First attempt at reefing....

[Orca1]

Well I took the plunge this afternoon. I set up my 40g (20LX18WX24H) this afternoon.

I started off with:

* An AquaC Remora skimmer with a Maxi Jet 1200 pump....Thanks Custom King.
* A 150W MH from Coralife....Thanks Duke62
* 2 Korilia 2 pumps.
* 25 lbs. of live sand.
* 11 lbs. of live rock.
* An additional 10 lbs. of dead rock collected in Florida.
* 22 Gallons of Nutri-Seawater.

Future add ons this week include a phosban reactor and LED's.

Ok.....so this is my first ever attempt at a reef tank. Does anyone have any recommendations, and/or supportive criticism? I'm new so take it easy on me.

Below is a pic while I wait for the dust to settle.

 

[duke62]

wow that is a amazing looking light..you must have some hook up. :lol2: get some blue LED and hook that systm up.

 

[KathyC]

Congrats!

Do you plan on getting a rodi unit or continuing buying the water pre-made?

Are you going to add any further rock?

What test kits do you have to follow along with your cycle?

Best thing you can do now is be patient and wait for the tank to full cycle..and of course, tell us what your plans are for stocking

 

[Orca1]

KathyC.....

RODI system should be installed this week. My plumber buddy says he's had one new in his truck for a while but keeps forgetting to give it to me.

I still have an additional 200 or so lbs of rock that I collected in Florida (high and dry in my mother's yard for who knows how many years). Lots of fun getting the spiders out of them. I do plan on getting some branches to add some height to my aquascaping.

As far as testing, I have my basic master saltwater test kit and reef testing kits from API.

Duke62.....

Lol. I'm gonna look into the LED's tomorrow. Thanks a lot man. The MH looks perfect!

..............Eric.

 

[CHEMCHEF]

Nice Tank. Seems like you're off to a good start
Patience is key

 

[polecat]

looks good eric:bablefish

 

[Orca1]

Thank you very much guys. I saw my first hitch-hiker a little while ago.....a small crab. I'll try to catch him if he comes out again. He didn't look very friendly (black tips on his claws). If he's bad, he's gonna have to go. Also noticed some very small aiptasia on my rock. They're gonna have to get nuked too.

 

[reefs4life]

I don't think that crab is good, I think they eat zoos and SPS. And I've also heard it's not good to use rock that's been left outside as it absorbs chemicals from rain water that could potentially be a problem to your system

 

[Orca1]

Reefs4life....
Thanks for the heads up. I'm probably going to trash the collected rock. I thought a lot about what might have been absorbed over time. At least the price was right:cool3:.

I raised the collection up on my skimmer. I found that I was getting a little too much water in the cup. The skimmate in the cup was hazy.

I just ran some tests since the tank has been set up for approx. 24 hours.

Results were:

* Nitrate: 0
* Amonia: 0
* Nitrite: 0
* PH: 7.8
* Phosphate: 0.25

Am I on the right track? I know patience is key, but if I can do something a little extra I will.

Thanks..........Eric.

 

[Orca1]

Well the dust is starting to settle in the tank and I figured I would post another pic or two. I also added an additional piece of live branch rock.

Here's what's going on now.....

 

[polecat]

eric the tank looks nice and clear

 

[NYreefNoob]

what are you using for filtration ? hob fuge ? hob filter ? gonna wanna run phosban and carbon. honestly since it is still in beginning stages id drain it and have it drilled and run a sump

 

[Orca1]

NYreefNoob......
At the moment, my live rock/sand is my filter. A good friend and very accomplished reefer (from this site) swears to me that this is all I need as long as I'm running a good skimmer (in addition to my phosban/carbon reactors). I'm more or less modeling my tank after his. Phosban/Carbon is going to be added this week.

I've personally debated running a second hang on filter to keep the water polished.......I'm still on the fence about this. Recommendations anyone?

As far as a sump system.......well, my stand is pretty small. Designed for appearance....not function.

 

[greggnyce]

Nice set up so far. You may want to consider using epoxy (aquamend from hd) or drilling holes in the rock and connecting them with nylon rods(drive way markers). You can make some really cool structures and shapes for your aquascaping that will defy gravity and be more stable to avoid falls.

 

[Orca1]

Day 3

Greggnyce......
I might try using epoxy. For now, the rocks aren't moving even when I push on them. I spent a good amount of time setting up then re-setting up to insure things would be very difficult to move. We'll see how the tank progresses over the next few weeks.

Pics and today's water tests will follow shortly.

...........Eric.

 

[Orca1]

Test results...

All test results were the same as yesterday with the exception of PH. PH level went up to 8.0.

Any other recommendations for a secondary filtration system?

 

[Keith P]

Looks good. I was surprised by the height of you tank. Should be interesting.

You may benefit from the overflow box Remora offers for your skimmer.

I bet Custom King could make you a sweet HOB refugium.

What are you planning on stocking the tank with?

 

[Orca1]

Kieth P.....
I'm definitely going to look into an overflow box for my skimmer. I was thinking of ways to break the surface tension and don't know why I didn't think of the over flow box before....thanks man!

The height of the tank is what attracted me to the tank. I originally looked at a 45g oceanic, however, I couldn't reach the bottom of the tank. Although I use gloves and plastic tongs now, I still want to be able to touch the bottom just in case. This tank/stand allow me to do that and they go along with the styling of my bedroom.

As far as stocking......hmmm. That's a good one. I'm probably going to start with some green/orange montipora down in the lower section of the water column. Other stocking plans include Australian Acans, Hawkins blue echinata, purple plasma, assorted acros, and sun coral.

I also wouldn't mind a few small fish...blue/green chromis, bicolor angel, 2 tank raised percula clowns, algae blenny. The fish list is subject to change.

I have two other tanks that are going to be set up over the next month or so. The 125 fish only in my living room took a back seat to this tank. My girlfriend was the one that really pushed me to set up a reef tank/this tank first. I'm still on the fence about my 72 bowfront that's going in my office. Not sure if that's going to be a reef or a species dedicated dragon moray tank. I have more tanks in my house now than I know what to do with at the moment.

Thanks again for all of your input/encouragement..........Eric.

 

[jackson6745]

Looks good so far Eric

 

[basiab]

Looks like it is settling down nice. Is that a standard 40 gallon. It seems to be very tall. Keep in mind that the deeper your tank the less light available to anything on the bottom. If ammonia and nitrites stay at zero and the rock is already cured you may want to put in some ammonia just to make sure your tank can handle it.