Getting back into the salty world

[printerrob]

Hello everyone

I've had a couple saltwater tanks before but got discouraged after i had one completely die on me and i was really done with it when i woke up one day to an empty 50g tank in our front room (not a big mess we live in a 100+ year old house so the floor boards aren't pushed together like they used to be so the water just drained to the basement).

Well I was at That Pet Place in Lancaster last weekend and we were walking around the fish room and like always i went to see the different saltwater fish and corals. Well that turned out to be a bad idea because then I pretty much blew my entire paycheck getting supplies to set up another saltwater tank.

Current Tank Stats:
40g Breeder w/ prefab stand
200W heater
Hydor SlimSkim skimmer rated 65g (Not the nano version)
(2) 22lbs bags of dried sand
1 bucket of red sea coral pro salt mix (55g version)
sponge filter rated for 60g
air pump (for sponge filter)
(2) power heads (Forget the brand and rating)
50 sum lbs of dried rock (House Of Tropics located in Maryland)
1 powerhead (pulled from 10g tank holding the one and only fish that survived along with some snails and hermit)
current usa led light (Pulled from 10g tank)
aquaticlife internal mini skimmer rated for 30g (pulled from 10g tank)
live rock (pulled from 10g tank)

(I left a few pieces of live rock in the 10g tank for the 1 fish, snails and hermits well my fiancé decided we should move them over so we can take the 10g down)

Here is the tank with how it looked on the 20th

Since I work at a printing company we always have different materials around and there was a sheet of acrylic that was being trashed one day so i asked to take it home, well i finally used that acrylic by cutting it down and making a lid for the tank.

Here are the current test results

ill post more pictures when i can I'm at work so i guess i should be working instead of posting on here lol.
also WHERE IS THE PANIC BUTTON i can't find it anywhere

 

[printerrob]

Also I'm currently using API for testing but i want to eventually upgrade to a more accurate testing system when i run out of the API chemicals. What should I get next?

 

[mike007]

Welcome back to the hobby.
You might want to keep a eye on your ammonia and nitrite levels. You want both to be at zero before adding livestock.

 

[printerrob]

thanks mike, and i know but my girl really wanted the 10g out of the room and there was no where else to put it.

and for anyone wondering about the light i plan on taking replacing it with a better one in the near future when i start looking at corals.

 

[glb]

Here's what I use:

Alk and Phosphates: Hanna checkers
Mg, Ca and Nitrates: Salifert
SG : a refractometer.

I used API for the cycling part because you don't use ammonia/nitrites much after the cycle is complete. I gradually upgraded to what I'm using now and am pretty happy with these kits. API doesn't test nitrates specifically enough for the low levels you'll be looking for. Your tank still hasn't finished cycling according to your numbers, but it looks like you're well on your way!

 

[printerrob]

Here's what I use:

Alk and Phosphates: Hanna checkers
Mg, Ca and Nitrates: Salifert
SG : a refractometer.

I used API for the cycling part because you don't use ammonia/nitrites much after the cycle is complete. I gradually upgraded to what I'm using now and am pretty happy with these kits. API doesn't test nitrates specifically enough for the low levels you'll be looking for. Your tank still hasn't finished cycling according to your numbers, but it looks like you're well on your way!

yea it hasn't finished yet its only been about a week since i first filled it, i figured i could start adding some more livestock by the middle of april.

 

[printerrob]

Here's what I use:

Alk and Phosphates: Hanna checkers
Mg, Ca and Nitrates: Salifert
SG : a refractometer.

I used API for the cycling part because you don't use ammonia/nitrites much after the cycle is complete. I gradually upgraded to what I'm using now and am pretty happy with these kits. API doesn't test nitrates specifically enough for the low levels you'll be looking for. Your tank still hasn't finished cycling according to your numbers, but it looks like you're well on your way!

oh and i do use a refractometer made by sybon, i tried the cheap hydrometers and quickly realized how sh**y they are, i do have one tho for backup and i marked with a sharpie the correct levels (not perfect but it works as a backup)

 

[printerrob]

 

[11f150]

Welcome back!

 

[printerrob]

Welcome back!

thanks

 

[Pork Knockers]

Can't keep you hands dry huh?! Once you get bettin by reef bug it become trade mark that you can't avoid forever.

 

[printerrob]

Can't keep you hands dry huh?! Once you get bettin by reef bug it become trade mark that you can't avoid forever.

lol, I've actually never done any corals, my previous tanks were just FOWLR but this time i want to change that. My other tanks just seemed too blaaa, i like all the tanks i see that have every color known to man

 

[Pork Knockers]

Don't go there bro.... The next time you see your savings account it will be empty.lol it happen to me...

 

[printerrob]

Don't go there bro.... The next time you see your savings account it will be empty.lol it happen to me...

Too late for the savings account lol theres only a few cents in there just to keep it open well i can't say that 1 does have some in it (for our future home when we move out) and the other one i use if i want a new gun or for a special surprise thats the one that has a few cents lol

 

[printerrob]

Tank cleared up a lot

Here's the biggest of the hermit crabs

And here's the 1 fish which is my favorite

 

[saltyphish]

Not easy staying out of the hobby. Definitely addictive.

 

[GreatWhiteTang]

If your going reef and not fowler.. 2 suggestions.. 1. Ditch the glass top.. 2. Re work rock work to make it more coral friendly as is you are limited on places to put coral and flow will be diminished with the "rock wall" formation.. Welcome back to the hobby and good luck

 

[printerrob]

I can't really rework the rock due to I have a skimmer in the tank along with a sponge filter, I need both of them to have easy access to get to without moving anything. The sponge filter is mainly a backup incase of power outage there will still be filtration along with air. I mean I'm sure there are ways to work around them and still make it more coral friendly but I just don't have the imagination for that. The acrylic lid is there for now until I'm able to build a canopy for the tank but I still need to worry about the bubbles from the sponge filter, maybe if I do a mesh top for it I can have a price of acrylic laying on my mesh where the bubbles come up so there isn't as much of salt creep from bubbles popping

 

[printerrob]

Well my cycle is almost complete ammonia is back to 0 and nitrite is down to .25 I'll take some tank water with me to work tonight and retest where we have better lighting

 

[printerrob]

Tested the tank again today.
Test 1 : tested at 10am 2hrs after the light came on
Test 2 : Tested here at work where I have better lighting (took tank sample with me along with the test kit) I texted my girl for the temp. Sample taken at 5pm when I left for work.