New tank - I got some questions!

[onehawksfan]

I just set up a new small (22gallon with 10gal sump) tank and I have a couple of newbie questions that I can't find answers to. Here goes:
1) Even with a lid on the tank and my sump fully enclosed by my stand, I seem to have a pretty good evaporation problem (not sure if it's normal or is a problem). Every day I need to add 1/3 gallon of fresh water to keep sump at proper level and keep salinity constant. Using 130w Orbit CF fixture as light - with built in fans (doesn't seem to get really hot though). This seems like a lot of water every day but I'm not sure if this is normal. Tank has been running only for about 2 weeks and I've checked EVERYWHERE for leaks - found nothing! I live in Seattle and average temperature in house has been about 68 degrees day/55 degrees night. Water temperature is 80. Is this normal?
2) I had a new 75w Jager heater in the sump and at night, and for some unknown reason it wasn't able to keep the temperature constant. During the day, the temperature would slowly climb back to 80 but in the morning I would find it at 74! I had to put another heater in the display to keep temperature from fluxing. What is going on here? Is it not a good idea to have your heater in the sump?
3) I was planning on buying a nano polyp pack and nano mushroom pack from LiveAquaria and was wondering if I needed to quarantine these before adding them in my tank. Tank only has live rock and sand so far - no fish.
Thanks for the info!

 

[james734]

1. That seems like a lot of evap to me. Are you running skimmer on it? If so is your skimmate really wet? You should try to obtain a farely dry skimmate or foam. BTW: You will notice more evap on smaller tanks due the lower water volume.

2. The heater problem not sure about that. Typically you want 3-5 watts per gallon of water for proper heating. Your within that range. This might sound kind of weird but are you sure it's set right?

3. I wouldn't worry QT'ing the polyp pack. IMO you might actually do my damage by doing so unless you QT has the correct lighting etc.

I do have some concerns though:
You mentioned your tank has only been set-up for 2 weeks. Before you add anything make sure it's cycled. You need a good test kit to monitor the PH, Ammonia, Nitrite & Nitrate. What your looking for is a rise and drop in Ammonia followed by Nitrites then Nitrates. Then and only after this has happend you can add tank habitats. The LR you have was it cured or uncured? The die off off uncured rock helps with the cylcing process. I presonal never done it but you can do the Shrimp method to help the cycle process. The shrimp method is nothing more than placing peice of shrimp (Raw uncocked) in the tank to start the bacteria process. As for testing I would test daily or every other day to make sure you catch the spikes. I personal keep a chart and document all my params when I test. This way I can see if there is any fluctuation. What you want is all you params to be 0ppm. Once this is all done you'll also want start to monitor Alkalinity.

Patience is the best thing you can do right now.

 

[james734]

BTW: Don't want to mislead you on the QT. My opinon above is based on the Polyps being the first thing you add to the tank. If your adding things to a established system then always QT everything to prevent problems in the display tank. So if this is the first thing your adding to a new tank I don't see what the difference would be to just use the new tank as a QT for the new habitants and wait the 4-6 weeks. Now you would have a established system. So QT'ing any additionaly habitants is a must. Some might disagree though. If you have any concerns than QT. It's always the safer thing to do.

 

[Krish]

I've got a 75 gal and about a 30 gal sump and I evaporate 1 gal a day now. I have no lids on my tank, but I do have a canopy with an open back. As for my sump, it has no lids, but is enclosed in a stand with 1 3inch fan running over it. Not sure if I would consider 1/3 of a gal a lot to evaporate a day, but that's just me

About the heater...I never use one. I live in the Bahamas and it gets too hot to use one (LOL) but by the sounds of it, sounds like you have a bad heater if it can't keep the temp constant. Does using the one in the display help? If so, maybe you should try un-plugging the one in the sump and leave the one on in the tank to see if it stays constant. If it does, then chances are the heater in the sump is bad and you can just take it out of the tank, pop it in the sump and should be fine from there...Just a thought

 

[4251cpd]

Great advice from J and K.
Yes, you can have that much evap or your return pump may have a problem. Do you notice if your water level is higher in the display? Check for any type of debris collecting in the intake of your return, or plumbing and clean out the pump. Any type of blockage will keep any type of consistent water levels off. You may want to bump up the temp on the heater for a constant temp. Look into a fan for the sump. Do this while cycling the tank so this not become an issue later on. You may want to look into a drip type bag to run fw in the sump at night to keep your sg consistent. Do not add any livestock till your levels are zero (NH3, NO2, NO3). One last question, what is the gph the pump rated at? The turnover may not be enough to keep the heater in the sump. JMHO though....

 

[WAFalconer]

I have a 20g tank (no sump) and have about the same evaporation as you do every day - mine is totally open on the top

Since I don't have a sump, I can't answer about keeping heaters in there or in the main tank, but I do remember being told by more than one person in the past that its always a good idea to rather have two heaters, even if they are slightly under rated for your tank. That way, between the two heaters on either side of the tank, you temps should stay constant, and if one fails, you have a back up, rather than temps dropping during the night, etc.

Regarding the polyps....hold off on them until your system cycles fully. Why not ask local reefers if you can buy frags from them ? I've always found that you can pick and choose what you really want, and its usually (95% of the time) cheaper that most stores ! Just my 2 cents.

 

[WAFalconer]

A little OT....by your screen name, I'm guessing you are a Sea Hawks fan ?

 

[moortim]

I have a 55 gal with a 30 gal sump and I get about 1 gallon per day evaporation. I wouldn't think 1/3 gallon is that much of a problem (just one of the little things reef keepers have to accept) and you should be able to run your heater in the sump just fine. Like what was said before, maybe your heater has a problem, or maybe your sump return is not strong enough.
Good Luck!!