The adventure of my 45g *reef lite* tank!

[d-monic]

Hi all!
Im starting this post as a journal of starting up my first SW tank I figured it would be kinda nifty if anyone wanted to see updated pics as it comes to life, and also so i can get opinions/help as well as teach other noobs such as myself as it goes along,im sure ill make mistakes along the way ^_^* I bought a 45g tank with stand and canopy from a local lady,and it came with a box of crap which im currently trying to figure out what does what o.o... I believe it contains:
*A rio powerhead
*some sort of air supply pump
*an old 3 compartment HOB filter
*test kids,meds,net etc.
Heres a pic of it *still in her house*

So since im lucky enough to have a birthday this month,i was treated to SW fish items to start me up,i just ordered all this stuff from an online store and it will all arrive tommorow!!:
*Bak-Pak 2R+ Reef Ready Protein Skimmer
*2 Maxi-Jet Powerhead/Pump Models 600 (160 gph each)
*Synthetic Sea Salt Instant Ocean 50 gallon mix (ill need more soon)
*Caribsea Aragamax Sand (60 lbs)
*Single Satellite Compact Fluorescent Fixtures Current USA 96 watt 36"
*Stealth Heater 150W
Im super excited for it all to arrive,i still need to find the media for the HOB filter, and i plan on adding 50-60 pounds of live rock this weekend *gotta ring up the local fish stores for the best deal!*Its going to be FOWLR for awhile, but i plan on very few soft corals in the future,if i decide to upgrade the lighting later maybe more coral Ill update again later with pics of the setup in my house,sorry if this thread is stupid,ill delete if it annoys anyone! <3 Devon

 

[renogaw]

good to see you're getting in. i would though ditch the rio since i've heard nothing but bad news from here and my lfs about them. supposedly they burn out easy and leak oil into the tank.
you shouldn't use the air pump since micro bubbles arent any good for fish.
also, put the live rock on some base rock (so you dont kill the live rock) and do your stack before putting in the sand, otherwise it can be unstable.
other than that, you have a nice set up started, and welcom to the boards

:jumping:

 

[lion_crazz]

Hey Devon, welcome to saltwaterfish.com! Looks like you are on your way to a great set-up there!! Everything you said sounds very good, and it sure sounds like you know what you are doing. The only thing I would advise is to ditch the air pump. Everything else sounds really good.
Also, just a clarification from the last poster, you do not need base rock in your tank. I have never used base rock in any tank that I set-up. People use base rock because it is cheaper.

 

[theappe]

something that i noticed is that you bought "satellite" PC's. You have a canopy. Do you plan on removing the canopy and just putting in the lights. Because if you dont then you need a retrofit kit.

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by lion_crazz
..Also, just a clarification from the last poster, you do not need base rock in your tank. I have never used base rock in any tank that I set-up. People use base rock because it is cheaper.
Lion, I think the poster was saying put base rock as a foundation buried in the sand... no reason to kill live rock for that.
Great idea Devon... will look forward to keeping up with your tank.

 

[d-monic]

Originally Posted by renogaw
good to see you're getting in. i would though ditch the rio since i've heard nothing but bad news from here and my lfs about them. supposedly they burn out easy and leak oil into the tank.
you shouldn't use the air pump since micro bubbles arent any good for fish.
also, put the live rock on some base rock (so you dont kill the live rock) and do your stack before putting in the sand, otherwise it can be unstable.
other than that, you have a nice set up started, and welcom to the boards

:jumping:
Hey!
Thanks for the welcome ! As far as the rio pump,i bought 2 maxi jets for the tank itself so i wouldnt be using it there,i was thinking of using it in the bucket for mixing saltwater for water changes,or would that be risky too? Maybe ill just throw it out ^_^* heh
Im not exactly sure if the other thing is an air pump...heres a pic of it:

Its the thing on the bottom left with "elite" on it, is it a power supply? :notsure: I have NO clue what the thing on the top is either with the hole in it...i think it goes into the HOB filter somehow, but i have to figure it out (heres the filter):

Thanks for the tip on the sand,i heard that from another post on here too and ill def put the rock in before the sand,dont want my future blenny to get crushed

Thanks for the advice !!

 

[d-monic]

Originally Posted by theappe
something that i noticed is that you bought "satellite" PC's. You have a canopy. Do you plan on removing the canopy and just putting in the lights. Because if you dont then you need a retrofit kit.
Heres the exact light i bought:
http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/1121/20060106212848/www.**************.com/images/Categoryimages/larger/lg_rd_16917_28386DZ-IO.jpg
Im such a dummy,i thought it would rest on one of the glass side of my tank cover,now that i think about that was a pretty stupid thought lol Could i buy short legs for it or something? The capoy is a bit high off of the tank top...eep! Any info is appreciated!

 

[theappe]

you need the retrofit. the canopy rests on the tank itself so there wont be any space for the legs of the lights. If you dont go with the retrofit then the only option that you have is to remove the canopy.

 

[d-monic]

Originally Posted by theappe
you need the retrofit. the canopy rests on the tank itself so there wont be any space for the legs of the lights. If you dont go with the retrofit then the only option that you have is to remove the canopy.

!!!!!
Lucky for me the light will have a return shipping label!! So im gonna return it and get a refund...im looking for a retrofit kit right now..hopefully ill find one soon...im open to suggestions if anyone knows of a good one

 

[d-monic]

im looking at the "Current-Usa 36" SunPaq Retrofit 2-96 Watt SmartPaq" for around 125 plus 12 shipping on a certain internet auction site,anyone ever used it?

 

[theappe]

I have a coralife retro and its pretty much the same as the SunPaq. The sunpaq will be awsome and you wont have to upgrade later to keep LPS and softy corals. Just make sure you take the measurements inside the canopy correctly and make sure the lights fit.

 

[d-monic]

Originally Posted by theappe
I have a coralife retro and its pretty much the same as the SunPaq. The sunpaq will be awsome and you wont have to upgrade later to keep LPS and softy corals.
Ok cool! Ill look at that coralife too,ill end up getting one of them !! Thanks for the input!<3

 

[supermanvx]

Originally Posted by D-Monic
Hey!
Thanks for the welcome ! As far as the rio pump,i bought 2 maxi jets for the tank itself so i wouldnt be using it there,i was thinking of using it in the bucket for mixing saltwater for water changes,or would that be risky too? Maybe ill just throw it out ^_^* heh
Im not exactly sure if the other thing is an air pump...heres a pic of it:

Its the thing on the bottom left with "elite" on it, is it a power supply? :notsure: I have NO clue what the thing on the top is either with the hole in it...i think it goes into the HOB filter somehow, but i have to figure it out (heres the filter):

Thanks for the tip on the sand,i heard that from another post on here too and ill def put the rock in before the sand,dont want my future blenny to get crushed

Thanks for the advice !!

the "elite" is an aerator...and the thing with the hole in it, looks like your right, it goes on the HOB..if not, i dont kno, would have to see what else you got.

 

[ginarox]

welcome to the board,,,thankyou for keeping us posted on your progress of your aquarium,,,thanks have a great day..

 

[renogaw]

Originally Posted by lion_crazz
Also, just a clarification from the last poster, you do not need base rock in your tank. I have never used base rock in any tank that I set-up. People use base rock because it is cheaper.

not to be cheaper, but if you bury live rock under sand, it will die no? then you get ammonia and all sorts of bad stuff from the rock that's supposed to be helping you. since baserock will become live rock again, it makes sense.

 

[d-monic]

My retrofit kit has finally arrived!!! Im gonna attach it to the canopy tonight,but upon resting the reflector inside of it,the kit is going to cover the "vents" that open to the top of the canopy...the back is completely open so its this ok? thanks to anyone with advice,im cleaning and putting stuff together tonight,tommorow i get the water!!! so pictures will ensue!! hehe <3

 

[d-monic]

well..i feel so paranoid right now,i have about 50 pounds of rock sitting my tank with a bit of live sand and saltwater (.22-.23 salinity) and the only other thing i have in there at the moment is a heater. (its at about 76 degress right now, i think i need a more powerful heater!) Should i add anything at all or just let it sit? im just so afraid to do something wrong.
Right now the rock its just in there to start curing/cycling, im going to arrange it later,i still have to put the caribsea sand in...do i need to rinse the sand out with salt water or will tap do? thanks fo all the great advice so far!! heres what it looks like right now!

 

[lion_crazz]

The tank is looking very good so far.
You will probably be fine rinsing the sand with tap water. Is it just regular sand?
What is the wattage of your heater? 76 is fine, but if your heater does not hold it steady, then you will have problems.
Don't be afraid to do anything wrong! It sounds like you are off to a great start.

 

[d-monic]

Originally Posted by lion_crazz
The tank is looking very good so far.
You will probably be fine rinsing the sand with tap water. Is it just regular sand?
What is the wattage of your heater? 76 is fine, but if your heater does not hold it steady, then you will have problems.
Don't be afraid to do anything wrong! It sounds like you are off to a great start.
Right now i have about 3-4 pounds of established tank sand sitting in there to help the cycling,the other sand i have is 60 pounds of caribsea oolitic do i need to make tap salt water to rinse it? or just tap? im sorry to be such a bother!
The heater is a whole problem too, last night it was lookin pretty good,when i got up this morning,it has fallen to abotu 72,so i freaked and put in another heater *a 200 watt* along with the one in there now, the one is only 150 watt and its set to 79 but i dont think its powerful enough to maintain it,the other is an old "secondnature challenger" heater and it has no numerical dial! only a + and - so i turned it toward the + but not by much because i was so unsure...now im at work because i had to go,and the two heaters are sitting in my tank and im panicing like crazy lol i think on the way home ill pick up a good 200 watt heater with readout or something *sigh*

 

[lion_crazz]

You're not a bother at all! Regular tap should be fine to rinse it, since there is nothing live in the sand.
It sounds to me like you just need one good heater in there. It's good that you found this out now though. You are not going to hurt your live rock if it drops a little in temperature. Don't panick!

When you go to the store, look for Won Bros. heaters, Marineland heaters, or EboJager heaters (in that order). Good luck with everything and continue posting in this thread if you have any questions! :happyfish