Setting up a 90 the right way

[adam132601]

Hello! This site seems awesome here. I moved this over from the fish only area since these questions are beginner questions.
I have a 90 gal setup with the same few fish for the last 4 years or so. I was out of state so someone else was caring for it. Now I'm back and want to get it set up better and properly. I have a nice red corris wrasse and a falce perc clown. Then there are 2 damsels in there I can't catch to get out. I have the time now to add to the tank and take care of it more. I am having a lot of algae ending up on the bottom. There is also a green/ purple slime growing on the rocks.
I am going to siphon out the stuff on the bottom and the slime on the rocks. I'm adding a bunch more powerheads to keep water flowing better and hopefully not have as many dead flow spots for stuff to pile up. I am also going to add a refugium and a protein skimmer. I took the UV sterilizer off after reading a bunch on here about how they don't really do much.
My goals are to get the rocks and sand bed all cleaned up and then get the rocks and sand alive again. I have four 48" flourescent lights. Just the standard output lights, noting too special.
My questions are;
What fish or inverts could I add that would eat the slime or algae on the bottom? The red corris wrasse worries me about inverst compatability. Chevron tang maybe?
How much flow in the tank would be too much? I am deciding what powerhead flow rates to get and how many.
I was going to add one bag of live sand, will this help the rest of the sand bed liven up? If I add some lr will life spread to the other ex-live rocks? All the sand and rock in there now was collected locally offshore.
Is it worth catching those damsels? I don't want them harrassing any new fish too much.
It is time to change the lighting fixtures due to rust. If I am only doing fish with live rock would it be benefitial to upgrade lighting or are four standard output 48" flourescent tubes enough for that application? I want to keep lr healthy and get some corraline algae growing.
Please feel free to comment on one or all questions, as well as other suggestions.
Thanks a ton in advance, and please feel free to point me in any dirctions if im doing something wrong.
Tank

Loose algae on bottom

Slime like stuff on rocks

 

[reefer75]

First thing is be patient. I would look for a 20x's turnover rate (flow=20x90) Water changes need to be done with RO/DI water. I also would not hurt to syphon out what gunk you have built up in there. I noticed blinds in the background. If you can I would paint the back of the tank blue or black. If not make sure those blinds stay closed. Sunlight bad! That alone will help a great deal. I see no need to add more sand, and Live rock can be added as long as you cure it first (if it is uncured, or shows sign of die off). Hope this gets you started.

 

[adam132601]

Thanks for the suggestions! What kind of paint would you use so the fumes dont mess with the aquarium? I think blue is the way to go.
I have a RO unit on the way to change water with in the future. I tend to have a lot of water evaporating and a lot of salt crusting up every day. I may do a float switch with a feed from the RO unit. Then just put the feed line in the rubbermade containers for weekly water changes.
After I get the algae under controll I want to make sure my sand bed and rocks are alive and well. Then I'll consider my other options.
My main question for now is if I go to PC ligting, is that enough to keep corals alive down the road? Or is MH necesary?
Thaks again,
Adam

 

[mr_x]

vacuum as much of that stuff out as you can, and continue doing waterchanges with R.O. water.
don't add the live sand. the sand you have has enough bacteria on it. what makes you think the rock and sand isn't live? the lack of critters on it? it's the wrasse that took all of them out.
if it's coralline algae you are after, then you have to introduce it to the tank. if it used to be in there, it's probably still in there somewhere, just get the cyano out of there and put the new fixture on and it will come back.
a 2 bulb fixture is enough for what you want to accomplish. 1 daylight and 1 actinic.
nothing will eat that slime.
and lastly, i don't know how much you like damsels, but it's worth it to me to remove them.

 

[adam132601]

Thanks Mr. X
Do you mean a 2 bulb PC?
I just figured it was all dead from all the slime algae covering everyhting.
My salinity was way low so that may have killed off live rock stuff too. I am bringing it back up slowly now.

 

[mr_x]

what makes live rock live is the bacteria on it. if you killed it off you would have had a cycle. did/do you have detectable ammonia or nitrite?
as far as the lighting, t-5, pc, t12..whatever you end up with, i'd go with a 2 bulb fixture so i could have an actinic bulb over the tank along with the daylight bulb. it just makes the tank and fish look better.
for corals, i would not look for a power compact fixture. i would look for something in t-5 with individual reflectors, or metal halide.

 

[adam132601]

What water parameters should I be aiming to get to be able to keep a well balanced sysem and be ready to introduce a new fish? What temp do you prefer to keep your system at?

 

[mr_x]

oh..in a perfect world, 78 would be nice, but realistically, i have alot of pumps and powerheads, and alot of lighting, so 80 is my temp without a chiller.
you would be aiming to get zero ammonia and nitrite. moderate nitrate present is not a problem 20-40ppm won't hurt the fish.
get your salinity up to .025-.026. this is what their natural habitat was, before we decided to abduct them into our tanks.

 

[adam132601]

Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2758881
get your salinity up to .025-.026. this is what their natural habitat was, before we decided to abduct them into our tanks.
On a somewhat similar paralell, if we would only treat the ocean as well as we treat our own mimi-oceansystems. All that golf course runoff etc... just killing our oceans. Not to mention the development called Bimini Bay. It literally seems to be an eco-terrorism plot disguised as a development. We need to wake up!!!
Sorry to digress, thanks for the update on parameters. Since it feels like I am starting over I am going to build a new stand and hood. The stand and hood it is on now are starting to rot and flake from the saltwater exposure. What do you guys do to minimize salt exaporation and exposure on your equipment? Glass tops on your tank? Lids on your sump?

 

[mr_x]

topless is always best. less splashing on the surface cuts down salt creep.

 

[squirt0511]

how would having a glass top on the tank or a lid on the sump cause splashing? I was just wondering because I am also new to this hobby and often wondered if i should be putting a glass cover over my tank...

 

[michaeltx]

the lid wont stop the spalshing youll have to adjust your pumps so the water is moveing but not splashing off the top. its best as MRx says to have it topless it will help in keeping the temp down and O2 levels up in the tank. It will also stop algae growth from growing on the glass tops cause light diffusion that will negate some of the lights that you put on the tank.
The bacteria can grow at several different salt levels so if you can get rid of the slime on the rocks the rocks will be fine.
BEWARE CYNO STINKS!!!! I broke my tank down for a move and redo because I couldnt get rid of the cyno no matter what I did and WOW it stinks smells like rotten nasty stagnate water so beware LOL
Mike

 

[snakeblitz33]

Originally Posted by MichaelTX
http:///forum/post/2760445
BEWARE CYNO STINKS!!!! I broke my tank down for a move and redo because I couldnt get rid of the cyno no matter what I did and WOW it stinks smells like rotten nasty stagnate water so beware LOL
Mike

Agreed.