbs. sand. I put in my RO water (about 45-50 gal., will top it off after I add my lr and see what displacement I have). My salinity is appx. .021. I bought a buffer yesterday for my ph. Is it true that you can use baking soda instead? Do I still need to add a conditioner? My temp is stable. For filters, I'm running an Emperor 400 and my "old" Eheim which still works beautifully. I'm thinking about purchasing a Pro75 sump this week (has a protein skimmer with it). If I used ALL 3 filters, is that over-doing it? One lfs said to use the sump and Emperor and run the Eheim just wet (no media) for the extra flow. I also bought a powerhead that pushes 300gph (will get another to boost to 600). About lighting.....I saw an Aquatic that I really liked. It's the compact flourescents with 2 white 10K and 2 actinics, total wattage is 265. Is that sufficient? I want to start FO, but reef safe (will have space to add another set of "single" compacts.) Any input would be greatly appreciated. I know I'll think of more questions..........THANKS A BUNCH!

 

[stumpdog]

ddg216-
Welcome to the board I am also new to this site and it has been great. From all the stuff I have read if you want to do corals and what not you will want between 4 and 5 watts per gallon. With 265 watts you are putting out about 4.8 watts per gallon. That should be good for a lot of stuff. HIH.
Later-
Jeremy

 

[martianarts]

Yes! It's true you can use baking soda to increase pH. I work in a little family owned pet shop, and we use baking soda to aid pH levels in all of our tanks. In our 20+ gallon tanks, we start out with about a 1/4 teaspoon and then test the water and add as needed. And it's much cheaper than the chemicals that do the exact same thing. And about filtration, I think my LFS workers said it best. "You can never have too much filtration."
-Sammi

 

[beaslbob]

welcome to this hobby.
First and most importantly, go slow. at least 3 weeks before adding a fish. (let the ich die out first)
Too me the most important part of getting a tank setup is to establish a lush growth of algae. Marco algae looks the best. It is kinda plant like. Anyway algae will complete the nitrogen cycle, buffer the ph, filter out all types of stuff, and even provide food for the fish. By establishing macro algae/plant growth as the first thing, you help control the ugly nuisance algaes.
When I recently setup my 55g, i thought the cycle was complete, only to find out the ph had fallen. After a month or two of additional time, the ph corrected itself. Yes you can buffer with baking soda and yes the buffering compounds contain additional good stuff. Bottom line is that with the right substrate, a good macro algae growth, and time, the ph will correct.
May i suggest as a first fish you try fresh water mollies? I used 5 in my 55g. They are very hardy, readily avaialabe, inexpensive, and have babies in the tank. Using live fish for cycling, I consider much better than food or a piece of shrimp. The bio load is different and much more constant the decaying matter.
Good luck and i know you will enjoy.

 

[ddg216]

Thank you all so much for your input. I'm so excited to do this sw aquarium, however..... I am patient! I know how important the cycling is and sure don't want to mess things up right from the get-go. I put my light on yesterday and it's BEAUTIFUL. I absolutely love it. It's an Aqualife compact flourescent (4 bulbs - 2 white 10k and 2 actnincs - 65w each, totalling 260w). It has 2 power switches, so you can have either have all white, all blue, or both. It's great! Thanks for the baking soda input too. That's really nice to know. I'm going out today to get some lr. Will probably start with 10-15 pounds. I heard I shouldn't add too much at once, is that right?
ttyl,
Donna

 

[austinreef]

I would add as much LR as you could afford right off the bat. Believe me, LR is addictive, you will want to add more and more....Good luck!