29 gallon tank

crentch21 · Jan 21, 2014

I have been up and running for a week and a few days now. I have 29 pounds of live rock, as you can see with 2 clown fish and 2 green chromis. I have yet to have any readings for ammonia, nitrite or nitrate. Am I being impatient? Will it start cycling soon?

I have a Fluval 106 canister and an Aqua Clear 30 for filtration, is that sufficient? Do I need to add a power head?

I take it I leave the live rock for good?

I have a LED light that came with the tank, is that ok for now?

Please, any suggestions would be much appreciated.

revhtree · Jan 21, 2014

Welcome to R2R!

Did the LR come from an established reef tank?

prdubois · Jan 21, 2014

1. You should never cycle with live fish.
2. If the rock was truly live and remained wet in transport, you may not have a large cycle.
3. You should start seeing the amonia rise first if you are going to have a cycle.
4. Fluval 106 canister and an Aqua Clear 30 for filtration are not needed. They just trap stuff and cause a rise in nitrates. Better to run without them or just use them for carbon when needed. I used to run my canister with just rock rubble when I had a tank with no sump. If you use ether filter they MUST be cleaned very often.
5. I would remove both filters and add a powerhead and a skimmer.
6. Rock stays! It is your filter.
7. Depends on the type of LED and what you want to keep.
Just fish or some soft corals - Any LED should work
The better LED's can grow anything

crentch21 · Jan 21, 2014

Yes, all of the LR were from tanks with bulk LR for sale.

prdubois · Jan 21, 2014

What brand and type of LED is it?

crentch21 · Jan 21, 2014

Interesting on the filtration, any recommendations on the power head and skimmer for a 29 gal?

crentch21 · Jan 21, 2014

So your saying I dont need the canister or the aqua clear at all??!! If so I sure am upset at the dealer I was at!!!

prdubois · Jan 21, 2014

crentch21 said:
Interesting on the filtration, any recommendations on the power head and skimmer for a 29 gal?

I assume no sump:
For a powerhead I would go with a Jebo WP25 or a Korella3. Jebo will give you sone nice water movement.
Deltec and Reef Octopus make some good HOB skimmers.

prdubois · Jan 21, 2014

crentch21 said:
So your saying I dont need the canister or the aqua clear at all??!! If so I sure am upset at the dealer I was at!!!

If new, I would return both. Nether is needed for Salt water. Go to a local group or a store that just does salt water for advice.

Daniel@R2R · Jan 21, 2014

Definitely get rid of the canister and filter. Both are bad news for saltwater tanks. You should get a protein skimmer instead.

iadubber · Jan 21, 2014

crentch21 said:
So your saying I dont need the canister or the aqua clear at all??!! If so I sure am upset at the dealer I was at!!!

Wouldn't be the first time. Trust what you read here before what a pet store tells you. Granted, there are a lot of great LFS but a lot of them are out to make a dollar. Ditch the filters. I'd keep the AC30 around to run carbon if needed. Trade the canister in for a powerhead.

crentch21 · Jan 21, 2014

prdubois said:
I assume no sump:
For a powerhead I would go with a Jebo WP25 or a Korella3. Jebo will give you sone nice water movement.
Deltec and Reef Octopus make some good HOB skimmers.

I have a Koralia with 425 gph, could I just another one and it be sufficient?

crentch21 · Jan 21, 2014

Would I be okay with a Reef Octopus BH100 hand on and a Koralia 850 gph?

prdubois · Jan 21, 2014

crentch21 said:
Would I be okay with a Reef Octopus BH100 hand on and a Koralia 850 gph?

Yes that would be fine

WhoKnew · Jan 21, 2014

I so remember where you are at. I was there 1yr. Ago. I have a 30g. Big protein skimmer, as recommended by users of this site. 1 nice power head and heater. I keep my canister to run carbon if needed. There is GOOD advice in this site. Take advantage of it. We will all become friends. Good luck. Be patient.

crentch21 · Jan 21, 2014

I have not set up my quarantine tank, could I use the AC30 for that?

prdubois · Jan 21, 2014

crentch21 said:
I have not set up my quarantine tank, could I use the AC30 for that?

yes you could

crentch21 · Jan 21, 2014

prdubois said:
yes you could

Thanks!! Last question...I hope

I have crushed coral for my base, you may be able to see in the picture...is it to late to switch to live sand? Kinda of regreting not using live sand in the beginning..as you can see i kinda jumped into this too quickly...

And if I can, how would you suggest doing so...

prdubois · Jan 21, 2014

Just take out the crushed coral and add Dry sand. Don't waste your money on the stuff they sell as live sand.
Once you take out the Crushed Coral, you can add the new sand by pouring it into a piece of PVC so it goes to the bottom. That way it will cloud up less.

You can get a few cups of live sand from a fellow reefer to seed your sand with bacteria, worms, etc...

Running the two filters you have for 48 hours after you add the new sand will help clear the water back up.