Red Sea Max 34 gallon...Diary

cal559

Member
Finally broke down and bought a nice tank for $600 with stand pretty good deal i thought so i jumped on it.

Barely got the stand put together took about 45 min.
2morrow i will be doing the leak test because it's late already but by this weekend i should have sand, cured live rock and salt water.
It's going to be a 34 gallon PREDATOR NANO.

If anybody has any experience with one of these tanks can you please tell me if anything needs any upgrades.

Here's My 1st picture...
 

whisk

Active Member
Right on dude, thats is a nice tank. Sounds like you are taking the right steps to setting it up properly. Dont forget your drip loops and a GFCI is a must! Good luck, looking forward to your progress this weekend. I also must say its cool you will be going with a predator tank, that should mix it up a bit
 

cal559

Member
What's GFCI mean? lol...I don't know?

Yeah i haven't decided on the predator yet though still open to suggestions...

Oh yeah my local fish store said they have some stuff you add to the salt water to cycle it in like a couple days with cured live rock...lol...i don't know if it's true or not will try to get the name of it 2morrow.
 

whisk

Active Member
Originally Posted by cal559
http:///forum/post/2827959
What's GFCI mean? lol...I don't know?

Yeah i haven't decided on the predator yet though still open to suggestions...

Oh yeah my local fish store said they have some stuff you add to the salt water to cycle it in like a couple days with cured live rock...lol...i don't know if it's true or not will try to get the name of it 2morrow.
You can research it on these forums, there is a lot of info about them. Basically a GFCI is plug that will prevent you from getting eletrical shock if you put your hand in the water and something like a light fixture falls in the water or a heater breaks or some other equipment has electrical leakage. Basically, if you value your life you MUST buy one of these. It's like $12-$20 at home depot depending on the kind you get. PLEASE buy one and please research it.
If that doesnt make sense to you, its the same type of thing found on a hair dryer plug with the little test and reset button. Your bathroom in the house maybe even have a GFCI outlet with the test and reset button on it. All that you need to know is its a cheap and easy solution to save your life in case of a freak accident.
 

nano-newb1983

Active Member
Dont get that 2 day cycle crap, it is junk. If you wanna speed up cycle just put a raw shrimp in... Cant wait to see the tank stocked, i want that tank sooooo bad
 

cal559

Member
Ok...

I got 25 lbs. of cured live rock in my tank and about 30 lbs. of live sand. ( I WOULD POST PICTURES BUT IT'S ALL CLOUDY RIGHT NOW, SO I WILL WAIT, HOPEFULLY IT DOESNT TAKE LONG )
How long should i cycle my tank and does it need the protein skimmer on?
 

whisk

Active Member
Originally Posted by cal559
http:///forum/post/2831126
Ok...

I got 25 lbs. of cured live rock in my tank and about 30 lbs. of live sand. ( I WOULD POST PICTURES BUT IT'S ALL CLOUDY RIGHT NOW, SO I WILL WAIT, HOPEFULLY IT DOESNT TAKE LONG )
How long should i cycle my tank and does it need the protein skimmer on?

The cloudiness in my tank took less than a day to clear up, hopefully yours will too. As far as cyclying, it can take anywhere from like 2-6 weeks from what I hear. Others will answer more clearly about it, but with your test results you will know when your done cyclying when your ammonia and nitrites go down back to zero and your nitrates start to rise. Good luck!

I'm sorry I dont have an answer for the protein skimmer question.
 

cal559

Member
Thanks Whisk yeah hopefully a day at max...I'm pretty sure the skimmer should be off until the cycle is over...
 

cal559

Member
I got my cured live rock and live sand in the tank...

It took about 4 days for the sand to settle...seemed like forever.
My cycling process has just started...then should i add raw shrimp to my tank?
I'm going to buy 5 more pounds of cured live rock to put in still probably 2morrow morning.

Does the landscape look nice? I made sure all the base rocks were touching the bottom glass.


 

rebelprettyboy

Active Member
Tank is lookin good so far?
Have u already seen a spike in the parameters? If so then I wouldnt add the shrimp, if not then Id one.
It wouldnt hurt to run the skimmer right now. U can get it all adjusted and what not
 

cal559

Member
Yeah i will do a water test 2morrow morning and see if it's spikes out or not and i did just start running the skimmer.
Oh yeah and the skimmer has bubbles building up to about the top is that normal?
 

cal559

Member
I also have a maxi-jet 900 that i don't use. Will i be able to use this in my 34 gallon it does 230 gph? I think i can just turn the valve down to decrease flow.
 

nissan577

Active Member
looking good man!
cant wait for it to be stock! i always wanted an RSM but to much money! i know your gonna have fun
 

deepsix

New Member
Originally Posted by cal559
http:///forum/post/2836848
I also have a maxi-jet 900 that i don't use. Will i be able to use this in my 34 gallon it does 230 gph? I think i can just turn the valve down to decrease flow.

As a reference I have a Koralia 1 (400 gph) in the upper right corner of my RSM and also a Koralia Nano (240 gph) down lower on the right side that is pointed to blow back behind my rockwork. The Nano is sort of hidden behind rock and coral.
You may want/need more or less based on your rock structure and what you plan to keep. Good luck.
 

nano-newb1983

Active Member
Originally Posted by cal559
http:///forum/post/2836742
Yeah i will do a water test 2morrow morning and see if it's spikes out or not and i did just start running the skimmer.
Oh yeah and the skimmer has bubbles building up to about the top is that normal?
i dont think you supposed to run your skimmer during the cycle

Also, i love your tank... Looks freaking awesome.. Cant wait for the fish
 

subielover

Active Member
Looking good so far. You should add all the rock in now, that will jump start your cycle and then you just have to wait.
+1 on adding more water movement.
 
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