Help Need with new reef setup Any suggestion

[tampavii]

12604.1

Hi

At the present time I am in the middle of upgrading from 110 with fish only to an 225 with live rock and fish.

Right now I have added 200 lbs of Southdown sand and 50 lbs of live sand to the 225 along with some sand from from my 110. I am running wet dry with bio balls. I just added 1 gallon of bio balls from my 110 .The last few days water was very cloudy from the sand. today i built i stand for the rock. I have about 25 lbs of sand in the 225 and another 200 lbs of rock curing in a large cooler with my Aerofoamer 630 skimmer running. Today I placed a stand I built for the rock and after moving sand around its very cloudy once again. I am also running a fluval 404 and keep cleaning the pads and carbon.

My ammonna is in the middle range on both the cooler with rock and 225 nitrite was in middle range few days ago and after testing today its very low. No nitrate yet in both. PH is aroun d 8.3 in both water temp 78 in both. Should I add few demsel fish to help cycle?


When should i add the 220 lbs of live rock ? Should I run the skimmer after placing the 220 lbs of live rock into 225 tank. Or just run for few hours? When or how long should I run my UV light ?

I have not tested for Calium or ALK yet What is best kit on the market to purchase? What other stuff along with names should I added to the tank. I am new to reef setup

Once everything is calm and test OK then I will add my fish ,sailfin tank,Hippo tank. tomato Clown, Sohol tang, Kole tang . I have few trigger and lion fish that i am going to trade or sell .I want to setup this tank with shrimp ,crabs ,easy coral ,feather duster ,mushrooms.

Any help or suggestion.

I have read alot and hope I am not getting in over my head .I am so confused I dont want to do anything stupid and kill my fish which I have for 2 yrs . What is best stuff to feed corals? What other trace stuff does this tank need ?

I wait your reply and help

PS As for the cloudy water in the 225 there is alot of dust on the rock that is in there now. Will this kill all the good stuff on the rock ?

Should i add more stuff from my 110 to help cycle and bio filter?

thanks Capt Gene

PS I bult the rock stand out of plastic rod and egg crate stuff for lights . This way most of the rock will be few inches off the sand but the stand with be covered with the rock .If anyone wants to see the stand I have few pictures. However I cant see the stand in the tank as I make this post because of cloudy water. i have turned down my ampmaster 3000 pump so it doesnt blow the sand around . Cant wait until the sand settle once and for

 

[ChrisRD]

I am running wet dry with bio balls.

Don't bother. With the amount of live rock and sand you're going to have in there, plus that big skimmer, you won't need any other filtration.

I have about 25 lbs of sand in the 225 and another 200 lbs of rock curing in a large cooler with my Aerofoamer 630 skimmer running.

Personally, I just put all of the rock right in the tank and cure it there.

I am also running a fluval 404 and keep cleaning the pads and carbon.

During the curing, this will probably be helpful, but personally, I wouldn't keep using the canister continuously after that unless you clean it out every week.

Should I add few demsel fish to help cycle?

No. Definitely not. Personally, I'd give it a few more days and then put the rock right in the main tank. Let everything run for at least a month (and make sure all levels are stable) before adding anything.

Should I run the skimmer after placing the 220 lbs of live rock into 225 tank.

Yes. I'd run the skimmer 24/7 after adding the rock.

When or how long should I run my UV light ?

Probably doesn't matter. Personally, I stopped using UV lights about 7-8 years ago and I've never had any problems without. IMO they're not necessary for a reef.

I have not tested for Calium or ALK yet What is best kit on the market to purchase?

Salifert makes good kits for a reasonable price.

What other stuff along with names should I added to the tank. I am new to reef setup

Depending on what you're going to keep, lighting, circulation and Ca/Alk supplementation are all big concerns (aside from the obvious water parameter stuff).

Once everything is calm and test OK then I will add my fish ,sailfin tank,Hippo tank. tomato Clown, Sohol tang, Kole tang .

I'd wait at least a month (regardless of readings) before adding anything. As you know from FO, add the peaceful fish first - most aggressive last. Sounds like a lot of tangs...

I want to setup this tank with shrimp ,crabs ,easy coral ,feather duster ,mushrooms.

Go easy on the shrimp and crabs. They can/will get aggressive with your snails, steal food from your corals (if you target feed LPS, etc.) and can eat other small beneficial critters.

There are lots of easy soft corals that don't require lots of light or pristine water quality to thrive.

I have read alot and hope I am not getting in over my head .I am so confused I dont want to do anything stupid and kill my fish which I have for 2 yrs .

Keep reading and doing searches here - the learning is never over in this hobby - LOL.

What is best stuff to feed corals?

Depends on the coral. Make sure to research the species you're interested before you buy - ask questions here - lots of knowledgeable folks here.

What other trace stuff does this tank need ?

Periodic water changes will replenish trace elements.

PS As for the cloudy water in the 225 there is alot of dust on the rock that is in there now. Will this kill all the good stuff on the rock ?

No. You can use a turkey baster to blow the rocks off.

Should i add more stuff from my 110 to help cycle and bio filter?

Couldn't hurt - or you could toss a couple of raw table shrimp in there and let them decompose. I'd scrap the bioballs in the wet/dry. If you're going to add a couple hundred pounds of rock and skim with an Aerofoamer, you won't need anything else. The wet/dry could cause a nitrate problem in the future.

Cant wait until the sand settle once and for

Southdown is very fine. It will take a few weeks (or more) but eventually the sand grains will get coated with bacteria and the cloudiness will subside.

HTH

 

[Mogo]

Don't need bioballs. Maybe to cycle tank, then get rid of them. Damsels can be a pain. They become territorial and nasty IME over time. Impossible to catch at that point. Try some mollies that will gradually adapt to saltwater using a gradual sw drip over a few hours first.

 

[Will C1]

molies are good also guppies will adapt i threw some in my fo tank for my trigger but he never ate them and they started to breed in there.

 

[Expos Forever]

Should I add few demsel fish to help cycle?

Please do not cycle your tank with any living creatures! Mollies,guppies,damsels,whatever... They are not necessary to cycle your tank and will suffer needlessly. As Wolfman has stated shrimp from your local grocery store will get your cycle going just as well. Yes damsels are hard to catch and some are mean, but maybe some are mean because people sudject them to the wild spikes of cycles. If you want some damsels, put them in when your cycle is over.

 

[TC]

I would suggest you eliminate the Fluval. You got the Southdown because it is calcium carbonate AND bacause it has the best mix of particle sizes. Running the Fluval eliminates those small particle sizes that you want. Live with the cloudiness. It will clear up. Patience.

Good luck.

Terry

 

[tampavii]

Hi Guys
thanks for all the replys
Yes i agree not to cycle tank with live fish. I have tested my ammona now now get 00 reading my Nitrite is at ooo and my Nitratre is around 10.
My questions is
First my ammonna was high then my nitrite was around 5 for few days IT NEVER GOT HIGHER now I have 0 nitrite reading . Nitrate 10
Can this tank be done cycling in just 2 weeks. ?
I guess maybe it can with all the stuff I added.
I had 240 lbs of live rock curing in tub for 2 weeks with my protein skimmer running before I placed it into my 225. I also added 250 lbs of southdown and 25 lbs of live sand from Fuji. I also added about 1 gallon of bio balls in the sump from my 110 which had been setup for 2 yrs .I also added 3 gallons of live sand from my 110 too.

The water is still alittle cloudy you .You can see thur tank 7f but its very fuzzy.
I have salinidy at 1024 is this OK my 110 was at 1022s.g water temp around 79.5
When can i start adding fish from my 110 most are tangs. Give my local shop my loinfish and trigger to sell since I am going reef .
Thanks in advance GB

 

[tampavii]

Few more questions
When should i remove the bio balls ? I was thinking after I place all my tangs into the tank and let it mature few weeeks or months

After I remove the bio balls from my sump What should I put into it
I was thinking some of the extra live rock I have left over. Mostly small broken pieces
Thanks

 

[LA-Lawman]

12604.1


What is that a Stardate???????? 8O