Adding to a "used" system

[rsontag1981]

New to the saltwater hobby, I recently purchased a 75 gallon tank that was not kept up. Massive algae on the rocks, power heads, in sump, just dirty. Ok everything has not been broken apart and cleaned, and everything that I have read online has indicated approximately 1-2 inches of live sand, in addition to the live rock. First of all is this true? Second can I just add the live sand, or should something be done with it first? Is there any other advice for me just getting started with an established tank? I think that trauma of the move killed the 2 fish, but nitrate and ammonia all seems good. Thanks and looking forward to meeting some people and getting all kinds of advice. THANKS!!

 

[Cwazy Clown]

ok well first off, remove massive algae on rocks using hands. then take out rocks, put it in a bucket of saltwater and scrub tank. once tank is clean, add sand/substrate/BB 1-2" is ok. i have a 1/4" its jsut like BB but i like the look. buy sand OR live sand. its its LS, put it into the tank and dont touch it. if its just regular dead sand, wash it in RO water and then put it in. after you have sand and water filled up 1/2 way, put LR in.

as for your equip. set up the plumbing, i would soak the powerheads in vinegar and etc. clean them. ....let it do a mini cycle ( a weel) before putting anything in there. test continuously.

 

[Krish]

Welcome to RF! Hope you enjoy it here

As for your questions...Let's see what I can add to what's already posted

everything that I have read online has indicated approximately 1-2 inches of live sand, in addition to the live rock. First of all is this true?

Depending on what you want to accomplish with the sand first off, will determine how deep you go. 1-2 inches will be considered a shallow sand bed (ssb) which must be vaccumed/cleaned regularily to prevent any waste from accumilating in there and degrading water quality. Either that, or have a nice clean up crew of inverts, snails etc to aid you along. Any deeper with the sand bed, and you get into deep sand bed (dsb) territory which requires different care as it functions totally differently. There is much debate as which sand bed is better, but it all depends on what works well for you as all are proven to work once cared for properly. For me, I don't like sand in the tank which is why I have a bare bottom tank (bb). It allows for more flow to be placed in the tank without worrying about a sand storm and also, doesn't require much maintenance at all, but limits you on some species of marine life you can keep etc. So think about what you would like to accomplish with the sand bed and go from there. If need be, ask questions about them all to see what will suit you best if you are un-sure. However, there is no rule that says only 1-2 inches will work As for the rock, they say use 1-2lbs per gal, but that isn't necessarily accurate as some rock is more dense or porous than others etc. so smaller amounts of the right rock is just as good if not better in some cases than double the amount of rock no as good in quality. In any event, the 1-2lb per gal is just basically something for people to work with to give then some sort of idea of what to shoot for where rock is concerned

Second can I just add the live sand, or should something be done with it first?

Well, it all depends. Do you plan on tearing this tank all the way down and building it all back up with new sand and live rock or just cleaning up what was left behind and re-using everything as is? Let us know what you had in mind here so we can know which direction to point you in ...

 

[rsontag1981]

questions...questions

Ok, entire tank cleaned all fittings, tubes, pumps, sump, trickle filter, protein skimmer, everything has been well scrubbed and reassembled. The are approx. 3-4 hermit crabs, and 8-10 snails that survived the transfer (the two fished died), but only about 0.5 – 0.75 inches of LS. I was planning on purchasing at least one bag next time I was at the pet store. Plenty of live rock, but I was planning on adding some to the sump for additional filtration/nitrate removal. The levels in the tank seem reasonable…temp. 74 F, salinity 1.023 – 1.024, nitrate ~ 1ppm, 0 ammonia. Recently purchases Icecap 440 ballast and two additional lights, along with moon lighting. So now for the creatures right? How many snails and hermit crabs should I have to a 75 gallons tank? There seems to be some algae growing, so I have been keeping the lights off a little bit more, even though I am only running two. One more question…what are some good corals to start off with? Thanks for all your imput!

 

[Krish]

The amount of snails and hermtis you can keep will all depend on the available food source you have in the tank and keep in mind that some hermits need to change their shells and will kill other hermits or snails to take over theirs so be careful how you choose them. As for a ball park figure, I honeslty couldn't say...Never purchased any before and the ones I do collect here, the count always drops off to only a small few I guess because I keep a pretty clean tank and not much available food for them.

I saw you mention trickle filter. If you do infact have one (otherwise known as a wet/dry) eventually that will pose a big problem for you as they are considered nitrate factories. Their end product is nothing but nitrates as they have no way of getting rid of them through denitrification because they lack anaerobic zones for the necessary bacteria to grow to perform the function so you end up with an accumilation. As a result, your tank will eventually be taken over by algae when levels get too high and some of your corals will probably die as they can't tolerate high levels of nitrates so it's best not to use the bio-balls (if that is what is being used in it) and just use the trickle filter as a regular sump. Your live rock will do all the work for you as it can perform all of the biological functions while at the same time, can perform denitrification. The fact that you have algae in the tank means there is excess nutrients fueling it to grow (nitrates, phosphates etc) and the reason why you may be reading only 1 ppm of nitrates is because it is bound up in the algae which you see growing as a result. Any chance to get a pic of your setup so we can see what you are working with? It may help us better help you get your system in tip top shape.

 

[rsontag1981]

I'll try and get it all fixed this weekend...

I will try and get a picture of my set up as soon as I have a free second, most likely this weekend. I was also planning on putting some like rock frags in the sump as well; wouldn’t that have greater denitrification abilities? Or would that still be a good idea but remove the trickle part of the filter? Since there is some algae I think I will purchase a couple more crabs and snails and just see what they can do. I have had trouble with the lighting system (the guy I brought it from was kinda skleezly), so I haven’t even had a chance to turn them on. Needless to say is I haven’t had a chance to put fish in. One I fix the lights and the filter situation and buy some more sand, I’ll be ready for action. Thanks guys…and good easy to care for corals??

 

[LakeEd]

Rsontag,

Welcome To Reef Frontiers!!!

Just a couple things to add to the great information that Krish has given you;

Most keep their tanks at 79-80 degrees. Much below 77, and our animals won't like it much.

As hard as this is going to sound, try your very best to SLOW DOWN!!! You just got this tank to your house, and setup. It will have several cycles that need to happen, even when moving a fully established tank. With all of the cleaning you needed to do with this system, I would expect there to be quite a few of the normal "Innitial Tank Cycles" for you to go thru. Pick up some good test kits (I recommend Salifert), if you don't already have them. Continue checking your Nitrate, but you might need to check Ammonia & Nitrite also for a while, checking for any cycles.

In anticipation of your having corals, I would also look at bumping your S.G. to 1.025-1.026... to more closer to NSW (Natural Sea Water) levels.

As for which corals are easy to care for... I would suggest waiting for a couple weeks, just to ensure things are doing okay before adding any. Then, Look at some of the various Mushrooms, Richordia's, Zoa's for starters.

The more patients you are able to have, along with the more research you do, will help more than anything in helping your new Reef Tank be as successful as possible!

Again, Welcome to Reef Frontiers... and I look forward to reading more from you!

 

[Krish]

I agree with Ed and to add to it, you asked...

I was also planning on putting some like rock frags in the sump as well; wouldn’t that have greater denitrification abilities? Or would that still be a good idea but remove the trickle part of the filter?

More live rock can have more denitrification abilities, however, the rock that you have in your main tank is usually more than sufficient to perform all of the functions you'll need. Apart from that, unless you are prepared to care for your sump keeping it detritus free as the rocks shed down there, then it can work against you so keep that in mind. Any waste/detritus allowed to settle and rott will degrade water quality so unless you are prepared to vaccum the sump if the flow running through the sump isn't sufficient, then I'd say not to use it. Just a thought... Also, where the trickle part of your system is concerned, I would convert that to a standard sump. Anything sitting under the highly oxygenated water in a wet/dry environment will work the same as bio-balls in there.

 

[Scooterman]

Congrats on the new/used tank & starting out with us at RF! Welcome & hope with all the help your getting it will go much easier & better in time.

 

[rsontag1981]

more progress

I’ve been testing my tank about every other day to make sure it remains at the correct levels. Temp was a little low, only about 75, but the tank is in a pretty stable spot that doesn’t fluctuate much. I have all the test kits that I need besides Ca and phosphate, wcich I’ll be picking up before I before I put coral in there. The guys here in the Tri-Cities seem to have had really good results putting the live rock in the sump, so I think I’ll do that and remove that part of the filter. I have pretty good flow going through the tank and the sump now, so it crap accumulates in the sump I don’t have a problem taking care of that too.

 

[Krish]

Sounds great...Good luck!

 

[rsontag1981]

What are some of the best suppliments to add? I have been planning on going with the traditional kalkwasser; however is it better to add a complex solution of different trace minerals and elements...or to add them seperately? I guess i am curious what are the test kits that you guys have found tha work the best? Thanks for all your input...it certainly helps!

 

[LakeEd]

I try and follow the "If you aren't testing for it, don't add it" philosophy. Kalk is a good balanced addition for Calcium & Alkalinity... as long as you are testing your system levels for those.

 

[nanshaw2001]

Great start....welcome from another newb!!!!!

 

[Sascha D]

Congratz on the new tank! Been reading up on the forums for a year before you took the plunge huh? Well you lasted longer than I did hehe. I would definately get a heater. The less water volume and the more movement leads to colder temps during dark periods.

I'm about the worst about adding critters, but one thing I've learned is that moving slow isn't nearly as painful as watching your system crash. Trush me you only have to see one crash before you learn that lesson.

 

[CCR]

Looking forward to see the pictures. Please heed the advice of the group as to slowing down. You got a tank that was in bad shape and turned it around. Alot of creatures require a tank be established for a good period of time before adding. Please don't put a Manbrin GOBY In. They are beautifull, but your tank is to young for them.

 

[danno14]

Too funny..... this is a thread started in Jan. '07.... and the guy has a total of 5 posts.

What do you bet the system "never quite made it"?
(Insert sardonic grin)
D

 

[Sascha D]

Too funny..... this is a thread started in Jan. '07.... and the guy has a total of 5 posts.

What do you bet the system "never quite made it"?
(Insert sardonic grin)
D

Hey maybe its just so awesome that he didn't need the help! I'm gonna go with that