my very first reef tank 29gallon

[Nicks0912]

Also, I would do a water change weekly. I have a 24 gallon, and I usually take out abt 5 gallons. The standard for water changes is 10%, but I go for 5 just because it's easier to measure in a 5 gallon bucket.
I'm not sure if you've looked but check out liveaquaria.com for some stuff too.

 

[saltyfish]

I wouldn't wait for your Nitrates to rise before you start doing water changes. It's much easier to maintain good water quality than to clean up a dirty tank(high nitrates and Phosphates). If you have hair algae, then your phosphates are already starting to rise. Do a water change and scrub the rocks that have hair algae in the bucket with the old tank water.

 

[madnessknight89]

Hey buddy I started the same way, and I moved fast on my 29 witch made upkeep hard. To answer you question yes you can have a shrimp goby and another goby in your 29. I had a pistol with a bluespot watchman and a dragon goby, they did fine

 

[madnessknight89]

But before you get too deep in the 29 make sure thats the size you want cus when u get bit by the coal bug you will need space lol and its not fun moving everything frome one tank too another heres what I went from and to:



From this

To this

 

[Pete polyp]

I will have to disagree. A 29 gallon is a great starter tank that can be set up cheap for new hobbyists to get their feet wet. This way they can figure out if this hobby is for them before dropping a bunch of cash on a bigger, more elaborate setup. The care on a 29 will be very demanding compared to a much larger system, and this also gives them that chance to see if it will be able to fit in their lifestyle. This way they can choose to get out of the hobby or upgrade at a later time and little to nothing would be wasted.

 

[madnessknight89]

I dont disagree at all with that. The 29 is way way more demanding thats why I switched up to a 40 gb now it fits In my lifestyle . And for equipment only thing I upgraded was pvc and a bigger skimmer

 

[Pete polyp]

I dont disagree at all with that. The 29 is way way more demanding thats why I switched up to a 40 gb now it fits In my lifestyle . And for equipment only thing I upgraded was pvc and a bigger skimmer

This is exactly the point I was trying to make. You started with a more demanding tank, that was cheaper and upgraded. You probably used just about everything from the 29 in the upgrade. This hobby isn't for everyone and some people will wash out losing a bunch of money in the end. I have found over the years that there's never enough space. If your truly an enthusiast around for the long haul you will eventually run out of room no matter how big you go (within reason)

 

[madnessknight89]

Lol yea and its a great hobby for the d.i.y'ers out there

 

[Tx Medic]

I have 3 freshwater Dirted tanks a 15g, 20gL, and a 55g. I dose all of them and keep discus lol I know all about upkeep. Im looking at getting rid of my discus and tearing down my 55 and making it a saltwater when I can afford the rock. I will most likely use the 29 as a sump but that is a ways down the road, I need to build up the money to build it.

 

[Tx Medic]

I also just got a torch frag and a hammer frag and did a water change today 5gallons. Im planning on doing 5g every week or 8 every other week.

 

[Naiad]

If you can keep discus then you understand the fine art of fish keeping...

 

[Tx Medic]

And the inevability of failure but to learn from it and to keep going is what makes the difference.

 

[Tx Medic]

I have these small white fuzzy ball looking things all over my rock what is it.

 

[madnessknight89]

Idk what they are but I have tons in my sump and they dont seem to be a problem. I think they may be some kind of fliter feeder cus they have lil hairs on top

 

[Naiad]

Pineapple sponges.

 

[madnessknight89]

Bad or good?

 

[Iamonlyme]

They will come and go they filter feed so not bad but could indicate high silca it is my understanding I know when I added just regular aquarium sand to my 75 I ended up with a lot of them they have since dwindled in numbers

 

[Stemick]

I had a bunch of them. The longer I have my tank the less I seem to have. Nice setup keep up the hard work and your tank will get better with time.

 

[Tx Medic]

I added another clown, neon goby, orange spotted shrimp goby, torch coral, candy cane coral, and a hammer coral. All over the past 2 and half weeks my parameters have not changed hardly at all I have done a water change last week 5 gallons. Yesterday my idiot roommate turned off the power strip that the heater was plugged into and when I got home from work this morning my tank was at 71 degrees and my torch coral looks like it has lost one of its heads and the other one is looking horrible everything else looks great. Was it the temp swing that killed it or should I suspect something else it has been in the tank for about 6 days and looking amazing till I got home this morning. I also have one emerald crab and a couple hermits but I have not seen them on any of my corals before.

 

[Naiad]

Temp swing could have started it and the hermits and emerald would be no help. They have little respect for the injured. The torch is your most sensitive inhabitant.