Starting a reef tank

[bcarp]

I have a 72 bow. It has been running for 8 weeks. Everything is doing fine. Water is perfect, fish are healthy. How long should I wait till I put corals in the tank? What are good starter corals? What do I need for them? I know calcium and what else? How do you drip the calcium into the tank? I know alot of questions, but want to do it right the first time!
72 bow tank
40lbs live rock
25lbs. base rock
20lbs. LS
4"DSB
Rena XP3 Canister
CPR BAK PAK Skimmer
1 401 PH
2 PC 55 watt
2 40 watt Blue AT.

 

[bang guy]

Start slow It looks like that's what you are doing but I just wanted to say it again anyway.
Mushrooms are by far the best starter coral. They will tell you how the water quality is and are extremely hardy.
Since you are just starting out and don't have a high Calcium demand I will suggest B-Ionic or any two-part additive that provides Calcium and Alkalinity. But, you must test your current levels to determine the proper dosage. For now just try to keep your Ca slightly above 400ppm and your ALK above 2.5 Meq/L. Don't let either of them get too high until you have a full understanding of the chemistry going on in your new reef.
Congrats!!! and welcome to the obsession... ummm hobby!
Guy

 

[mini-reefer]

Also, if its a reef your after, your DSB sounds fine, but youll be needing a bit more live rock. The general rule is 1 to 1 1/2 lbs per gallon. The benefit to that is the rock and sand become the only filter you really need. Some would also say that the skimmer may not be needed after your sand and rock have matured. I have yet to completely quit using my skimmer, but its getting to the point now I only run mine a few hours every other day or so.
Ive had good luck with leathers, polyps and mushrooms for starters. They all are hardy corals for the most part. HTH

 

[bcarp]

Thanks for the info. I went and bought a long tenicle plate coral. LFS said it is some what hardy. I put him up high. His tenicles are filling up and looking good. I put some Mydor Reef and Marine All in one complex (With over 50,000 mg/L Calcium) This is what the LFS uses and her corals look really good. She has some other I think plankton that you have to keep in the fridgerator ordered for me. She told me to just add one teaspoon once a week of the mydor and the directions say "Add 2 to 4 capfuls 1 to 2's per week. Which should I do? I just put 1 in for now. What is the best test kit to get? It also says "Usage may safely be doubled if desired" Can't u overdose the tank? Thanks for all the answers!!!!

 

[nm reef]

I have a link below that is sort of like a blue-print for establishing a reef system. Check it out and let me know if any of the info is beneficial.
<a href="http://www.reefcorner.com/reef%20keeping_101.htm" target="_blank">Reefkeepin 101</a>

 

[heavenly damsel]

Mushrooms are what I started with and they are really hardy for sure, multiply fairly readily also. There are many varieties and colors as well. From there I went to polyps, again very hardy and multiply readily. Easy to keep. They gave me the confidence to get some other things like leathers, hydnophora, montipora capricornis and xenia. One thing I highly reccomend is the book Aquarium Corals by Eric Borneman. It is invalueble.
Kent makes a phytoplankton product that does not need to be refrigerated. That's what I use and I dose a few drops daily. If you overdose this you can get a green algae bloom...not a pretty sight. Good luck.

 

[bang guy]

Plate corals need to be on the sand surface. Be warned that they move around.... You can box them in with rocks if there's something you don't want them to sting. LT plates are not hardy and even experienced reef keepers can have difficulty with them. The good news is that they are very easy to feed. Every 2 to 3 days just drop a piece of silverside or scallop on the tentacles and it will grap the food and drag it to the mouth.

 

[m1rodrig]

Does Bionic have to be dripped or can it be added to the tank,and does this take care of the trace elements also or just calcium?

 

[blondenaso1]

B-ionic can just be added at one time, usually in the morning before the lights come on when the pH is the lowest. I have found that the best combination is dripping Kalkwasser during the night and adding B-ionic in the morning. This keeps the pH stable while also maintaining Ca and Alk levels. Also, I like DT's Phytoplankton, which must be refrigorated because it is ALIVE, other brands like Kent use dead phytoplankton.

 

[m1rodrig]

Thanks,so you continue to use kalk even when using bionic?

 

[blondenaso1]

Yes, but for a 20gal tank I drip Kalk all night then in the morning before the lights go on I add about 2.5ml of both part 1 and 2. If you are not dripping Kalk you add I think about 1ml per gal of each or some crazy amount like that. I like dripping the Kalk because it is easier and it also precipitates out phosphorous preventing any algae blooms.

 

[m1rodrig]

Thanks I'll buy bionic and try it.Sounds like good stuff.I've picked it up a couple of times and put it back.