newbie just added salt...and so it begins!

[kpiotrowski]

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120p tonga branch display with 50g pukani fuge...which will prob be a 2nd reef now that it looks this good already. aprox 190 gallons water volume with 130lbs of tonga branch and 110lbs of pukani ( all dry). alot of rock I know...but thats what you all have been telling me "the more live rock the better"

iwaki wmd30rxlt return, random power heads for now, 2x250mh, 4x110vho, etss 600xr skimmer.

thanks all for the adivice and thanks much to a new local reefer freind who for now, shall remain nameless by his choice but has been instrumental in my transition to saltwater. at the end of the day there are "many ways to skin a cat" and with all the contraversial advice that sometimes thrown your way its real nice to have someone you who has proven to be trustworthy in their experience and methods.

 

[user 26995]

WOW, both tanks are looking great! I'm impatient..:bounce:..I want to see coral and fish in there! LOL...

 

[kpiotrowski]

thanks. a few chromis will go in soon, and then the waiting game. I'm pretty sure I'm off to a good "lucky" start cuz after just dumping salt from the bucket without measuring I'm at just above 1.025 sg. In all honesty I was trying to error on the side of less saline with my guesstimate, but I'll take it!

 

[user 2204]

Very nice start you have there. Look forward to seeing these tanks as they progress into full blown reef tanks.

Cheers,
Alex

 

[Krish]

Good stuff!!! You went all out and had to set up two tanks huh? :lol! Good luck with them.

 

[user 26995]

thanks. a few chromis will go in soon, and then the waiting game. I'm pretty sure I'm off to a good "lucky" start cuz after just dumping salt from the bucket without measuring I'm at just above 1.025 sg. In all honesty I was trying to error on the side of less saline with my guesstimate, but I'll take it!

1.025 is great. I run all my tanks at 1.025-1.026.


So the smaller tank, being your refugium, are you going to keep a lot of different macro algaes in it. And some xenia maybe? I think a macro algae display would be really pretty.

 

[rainydave]

Tagging along to watch the progress.

 

[kpiotrowski]

1.025 is great. I run all my tanks at 1.025-1.026.


So the smaller tank, being your refugium, are you going to keep a lot of different macro algaes in it. And some xenia maybe? I think a macro algae display would be really pretty.

Yes, my original plan was for it to be a macro display with perhaps some marine plants, but being so new to marine life I am really open to suggestions. the pukani is so porus with so many places for detrius to gather I have conncerns about adding anything I have to purpously feed. the display fuge gets about 30% of the return water with 70% going to the display...however, the water draining from the fuge dumps right in front of the return so 30%fuge and 70% skimmed water circulate through the display and fuge.

 

[user 26995]

I would look into some of the really cool shrimp, like the blood red ones. I dont think they will each much. I dont feed my phantom anemonie shrimp very much. And then all kinds of different macro algaes. A few of the sponsors here have different macro algaes. Get it stocked with pods real good and you could put a mandarin dragonet in there. And then some snails and a few crabs and.....OH, just turn it into another reef tank...what the heck! LOL... just kidding

 

[kpiotrowski]

yeah its gonna take some controll to not turn it into a sister reef tank. I like the dragonet idea but they would also be cool in the display with their secret little food source being right next door. any suggestion on specific macros?

 

[jrgilles]

If you are around seattle, I can give you some caulerpa from my fuge. I have grape and mexicana. Had some chaeto, but the flow was too slow in my fuge (it likes a bit of current I think) and got overpowered by the caulerpa.

Caulerpa is great though, grows very fast so nice for nutrient export. Keeps the chemistry well in balance. You need to keep it lit 24H a day though so it doesn't go sexual.

I can also hook you up with some pods if you want. My fuge is teeming with them. I have a mesh bag of shells I put in there as a 'pod home' that I can give away to help people get started. It has been in there 4-6 months now, so should be pretty well loaded with pods.

Can probably find stuff a lot closer to you, but if you are in the neighborhood, shoot me a pm.

rob

 

[akunochi]

Kevin,

i thought maybe you died....I haven't heard from you in forever. I have some cheato you can grab anytime you want to swing by again...teeeemmmmiiiinnnngggg with life. I'm pretty sure I saw mysis shrimp running around the fuge the other day. I got the AI Sol's up as well if you still want to check them out. Tanks look good, Have fun trying to catch anything on that tonga branch. now who is this mysterious reefer that helped you?

Don't forget about PSAS. We are having a frag swap son so you can add some color to that tank!

 

[Aquanaut]

A unique plant that fish love to eat is "Dragon breath" very pretty ruby colored and great leaf shapes...might inquire from Nata on PSAS if she is cultivating some for sale. I love my clump but my water isn't dirty enough to make it grow quickly. I'll "give" you a sizable Pom Xenia rock if you want as well as varius coral frag chips floating around on my sand to start your grafting. You know what I have...just send me a pm.

 

[kpiotrowski]

tia for all the offers above. I will pm you all. ... NOW, holy cow I found a voodoo potion to cycle a new tank ( fritz-zyme turbo start 900) AND it is actually working! Here are the facts. had freshwater in the tanks for 24 hours then added salt, waited 24 hours and added 5 sm chromis, tested water immediatley to get a baseline and to my surpize has .5ppm ammonia already from the dry live rock( which is concerning to me and leaves me wondering how much crap this rock has in it and what my ammonia will spike to). so I added a bottle of the turbo start good for 75g in my 190g of water and tested water 6 hours later to find .25ppm nitrite and ammonia dropped to .25. fritz-zyme claims to fully cycle a tank in 5 days...rofl right! well, I guess we will see. But to have nitrite in 6 hours is proof that it will at least help the cylce. I will test water a few times a day or as incdicated and report significant findings on this thread.

 

[user 2204]

I would try and stay away from any voodoo kind of stuff and let your tank cycle as one normally would. Most of the voodoo stuff is nothing more than a way for companies to make a little more $$$.

One thing that many people do in this hobby is go to fast. Putting fish in within 48 hours of set up is a little to fast IMO. You should start with a very small cleaner crew first.

I would suggest to keep checking all your levels with a good quality test kit every few days before adding you cleaner crew. Cleaner crew should go in to help keep the diatoms, hair algae and any other type of cycle algae you may get in check.

Cheers,
Alex

 

[TJL]

Very nice Kevin, and off to a great start indeed. Thats some incredible rock to work with in creating your reef. Looking forward in seeing it develope.

Cheers, Todd

 

[kpiotrowski]

I would try and stay away from any voodoo kind of stuff and let your tank cycle as one normally would. Most of the voodoo stuff is nothing more than a way for companies to make a little more $$$.

One thing that many people do in this hobby is go to fast. Putting fish in within 48 hours of set up is a little to fast IMO. You should start with a very small cleaner crew first.

I would suggest to keep checking all your levels with a good quality test kit every few days before adding you cleaner crew. Cleaner crew should go in to help keep the diatoms, hair algae and any other type of cycle algae you may get in check.

Cheers,
Alex

I am a stuck-in my-ways kind of guy too, but I found some fresh water stuff a year ago that actualy cylced a tank practically immediately so I gave this a shot. as far as going fast...I have been messin around with set-up for like two months and now its go time. I don't understand the cleaner crew first concept...what is the cleaner crew going to clean in a new tank with dry rock? they would definately cycle my tank with their dead bodies right? am cylcling with no lights so hopefully no aglae for a while. I have 1000 gallons worth of salt mix in preparation for any ammonia spikes that go off the charts which would call for a massive water change...unless you want some algea problems in the end because of the high nitrates that would be available. and i also have all you guys to bail me out when I crash and burn...right!

 

[kpiotrowski]

Very nice Kevin, and off to a great start indeed. Thats some incredible rock to work with in creating your reef. Looking forward in seeing it develope.

Cheers, Todd

Thanks Todd! Honestly I am not too excited about the way the display looks, but happy with the end result...I love the caves and tunnels and open space undereneath, and it was my intention to go with the tonga in the display to minimize places for detrius to accumulate and dead spots. perhaps in a few years It will be awesome....if not for sale on craigslist really cheap before hand, lol.

 

[kpiotrowski]

tia for all the offers above. I will pm you all. ... NOW, holy cow I found a voodoo potion to cycle a new tank ( fritz-zyme turbo start 900) AND it is actually working! Here are the facts. had freshwater in the tanks for 24 hours then added salt, waited 24 hours and added 5 sm chromis, tested water immediatley to get a baseline and to my surpize has .5ppm ammonia already from the dry live rock( which is concerning to me and leaves me wondering how much crap this rock has in it and what my ammonia will spike to). so I added a bottle of the turbo start good for 75g in my 190g of water and tested water 6 hours later to find .25ppm nitrite and ammonia dropped to .25. fritz-zyme claims to fully cycle a tank in 5 days...rofl right! well, I guess we will see. But to have nitrite in 6 hours is proof that it will at least help the cylce. I will test water a few times a day or as incdicated and report significant findings on this thread.

man I wish i had a quality test kit!!! am using the cheap API brand and here is was I have EIGHTEEN HOURS after adding the fritz-zyme: ammonia 0 ( was 0.5), nitrite trace (was .25)....and the kicker...................about 2-3 ppm nitrate. yeh I don't belive it myself!!! seen it happen with tetra "safe start" in freashwater but was and STILL am skeptical now with saltwater. if you really want to here an unbeliveable claim to this product a local guy claims to have eliminated a nitrite spike so large it was off the test kit overnight!

I know I am being laughed at.....I am making no claims!!! just stating facts. too many variables for me to belive it myself number one being the cheap test kit.

 

[kpiotrowski]

man I wish i had a quality test kit!!! am using the cheap API brand and here is was I have EIGHTEEN HOURS after adding the fritz-zyme: ammonia 0 ( was 0.5), nitrite trace (was .25)....and the kicker...................about 2-3 ppm nitrate. yeh I don't belive it myself!!! seen it happen with tetra "safe start" in freashwater but was and STILL am skeptical now with saltwater. if you really want to here an unbeliveable claim to this product a local guy claims to have eliminated a nitrite spike so large it was off the test kit overnight!

I know I am being laughed at.....I am making no claims!!! just stating facts. too many variables for me to belive it myself number one being the cheap test kit.

update is 48 hours later i have 0 ammonia or nitrite and about 5ppm nitrate. elos test kits are on their way!