New to Marine

[kingpa]

New to this game but taking my time and lets see what happens.

My set up is :-

200L tank

Fluval 304 filter
Prizm Skimmer
Powerhead running reverse flow undergravel filter through coral gravel then coral sand.
T5 lighting
RO salted water

Live rock next week

What is good for first inmates

 

[ChrisRD]

Hi kingpa, and welcome to Reefs.Org.

The canister filter and the undergravel filter are not going to be necessary if you're going to have live rock and a protein skimmer.

Please take a few minutes to check out this link:
http://www.reefs.org/library/newbieguide.htm

At this stage the best thing you can do is get a good book or two. Not sure what's available in the UK, but here's a list of suggested books for newcomers. I highly recommend the John Tullock book for a first book.
http://www.reefs.org/library/reading/beginner/beginner.html

Don't plan on putting any livestock in your system for about a month after it's been setup and the liverock has been added. Take that time to do some reading and plan what you'd like to keep in your system.

HTH

 

[kingpa]

No plans for livestock until the tank is good and ready.

The idea of the reverse flow undergravel filter was to keep food in suspension and help with general bottom clenliness.

The canister filter I had and will provide a good flow and extra media

 

[ChrisRD]

The problem I had with a reverse UGF is that it eventually clogged. They last longer than a conventional UGF before having problems, but eventually they get clogged with stuff too.

Strong circulation in the tank will keep food particles suspended and I would, again, advise against the reverse UGF. If you choose to use it, I would strongly recommend, at the least, to use some type of prefilters on the powerheads to help prevent an accumulation of crud in the UGF in the future.

The canister can certainly be used, but be prepaired to clean it very frequently or it can cause water quality issues. The canister might actually be a better choice for powering the reverse UGF as the filter media in it will catch most of the crud that would end up in your sandbed.

Again, my recommendation would be to stick to live rock/live sand augmented by only the skimmer and strong circulation. IMO the money that is going to be spent on the canister and UGF equipment would be better utilized in purchasing a higher quality skimmer.

 

[Anonymous]

Welcome new Marine Addict. Hah! You are using what I call Bangbangs Redundant Filterin System. It works great! I use hangon Powerfilters....Liverock.......and Protein Skimmers. The wrong system is one that can not keep up with your Bio-Load. Have Fun!

 

[kingpa]

Thats what I figured

I also have a prefilter on the powerhead intake to stop crud going under my gravel and livestock being shredded.

Starting with some live rock this weekend, lets hope it's good stuff.

 

[Anonymous]

Thats what I figured

I also have a prefilter on the powerhead intake to stop crud going under my gravel and livestock being shredded.

Starting with some live rock this weekend, lets hope it's good stuff.

You are off to a great start......sounds like you have done your research.

 

[Anonymous]

Good luck man, be sure to keep us updated on how the rev. flow UG filter works out. I went the "no under/filter" route as I am going to have live rock and a DSB.

 

[Anonymous]

Bangbang, I have always heard that UGF's and canister filters cause water quality problems. Do you have a problem with nitrates or other excess nutrients with that set-up?

 

[ChrisRD]

If I read his posts right, Bangbang is using a hang-on powerfilter, live rock and a protein skimmer. If he's cleaning that hang-on filter regularly I would suspect his water quality is fine.

UGFs on the other hand are not very easy to clean - especially once the tank is stocked. A canister, like a powerfilter is OK if you clean it regularly. The key is not to let detritus collect and decompose in any of these mechanical filters. That's what degrades water quality.

Many people don't use these forms of filtration anymore in a continuous manner because it's not necessary and requires additional maintenance. You can always run them periodically if the need arises.

 

[kingpa]

Hi

Next question- Water changes.

What is best have read many conflicting books however the main consencus appears to be around 25% every 2 weeks. Is this enough?

Is it better to do less more frequently even say 2 litres a day (200L tank)?

 

[ChrisRD]

I think you'll get a variety of responses to this question. IMO there seems to be 3 schools of thought on water changes...

1. Do a large water change every so often (say once every month or two). The advantage of doing a large water change is that it helps dilute undesirable compounds in the water (as well as replenishing trace elements). The potential downside to a large water change is that it could be stressful to your system if temp, pH, salinity, etc. are not well matched.

2. Do small, frequent water changes (say 5% every week or two). The advantage of small frequent water changes is that you're constantly replenishing trace elements in balanced quantities. They may be less stressful to your system, as the quantities of water being exchanged are minimal. The downside to this approach is that (if you do the math) you won't significantly dilute undesirable compounds in your water because you're never exchanging a large enough quantity at one time to make any real impact.

3. Do nothing unless you see a problem. There are many experienced reefkeepers that don't do many water changes unless they feel it's necessary (ie. there has been a problem causing major die-off in the tank, a large spawning event, etc.). This is probably not a good practice for a new system or a new reefkeeper.

HTH

 

[kingpa]

Well the live rock is in, all sorts of interesting as wet to be identified critters.

Fish next ( 3 weeks )

Ideally common clown anemone combination, which is the best anemone for common clowns and will one anemone host a pair?

Are there any problems with blue starfish as they look cool

 

[ChrisRD]

You'll have to wait until your tank is fully cycled to start adding fish - this may take 3 weeks, but it could take longer. Be patient and give things time to settle down.

I'm not sure which species you're referring to when you say "common" clownfish. Also, an anemone is probably not a great choice for a beginner as they can be difficult to keep in captivity. Your clownfish don't need a host anemone to thrive in captivity.

I have no personal experience with starfish (I've always avoided them), so maybe someone else can give you some useful input. If you are referring to the blue Linckia starfish (Linckia laevigata) I believe they are very delicate shippers and require very slow acclimation when adding them to a system. I don't think they have a very good survival rate in smaller aquariums either.

HTH

 

[kingpa]

Plenty of patience and time

(took 25 years to persuade the wife a marine tank would be cool, cost me a freshwater tropical setup for her)

What about adding a clean up crew first ( water conditions permitting)?

 

[ChrisRD]

What about adding a clean up crew first ( water conditions permitting)?

Sure, you could add a few snails and hermits once the water parameters settle down. I'd recommend not stocking these creatures in the quantities that many vendors suggest (especially hermits). IMO the suggested stocking rates are usually way too high.

 

[Mogo]

Kingpa.
As I'm sure you have researched, your new tank will go through a nitrogen cycle where ammonium will spike at some point. Until that happens (do you have a reliable test kits for nitrate, nitrite and ammonia?) I would recommend not adding any critters. It could happen in three weeks as per your predefined schedule, or it could take weeks like mine did.

 

[kingpa]

Hi

3 weeks is not a schedule just a guess, I have all the time in the world, It is better right rather than fast.

Yes I have all the test kits and am plotting results daily to make sure I see the spike and that it has cleared. What I don't want is for any good bacteria growth to die back because I leave it too long

 

[ChrisRD]

What I don't want is for any good bacteria growth to die back because I leave it too long

IMO this is nothing to worry about. If you stock at a sensible rate you won't have any water quality issues (once the tank is settled-in).

FWIW, I have seen tanks (with live rock in them) get stocked-up after a long period of remaining empty (6+ months) with no issues.

 

[kingpa]

Thanks

I will keep you all posted as to the progress