Toblkflys

Hi, I'm from Arizona...looking at this forum because my brother wants to start a sw tank and he lives in Portland, anyway, I've been in the hobby for ten plus years and have a lot of experience with the good and the bad. I've had lots of failures and successes, trials and errors. My two-cents;

1. I would NEVER use tap water with an additive for my salt mixture. RO/DI from a reliable fish store is imperative! 

2. Never add anything when things a dying! Stabilize the tank first.

3. Nanoboxreef.com has the BEST LED lighting for the budget and Dave's customer service is outstanding! There is a link to email him for questions on lighting for your tank.

4. I use Aquavitro additives. Seed is wonderful to add good bacteria. Remediation helps with waste/detritus

5. Filter socks are great...add Matrix to the socks as well as the appropriate size bag(s) of Chemi-Pure

6. Be sure to stock your fuge with live rock rubble. I also put cheato in the fuge with a small coralife light to keep it growing.

7. Seed your cheato with Tigger-Pods from Reef Nutrition.

8. Poly-Filter pads are a must in my tanks...they do an awesome job controlling phosphates, ammonia, nitrites/nitrates, etc.!

9. Personally I never use carbon. If you use number 5 & 8 you really don't need to.

10. As you add the above, test water weekly and adjust. You may need to beef-up the Chemi-Pure and don't skimp on the Poly-Filters (by the way, don't throw out the PF unless they turn a color like red, just rinse when dirty and put back in.

11. Feed your fish quality frozen food like Bio-Pure or Hikari and always add Selcon. I make up a batch of frozen, soaked in Selcon (one dropper full) and keep it ready in my fridge in a sealed container.

12. Invest in some Reef Nutrition food/additives like Oyster Eggs, PhytoFeast, RotoFeast, etc. Very concentrated so add to tank sparingly WHEN you are able to add corals.

13. I firmly believe in naturally occurring organisms like bristle worms, spaghetti worms, etc. They are essential to keep a healthy tank.

I hope this helps, if I think of more I'll post. I'm available at lysamgarcia@gmail.com.

Hi all! I actually live in Arizona but my brother is in Portland. He would like to set up a tank; 29gal-60gal. Where is the best place to purchase? Does this forum have a buy/sell section? Is there another site/forum for the area where there is a buy/sell section?

I am fortunate to have a reef club on reefcentral.com. Unfortunately, there is not a club listed for the Portland area. Any suggestions would be helpful; such as good saltwater stores, etc.

Thank you for your time in reading this!

New Tank Setup

 

When a new reef tank is first set up and after the dust settles it is nice and clean and orderly. This begins to change almost immediately whether you can see it or not. Within the first 3 days Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate levels all start to rise in your water. This is the beginning of the tank cycle process. No worries! Those high levels of Ammonia, Nitrite & Nitrate will come down in 2 to 5 weeks depending on your system. It is extremely important not to over stock your tank during this period!

 

Diatom Algae Outbreak

 

Other than the initial rise of chemicals in the tank, the first significant changes are usually an outbreak of diatom algae. Diatom algae starts off as small brown spots on glass, live and base rock and eventually can cover almost everything in the tank. When I set up my first tank I was very worried that I was going to loose my nice pink and purple live rock during this phase. Fortunately diatoms only last about 2 to 3 weeks and it doesn't harm live rock or the creatures that came with it! Diatoms are actually a good sign because it means your tank is near the end of the cycle period. To combat the unsightly diatoms a clean up crew can help to restore some beauty back to your tank. During this time period nitrogen gas bubbles will also form in your sand bed and begin to rise up in your tank. At times it may look like a snow storm in reverse! No worries this is also a normal step in your tank's evolution.

 

Other Algae Outbreaks

 

Your diatoms have finally cleared up and your clean up crew has cleaned off much of your tank. Unfortunately, you aren't done yet! Your tank may go through as many as 5 or more different types of algae outbreaks within the first 2 months, some good and some bad! One type of algae you may encounter is green hair algae. If this starts to appear it can be helpful to have a few known algae eating fish. Yellow Tangs and Pygmy Cherub Angels are both good algae eaters that can help keep your tank much cleaner! Other than Green Hair Algae here are some of the other algae that you can expect. You will probably see a green almost powder like algae growing on your glass. This grows fast and can be hard to keep ahead of until your tank becomes stable (which can take several months) and your water cleans up for good. An algae magnet can be helpful to clean this off. It is also a possibility that algae may begin growing on your sand. Usually Red Cyanobacteria is the one that will show up in your sand. Increased circulation and frequent water changes after the tank has completed cycling can help get rid of Cyano problems. If you add a sand sifter to your tank like a Watchman Diamond Goby they can also assist in avoiding this problem. All tanks are a little different. You may get some of these types of algae or even more. The key is not to panic and to know as much about them as you possibly can! Not all types of algae are bad!

 

Coralline Algae (the good kind)

 

Not all types of algae are bad! As a matter of fact most reef aquarists go out of their way to grow Coralline Algae. Coralline algae is the very colorful stuff that comes on live rock when you buy it at the aquarium store. It can vary in color including, orange, purple, green, pink, red and maroon. It normally starts to grow in little patches in the corners of the tank glass, on filters and and power heads, then it will start growing on the base rock. You should begin to aide the process with use of supplements like calcium buffers and other supplements. This will also start preparing your tank with what corals will need to grow. The growth of coralline algae in a tank is a good sign that the tank is beginning to mature and it getting close to being ready to accept corals.

 

Adding Corals

 

After your reef tank has been setup for approximately 4 months and the water conditions are consistently stable, it is usually safe to start adding corals. Some tanks will mature more quickly and corals can be introduced a little it sooner, but I always try to error on the side of caution. Coral is a living, breathing organism. If you try to add coral to a tank that is not ready most of the time the coral will die! Your tank is ready for corals when your ammonia, nitrite & nitrate levels have dropped and consistently stay down for at least a month to a month in a half. I also recommend that you aim (through the use of supplements an buffers) to get your PH is in the 8.0-8.3 range, your alkalinity is in the 8-12dkh range and to get your calcium is in the 375-450ppm range. This will aid in the development of the corals you add. When adding corals (like fish) start slow and inexpensively! Add hearty corals (see below) and make sure what you are adding can survive and thrive before adding your next coral. Do your research on lighting, additives and compatibility with fish before you start. The more you learn about your new hobby the more successful you will be!

 

 

 

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Great post! All new tanks go through this. You will see a spike of Nitrates which is normal for a new tank and contributes to the algae. I have found that adding Matrix helps as well as dosing with Aquavito's Remediation and Seed.

You can also use a toothbrush on the rocks, scrape off the algae on the glass then use a siphon to suck up the algae on the sand, This will result in about a 1/4 of a water change. I set up my 28gal a month ago and had the same issue plus a small outbreak of cynobateria (red slime looking algae that is difficult to get rid of once it takes hold...suck it out as soon as it starts!). I used this method earlier this last week and my tank looks great now. 

As far as fish/inverts I added:

A lawnmower blenny...he does a great job with hair algae, etc.

About 7-8 turbo snails

Two hermit crabs

Macro algae like cheato...compeats with algae for nutrients

I've been running saltwater tanks for over ten years and have had many trials and errors. I've found that with saltwater, a stable tank is a slow and gradual process...a problem tank comes on fast. With a new tank I test the water parameters on a weekly basis. As it matures you won't have to test as frequently. My 29gal was up for 7 years before I had to sell it (long story). By the second year I didn't even own test kits! Of course you do need to watch the salinity and I had a pH probe.

Good luck!

If you are talking about filter socks; I take them outside, use a hose with a power washer/spray head and start from the top, slowly spray across and down. I would NEVER use bleach or any other cleaning chemical. They are not going to be pure white but they don't need to be. Just spray all the gunk out. If you are very particular do the outside then turn it inside out and spray again. Once they have been sprayed and are clean, I shake them out using a strong arm throwing motion until little water is coming out when you shake/whip the sock. Or you can rinse them with RO/DI water after spraying. Hope this helps!