First Tank... so much to learn

[mossmoss]

Hey All,
I am very new to this world (2 weeks) and to be honest, often overwhelmed haha! A friend of mine started a 10g saltwater tank and I was so excited for her she encouraged me to start my own.. so I made a trip to the local aquarium store and invested in a 20g tank, sand, about 10 lbs of live rock, a heater, a 660gph wave pump and a few buckets of saltwater. I have done a ton of research and often find myself confused by conflicting information.

The shop keepers said I didnt need a filter because the live rock and sand act as a filter. They also said I could hold off buying lighting for the cycling process.

So I set up my tank and impatiently embarked on the waiting game.

Within a few days I noticed a tiny brittle star and a fan worm (exciting!)

After a week I took a water sample to get tested. (Tested the water with home kits but dont have confidence yet in my accuracy). Shop keeper advised i was close and that I should do a water change that day and again in 6 or 7 days and then bring water in again for another test. She also suggested I buy a protein skimmer... conflicting information from the previous shop keeper who told me i wont need anything. (?) She also advised to dose with live nitrifying bacteria so i bought a small bottle of BioSpira.

Everything seems to be going fine ... BUT.... I am seeing a white streaky residue on the inside of the glass and a white film on top of the water. The water is a bit murky, it doesnt look as clear as I think it should. I would like to problem solve this and would love any feedback/advice.

1. I was told to wipe the new aquarium with vinegar to clean out dust etc. ... This could be the cause of the white streaky residue on the glass? - Should I buy a magnet cleaner to remove this? Is a magnet cleaner ok to use during the cycling process?

2. I was not told to rinse the sand (it is not live sand) .. so I didnt do this but later read that I should have.... this could be a contributing factor?

3. I WAS NOT told to rinse the live rock so I did not, but my friend who set up her tank 3 weeks before me WAS told to rinse her live rock... could this be part of the issue?

4. Is it protein build up because I do not have a filter? (Even though I have no fish or CUC?)

For such a small tank do I need a protein skimmer or would a filter be sufficient?

The wave pump I have in the tank now seems quite high powered for the size of tank. I really wanted the tank to be low profile so the idea of a big skimmer hanging off the tank is not appealing but I realize I am really learning everything on the go with this process haha.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Mr Fishface]

First of all, welcome to the forum!

There are LOTS of conflicting info online. My honest, best advice, is to use what the majority say.

Tank is cloudy with new substrate and possibly bacteria. Just leave it be it'll go away with some time. I wouldn't get a protein skimmer yet - they are nice for coral reef tanks but not real helpful in the beginning of a tank build in my personal opinion. You're fine to have not rinsed the live rock, not a big deal.

Magnet cleaner is always ok to use. Is the streaks on the inside of the glass or the outside? If outside just grab a plain towel and wipe it, if inside a cleaner magnet would be great to use I would think.

 

[MohrReefs]

Hey All,
I am very new to this world (2 weeks) and to be honest, often overwhelmed haha! A friend of mine started a 10g saltwater tank and I was so excited for her she encouraged me to start my own.. so I made a trip to the local aquarium store and invested in a 20g tank, sand, about 10 lbs of live rock, a heater, a 660gph wave pump and a few buckets of saltwater. I have done a ton of research and often find myself confused by conflicting information.

The shop keepers said I didnt need a filter because the live rock and sand act as a filter. They also said I could hold off buying lighting for the cycling process.

So I set up my tank and impatiently embarked on the waiting game.

Within a few days I noticed a tiny brittle star and a fan worm (exciting!)

After a week I took a water sample to get tested. (Tested the water with home kits but dont have confidence yet in my accuracy). Shop keeper advised i was close and that I should do a water change that day and again in 6 or 7 days and then bring water in again for another test. She also suggested I buy a protein skimmer... conflicting information from the previous shop keeper who told me i wont need anything. (?) She also advised to dose with live nitrifying bacteria so i bought a small bottle of BioSpira.

Everything seems to be going fine ... BUT.... I am seeing a white streaky residue on the inside of the glass and a white film on top of the water. The water is a bit murky, it doesnt look as clear as I think it should. I would like to problem solve this and would love any feedback/advice.

1. I was told to wipe the new aquarium with vinegar to clean out dust etc. ... This could be the cause of the white streaky residue on the glass? - Should I buy a magnet cleaner to remove this? Is a magnet cleaner ok to use during the cycling process?

2. I was not told to rinse the sand (it is not live sand) .. so I didnt do this but later read that I should have.... this could be a contributing factor?

3. I WAS NOT told to rinse the live rock so I did not, but my friend who set up her tank 3 weeks before me WAS told to rinse her live rock... could this be part of the issue?

4. Is it protein build up because I do not have a filter? (Even though I have no fish or CUC?)

For such a small tank do I need a protein skimmer or would a filter be sufficient?

The wave pump I have in the tank now seems quite high powered for the size of tank. I really wanted the tank to be low profile so the idea of a big skimmer hanging off the tank is not appealing but I realize I am really learning everything on the go with this process haha.

Thanks for reading!

Welcome to the beautiful chaos! I'm in the same boat, I've been doing this for about 3 weeks and I completely agree with you on how you feel and how you are getting conflicting info. From what I can tell, the conflicting info never ends so I've resulting to just seeing what works and what doesnt, so far it's worked out for me. I will say you probably do need a filter, I think filtering the water would help with the water clarity and help keep you parameters in check. Get a filter, you can get a protein skimmer but I think a small eheim canister filter or hang filter would do just fine for a tank your size.

I believe rinsing the dry rock or live rock is their attempt to remove as much organic debris as possible so you dont get a spike in your parameters as well as possible hitchhikers.

Not rinsing the sand definitely contributed to your cloudiness and I made the same mistake. Myfilter had it fixed in a couple days.

My tank also has the streak, magnet cleaner did an okay job but I know I'm going to have to get in there and mechanically remove it myself instead of through the magnet for some more elbow grease.

Also, if you had live rock you didnt need to buy the nitrifying bacteria since the bacteria is present on your live rock .

Hope this helps, If I said anything incorrect I'm sure someone will let me know. All of what I said is from trial and error so far.

Stay with it, it gets better and more fun!

 

[Mr Fishface]

Welcome to the beautiful chaos! I'm in the same boat, I've been doing this for about 3 weeks and I completely agree with you on how you feel and how you are getting conflicting info. From what I can tell, the conflicting info never ends so I've resulting to just seeing what works and what doesnt, so far it's worked out for me.

Yes this is probably the most frustrating part of this hobby. The info is hard to get a clear and concise answer from. Another big piece of advice I give to all newcomers to the hobby - find someone who has a tank you like that has been successful and just go with their advice. Every tank runs very differently with hundreds of ways to run them. If you can find a "mentor" to help that is a big advantage as they can give you their own ways of dealing with things.

I've known a few people burn out of the hobby pretty fast with using online only as their source of info. I'm always happy to help people if they want to send me a pm or use me as a mentor, just FYI. I've had big and small tanks, used just about every kind of equipment in the hobby and tried all sorts of things. I've also had more than my fair share of mistakes lol! I am always happy to give people my experience to help them avoid my mistakes too

 

[MohrReefs]

Yes this is probably the most frustrating part of this hobby. The info is hard to get a clear and concise answer from. Another big piece of advice I give to all newcomers to the hobby - find someone who has a tank you like that has been successful and just go with their advice. Every tank runs very differently with hundreds of ways to run them. If you can find a "mentor" to help that is a big advantage as they can give you their own ways of dealing with things.

I've known a few people burn out of the hobby pretty fast with using online only as their source of info. I'm always happy to help people if they want to send me a pm or use me as a mentor, just FYI. I've had big and small tanks, used just about every kind of equipment in the hobby and tried all sorts of things. I've also had more than my fair share of mistakes lol! I am always happy to give people my experience to help them avoid my mistakes too

Yeah that's what I did, I basically follow BRS for tech advice and Mr Reef for my parameters and chemistry advice. Everything else is trial and error. I've gotten really lucky with most things, for example buying a mandarin dragonet and thankfully training her to eat mysis. But I know I cant rely on luck with an ecosystem in my house lol. I'm much more research heavy now.

Another thing I noticed is LFS are quick to sell you anything that sounds nice that you dont need.

 

[Mr Fishface]

Yeah that's what I did, I basically follow BRS for tech advice and Mr Reef for my parameters and chemistry advice. Everything else is trial and error. I've gotten really lucky with most things, for example buying a mandarin dragonet and thankfully training her to eat mysis. But I know I cant rely on luck with an ecosystem in my house lol. I'm much more research heavy now.

Another thing I noticed is LFS are quick to sell you anything that sounds nice that you dont need.

Sounds like you got a good method working for you which is awesome! BRS is fantastic for advice. I have been in this hobby and STILL watch their beginner videos all the time. So much info in those videos it's great to refresh existing knowledge with and still learn another new thing too. The best part about researching tons is that, over time, you start to notice when things contradict and you can make some more experienced decisions about things. You start to notice when people don't make sense or when things just don't add up. Can help filter out at least bad or unhelpful info which makes a big difference.

Unfortunately I see this trend a lot. Seems that a lot of LFS do this which is too bad. I feel like the term LFS has a bad connotation these days because of all the bad ones out there. Makes any that are really good have to work even harder to seem decent as they have to first get past the bad stigma floating around.

 

[JoshH]

Lots of good advice above I'll just throw a little more in the mix.

After a week I took a water sample to get tested. (Tested the water with home kits but dont have confidence yet in my accuracy). Shop keeper advised i was close and that I should do a water change that day and again in 6 or 7 days and then bring water in again for another test.

You shouldn't do a water change until you know your ammonia is being properly converted into nitrates, doing a water change could slow down your cycle and cause issues when first starting out.

She also suggested I buy a protein skimmer... conflicting information from the previous shop keeper who told me i wont need anything. (?)

On a 20G you can probably skip the protien skimmer, you will need, if you don't already have one, some type of HOB (Hang On Back) filter like an Aquaclear or something similar.

She also advised to dose with live nitrifying bacteria so i bought a small bottle of BioSpira.

Okay advice during the initial cycle and certainly won't hurt.

Everything seems to be going fine ... BUT.... I am seeing a white streaky residue on the inside of the glass and a white film on top of the water. The water is a bit murky, it doesnt look as clear as I think it should. I would like to problem solve this and would love any feedback/advice.

1. I was told to wipe the new aquarium with vinegar to clean out dust etc. ... This could be the cause of the white streaky residue on the glass? - Should I buy a magnet cleaner to remove this? Is a magnet cleaner ok to use during the cycling process?

The white stringy film to me sounds like a bacterial bloom within the tank, this might resolve itself on it's own over time. A mag cleaner is certainly something you will want down the road for cleaning off any algae on your glass anyway so it wouldn't hurt to get one now.

2. I was not told to rinse the sand (it is not live sand) .. so I didnt do this but later read that I should have.... this could be a contributing factor?

This might make the water cloudy but won't cause the stringy stuff you're talking about. Once again if there is any dust floating around it should settle out in a few days.

3. I WAS NOT told to rinse the live rock so I did not, but my friend who set up her tank 3 weeks before me WAS told to rinse her live rock... could this be part of the issue?

No, rinsing while not a bad thing to do, isn't required and not doing so wouldn't cause the issues you're describing.

4. Is it protein build up because I do not have a filter? (Even though I have no fish or CUC?)

For such a small tank do I need a protein skimmer or would a filter be sufficient?

As mentioned above, you probably won't need a protien skimmer, but you will need some type of basic filtration usually in the form of a HOB filter.

The wave pump I have in the tank now seems quite high powered for the size of tank. I really wanted the tank to be low profile so the idea of a big skimmer hanging off the tank is not appealing but I realize I am really learning everything on the go with this process haha.

 

[Lbabylee]

Hey All,
I am very new to this world (2 weeks) and to be honest, often overwhelmed haha! A friend of mine started a 10g saltwater tank and I was so excited for her she encouraged me to start my own.. so I made a trip to the local aquarium store and invested in a 20g tank, sand, about 10 lbs of live rock, a heater, a 660gph wave pump and a few buckets of saltwater. I have done a ton of research and often find myself confused by conflicting information.

The shop keepers said I didnt need a filter because the live rock and sand act as a filter. They also said I could hold off buying lighting for the cycling process.

So I set up my tank and impatiently embarked on the waiting game.

Within a few days I noticed a tiny brittle star and a fan worm (exciting!)

After a week I took a water sample to get tested. (Tested the water with home kits but dont have confidence yet in my accuracy). Shop keeper advised i was close and that I should do a water change that day and again in 6 or 7 days and then bring water in again for another test. She also suggested I buy a protein skimmer... conflicting information from the previous shop keeper who told me i wont need anything. (?) She also advised to dose with live nitrifying bacteria so i bought a small bottle of BioSpira.

Everything seems to be going fine ... BUT.... I am seeing a white streaky residue on the inside of the glass and a white film on top of the water. The water is a bit murky, it doesnt look as clear as I think it should. I would like to problem solve this and would love any feedback/advice.

1. I was told to wipe the new aquarium with vinegar to clean out dust etc. ... This could be the cause of the white streaky residue on the glass? - Should I buy a magnet cleaner to remove this? Is a magnet cleaner ok to use during the cycling process?

2. I was not told to rinse the sand (it is not live sand) .. so I didnt do this but later read that I should have.... this could be a contributing factor?

3. I WAS NOT told to rinse the live rock so I did not, but my friend who set up her tank 3 weeks before me WAS told to rinse her live rock... could this be part of the issue?

4. Is it protein build up because I do not have a filter? (Even though I have no fish or CUC?)

For such a small tank do I need a protein skimmer or would a filter be sufficient?

I invested in a book, SALTWATER Aquariums for dummies. It is a great book. Talking about everything. Great book for beginners. I ordered mine for amazon.

The wave pump I have in the tank now seems quite high powered for the size of tank. I really wanted the tank to be low profile so the idea of a big skimmer hanging off the tank is not appealing but I realize I am really learning everything on the go with this process haha.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Niteowl]

Welcome to R2R. You will find a ton of info here. Remember take it slow. Research here.

 

[NS Mike D]

good advice here. a few tips

you have a nano tank. While the basics are pretty much the same as for larger tanks keep in these diffrences

1. No Tangs - for Algae Grazing - Tangs are algae lawnmowers. When you look at pristine larger tanks, keep in mind that most will hav tangs that pick at the algae night and day. There are other grazer like snails, but herbervors tend to be pick, most don'y like GHA (it will show up in you tank eventually) and. IME, never as efficient as Tangs. So drop in the nano forum and start a build thread there as you will get great advice specific to small tanks.


2. Skimmers - as already posted, skimmers and not essential for a small tank. Skimmers remove organics before that can break down and skimmers designed for nano tanks tend top be less efficient than their big brothers. I had a good thread on this subject in the nano forum . There was no consensus as successful nano tanks with and without were experienced. My only hard and fast rule is to know why you need a skimmer before buying one and not to just add one because folks say you have to have one.


3. At some point, read up on @brandon429 thread on sand cleaning and tank rip clean. I cannot argue with his take on detritus nor can I ignore his success with rip cleaning tanks, which are very effective for nano tanks.


lastly, it takes. tank to mature. What does that mean? To me, it means the establishment of the microfauna to a balanced level that will keep the nasties in check and provide nutrition to your corals. While I am a fan of having target parameters for the type of tank you keep and keeping them stable as possible. I also think a mature diverse ecosystem greatly helps a tank success and thus in the early months/years, as the microfauna develops, your approach should be slightly different. For example, you might keep NO3 and PO4 much lower in a new tank to keep nuisance algae/bacteria at bay, but then raise them as you corals uptake gets higher and the microfauna provides keeps the nasties back naturally

 

[BestCutter]

so I made a trip to the local aquarium store and invested in a 20g tank, sand, about 10 lbs of live rock

The shop keepers said I didnt need a filter because the live rock and sand act as a filter. They also said I could hold off buying lighting for the cycling process. 10 lbs. of live rock is not enough for a 20 gal. aquarium.

So I set up my tank and impatiently embarked on the waiting game.

Within a few days I noticed a tiny brittle star and a fan worm (exciting!)

After a week I took a water sample to get tested. (Tested the water with home kits but dont have confidence yet in my accuracy). Shop keeper advised i was close and that I should do a water change that day and again in 6 or 7 days and then bring water in again for another test. She also suggested I buy a protein skimmer... conflicting information from the previous shop keeper who told me i wont need anything. (?) She also advised to dose with live nitrifying bacteria so i bought a small bottle of BioSpira.

Everything seems to be going fine ... BUT.... I am seeing a white streaky residue on the inside of the glass and a white film on top of the water. The water is a bit murky, it doesnt look as clear as I think it should. I would like to problem solve this and would love any feedback/advice.

1. I was told to wipe the new aquarium with vinegar to clean out dust etc. ... This could be the cause of the white streaky residue on the glass? - Should I buy a magnet cleaner to remove this? Is a magnet cleaner ok to use during the cycling process?

2. I was not told to rinse the sand (it is not live sand) .. so I didnt do this but later read that I should have.... this could be a contributing factor?

3. I WAS NOT told to rinse the live rock so I did not, but my friend who set up her tank 3 weeks before me WAS told to rinse her live rock... could this be part of the issue?

4. Is it protein build up because I do not have a filter? (Even though I have no fish or CUC?)

For such a small tank do I need a protein skimmer or would a filter be sufficient?

The wave pump I have in the tank now seems quite high powered for the size of tank. I really wanted the tank to be low profile so the idea of a big skimmer hanging off the tank is not appealing but I realize I am really learning everything on the go with this process haha.

Thanks for reading!

My smallest reef aquarium was a 30 gal. and my largest was a 50 gal. breeder tank and I never had any filter in/on either one. I did have them full of live rock from top to bottom and side to side. The rock does act as a natural filter but you need enough of it. I did have a skimmer in a 15 gal. sump but it very well may not have been needed.

You do not need to rinse live rock but it might not hurt to put it in freshwater for a few minutes before placing it in your aquarium. Mantis shrimps will usually come out pretty quick if placed in freshwater. Nothing worse than getting everything complete and then seeing a Mantis Shrimp swimming around. I've had it happen twice.

Good luck and have fun.

Dennis

 

[brandon429]

Mike thanks for the heads up agreed reefing has infoverload lol here's my take on the questions in this thread...the cloudiness, the rinse yes/no, sand rinse thread is in there, all of it is already covered here so this seems pertinent to offer cuz it has living tank examples for each technique.

The microbiology of reef tank cycling.

You can skip your cycle. Ive been reefing online for twenty years and have never waited one second for a tank to cycle, because I buy rocks that are already cycled and move them home. Here's two: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/octo-high-end-sps-skip-cycle-build.713256/...

www.reef2reef.com

*Mosmos' tank can be taken apart, rinsed and fixed and put back into place easily, long before its packed with corals. we show disassembly/reassembly steps without harm in the linked example threads within

 

[mossmoss]

Lots of good advice above I'll just throw a little more in the mix.

After a week I took a water sample to get tested. (Tested the water with home kits but dont have confidence yet in my accuracy). Shop keeper advised i was close and that I should do a water change that day and again in 6 or 7 days and then bring water in again for another test.

You shouldn't do a water change until you know your ammonia is being properly converted into nitrates, doing a water change could slow down your cycle and cause issues when first starting out.

She also suggested I buy a protein skimmer... conflicting information from the previous shop keeper who told me i wont need anything. (?)

On a 20G you can probably skip the protien skimmer, you will need, if you don't already have one, some type of HOB (Hang On Back) filter like an Aquaclear or something similar.

She also advised to dose with live nitrifying bacteria so i bought a small bottle of BioSpira.

Okay advice during the initial cycle and certainly won't hurt.

Everything seems to be going fine ... BUT.... I am seeing a white streaky residue on the inside of the glass and a white film on top of the water. The water is a bit murky, it doesnt look as clear as I think it should. I would like to problem solve this and would love any feedback/advice.

1. I was told to wipe the new aquarium with vinegar to clean out dust etc. ... This could be the cause of the white streaky residue on the glass? - Should I buy a magnet cleaner to remove this? Is a magnet cleaner ok to use during the cycling process?

The white stringy film to me sounds like a bacterial bloom within the tank, this might resolve itself on it's own over time. A mag cleaner is certainly something you will want down the road for cleaning off any algae on your glass anyway so it wouldn't hurt to get one now.

2. I was not told to rinse the sand (it is not live sand) .. so I didnt do this but later read that I should have.... this could be a contributing factor?

This might make the water cloudy but won't cause the stringy stuff you're talking about. Once again if there is any dust floating around it should settle out in a few days.

3. I WAS NOT told to rinse the live rock so I did not, but my friend who set up her tank 3 weeks before me WAS told to rinse her live rock... could this be part of the issue?

No, rinsing while not a bad thing to do, isn't required and not doing so wouldn't cause the issues you're describing.

4. Is it protein build up because I do not have a filter? (Even though I have no fish or CUC?)

For such a small tank do I need a protein skimmer or would a filter be sufficient?

As mentioned above, you probably won't need a protien skimmer, but you will need some type of basic filtration usually in the form of a HOB filter.

The wave pump I have in the tank now seems quite high powered for the size of tank. I really wanted the tank to be low profile so the idea of a big skimmer hanging off the tank is not appealing but I realize I am really learning everything on the go with this process haha.

awesome feedback! thank you very much

 

[JoshH]

awesome feedback! thank you very much

Any time! And this is where we usually demand pictures of your setup, empty or not!;Snaphappy;Snaphappy

Also what kind of test kits do you currently have?

 

[mossmoss]

ive got ammonia, nitrite and nitrate tests and a refractometer so far

i attempted to upload some photos but i took them with my DSLR and this site wont allow the file size, even after compression they are too large... I havent read the threads on uploading photos so many i need to review that first haha.

 

[Reefnman2]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Welcome to the R2R community !!

 

[fishguy242]

hi welcome to the reef going to love it here
open 24-7 fun/help/fun/info/fun
pics..we all love pics ,enjoy

 

[mossmoss]

Any time! And this is where we usually demand pictures of your setup, empty or not!;Snaphappy;Snaphappy

Also what kind of test kits do you currently have?

here are some photos from my phone ... are these brown button polyps growing?

 

[Mr Fishface]

here are some photos from my phone ... are these brown button polyps growing?

Looks like some kind of paly to me. How very interesting!