Building new reef - new member
- Thread starter sajmax007
- Start date
sfsuphysics
Supporting Member
Educate yourself first, then do it. Wait on putting living things in there until you're educated and things are right for them. Starting a tank almost always involves a lot of "ugly" stuff that if you don't know is normal then it will tend to freak people out and cause them to overreact.
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Coral reefer
Past President
Welcome! Where do you live. Any goals you have for it?
Arvin R
Sponsor
Is this your first reef tank? How much research have you done? If you want the quick and dirty, go watch the 5 minute reef guide youtube series by BRStv. If you've setup/owned a lot of freshwater fish tanks, the basics of the Nitrogen cycle are the same. If you are new to aquariums, then do a fishless cycle using some type of liquid bacteria and ammonia addative/fish food until your Nitrogen cycle completes. Fish in cycling is possible but you have to be monitoring levels daily and be ready to have to pull out the fish and put them into clean salt water at any time. Fish in cycling isn't common. Take your time and do plenty of research before you even start your tank with water will give you the best chance of sucess. Ask plenty of questions here too.
Susan Ingram
Guest
Hi and welcome!! Heed the advice of taking things slow. This is a great group with great people!
Have you done freshwater in the past?
Have you done freshwater in the past?
thanks for the advice.
Thanks, I am staying in Palo Alto. I want to complete in 1 month and start putting the living things after one month,
Thanks for the advice. I am taking one step at a time. I have had a freshwater aquarium for a long time. Start interested in the reef aquarium, One of my friends, who has a 200G Aquarium inspired me to start a new project.
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Hi,
thanks for the advice. I have had a freshwater aquarium for a long time. Start interested in the reef aquarium, One of my friends, who has a 200G Aquarium inspired me to start a new project.
Susan Ingram
Guest
That's zo cool! That's the way t goes sometimes. For me, I just always found myself wandering from the FW Fish unto the SW section & finally made the jump. As far ass the two are concerned, I was pretty successful w FW (except for the Pacu/Gar incident which I am still hearing about 15 years later...) but SW kicked my butt at first. Good luck with getting it going and be sure to start a tank journal so we can all see your progress & celebrate your success!!
Squist
Guest
Advice? Just do it. All the Instructions are in books and online. You got this.
One more thing: start a tank journal so that if you do get into a bind, we know your system and current water parameters. Lots of examples in Tank Journals.
One more thing: start a tank journal so that if you do get into a bind, we know your system and current water parameters. Lots of examples in Tank Journals.
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Vincerama2
Supporting Member
I recommend that you get a good skimmer. It looks like your tank does not have overflows, so a Hang on Back skimmer would work for you. I use this on my qt tank and it's pretty good.
www.bulkreefsupply.com
It's $300. If that gives you sticker shock, you're going to get a few more shocks, however, once you buy the basics, your money bleeding will slow.
You'll of course need lights IF you plan on putting coral in the tank. If you plan on only salt water fish, then you're life will be easier until you want coral.
Luckily for you, LED reef lights are not super expensive anymore.
You'll need a heater as well, and a few water circulation pumps. You'll need a good way to measure salinity. I suggest a refractometer, though a "dip" hydrometer will work.
You should get a test kit. To start off, the "API Master Saltwater" test kits should get you started.
As others mentioned, do some reading. Given what you have on hand in the photo, you'll need those things I mentioned.
You'll need a lot of patience too.
For now, let's say you have what you need for a saltwater fish tank, if you get a heater and skimmer for filtration.
What I would do.
Since the tank is empty, you can mix your salt in the tank, but it's better to mix it in a seperate large bucket (I use44 gallon Rubbermaid garbage bins!)
- Mix up your salt water to 1.023 - 1.026 sg using your reflectometer or hydrometer. The refractometer does not mater what the temperature of the water is, not sure about the hydrometer
- Get the water up to temperature 78-82 C
- if the water's in the tank already VERY SLOWLY add the sand to the tank so you don't overflow and flood over the top of the tank! If the water is not in yet, then put the sand in the tank,slowly add water for the same reason. Put your heater in the tank. The tank will look like a murky sand storm.Go watch TV or eat dinner, it will settle down.
-You need live rock. It doesn't need to be LIVE live rock, but you need the porous live rock for biological filtration. Since you have experience with FW tanks, you know the Ammonia-Nitrite-Nitrate (ANN) bacteria cycle. The Live Rock is where all that bacteria will live. Get some and put it in the tank, keeping in mind that adding rocks will displace water and spill over the tank, so you'll need to remove water.
- Make sure your water level is at the very brim of the tank. Get a piece of masking tape and mark where you want the top of the water to be.
- Add your circulation punps, they'll probably create another snowstorm until every thing settles. If it doesn't go away, move the pumps up a bit or power one off.
- If you are running a skimmer, install it to the tank, most likely you'll need to add tank water into the skimmer body. Follow the instructions and run the skimmer. YOu will not get any crap come out, or else it will be the silt from the sand. Now turn off the skimmer.
OK, now your tank is full of circulating warm water and rocks, it is being heated and the skimmer is ready to skim crap when it's available!
Now, you have to wait ... for quite a while. The live rock you added most likely has some dead stuff on it that will decay and provide ammonia fort ANN Cycle. You should use your test kits to establish a baseline and then test the water maybe every 3 days or something. You SHOULD see Ammonia rise, then fall, then Nitrate rise and fall, and then nitrates go up and maybe not fall.
Once you're at that point, you can turn on your skimmer and fiddle with it. Watch it like a hawk to mate sure it doesn't overflow and pump all your water onto the floor.
Basically, you need the ANN cycle to finish. In saltwater tank talk, that means the tank has "cycled". If everything in the tank is very sterile, you might need to kick start the cycle. Some people put a small piece of shrimp (from the grocery store) in the tank. You can also get a live piece of live rock if all your live rock was dry before.
Don't add livestock until your test kits tell you the tank has cycled! Every time you add something to the tank, it will likely kick off a tiny cycle until the bacteria population adjusts to deal with it.
OK,that's all I can think of as to what _I_ would do with a new tank.
You will hate the tank for a while. Algae will magically appear and hopefully disappear. You'll get brown slimy stuff, you'll get all sorts of things going on.
Once it's ready for livestock, mention it here and I'm sure many members will be happy to donate a small piece of coral to you to get you started! (Assuming a reef tank and assuming good lights) and you mentioned a friend with a 200g tank, I'm sure he'd give you some nice pieces too!
In theory, you should quarantine all new pieces. Many people don't and end up with a lot of pests.
I'm sure I missed a ton of stuff. We probably should have a link to a starter's guide, or we as a club should makeone. I'm sure others will pop up and tell me what I missed, or what bad advice I've given and correct it! So don't start until you've read what I've suggested and cross referenced with what you think you should do. Ask questions , and WELCOME!
V
ConeS HOB Hang-On-Back Protein Skimmer
The latest AquaMaxx ConeS HOB Hang-On-Back Protein Skimmer takes all of the great features of the ConeS CO-1 skimmer and adapts them to a hang-on-back version. Now, you can get all the great performance of the ConeS CO-1 skimmer without needing a sump. It is rated up to 175 gallons in a design...
www.bulkreefsupply.com
It's $300. If that gives you sticker shock, you're going to get a few more shocks, however, once you buy the basics, your money bleeding will slow.
You'll of course need lights IF you plan on putting coral in the tank. If you plan on only salt water fish, then you're life will be easier until you want coral.
Luckily for you, LED reef lights are not super expensive anymore.
You'll need a heater as well, and a few water circulation pumps. You'll need a good way to measure salinity. I suggest a refractometer, though a "dip" hydrometer will work.
You should get a test kit. To start off, the "API Master Saltwater" test kits should get you started.
As others mentioned, do some reading. Given what you have on hand in the photo, you'll need those things I mentioned.
You'll need a lot of patience too.
For now, let's say you have what you need for a saltwater fish tank, if you get a heater and skimmer for filtration.
What I would do.
Since the tank is empty, you can mix your salt in the tank, but it's better to mix it in a seperate large bucket (I use44 gallon Rubbermaid garbage bins!)
- Mix up your salt water to 1.023 - 1.026 sg using your reflectometer or hydrometer. The refractometer does not mater what the temperature of the water is, not sure about the hydrometer
- Get the water up to temperature 78-82 C
- if the water's in the tank already VERY SLOWLY add the sand to the tank so you don't overflow and flood over the top of the tank! If the water is not in yet, then put the sand in the tank,slowly add water for the same reason. Put your heater in the tank. The tank will look like a murky sand storm.Go watch TV or eat dinner, it will settle down.
-You need live rock. It doesn't need to be LIVE live rock, but you need the porous live rock for biological filtration. Since you have experience with FW tanks, you know the Ammonia-Nitrite-Nitrate (ANN) bacteria cycle. The Live Rock is where all that bacteria will live. Get some and put it in the tank, keeping in mind that adding rocks will displace water and spill over the tank, so you'll need to remove water.
- Make sure your water level is at the very brim of the tank. Get a piece of masking tape and mark where you want the top of the water to be.
- Add your circulation punps, they'll probably create another snowstorm until every thing settles. If it doesn't go away, move the pumps up a bit or power one off.
- If you are running a skimmer, install it to the tank, most likely you'll need to add tank water into the skimmer body. Follow the instructions and run the skimmer. YOu will not get any crap come out, or else it will be the silt from the sand. Now turn off the skimmer.
OK, now your tank is full of circulating warm water and rocks, it is being heated and the skimmer is ready to skim crap when it's available!
Now, you have to wait ... for quite a while. The live rock you added most likely has some dead stuff on it that will decay and provide ammonia fort ANN Cycle. You should use your test kits to establish a baseline and then test the water maybe every 3 days or something. You SHOULD see Ammonia rise, then fall, then Nitrate rise and fall, and then nitrates go up and maybe not fall.
Once you're at that point, you can turn on your skimmer and fiddle with it. Watch it like a hawk to mate sure it doesn't overflow and pump all your water onto the floor.
Basically, you need the ANN cycle to finish. In saltwater tank talk, that means the tank has "cycled". If everything in the tank is very sterile, you might need to kick start the cycle. Some people put a small piece of shrimp (from the grocery store) in the tank. You can also get a live piece of live rock if all your live rock was dry before.
Don't add livestock until your test kits tell you the tank has cycled! Every time you add something to the tank, it will likely kick off a tiny cycle until the bacteria population adjusts to deal with it.
OK,that's all I can think of as to what _I_ would do with a new tank.
You will hate the tank for a while. Algae will magically appear and hopefully disappear. You'll get brown slimy stuff, you'll get all sorts of things going on.
Once it's ready for livestock, mention it here and I'm sure many members will be happy to donate a small piece of coral to you to get you started! (Assuming a reef tank and assuming good lights) and you mentioned a friend with a 200g tank, I'm sure he'd give you some nice pieces too!
In theory, you should quarantine all new pieces. Many people don't and end up with a lot of pests.
I'm sure I missed a ton of stuff. We probably should have a link to a starter's guide, or we as a club should makeone. I'm sure others will pop up and tell me what I missed, or what bad advice I've given and correct it! So don't start until you've read what I've suggested and cross referenced with what you think you should do. Ask questions , and WELCOME!
V
Welcome to the club, @sajmax007 ! It looks like a lot of the basics have already been covered.
I am actually in the process of that right now. I'll be launching the guide with four articles, and I'm about 50% of the way through writing the fourth one.
Reefinglens
Supporting Member
DRILL THE TANK! DRILL THE TANK! DRILL THE TANK! lol
It's not necessary, but I personally like the clean minimal look. If you decided to, most overflow options come with the diamond hole saw. Just go slow and have plenty of water around where you're drilling. If you decide to add return holes let me know, I have a diamond hole bit for 3/4" bulkheads that you can borrow.
It's not necessary, but I personally like the clean minimal look. If you decided to, most overflow options come with the diamond hole saw. Just go slow and have plenty of water around where you're drilling. If you decide to add return holes let me know, I have a diamond hole bit for 3/4" bulkheads that you can borrow.