Forums / General Forums / Beginner's Discussion

10 Gallon Tank

TonyC617 — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:28:13 GMT

Hey everyone, I have two freshwater tanks, ones a 10 gallon, the other a 50, but at the moment, my 50 gallon is occupied with 2 convict chichlids and about 300 babies, 1 pleco, and 1 red pacu... My 10 gallon has an oscar that I will be getting rid of fairly soon. I've always wanted to set up a salt water tank. I know it takes work and money and a lot of research, I was just wondering if I could possibly start off using my 10 gallon tank just to get the hang of things, get some practice in before I waste my time and money on my 50 gallon tank. I don't want to waste time, effort and money if I just can't seem to get it right. I would really appreciate it if someone could IM me on AIM and answer a few more questions for me, I don't want to bombard the board with dumb questions and what. My AIM is MrUKnoWhoItIs. Thanks in advance.

Tony

Mud

DougJP — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:02:47 GMT

Whats the best way to use miracle mud in my refuge?

TOP OFF SYSTEM

DC_APEX — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:16:39 GMT

I have my SW tank running for over 2 mos. now, just installed an Outer Orbit MH on my tank, the evaporation rate is about 1.5 gal. a day, I guess is not too bad, but I only have a 5 gal. storage container for my RO, I am thinking of put in a Top Off system and like some suggestions, since the display tank is in the family room I can't go crazy on the size of the storage tank, is 23 gal. enough for a storage tank? I am thinking about using Tunze Osmolator 3155 for my setup, I read somewhere that I need to put a check valve on the waterline going to the sump or display tank to prevent water siphon back to the storage tank, can I use air pump check valve for this? where is the best place to fill the water? to the displace tank or sump tank? I like to set up the Top Off system so that it can handle min. 10-12 days of refill, but on the instruction from Tunze that the water level should not be higher than the sump but my sump tank is only 12" high, any suggestion?

Seaweed

DougJP — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:57:08 GMT

I would like to know what kind of seaweed or plant life you guys would recommend for a refuge?

salinity level

andytoy — Tue, 13 May 2008 03:58:12 GMT

Hey guys!

So, as some of you know, I baught an RSM off of MD, it arrived a week ago.. I got it started the day it arrived =). I baught 11 pounds of live rock, i have 30 pounds of aragonite sand mix, clean up crew, 3 damsels and a clown. Im starting to cycle my tank now, keeping a close eye on the critters of course. I originally baught the 30 gallons of saltwater from a LFS, at first salinity levels were great, but i noticed that now it has dropped some. Im using the RSM hydrometer which came with the kit. How can i raise the salinity level to the proper level? i already have salt mix, which also came with the kit. And as far as cycling, should i have the skimmer on at this time? the owner at my LFS says no, but then another owner said yes, and then another owner said it doesnt matter whether i do or dont. *shrugs*. So, i leave this to you, i have had it on for a week and just today decided to turn it off..

And check this out, i know i am lacking live rock, 11 lbs on a 34g tank. its like a little pebble, but im waiting on some indonesian rock that he should be getting in! is there a problem adding live rock a week after i have started? and is it a problem if i mix indonesian rock with fiji rock? i prefer the indonesian rock because it is much much nicer looking, the colors!!

I will be testing the water as of today, what visual changes will i see? if any... i dont see any algae on the glass or anything.. is that good or bad? ehh.. help me out buddies..

Thank you all...

Identify These Please

Bill1426 — Tue, 13 May 2008 08:36:41 GMT

Can you please identify the red egg like items on this rock ??

There were 3 Red like eggs, now only 2 remain..
The other one looks like it hatched..

REfuge Lighting

DougJP — Mon, 12 May 2008 22:05:39 GMT

I was wondering if 18 watts is enough for some live rock and cheato? Its going to be in a refuge.

Fresh Water Tank Cleaning

wcboyd — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:41:00 GMT

Hello All,

I am new to this and find myself in need of some advice.

I have a ten gallon tank with two goldfish, a frog that stays at the bottom of the tank and only comes up for air, and, for lack of a better term, a pale yellow "sucker" fish.

We have a filter "Top Fin 10".

I am having to clean the water rather often, about every 10 to 14 days, but I don't think this is right. If it is please let me know, but I was under the impression that the cleaning should occur about every 21 days. I love my fish so I don't mind doing it, but in the back of my mind I am thinking I am doing something wrong.

When I clean the tank I give it a good scrubbing, rinse the gravel, and scrub down the decrotive things (a ceramic rock and treasure chest).

Any help, tips, suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Craig

lights for a 150g

1mbrews8 — Sat, 10 May 2008 05:45:04 GMT

hi, i have a 150g that i am setting up. it has a nice cannopy and i am needing some lights. it is 6' x 18.5" w x 28"h. it will be fowlr plus some coral. i got it used so some stuff came with it(not lights) to help save $. i don't want to spen a ton. maybe something upgradeable to get me by for several months. i am thinking either t5 or vho, and adding mh later. what to do?

clown fish

Randomhero426 — Sun, 11 May 2008 16:20:08 GMT

I have one clown fish, one died about a week ago and now tis one is acting funny just sitting at the bottom, and it has white spots on it

I have an image of it but I do not know how to upload it....

Plumbing

DougJP — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:29:16 GMT

Does the check valve and ball valve have to be vertical or can it be horizatal?

saltwater

todgerxx — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:35:51 GMT

ive got my saltwater up and running now about 5 months.. but im startin to get this this ugly purple slim covering my liverock.. can ne 1 tell me how to get rid of it? and what the hell is it..

Lighting

Randomhero426 — Sun, 04 May 2008 15:12:05 GMT

Where is a good place for DIY lighting options...to make the lamp custom

Thanks

mircobubbles in display

thejanitor86 — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:25:11 GMT

i have recently set up a perfecto 90g reef with a 30g sump/refugium i made. the problem is that i am getting micro bubbles in the display tank. my first thought was that its coming from the skimmer but under futher examination i found that where the drain line dumps into the sump its must have air in the lines because its a froth of foamy water. so i sumerged the drain line so it under water and it still come out with tons of bubbles. here are pics of my sump and overflow chamber.

if you see anyhting wrong of have any suggestions please let me know because i dislike microbubbles and this is my first time setting up a larger tank. all my experience is in nano reefs 30g and under. thank you in advance.

Jesse

LEAKING TANK

TULLYBIRD — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:13:33 GMT

My Red Sea Max appears to have had a small leak since the beginning. I was having trouble with the pumps and skimmer so I really started looking closure at the operations. I noticed that the carpet was slightly damp and there was a small amount of water on the underside of the pedestal. I ran a paper towel around all the edges of the tank and eureka - found a small leak in the lower corner of the pump compartment. Couldn't have been in a worse place.

I drained water from the main tank, then from the heater/pump compartment. I was able to remove about 10 gallons of water which lowered the level enough to dry out the area were the leak was and avoid the need to transport livestock etc. I put the heater in the main tank along with a filter and pump to keep the occupants happy.

I repaired the area I believed the leak to be. Refilled the water, replaced all the hardware, and things seemed to be much improved. Last night, I ran a paper towel around the edges again after having to replace a half gallon of water. The area that previously had been leaking was still leaking. Although much less of a leak, still leaking. I repeated the water removal and repair. As of now, Monday @ 4 pm, I'm letting the caulk set-up and will retest tomorrow. I have contacted Red Sea and was told a new tank would be shipped out under the warranty.

My questions:

What is the best way to transfer water and livestock to the new tank? What precautions, if any, should I take to ensure the health of the livestock? Should I rinse any of the sand etc. before transferring or just go for it?

Thanks for your tips and assistance. This is my first tank, first leak, and first transfer. AAAHHHH!!!!!!

New saltwater tank with freshwater experiance lots questions

clownfish2 — Sun, 04 May 2008 19:40:57 GMT

Hi my name is A.J

I have a lot of experience with freshwater fish and I hope that helps out with saltwater a bit lol. So I got this 25 gal tank could be nano I guess well for know ! I got lots of questions well not to many just some and I have done a lot of research until I came up on this site. heheeh I see you guys very helpful

So I got some live sand in their a water heater, and a protein skimmer I ordered on hear, are they hard to set up ? I mean I heard you have to like mess with them until they start foaming or something !

another question is I have a regular filter running until I get a protein skimmer then I wont need the mechanical filter anymore ? cuz this filter has a biological filteration and a mechanical but I was thinking once I recvie that nice protein skimmer I would not need anything for filtration but that ? plz correct me if im wrong lol.

One more important one for me is cuz im going to start with just keeping fish and I was thinking about a chocolate chip star fish adding 1 in thr I think would be nice what do they require I don't want it dying on me ? they mostly prefer Sand ? which is something I have.

Know what I need to know is which tester for salinity would you guys recommend for me 1 that would work for a nice while ? My water is cloudy white cloudy I think bacteria bloom im not sure maybe due to the live sand ! But the second they it has cleared up a lot so im just waiting on that and the protein skimmer should be shipped out tomorrow cant wait

Sorry I have a lot of questions I just wanted to put it all into one instead of asking later on

thanks for your help

Interesting things with my live rock

DanaV — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:52:45 GMT

Ok I purchased a chunk of live rock about 2 years ago from a local pet store. I put it in my first s.w. aquarium and it did nothing. This was the only piece in it. I didn't know what I was doing at the time. Well I purchased some live rock rubble a while back and put it along with this original chunk in my new aquarium. Now I know what I am doing. Water parameters are perfect, I am using RO water.
After having this new tank up for a few months I noticed this original chunk of rock getting alot of purple on it. YIPPEE I was quite excited. All my rock now is VERY colorful. Well anyways I noticed about 2 weeks ago a small feather duster on that original piece or rock. It is about the size of a pencil eraser. Within the past few days I have noticed more of them all quite a bit smaller. And just last night I was looking at it after the lights went out (with my red flashlight) and I noticed just for a second a worm. So tonight I sneak up to the tank and look in and I see that worm about 2 inches long. after a few second it collapses in on itself into a crevice in the rock. From what I have found is that it is a peanut worm. I am just amazed at how much live is on that rock after being dormant for 2 years. I have recently moved it over to my nano tank and everything seems great. In fact since I moved it I have found 2 more feather dusters.
If anyone knows anything about peanut worms I would really like to know if it is harmful or not.

Thanks

Low light coral options

Nstig8tr — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:07:34 GMT

What are some choices for this? I've heard mushrooms don't require lots of light. I would like to add some color to my tank without spending a ton on lights.

I think I have a coral!

jb — Sat, 19 May 2007 11:19:32 GMT

Hi all. Just setting up a 55 gallon tank that has been cycling for 3 weeks with LR/LS. No livestock in the tank yet, although all my water parameters are good (ph 8.3, ammonia 0, Nitrites and Nitrates 0).

I was looking at the tank today and noticed something on a piece of live rock rubble I have scattered over the substrate. Upon closer inspection, it looks identical to a mushroom coral! A rich purple color, about maybe 1/2 inch in diameter. When I picked up the rock for a closer inspection, the mushroom pulled into itself and isn't as open as it was. I will post a picture when it opens up again for confirmation. I just bought the LR rubble pieces on Wednesday, and it looks like this guy hitched a ride.

We are not planning on a coral tank, just a FOWLR, but I have to say I am excited at the thought of trying to keep this coral alive. The concern I have is that since we weren't planning on having corals, we don't have intense lighting. Only lighting we have is a 28w 50/50 compact flourescent. I know that mushroom corals don't have the lighting needs other corals have, so I am wondering if I put him high on my existing rock closer to the light if he will survive?

Thanks for the advice and I'll try to post a pic.

Lighting

Gary — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 10:14:15 GMT

I have a new 150 gallon reef tank that I am transitioning over from an older 75 gallon reef tank. I am fairly new to this and am confused on the issue of lighting. Is it better to have metal halide lighting or is T5 lighting ok? The new tank dimensions are 60x24x25. If I get metal halide lighting will I need a chiller? Thanks for any advice you have.

Gary

invert's

Randomhero426 — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:03:59 GMT

I have a 3 month old 12 gallon saltwater tank. I just recently added 2 peppermint shrimp, a condi anemone, and ive had two clown fish since the beginning. I was just wondering what is the best thing to feed the invertebrates.

Im new but it seems you want all the spec on the aquarium.

12 gallon eclipse kit
bio wheel filtration
ph 8.4
ammonia 0
temp 79
anything else just ask

more newbies

madcam — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 03:19:41 GMT

why hello everyone. im very new to the aquarium world and my wife has only had freshwater up until recently. We live in Okinawa Japan and just bought a guys used set up since he was moving away from our tiny little island. heres what 220 bucks got me

-55gal tank standard 48"x13"

-Prizm protien skimmer

-kotobuki 90 canister filter feeding to 2x marineland biowheel 30

-undergravel filter with 2x marineland powerheads

-numerous other little attachments airpumps and and random goodies.

The guy we bought everything from had his tank for 2.5 yrs and only had it down for about a week when i picked up all his rock and put it right back in salt water. we went to a beach nearby and picked up sand in the shallow water during low tide and then picked up a rock laying in a little tide pool. we set our tank up and are now amazed by a nice water filled tank.

heres where my questions start to pop up. i need some help with figuring out what crabs are good and which ones are bad. my wife seemed to have found a very very live rock as we now have (at least)2 teddy bear crabs, 2 darker semi striped unidentified crabs, a featherduster(i think), 2 worms that just sway in the water, a clam, oyster, had a coral piece growing but quickly died.

What should i do with these crabs? the general concensus is to get rid of them. should i take the rock out that they are all living in and flush them out? will i kill our feather duster clam etc??? we did spray the rock down to get rid of some seaweed but apparently didnt do a good job at all.

and second thing. is there anything wrong with my tank set up? main thing i have found in my limited research is that under gravel filters are more of a thing of the past and a better wet/dry or sump style filtration system would be much better. Will what i have get me by to get started?

thanks for any comments

-cameron

macro algae

Apollojohn — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 15:13:41 GMT

what is the best type of macro algae to use in a refugium?

Thanks,

John

Black Banded Cat Shark Pregnancy Possibility

Rhett — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:23:29 GMT

My 2' Black banded wont eat, and the only thing she does is sit on the bottom and raise her tail up and down, and my local store thinks that she is pregnant but I dont know the signs of pregnancy or how banded cat sharks are impregnated. the water is fine by my tests and the tests of 2 stores one not local. and I will appreciate any help I can get because I'm about ready to take her up to the chattanooga aquarium and see what they say.

Thanks in advance, Rhett Bradley

Switching from fish only to a reef tank, AND...

Rhett — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:47:26 GMT

After my banded cat shark recently died after having hatched her myself and watched her grow for almost 3 years from a parasite from food I have decided to get into the reef "world". I have a 185g reef-ready tank with an all glass model 4 filter system and just picked up my buddies 72" Current USA PowerCompact Orbit Light and will be picking up approx. 100lbs of live rock tomorrow and am looking for any advice/suggestions anyone can give me. Whether its fish specimen, invertebrate, equipment suggestions I'm all ears.

Thanks in advance, Rhett Bradley

Proteine Skimmer Adjustment

Big Dom6287 — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 20:08:41 GMT

I have an Aqua C EV 240 skimmer. Since I was left to bear with this aquarium alone, I haven't been able to adjust the skimmer where I can see bubbles or have it produce skimmate like when the people who used to take care my tank did. (just left me hanging) It's not making any skimmate at all. And hasn't been for some time now. (4-5 months) I turn the knob to the right and and water shoots out the little hole on top of the base, next to the air inlet valve. Is that normal? Anyone who has this skimmer please tell me what is needed to adjust it. As far as turning it up and down. Thanks in advance.

Hello

DougJP — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:52:03 GMT

Hello everybody. Is anybody from Santa Barbara California or in the area?

Red Sea Max?

andytoy — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:38:20 GMT

Hi, Im looking into getting a Red Sea Max.. It's going to be my very first marine tank! I think im going to start off with a simple FOWLR set-up and later progress to a full reef. Now, this tank is going to be placed in my room (on the second floor). I want it to be the attention grabber (and im sure it will be). I am limited to space, so im sure a 50g will not be able to fit. I was looking at "all-in-one" tanks, and the Red Sea Max is what caught my eye. It impressed me very much. There are others out there for half the price, but i keep leaning towards the Red Sea Max because everything looks so neat. I dont want that many cables coming out of the tank; and i'd also hate for people to see all the filters and what not hanging off the side (i want a very natural looking set-up, as if it was a peek-hole to a coral reef). Is the Red Sea Max worth it? It's pretty pricey but i found a great deal with Marine Depot, Tank, Stand and Kit for $799.99; other places were $799 for the tank alone! Any other suggestions are welcome =)! My last question is; Is the weight of the Red Sea Max going to be an issue? I heard it can weigh up to 400 lbs when full.. I dont want it falling through my floor and onto my Mom's Lexus, She'll kill me! Im looking forward to hear from you guys! Thank you all in advanced!

adding live rock what lighting

Marinediva — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:22:56 GMT

I have a 125g fish only with a dog face puffer, 1 blue damsel, maroon clown couple, flame angel, foxface rabbitfish, saddle valentini puffer ,and flame hawkfish.

I have a half circle arcylic tank in a built in cabinet with a hood and I would like to add some live rock. I am wondering how to put/setup live rock in this type of tank since it is not a typical rectangle tank. I know I will need to quarantine the live rock first but after that how do I put the live rock in and how much at a time.

I have bioballs and a reef sock for my filtration system and for 1 yr all is good. I just feel that my fish would benefit from live rock. I have searched this website and found that my fish may eat all the benefits of having live rock so I am a bit confused if it is still a benefit ?

I also needed to know what type of lighting would work within my cabinet and hood system I will not have any coral obviously only fish.

green spotted pufferfish

vodoosan — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:49:55 GMT

Hi guys, I am new to these kinda things. And I admit I did the research only after buying one. It's been in the tank for 3 days now and I dont think it ate anything yet >.< any clues why?

Is my live rock live or dead?? Need help

DanaV — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:53:36 GMT

Ok I started curing my live rock on Thursday. I installed a protein skimmer on Friday, I don't know ANYTHING about skimmers so I don't know if I am working it correctly. But I have had next to nothing in it but water. I have been taking test Fri, Sun and today. My ph has been 8.4 from the getgo, temp running between 78 and 80 deg sg 1.025. Now my ammonia got up to 1.5 mg/l on Sun, now today it is at zero. My nitrites jumped to 1.6 mg/l now those at about .3 mg/l. So I just took a nitrate reading (using a dip test) and the stick reads between 20 and 40 ppm.
My question is this. Is it cured already? Everything I have read says it takes AT LEAST 2 weeks. It has been less then a week. I am not planning on adding anything for quite some time yet but should I aquascape it and get it looking good or should I let the rock cure some more?

In need of help?

Fettigoat — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 12:10:04 GMT

Hello all, I'm new on here and have already gathered welcomed information on this site.I have had in the past a 70 gal. reef tank in which I had really no problems with,that was about ten years ago though.Recently I got the bug again and because of size restrictions..ie...wife...I started a tank I already had lying around.I have a 45 gal. hex,which has been set up now for about 8 weeks.Everything water wise tested perfect...cycled...good.As far as equipment;Fluval 204,Skilter 350,Current Nova Extreme T5 lighting.In the tank occelaris clown,tomato clown,a couple anemones,mandarin goby,and some mushrooms.Problem...everything was fine until about 6 wks. I completed a water change.Added some balance blocks which a store used and recommended and I changed the carbon but replaced it with Clearmax from Fluval. Two days later ocellarus dead,tomato hiding and breathing heavy, inverts look fine but mushrooms kinda have a bluish hint on them..And not that this is it but I noticed what I thought were bubbles on the glass are actually star shaped ? with a white center?...Don't really look like copepods that I put in for the Mandarin but?...Any help would be greatly appreciated....Thanks again....

QUARANTINE OCEAN SNAIL

Sandtiger — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 13:21:32 GMT

Found live fighting conch in ocean. Want to add it to display tank for algae control etc. Assuming I need to quarantine. How do I do it? Unable to find much information on this topic!

Thanks,

Sandtiger

Starting New 90 gallon Reef tank

crosbyk1 — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 08:34:01 GMT

Hi all, I post awhile back about starting a reef tank. I was alway interested in starting one but ever sense we got our sea horses it has made me want one even more. So this weekend the LFS was have a big sale. I Dont have the biggest budget as I am only 19. But this is what I started with a 90 gal. reef ready, sump,protein skimmer and two good size Iwaki pumps. One of the pumps if for the protein skimmer the other is for the return. I need to figure out what type of light I am going to use. So if any one could give me some suggestions for lighting, heating and any other needs for my new setup it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Kyle

am i cycling right?

bobbins — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:12:17 GMT

hey every1...hope all is well

im in the process of setting up my first salt water tank and wanna make sure im doing it right

i have a 60g fish only tank...no live rock or sand..

am running a fluval 405, 2 200 watt heaters (temp is 77) and a 1 power head...i added the salt and tested it...got it right the first try..yeah!!!!

i let that sit for about 2 weeks then yesterday added 6 molly's to start the cycle...but my question is ...now what?

i know i need to test for nitrates, nitrites, and calcium, but is there anything else?

and what should they be at, and is testing once a week enough?

also if they are wrong, do i fix it by just doing water changes?

thnx in advance for the help everyone?

Live rock just arrived

DanaV — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:29:06 GMT

I ordered 16lbs of nano rock and it just arrived today. Wow that is a lot of rock. I have a 10g tank that I just set up so I am curing in right in the tank. I have read many different things on curing the rock. Any suggestions as to making a beautiful nano reef would be greatly appreciated. Right now my tank is running sg 1.024 and a temp of 82 deg. Is that temp a little high? I am trying to inch it down to 78-80. Should I keep doing that or is 82 ok?
Also after this rock is cured can I break it into a little smaller pieces for aquascaping? I have six rocks with the smallest being about 6 inches long and the largest being about a foot long.

adding live rock finally!

meg3 — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:22:50 GMT

I have decided to add some live rock to my 28gl bow front tank. but how much should i add without overdoing it at first? I have read that you should add a little at a time, i was thinking like 12lbs maybe. I know i should have done this in the begining but i really did not have the money. The tank is 6 months old with 2 clownfish, 1 powder brown tang, 2 peppermint shrimp, 10 blue leg hermits, 3 emerald crabs(small), 1 sand sifter starfish, 2 snails, 1 conch (small) and a horseshoe crab. Water levels are great for fish but will i need to test for other stuff other than ammonia, ph, nitrite and nitrate before adding rock? Thanks for your help

125 gallond setup filter idea

wlharpold — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:11:31 GMT

Just wondering dose anyone have any experience with Freedom Filters All Flow Freedom Filter with the protien skimmer I was thinking maybe that might be my answere for filtering my 125 gallon reef setup any thoughts on it? Thanks

saltwater setup

wlharpold — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 15:35:18 GMT

I think I have come up with how I want to set up my new system and I was wondering if I could get some feed back on what everyone thinks. I am planning a reef/fish aquarium.

125 gallon tank
100 pounds live rock
1.5-2 inches sand seeded with live sand
1 eheim 2229 wet/dry canister filter
1 CPR dual backpack protiem skimmer
1 Current USA power compact fixture 576 total watts
2 250 watt jager heaters (wish I could come up with something that didn't
go in the tank
im not really sure if I need to add some power heads let me know what everyone thinks or if im forgetting something thanks

Question about buying live rock

DanaV — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:04:55 GMT

I am looking at purchasing the 16lbs nano rock from marinedepot. My question is this. How good is it? I am very nervous about buying something for that price online so I would like to ask the members of this forum for any help. Is it worth the price.

I have a 10g nano that I am starting up. I just got it up and running so I figure I can cure it in the tank.