Salty Newb

amooney711

amooney711

New Member
First off, hello to everyone! This is my first attempt at saltwater after having only freshwater. My masterpiece is my 75g Cichlid tank which I have been very successful with. So successful that it gave me enough confidence to transform my 20g to saltwater. This was done at the beginning of this month. So far so good. All parameters are perfect and everything is thriving. I have yet to get a protein skimmer and have had life in my tank for over 2 weeks. Next week i will be getting one from my work. AmI hurting anything by not having it yet? Also I need to know what kind to order, please may I have some recommendations for a hang on tank skimmer?
 
subielover

subielover

Active Member
What is in the tank now? As long as you keep your bioload low, weekly water changes will be all you need to do. I don't feel protein skimmers are a necessity on nano tanks, just weekly water changes of at least 10%.
 
amooney711

amooney711

New Member
I have 2 lemon damsels 1 emerald crab a colt frag and a condy. I plan on a water change tomorrow. With this being my first how should i go about it? In my cichlid tank i just use dechlorinated tap. What method should i use to return the water?
 
subielover

subielover

Active Member
Well, first off the anemone has no place in your tank yet. They should only be added to a tank that is mature (minimum 6 months,) they also require high lighting. Condy anemones aren't as light demanding as many anemones but good lighting is still required to sustain it long term. What kind of lighting do you have? What lighting fixture? Seems you are moving too fast. Slow down.
Are you mixing your own saltwater? If so, it should be mixed for at least 24 hours. It should be the same s.g., ph, and temperature before being added to the tank. Of course for top-offs you should be using freshwater only, ro/di water to be exact. As for water changes(which should be done weekly,) I would remove 2 gallons of water. Then add 2 gallons of the fresh saltwater. I use one of the gravel vacs to siphon out the water from the tank, and then to siphon it back into the tank from my mixing bucket.
 
amooney711

amooney711

New Member
Yeah i was afraid i was going too fast. I used aragalive sand and some marine biospira to help mature tank. As for lighting I have a Nova Extreme 2x24w T5HO 10k/460nm. Thats good news about the siphon, I have 2 gravel vacs and a mixing bucket. Where does one get RO water?
 
subielover

subielover

Active Member
Your local fish store(lfs) should have it. You could always get a ro/di filter for just over $100 and just make your own. As for going too fast, it is a common mistake. It is very excited to get started. If it were my tank, I would return the anemone. Just to be on the safe side, as you have good lighting but certainly not overwhelming. In your tank you should be able to keep softies and some lps corals. As for the salt, I like Oceanic or Tropic Marin Pro Reef.
Glad to hear you already have a bucket and siphons so that is good. You will also want to pick up a small powerhead (I use a Rio 90 in my 5 gallon bucket.) A small heater (25-50 watt is good) and a thermometer. A refractometer should be used to test the specific gravity. Make sure the temperature is exactly what your tank's temperature is. As long as you do weekly water changes with a good quality salt you most likely will not have to dose anything, or use a protein skimmer. What are you using for a filter currently? Do you have any pictures?
 
amooney711

amooney711

New Member
i have an Emperor 280 which is designed for a 55g. I hate to take back my condy, hes already made himself a home and is attached. I have a maxijet 900 as well. Is that enough flow? Ive noticed some reddish brown algae on my glass and substrate. Funny thing is that i am a manager at the LFS but we only deal with freshwater and brackish fish. Would a grocery store have it? i have heard distilled water will work but I wont take any chances
 
subielover

subielover

Active Member
Originally Posted by Amooney711
http:///forum/post/2935669
i have an Emperor 280 which is designed for a 55g. I hate to take back my condy, hes already made himself a home and is attached. I have a maxijet 900 as well. Is that enough flow? Ive noticed some reddish brown algae on my glass and substrate. Funny thing is that i am a manager at the LFS but we only deal with freshwater and brackish fish. Would a grocery store have it? i have heard distilled water will work but I wont take any chances
RO/DI is preferred, but distilled would work. Just be sure to let it mix for at least 24 hours. I understand you want to keep the condy, but I do not think it will live very long in your tank with your lighting and being that the tank is less than a month old. My advice is to return it. If you want to upgrade lighting down the road then look into a RBTA. For flow, I would add a Koralia nano.
 
amooney711

amooney711

New Member
Thanks for the advice....Do you not think my lighting is strong enough to have a condy at some point? Also I have a maxijet 900 for flow but are u suggesting i also get a koralia nano? I have actually been looking into those and have found them for cheap!! I took home our expert test kit from work last night and my Nitrates are starting to go up. Still in the safe zone but definitely headed the opposite direction...Is this because I havent done a water change yet?? I was thinking about getting a nitrate sponge from work today...think it would be worth it??
 
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