Right - starting again - point out my mistakes please!

[sleepy_bear]

Okay, after much drama regarding nitries and ammonia and somehow causing a chemical reaction to make horrible coloured water (and all before I'd bought any fish) I'm starting again.

I'll describe what I have, I'd like some experienced keeps to correct me where I'm wrong or missing something.

2-2.5 foot tank. Not particularly deep - normal sized
Internal power filter for that size
Heater for my size
Pebbley gravel stuff substrate (from the fish shop)
An air pump but no air stones or anything
Salt gravity tester and thermometer - floating dual unit

The heater is not plugged in as its summer here in Australia and my water is 30deg celcius without it. The heater and filter are at one end and air pump is at the opposite end.

My thermomter/tester floats in a circle-ish pattern around the air pump, it doesn't make it to the filter end, even though I think it should.

Problem with circulation?

I have no lights. I want to keep 2 clowns, live rock, 1 white non-stinging anemone and a starfish.
My tank has no hoods, so I would have to get some sort of generic fit one.

I plan to clean out the disaster in my tank. Refill with dechlorinated water, clean filters and gravel, and put some cured live rock in to cycle the tank.
In a couple weeks I plan to get 1 clown and 1 anemone (same shop so no need for QT).

In the meantime, I have reagent kits for testing ammonia and nitrites.
I will do the ammonia test nightly and this is the part I get confused with. Should I wait for it to peak and then do a partial water change? Should I even be testing my nitrites yet? I guess I really need this whole chemical testing business explained.

Okay, I think I've given all the information I can possibly think of - criticise me!

 

[Len]

You certainly need more circulation. At least one more powerhead in the tank is needed.

I'm curious what type of "pebble" gravel you used. It may be main the source of your problems. I'd only use aragonite sand or live sand (also aragonite based).

A skimmer would help a lot in keeping waters stable. Make sure you do regular water changes, especially if you're not using a skimmer.

An anemone is a bad idea if you don't have proper lights. I'm assuming you want to keep an anemone to host your clownfish. These are all photosynthetic and require good lights and water condition to survive. I'd aim for at least 150 watts of quality light over the tank, preferably more. Also, skimmers are usually white only when they are unhealthy. When stressed, they expel the symbiotic algae in their tissue which makes them a white, translucent appearance.

Hope that gives you some insight.

 

[Anonymous]

Also, skimmers are usually white only when they are unhealthy. When stressed, they expel the symbiotic algae in their tissue which makes them a white, translucent appearance.

Hope that gives you some insight.

He means anemones not skimmers.

 

[ChrisRD]

If you're using an airstone with that powerhead, you're going to have a lot of salt creep. Better to replace that with a another powerhead (in additional to the one Len already recommended). Make sure to have something creating ripples at the surface (either the power filter or one of the powerheads) to promote good gas exchange. I also recommend a skimmer as it will make your system a lot more forgiving of the mistakes we all make starting out.

Before you go any further, I'd suggest you take a look in our library, for example check here:
http://www.reefs.org/library/newbieguide.htm

Also, you'd be wise to read at least one good, general reefkeeping book before getting started. If you don't already have some, I'd suggest the Tullock book (second from the top) found here:
http://www.reefs.org/library/reading/beginner/beginner.html

If you're interested in Clownfish, another great asset is Joyce Wilkerson's book (top of the list):
http://www.reefs.org/library/reading/fish/fish.html
You'll need something to do while your rock is curing and tank is stabilizing anyway.

Probably best not to mess with the anemone idea without more experience and very good lighting (generally halides are best for anemones). Wilkerson's book discusses alternative surrogate hosts which are much easier to care for (although the clowns don't actually need a host to thrive).

HTH

 

[Anonymous]

Check out the newbie guide it will answer a lot of questions for you. You don't want any ammonia showing and it will need to be consistently 0. Also the power filter you mentioned can sometimes store nitrates and release them back into the water which might be some of the problem as well. Is anything of yours used, or all new? BTW WELCOME TO REEFS.ORG

 

[Len]

Also, skimmers are usually white only when they are unhealthy. When stressed, they expel the symbiotic algae in their tissue which makes them a white, translucent appearance.

Hope that gives you some insight.

He means anemones not skimmers.

Hey, stop putting words in my mouth! Oh wait, you're right grrrrrrr

 

[sleepy_bear]

Thank you all for being so helpful

I've been reading the newbie guide (thanks Chris) and it suggests I get rid of my internal power filter because its a canister style and get a skimmer instead. Will just the skimmer be enough filtration?

I will also put in a shallow sandbed instead of gravel

 

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for being so helpful

I've been reading the newbie guide (thanks Chris) and it suggests I get rid of my internal power filter because its a canister style and get a skimmer instead. Will just the skimmer be enough filtration?

I will also put in a shallow sandbed instead of gravel

You will want to get some live rock as well since it will have the all the microbes to convert the nitrites.

 

[sleepy_bear]

Uh oh, I called the fish shop and the only skimmer I can afford is the Queen TS2000 and its been discussed as absolute rubbish on here and other forums. The one I need would cost about $300 which is quite a lot for me.

And is it absolutely necessary to have a sump? Cant I just hang a skimmer off the side? Its only a small tank compared to all of yours and it just seems to be getting over complicated. Is there a guide which would show me to how put this sump doovit together? And whats this business about drilling holes in my tank? All I know is Finding Nemo!

Oh, and the fish guy said he is a marine biologist and he doesn't sell live sand and anyone that tries to sell it to me is ripping me off. The micro-whatevers in the sand die as soon as you dig them up etc. Seemed quite annoyed that I was asking!

 

[SnowManSnow]

You can definitly get a very good hang on tank (HOT) skimmer.. but like you say a good one will cost around $250. For a tank your size I would consider the AquaC Remora skimmer. BUT even an airstone driven skimmer is better than NO skimmer!

As for the sump you don't HAVE to have one if space is at a premium. I wish I had the room, but I don't run one either, and my tank has been perfectly fine for nearly 9 months.

Drilling holes in your tank is so that you can have overflow and the like.. if you aren't going to worry with a sump right now.. dont worry about it. If you can get away with hang on tank stuff.... no holes are needed.

Live sand... I don't use "live sand". I just bought argonite sand. But you CAN buy live sand if you want.

BTW... always keep in mind that MOST of the guys at the LFSs just want to move product.. even it it involves misinformation.. not all are like that.. but a lot are. Ask him where he got his degree and what classes he had to take :lol:

Sounds like you have about a 29 gallon tank. Good size to start with Mine is only 37 gallons I would recommend that you move SLOWLY... get your setup going a few months before you add livestock. Keep in mind that anemonies need lots of light for the most part. The only one that comes to mind that would be good for a tank your size is a BTA. Don't skimp on your equipment.. especially on your lighting and your skimmer. Also, when you DO put water in your tank make sure it is Reverse Osmosis (RO) if possible. This will avoid lots and lots of algae in your tank in a few weeks.

Good luck!

Let us know how things progress!

B

 

[Anonymous]

A sump is not neccessary it just adds more water to your tank overall, without one you have to watch how much bioload you do have. A skimmer isn't absolutely neccessary but it is very HIGHLY recomended since it will save on frequent water changes and makes your tank more forgiving. The Aqua C hangon that he is talking about is I think good up to 75 gallons so when you want to upgrade to a bigger tank(and you will :wink: ) you can move it over.

 

[Tackett]

You do NOT have to drill holes in the tank man. You can get a hang on back overflow. Check out this thread....
http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=61299

 

[danmhippo]

Drilling the tank is just to make your life easier, so you worry less about water not making over the hang-on overflow. Live sand is not a neccesity. I started out my last tank with bone dead sand as well. It just that with dead sand you will experience a brief period of cloudy water when first setup.

The thing about the sump. YES, it's not a must have, BUT, the added volume of water will help stablize water chemistry. Besides, people keep ugly stuffs out of the main tank into the sump. If you don't mind all the wires/cords stuff in the tank..........

 

[danmhippo]

Lastly, SW tank is pretty expensive. You may want to rethink if you really want to jump into this hobby if a few hundreds dollars here and there will impact you financially.

Money spent does not stop when you got the initial set of equipments. It's quite a lot more there after to get some of the very cool live stock, and more just to maintain the tank.