Beginning coral questions

[Qh2214]

Hey starting a coral tank I'm headed to my aquarium store tomorrow and need to know if I need to get new sand or if I'm okay with leaving the pebbles as they are. Planning on getting some live rock tomorrow then the LED lights come next Wednesday and hopefully I'll be able to get some beginner easy to care coral. Also really interested in adding an anemone for my clown fish! Help is much appreciated thank you

 

[Qh2214]

Should I take it out and get sand or is it fine?

 

[Waters]

The pebbles will work but you may want to wait a little while after adding the live rock before you consider adding any coral (or definately an anemone). Depending on the quality of the live rock, you may experience a mini-cycle which would be harmful to both. What are you currently using for biological filtration?

 

[Reefing Madness]

If you clean that substrate you'll be ok, you also might want to stay away from any sand sifting critters, fish.
In order to even keep easy corals, of which a Anemone is not an easy to coral, going to need strong lighting and prestine water conditions, you will need to monitor your water quality and element parameters.
[TABLE="align: center"]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 3"]

Table 1. Parameters critical to control in reef aquaria.​

[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 20%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]Parameter:[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[TD="width: 40%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]Reef Aquaria Recommendation:[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[TD="width: 40%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]Typical Surface Ocean Value:[SIZE=-1]¹[/SIZE][/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 20%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]Calcium[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[TD="width: 40%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]380-450 ppm[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[TD="width: 40%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]420 ppm[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 20%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]Alkalinity[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[TD="width: 40%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]2.5-4 meq/L
7-11 dKH
125-200 ppm CaCO[SIZE=-2]3[/SIZE] equivalents[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[TD="width: 40%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]2.5 meq/L
7 dKH
125 ppm CaCO[SIZE=-2]3[/SIZE] equivalents[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD="width: 20%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]Salinity[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[TD="width: 40%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]35 ppt
sg = 1.026[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[TD="width: 40%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]34-36 ppt
sg = 1.025-1.027[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD="width: 20%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]Temperature[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[TD="width: 40%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]76-83° F[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[TD="width: 40%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]Variable²[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[/TR]
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[TD="width: 20%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]pH[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[TD="width: 40%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]7.8-8.5 OK
8.1-8.3 is better[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[TD="width: 40%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]8.0-8.3 (can be lower or higher in lagoons) [/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
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[TD="width: 20%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]Magnesium[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[TD="width: 40%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]1250-1350 ppm[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[TD="width: 40%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]1280 ppm[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 20%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]Phosphate[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[TD="width: 40%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]< 0.03 ppm[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[TD="width: 40%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]0.005 ppm[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 20%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]Ammonia[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[TD="width: 40%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]<0.1 ppm[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[TD="width: 40%"][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]Variable (typically <0.1 ppm)[/SIZE][/FONT][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Reef Aquarium Water Parameters by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com


A Beginner's Guide to Keeping Anemones - Anemones

 

[Dan1789]

If it was me, I would go ahead and get some live sand and live rock and get rid of the gravel. It will probably be a headache down the road. Place your live rock on the glass bottom and then use a funnel and tubing to add your live sand about an 1" or less.

 

[Dan1789]

And give that 2-3 weeks before adding any fish, coral, or inverts.

 

[3dees]

I would take everything out. that gravel will become a nitrate factory. plastic plants don't look right in a sw tank. your tank may go through another cycle with the live rock. make sure everything is stable. add a cuc then some easy to keep coral. your tank needs to mature before adding an anemone.

 

[LetItReef]

I would take everything out then get live sand and live rocks and start the process, 3-4 weeks with testing. And for the Clown you have maybe buy a 10 gallon tank for temporary then once cycle is stable add it back.

 

[Qh2214]

Thanks everybody definitely will be taking out the gravel and getting some live sand and rock today! Couldn't agree more with the fake plants not looking right in a SW tank definitely why I want to get into coral.

 

[Qh2214]

I'll update with some pictures after I get it all set up!

 

[G_Sanab922]

Thanks everybody definitely will be taking out the gravel and getting some live sand and rock today! Couldn't agree more with the fake plants not looking right in a SW tank definitely why I want to get into coral.

Try to find the clown a temporary tank, like others have said, the liverock and live sand addition will create a mini cycle. Feel free to make a thread in the members tank section, or nano (i'm assuming its a nano) and everyone could follow along. You could ask questions and others will comment and give suggestions. By having all your tank info there for everyone to read, it will help in assisting you in your questions. Threads are also good for showing off our awesome corals and fish haha good luck :wink:

 

[gemini9]

I agree with everyone else as well. The pebbles are kinda cheesy. You'll eventually want to switch it out and the longer you wait the harder it is. I just switched out my crushed coral for sand because I wasn't happy with it.

 

[Qh2214]

This is how it turned out! I wish I had a quarantine tank to keep my fish in but college student on a budget!

 

[G_Sanab922]

Looks a lot better with the sand and rock! Yea just don't add any livestock so soon. Check your parameters every other day and see if you had a spike. Everything looks pretty good though. What size tank is it?

 

[Qh2214]

Ya I waited a couple of hours before I added them back in. Thanks I'm pretty pumped on how it looks! Think I'm going to go get one more piece of rock to make a little tower type of thing. Adding bacteria from a established reef tank about a tablespoon each day. It's a 20 gallon long.

 

[tyler1503]

Adding bacteria from a established reef tank about a tablespoon each day.

Could you elaborate on this process please?

 

[Qh2214]

Ya for sure, when I bought the live rock it wasn't in a tank it was just dried out waiting to go into a tank. So the place I bought it from gave me a bag full of water from their established reef tank to help the right bacteria start to grow on my live rock to speed up the process of the mini cycle!

 

[3dees]

water will do nothing. live rock or sand. otherwise use a piece of shrimp to get the cycle going.

 

[G_Sanab922]

Dry live rock might give you a bigger spike than established live rock. Unfortunately Water doesn't do much like what he said above.. Keep an eye on your parameters. And I wouldn't advise you to add anything else..

Did you cycle this tank before? If you didn't then you must! Not trying to be a pain, it's your tank and you can do whatever you want . But just trying to help you out, just like everyone else.

 

[Qh2214]

It was dry live rock and I'm going to check my water on Wednesday there's a shop around me that does it for free kind of have been waiting to let it all settle. What do you mean put shrimp in it to start the cycle? Like buy a cleaner shrimp?