Hi Everyone on BRS
I started a year ago with a simple 30 gal nano reef tank. I've made a lot of mistakes along the way - but have learned a lot too.
I've picked up a few books - one in particular which seemed to provide decent up to date information about building a reef tank correctly (big or small) is named: The New Marine Aquarium: Step-By-Step Setup & Stocking Guide (Paperback) by Michael Paletta.
http://www.amazon.com/New-Marine-Aq...=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255129456&sr=8-7
After a bit of research, I wanted to get the book named [The Conscientious Marine Aquarist: A Commonsense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists] - but the price difference leaned me toward the first one ($20).
I'd like to get the other one also but after I digest this first one only (for the money)
I'm very new to all of this, but i feel i'm picking things up pretty quick. It has been a year now - and most of what I've learned is from sites like this - and cold unforgiving experience. Forgive me if i'm using terms incorrectly - or don't use the short hand whenever possible.
My tank is made up of a few beginner fish: Blue Damsel, Bi-Color Pseudochromis, Ocellaris Clown, and three-striped Damsel.
I have about a half of the Live Rock that I would like to have. (15-20lbs?) I have a bunch of cleanup critters, Cerith Snails, some small Red Leg Hermit Crabs, and one larger Halloween crab.
I have one coral (I think it is a finger leather coral) and two small frags of zoas with about 5-10 polyps each (small). The finger leather coral is nice! It is about the size of a baseball (somewhat small?). I hope it grows well! I just got this about a week ago. When i bought it - it appeared all smooth, or so i thought i was. Now that it has settled i see dozens of small bumps - are these the polyps? (i told you i'd need forgiving).
Is my coral happy - in general his hands, or fingers are extended, and it is lively looking and not unhealthy looking at all - but this is my first coral.
Anyone reading may want to know the setup i have:
30 gal bowfront
15 lbs live rock
4 fish (small)
10-15 cleanup crew size
Water
- salinity of 1.025 - 1.026
- PH 8.2
- Amonia 0ppm
- Nitrite 0ppm
- Nitrate 30ppm (20 - 40 based on length of water change interv.)
Hang on Back Filter (Petco special made for a 30 gal)
- swap or clean the blue/charcoal filter ever few weeks (rinsed - or changed every few months)
- Rinse the bio wheel that it has
Algae is not a problem in the tank. There is a minute amount here and there on the rocks but the cleanup crew seem to keep it down.
3 gallon water change every week
1 powerhead which displaces 250gpd.
Deep bed of crushed coral is my substrate.
I have a little petco test kit for testing the levels of PH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. I have a hydrometer for the salinity. I do add Kent's Iodine and Liquid Calcium - until recently i also used Kent's Strontium. I read however, that one should not add too much to the tank without a specific test kit for it. What would be a good test kit to buy without breaking the bank?
Brings me to my nitrate question - i read everywhere that 0 nitrates is ideal.. i realize 0ppm is great - it means there's not a stich of toxicity in the water. And, to say that 0 is ideal, is to say that there is no quality of Nitrate that would be beneficial to anything you want to live in the tank.
What I have not read is what one should expect - should I expect that my water is 20-30ppm or so and that's the best I can do - or should I expect that with a skimmer, that number could reduce a little. Also - what is the option for a sump in a 30 gal?
To put all of this in context, my goal is not necessarily to build a world-renown reef in a 30 gal tank. It is of course, to go bigger, way bigger. My goal has been to use this setup to learn from experience and eventually when i'm ready build from the groun up - a system (125 is what i am thinking in general) but in the end, it really will be the biggest I think i can pull off successfully and without going bankrupt (i've seen the threads about the hundreds of gallons tanks, and they are awesome - i'd love to have the spot for one) but i don't. So i'm thinking something very large (for me).
But my goal is to be over-prepared for it. I would hate to invest time and money in something i'm not prepared for, and then have to call it a failure. I realize it's a long journey - and i've taken a year to simply get the hang of getting my water to the point that it's at (consistently).
my name is Rob, and i'm glad to be on the forums. Take care and thank you for all the help!
- What is the best way to install a new coral onto your own live rock, since many come as frags (built on a fragment of rock) and many come on small rocks themselves.
- I would like to get a skimmer - is it a smart move to buy the skimmer that i'll one day need (for a larger tank) or is it best to buy one built for this size tank?
- How long does it take for frags to get going - is it better for a beginner to buy frags, or whole corals.
- I paid about $45 for my largest coral (baseball sized) and $14 for the two small frags at a local shop (quincy). Is this a good deal? Not sure it is - but since the whole brick-and-mortar store is right in front of you and a swing on the way home from work, this seems the easier way to go than buying online.
- For a beginner, is buying frags a good way to go - (beyond the financial ability to buy more for less)?
- How often do frags just die and not really make it?
Sorry a lot of questions - I don't expect answers, but rather, i'm simply putting down my ideas, and concerns in one place. As I continue my search. Feel free to answer, and thank you very much if you happen to drop your opinion in
I started a year ago with a simple 30 gal nano reef tank. I've made a lot of mistakes along the way - but have learned a lot too.
I've picked up a few books - one in particular which seemed to provide decent up to date information about building a reef tank correctly (big or small) is named: The New Marine Aquarium: Step-By-Step Setup & Stocking Guide (Paperback) by Michael Paletta.
http://www.amazon.com/New-Marine-Aq...=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255129456&sr=8-7
After a bit of research, I wanted to get the book named [The Conscientious Marine Aquarist: A Commonsense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists] - but the price difference leaned me toward the first one ($20).
I'd like to get the other one also but after I digest this first one only (for the money)
I'm very new to all of this, but i feel i'm picking things up pretty quick. It has been a year now - and most of what I've learned is from sites like this - and cold unforgiving experience. Forgive me if i'm using terms incorrectly - or don't use the short hand whenever possible.
My tank is made up of a few beginner fish: Blue Damsel, Bi-Color Pseudochromis, Ocellaris Clown, and three-striped Damsel.
I have about a half of the Live Rock that I would like to have. (15-20lbs?) I have a bunch of cleanup critters, Cerith Snails, some small Red Leg Hermit Crabs, and one larger Halloween crab.
I have one coral (I think it is a finger leather coral) and two small frags of zoas with about 5-10 polyps each (small). The finger leather coral is nice! It is about the size of a baseball (somewhat small?). I hope it grows well! I just got this about a week ago. When i bought it - it appeared all smooth, or so i thought i was. Now that it has settled i see dozens of small bumps - are these the polyps? (i told you i'd need forgiving).
Is my coral happy - in general his hands, or fingers are extended, and it is lively looking and not unhealthy looking at all - but this is my first coral.Anyone reading may want to know the setup i have:
30 gal bowfront
15 lbs live rock
4 fish (small)
10-15 cleanup crew size
Water
- salinity of 1.025 - 1.026
- PH 8.2
- Amonia 0ppm
- Nitrite 0ppm
- Nitrate 30ppm (20 - 40 based on length of water change interv.)
Hang on Back Filter (Petco special made for a 30 gal)
- swap or clean the blue/charcoal filter ever few weeks (rinsed - or changed every few months)
- Rinse the bio wheel that it has
Algae is not a problem in the tank. There is a minute amount here and there on the rocks but the cleanup crew seem to keep it down.
3 gallon water change every week
1 powerhead which displaces 250gpd.
Deep bed of crushed coral is my substrate.
I have a little petco test kit for testing the levels of PH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. I have a hydrometer for the salinity. I do add Kent's Iodine and Liquid Calcium - until recently i also used Kent's Strontium. I read however, that one should not add too much to the tank without a specific test kit for it. What would be a good test kit to buy without breaking the bank?
Brings me to my nitrate question - i read everywhere that 0 nitrates is ideal.. i realize 0ppm is great - it means there's not a stich of toxicity in the water. And, to say that 0 is ideal, is to say that there is no quality of Nitrate that would be beneficial to anything you want to live in the tank.
What I have not read is what one should expect - should I expect that my water is 20-30ppm or so and that's the best I can do - or should I expect that with a skimmer, that number could reduce a little. Also - what is the option for a sump in a 30 gal?
To put all of this in context, my goal is not necessarily to build a world-renown reef in a 30 gal tank. It is of course, to go bigger, way bigger. My goal has been to use this setup to learn from experience and eventually when i'm ready build from the groun up - a system (125 is what i am thinking in general) but in the end, it really will be the biggest I think i can pull off successfully and without going bankrupt (i've seen the threads about the hundreds of gallons tanks, and they are awesome - i'd love to have the spot for one) but i don't. So i'm thinking something very large (for me).
But my goal is to be over-prepared for it. I would hate to invest time and money in something i'm not prepared for, and then have to call it a failure. I realize it's a long journey - and i've taken a year to simply get the hang of getting my water to the point that it's at (consistently).
my name is Rob, and i'm glad to be on the forums. Take care and thank you for all the help!
- What is the best way to install a new coral onto your own live rock, since many come as frags (built on a fragment of rock) and many come on small rocks themselves.
- I would like to get a skimmer - is it a smart move to buy the skimmer that i'll one day need (for a larger tank) or is it best to buy one built for this size tank?
- How long does it take for frags to get going - is it better for a beginner to buy frags, or whole corals.
- I paid about $45 for my largest coral (baseball sized) and $14 for the two small frags at a local shop (quincy). Is this a good deal? Not sure it is - but since the whole brick-and-mortar store is right in front of you and a swing on the way home from work, this seems the easier way to go than buying online.
- For a beginner, is buying frags a good way to go - (beyond the financial ability to buy more for less)?
- How often do frags just die and not really make it?
Sorry a lot of questions - I don't expect answers, but rather, i'm simply putting down my ideas, and concerns in one place. As I continue my search. Feel free to answer, and thank you very much if you happen to drop your opinion in
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