New tank setup questions

[cvanchuck]

Hello all,

First off I want to say that I am a newbie and my LFS recommended getting on here for questions and help.

I've recently decided to get into Saltwater and I'm just starting out. Here are my two tanks and levels.

3 week old
75 gallon glass with a fluval fx4 Added two bags of chemi pure blue300 watt heater two 650 powerheads opposite ends of tank. Fluval Marine Sea 3.0 light 48"of light on glass standard covers
White aquarium sand not live. 100lbs mixed purple live and white dry. Aqua experts sumpless stop with 5 gallon full of rodi under tank

Salinity 1.023
pH 8.2
Ammonia 1
Nitrite 1
Nitrate 5
Temp 77.5

2 week old
Aquatop Recife 24g cube full kit with protein skimmer. Added a bad of chemi pure blue black live and 20lbs dry rock AI prime hd over tank no lid on tank.

Salinity 1.023
pH 8.2
Ammonia 1
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Temp 77.3

Both have been setup using instant ocean Sea salt. Non reef
Recently added a pair of clowns to each tank
And three green chomis to 75 gallon

Questions I have

Was thinking about returning the fluval light and getting two primes for the 75. Anyone have experience with the fluval light? I am thinking eventually doing some reef.

Was doing some reading on salinity and was thinking on raising to 1.024 / 1.025.
Thoughts on that and safe methods of doing so.

I know I'm planning on doing reef in the 75
And possibly bte in the cube.
Should I start using reef salt with water changes?

As far as changes. Was thinking on doing 5 gallons a week in the 75 and 5 each other week in the cube.
Thoughts and recommendations on that?

Is six months a good wait period to start Bible tip anemone and or reef?

Suggestions for beginners and but/reef?

 

[lapin]

Howdy
Since you did not use live rock or sand I would add some bacteria in a bottle to help cycle your tank. You do not want ammonia in the tank. It can kill your fish.
Yes 6 months would allow your tank to get stable before the BTA
Those water changes are fine. To bring up the salinity change the water with 1.026. Over time it will rise

 

[lapin]

No need for reef salt until you have a lot of coral. IO will work

 

[cvanchuck]

Hello how are you?

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Hi and welcome. New here also.

I wanted to say first it looks like your tanks aren’t done cycling. There should not be any ammonia or nitrites in the water. Did you add any starters to get the cycles started.

Going slowly has always been the key for long term success

 

[cvanchuck]

Yes.
Seachem Stability
Prime conditioner
recommended by LFS

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Based on your post I would consider a few thing.

Did you use Rodi water on fill. I would not run chemipure yet if new tank and clean water. Chem will pull out DOC you need in begging to help establish the bacteria bed.

Don’t worry about SPG being 1.024..025. Plenty of time to adjust slowly. More important to keep stable. Once established it can be changed slowly w small water changes

Salt is personal preference. I used IO for years in my 180 reef. There are tons of choices for you

As far as time goes, every tank ages different based on bioload, water conditions, etc. look for long term stable numbers as a good sign. Make sure to test for the big ones

Coming here shows you care and want to do it right. I am sure it will be fine, just go slow,ask any question you think of.

 

[cvanchuck]

Unfortunately I used tap water to fill. All topoff and changes will be rodi. Thoughts on the changes I did? When should I start doing them?

 

[cvanchuck]

Unfortunately I used tap water to fill. All topoff and changes will be rodi. Thoughts on the changes I did? When should I start doing them?

Changes I suggested above?

 

[cvanchuck]

Howdy
Since you did not use live rock or sand I would add some bacteria in a bottle to help cycle your tank. You do not want ammonia in the tank. It can kill your fish.
Yes 6 months would allow your tank to get stable before the BTA
Those water changes are fine. To bring up the salinity change the water with 1.026. Over time it will rise

Should I add more stability? I did the seven day new tank recommendation.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Unfortunately I used tap water to fill. All topoff and changes will be rodi. Thoughts on the changes I did? When should I start doing them?

Adding more depends on how much already dosed. I do not see an emergency but need to watch next steps closely. When was last time you tested? I would be testing ammonia and nitrite every few hours.

Either could spike quickly. That is the main thing to watch out for

 

[Mastiffsrule]

I would test a time or 2 more. Tonight and if ok in the am. If no spikes I would just leave and test going forward. An increase in ammonia may require action. About 4 week mark if numbers look good do a water change and should be good to go.

Glad to have you here and welcome

 

[cvanchuck]

Adding more depends on how much already dosed. I do not see an emergency but need to watch next steps closely. When was last time you tested? I would be testing ammonia and nitrite every few hours.

Either could spike quickly. That is the main thing to watch out for

Will test now and post results

 

[PDR]

#reefsquad

 

[don_chuwish]

BioSpira works well. Your light is fine for getting started - no need for anything fancy until you stabilize and are ready for coral. Of course if you can return it for full refund and want to spend more... up to you!
Agree with others that you don't need any chemical filtration at this stage.

 

[Lasse]

Maybe this will give you some ideas?

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Captain Quint]

Welcome to R2R and nice info coming in.

It seems your LFS cares and it is refreshing to see them suggest R2R for some good learning and not trying to force things on you. Refreshing to hear of an LFS doing this...sound like you have a winner on a good LFS.

 

[DLHDesign]

Lots to unpack here, but first - welcome to R2R! I'm glad that you found us and hope you find it helpful.

To start off; the vast majority of us have been where you are. Keeping a saltwater tank is a huge undertaking and it's unreasonable to think that anyone new to the hobby could know everything right from the start. So please don't take any advice given as criticism against you. Members here are looking to help you progress your skill in this hobby - to bring you up; not bash you down.

My first suggestion is to keep things slow. The "golden rule" of reefing (and saltwater in general) is that "nothing good happens fast". You will not get a saltwater tank overnight. It sounds like you know this already, so I just wanted to reinforce that.

If possible, I would personally suggest returning the fish you have. Neither of your tanks seem to have established the biological processes that are often looked for to ensure that fish can survive without stress.

If that is not possible or is not desirable - there are certainly other options. @Lasse has posted an article that outlines some very good, clear steps that you could take to build a successful, long-term tank. It's a great article and worth the scant time it will take to read through it.

In either case; yes - water changes will help to keep your fish healthy and as happy as possible. The only downside of doing too many water changes is that you spend more money on salt and water than you might really need to. But the costs involved in a gallon or two of saltwater is usually pretty cheap - less than the cost of even one fish, usually. And since doing them might save all your fish - it's a good trade-off.

I wouldn't worry about changing the lights just yet. Until you start adding coral, even ambient room lighting is fine for fish.

In terms of adding coral and nems; I would suggest waiting to add them until you understand what it is that they need and how you will provide them with this. Elements, flow, stability, and - yes - lighting are all things that corals require to survive and thrive. Poke around the site. Check out the "stickies" in the various sections that interest you. Ask any questions you have. Don't wait until you know everything (you - we - never will), but do at least understand the basics.

Good luck and - most important - enjoy the journey!

 

[cvanchuck]

Current results both tanks

75 gallon
Salinity 1.023
pH 8.2
Ammonia 1
Nitrite 2
Nitrate 10

24 nano
Salinity 1.023
pH 8.2
Ammonia 1
Nitrite .5
Nitrate 5

 

[cvanchuck]

I cannot return the fish at this time. It's been too long and I don't want to kill them. Thinking about doing a water change to assist. Would that be a smart move. I do see fish waste on the bottom of the 75.