WoW, Very exciting!!

[plum70rt]

Hello, Wow I was reading all the posts and I dont know where to start! my new reef tank is now 10 days old! I started out with a 210 Gallon bow front,52 gallon sump ,down draft skimmer,3000gph pump VHOLighting, Bio denitrater,so far I have 250lbs of Fiji Rock,100 lbs of live sand, a green carpet Anemone, a leather coral,pair percula clowns ,a yellow tang,blue damels,sand sifter starfish, pencil sea urchins, turbo snails, Everthing seems to be going well,Im under guidance of a pro,but i just would like to know what to expect next in the changes in the tank, what to look for, and what are the possible additions I can look for to add to my tank that will be compatatable with what I already have?

 

[papafish]

I can only hope that your tank is 10 days old AFTER it has been through it's cycling stage if not ??? what pro are you talking about
Anyway if not, figure out your total cost, take away 50% now
take 25% of that for hope.... 10% of luck....take 15% and flush it down the toilet.

 

[plum70rt]

I must be doing something right!

 

[carrie1429]

At 10 days old I would take out most of that stuff. Usually at 10 days old the tank probably hasn't cycled yet and having a yellow tang, inverts and corals is not a good idea. And having an anemone for a tank that is new is a no no, well IMO. If your tank hasn't cycle yet you have to look for a rise in nirates, nitrites and ammonia, a sign that your cycle may not be complete.
ps: IMO that doesn't sound like "pro" advice.

 

[plum70rt]

Can someone Explain what a "cycle" means excactly?
and why is keeping a Anemone a bad idea in a new tank?

 

[steamboat1569]

I hope that we are not scaring you off. If you search around the site, especially on the New Hobbyist forum, you can learn all the answers to your questions.
I just wanted to say that if the professional you hired knows his stuff, then the only way to pull off what he sold you is that if he had the sandbed, live rock, and water from an already extablished source.
I cannot tell what kind of substrate that is, any idea?
The importance of cycling is that a new tank will have to go through an ammonia, nitrite, nitrate balancing act.
First you introduce a source, whether it be detrius or a decomposing food source such as shrimp.
The bacteria that comes with the live rock and sand will start to break it down and multiply.
First you ammonia will rise and spike, then your nitrites will rise and spike and the ammonia goes down. Then your nitrates will go up and spike and your nitrites will go down. Then the nitrates will go down through gas exchange.
These chemicals - ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are lethal to many creatures. Especially something as delicate as an anemone.
Hope this sheds some light on the subject.

 

[steamboat1569]

By the way, let me give you a hardy WELCOME. Hope you are here a long time. You have a nice tank. It can become a work of art, and I hope you thouroughly enjoy the experience!

 

[plum70rt]

Thanks Very Much! This is something that I always wanted to setup and Ive waited 2 years to do so, my Rock is fully cured ,
and the sand is caribbean, The denitrator is not setup yet,
Everthing in the Tank seems very happy , eat well,
Seems like Im way ahead of myself,Ill keep in touch with all the developments,

 

[richard rendos]

Ask your Pro what a nitrogen cycle is. If he/she doesn't know, then that is not a pro. A nitrogen cycle is this. Fish produce waste...that waste is broken down in your aquarium by bacteria. The first bacteria to develop are nitrosomas which break down ammonia (caused by fish waste) into nitrites. The next bacteria to develop are nitrobacter which break down nitrites into nitrates. These two bacteria are aerobic (requiring oxygen). The third bacteria which break nitrate into free nitrogen gas are anaerobic (requiring no oxygen). This requires an area with little to no oxygen (i.e. deep sand bed/plenum/nitrate reducer/inner parts of live rock).
The problem with adding too many fish/inverts/corals/anemones or specimens such as anemones which are sensitive to nitrogen cycle is that it is stressful on the animal and can cause them die. It is not recommended by anyone to add too many animals to a tank until after it is "cycled". Your live rock alone would be sufficient to cycle your tank. There is enough bacteria in the rock to get that accomplished. But a nitrogen cycle can take from 3 days to over 3 months. You cannot control how fast bacteria colonize and grow. That is up to Mother Nature.
I hope that everything turns out okay for you. You have a beautiful tank, but patience is the key to this hobby. Don't get in a hurry. It is possible that none of your inhabitants will die. It is also possible that they will all die. Hope for the best. People here will be glad to help you in understanding this hobby. There is a lot to understand. None of us here understand it all.

 

[steamboat1569]

Do you have test kits, or is someone going to maintain it for you?
This early in the game you really need to keep an eye on ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, Ph, alkilinity. If you are planning on keeping corals and anemones you will also need to check for calcium, and phosphates as a minimum. I would also like to learn more about your VHO lighting. Any details? Anemones require intense lighting and perfect water conditions.
I think it would be a good idea to get ahold of your pro and ask him the same questions that are cropping up here. Most anyone on the board here will be glad to give their 2 cents worth and help you out. There have been many pro's out there that have given bad advise. I don't want to be an alarmist, but the way that things seem to be going, I am worried that he/she may be rushing things a bit.

 

[plum70rt]

Hi, Yes it seems to me, like im trying to be setup overnite, and thats not the case at all, in everthing I do I try to do it right the first time to avoid promblems, right now im being helped with all the testing until I get all the test kits I need of my own,
I just ordered a R/O D/I water filter so I can keep up with the water demands, The lighting is VHO ice cap ballast Dawn to Dusk,setup 2 white 2 blue,, This is what my filter looks like,
Am I doing the right thing?

 

[richard rendos]

Nice downdraft skimmer. Is that home made or store bought? Looks like a good skimmer.

 

[jsdean]

Go to http://saltaquarium.about.com/mbody.htm to read all you need to know about saltwater aquariums. The best advice people can have is go slow. If your tank is not cycled yet, then you are probably going to have problems. How long have all the fish been in the tank and did you use an intant cycle (instant bacteria) product?

 

[sinner's girl]

"and what are the possible additions I can look for to add to my tank that will be compatatable with what I already have?" i'd wait before adding anything to the tank...let things settle and see what's going to happen...the tank needs to age a bit...
you never said if it was cycled or not. what are your levels?
good luck...don't rush things...saltwater tanks are not setup overnight and a great tank doesn't happen in 10days...

 

[steamboat1569]

You are getting a lot of caution signs from a national group people who know the hobby. I would spend the next week researching this subject. Do not take the word of your pro until he explains himself to these questions. The best incentive that I can give you is money. You may have just sent it down the perverbial toilet. I was trying to be tactful and polite, but I see that the people that I respect in this hobby agree that you are going way too fast. You said that you do things right the first time and plan it out. How is it that you did not know how to cycle the tank? This is the first thing that you need to know. Every book on saltwater aquariums talks about it, and it is the MOST IMORTANT part of starting a tank. I want you to know that we care about what happens to the creatures in you tank and we have seen people led astray by the "professionals".

 

[plum70rt]

Well Im sure glad I posted! Thanks to Everybody for their input,
This raises some questions for me and I will be sure to take my time to learn as I go along into the 11th day, Now im a little confused about the technical terms, as I had called it the "Biological Process" also known as "Cycling" or the ''Nitrogen cycle" so Im clear on that, I did some test and here is how we stand, Ph 8.2,SG 1.025 Temp 78,CA 450,ALK3.0, According to info I was given Im in good shape, all fish ,corals, rock, seem fine.
My tank and skimmer all hand made,I will keep you all informed and Hopefully it will all work out and no diasters Occur thats the last thing I want and do care for all the life too, Thanks Again

 

[keith_cook]

This post doesn't have any thing to do with this thread...sorry. I just wanted to say hello to Steamboat. It is cool to see someone on the board from my area. What LFS do you use? I just started my tank 13 days ago. It is cycling with 60 lbs of Gulf-View uncured LR (58 gal. tank) and I have been going around to the area stores and haven't really been real impressed yet. So where do you go?? Take care! Sorry to hijack your thread plum70rt.

 

[new]

plum i dont see ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate readings, these are also needed test. i have a lfs in my area that will setup tanks with established water, rock, and substrates from his displays and cured rock, not sure if he would just drop stuff in though.

 

[plum70rt]

Ammonia and nitrates are "o" I will find out where all the sand and rock came from, I dont know if it came from an established tank or not,

 

[staticx1134]

where in south florida are you? and what fish store are you going to?