Updates on new SW tank

[sammiefish]

yeah, that is something you will have to deal with to find placement of the PH that doesnt mess with the substrate...BUT wait until youve got your LR in... otherwise you will do it twice

 

[woodymdt]

Originally posted by calylove
arkey- you rock. thanks for all the advice you post for us newbies. One question still, cooked cocktail shrimp or raw cocktail shrimp. They have both at the store. Thanks again. And do I jsut let them rot completely away, how long will that take? Thanks again, again
Raw shrimp, they're black and greyish in color. They'll turn white and pink during the cycle, and most let them stay and just rot away. Others take them out when they're good and mushy, I guess it's just personal taste.
But don't eat them!!!!!!!! hehehe:happy:

 

[woodymdt]

Originally posted by sammiefish
yeah, that is something you will have to deal with to find placement of the PH that doesnt mess with the substrate...BUT wait until youve got your LR in... otherwise you will do it twice
Good idea, thanks Sammie...:jumping:

 

[arkey.d]

calylove -I bought my Cocktail Shrimp frozen, but either way will work, Raw or Frozen. Yes just let the shrimp rot away, with LiveRock andd Live Sand it won't take that long for it to rot away, but that just starts the cycle off. It could be 2-3 weeks or up to 2 months... be pacient it will get there.
woodymdt -You will most likely need to raise the powerhead up some. You want it to keep stuff from settling on the sand but you don't want it to create sand dunes.....

 

[woodymdt]

Originally posted by arkey.d
You will most likely need to raise the powerhead up some. You want it to keep stuff from settling on the sand but you don't want it to create sand dunes.....
Got it! Thanks. After I get the LR in and evaluate the flow and what dunes are being created, I'll make the necessary changes. The Mrs. is very receptive to getting LR after work today, so we might just have some in the tank by evening time.

 

[calylove]

Arkey- by raw you mean grey and black, or the cooked pink ones. Sorry just want to be sure i do it right. Thanks

 

[arkey.d]

I used pink ones, but the grey and black ones will work too. Depends on what colors you want to look at as it rots away

 

[mike6969n]

hey woody i am really enjoying reading about you new tank setup. i just got my ls/and shrimp in my tank fri evening and i am following you very closely also. the shrimp thing really works i started seeing an increase in my ammonia the second day. haven't tested it today yet, but i hope it has increased some more. there was a slight increase from 0 to .25 with the shrimp and ls alone, then on sat when everything was looking a lot clearer i added 10.25 lbs of fiji lr and yesterday my ammonia was at 1.0 ppm. so it really works. i am looking forward to seeing what it will be at today. btw your thread has been a great information source for a lot of us newbies i hope you enjoy it as much as i am. i have read more in the past two weeks than i have read in the last 2 yrs. research research research and then again more research. this is a very addicting hobby. i learn something new every hour.
oh and cant forget about arkey

you have been great arkey, we really do appreciate your help.

 

[woodymdt]

Thanks Mike, and everyone else. It's been very enjoyable learning about this new and interesting venture, and I'm still learning more and more as I read other threads and the posts in this thread as well.
I wanted to make sure I was doing as much right as possible, so I figured with the commentary and the pictures, if anyone saw something that didn't jive they would be able to point it out as it happens.
So I'm thankful for all of the posts and comments that have been offered in this thread. I will have some updated pictures this evening after I get what rock we end up purchasing in the tank and settled a little.
:jumping:

 

[woodymdt]

Well here it is Monday evening and.......drum roll please......:happy:
LIVE ROCK is IN the tank!!!!
I got 21lb of fiji rock at my LFS, picked out some decent pieces I think to start with.
I also plopped the shrimp in, so if I've been following along and doing this correctly, the cycle process is beginning.
Here is the full tank with the LR on the right side of the tank.

 

[woodymdt]

Here is a little closer shot of the LR just installed in my 40gal tank. I put it on the right side of the tank, and I'll add more rock in the next couple weeks and fill out the rest of the tank.

 

[woodymdt]

And yet another closer shot. This was as close as I could get before my little camera started to get all fuzzy and confused. I envy you guys that have dynamite camera's for this stuff..hehe.

 

[woodymdt]

Oh and btw.....I noticed my thread had gotten shoved to page two.....

DO NOT let that happen again!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just kidding......hehe

I'm enjoying this guys and gals (if there are any)...my wife thinks I'm watching over this just a little bit too much, but I don't think I'm paying enough attention to it yet........go figure. She wonders why I have a chair setting right next to the tank. I told her it was for me to keep an eye on things and make sure they were going as planned.......:jumping:

 

[woodymdt]

Oh where's ARkey when I need him.......hehe...
Ok, so LR is in, shrimp are in.......so whats the next step....?
What do I look for now? When do I start taking measurements and tests??
I haven't put the power filter in yet, is that something I should go ahead and do now??

 

[arkey.d]

I would start up your powerfilter now, that will clear up the tank faster and aid in more water flow.
You can start taking your measurments every other day, now that you got your shimp in the water.
I too have a chair smack dab in the middle of both my SW aquariums.

 

[woodymdt]

Ok, I ran a few tests just to play with the new saltwater test kits I bought this evening...here are the current results.
Salinity = 1.023
PH = 8.2
Ammonia = 0.25
If I've read things correctly, this is ok for now, and my ammonia will continue to rise until it spikes out, THEN the nitrites will rise, then the nitrates, yes?

 

[woodymdt]

Originally posted by arkey.d
I would start up your powerfilter now, that will clear up the tank faster and aid in more water flow.
You can start taking your measurments every other day, now that you got your shimp in the water.
I too have a chair smack dab in the middle of both my SW aquariums.
Charcoal? in or out?
Bio wheels? In or out??
Thanks sir! You're a great help in this!!!!

 

[arkey.d]

I would add and use Charcoal and the Bio Wheels. Glad to help.

 

[woodymdt]

Ok, emporer is on and running......gives a lot of surface current to the tank......
I'm pumped.........can't you tell?? hehe:jumping:

 

[woodymdt]

Ok, the morning after putting live rock in. The tank is somewhat clearer than it was last night, looks pretty good. I should have taken a good inventory of what I saw on there last night, cause I want to think there are a few things butting out in plain sight that I didn't notice last night...I know that's just me..hehe
Everything seems to be going quite well. I've taken one shot this morning just to compare with the pics taken last night.