My first tank! Woo! (Pictures)

[cogaritis]

Hey everyone! I introduced myself here just over two years ago. I didn't think it was that long ago, but I found my old post... crazy! Anyway, I finally got a tank and I wanted to make a post that followed it. I keep finding new things every day and I'm stoked! This must be old news to most of you guys, but they're firsts for me!

My tank is a 29 gallon reef tank (in the process). I acquired the tank from my girlfriend when we moved its contents into one of my empty 55 gallons (I used to keep cichlids).

(On a side note, I've heard that freshwater tanks that have been treated for ich with medicine that contains copper will cause problems for certain corals, etc. Is this true? The 55 gallon is a FOWLR.)

It has a glass lid that covers 90% of the top. It has an Ehiem 100W heater, and a hang-on filter (not sure of the brand; I am just using the hang-on filter to move the surface of the water and to filter out large particles). It has two T8 light bulbs in separate fixtures. I bought the plant/aquarium light bulbs from Home Depot. (I am most definitely aware that these lights are insufficient for a reef tank and I would greatly appreciate any input on the subject!)

I should probably say that my goal is to have a reef tank with an anemone and clown fish or two. I've heard that the "real" host anemones can be hard to establish and/or keep. I want to use a deep sand bed (I have one that measures 3 and a half to 4 inches).

If anyone has any advice on filters, skimmers (or filter/skimmer combo), lights, etc., I would greatly appreciate it!

---

Pictures!

The first one is a few days after I set up the tank. I had to put Mr. Crab in there because he decided to try to make a snack of some nassarius snails in the 55 gallon.

The next one is after I purchased my first live rocks.

The last one is after I moved a live rock from the 55 gallon to my 29 gallon.

[SpilledSalt]

Hey, congrats! I know exactly how you feel, I set my first saltwater tank up 2 months ago. Its very exciting. The first thing I know to tell you, is to make sure you give the tank at least 6 weeks to complete its nitrate/ nitrite/amonia cycle, once they peak and drop its ok to add fish, and if your trying to watch your money, for now replace your bulbs with 50/50's from your fish store, until you can get about 265watts of t5's. But the 50/50' s will do until you want to add anemone's and corals. You need good filtration I recommend getting a Cascade 1000 canister filter, and you will need a good protein skimmer , ask around about a good skimmer, I am using a hob Seaclone 100 skimmer and it took alot of tweeking to make it work well. Good luck and enjoy your new tank.

[cogaritis]

Hmm, well it added the pictures weird. Oh well! It doesn't take too much common sense to put them in order!

So a few days ago I found out that I have at least 6 bristleworms in the live rocks on the right side of the tank. I also have some aiptasia (I think), some sponges (the white blobs), lots of tiny starfish, lots of pods (not sure what type of pods), 5 nassarius snails, 1 cleaner crab (not sure of the species), and some kind of tube/feather worm thingy. The pictures aren't that great, but hopefully I can get some better ones!

Oh, the red hermit crab is no longer in the tank. I took him to the saltwater store and gave it to them so he could find a proper tank.

[1st timer]

Just an FYI anemones can be very hard to keep alive. I wouldn't try in your tank for at least a year maybe 2, depends on how good you keep up with your maintenance, and how tank comes together. In my experience with clowns they will host about anything. I had one that almost obliterated my frogspawn, and a pair now that seem to be hosting a little clump of Xenia... go figure

[thegrun]

Welcome to RC! Yes, copper treated tanks will be a problem in the future if you plan on keeping corals. I would strongly recommend reading all the stickies at the top of this forum, they will answer many of your questions and give you ideas as to where to go from here. A word of advise, wait and purchase quality equipment, most of us have a closet or garage full of old "cheap" equipment that we purchased trying to save a dollar and ended up throwing the stuff away and purchasing quality equipment in the end. If money is an issue, purchase good used equipment, it can usually be had for 1/2 the price of new stuff. Best of luck.

[125G Reefer]

The reason copper treated tanks are a problem is that the copper gets into the glass.
WELCOME ABOARD. GOOD LUCK!!

[CLisPRO]

i got almost the same setup except and extra aquaclear 20 with just the foam and some live rock rubble and i have 130 CF with moonlights and a 200gph power head i would suggest at least one if not more of those anyways Good Luck! nice start.

[username in use]

Originally Posted by 125G Reefer

The reason copper treated tanks are a problem is that the copper gets into the glass.

No, it gets into the silicone and leaches out.

[iwishtofish]

My first tank was a 29g. I had a lot of fun with it, but I also learned a lot of lessons that I hope will help me be successful with my new tank.

A 29g tank presents some challenges. The 30" length makes it tricky sometimes to find a lighting fixture that fits - many people resort to a 24" T5 fixture, or a single metal halide pendant. Anemones require a lot of light to stay healthy, so a good fixture is a must if you want to keep one.

The small footprint also makes it difficult to use a sump of adequate size down below, if one were to choose that route. A 20L tank is the same length, and typically doesn't fit in the same stand. A 10g or 15g tank can be difficult to work with.

If you are sumpless, I would recommend using just live rock, water changes, and a good HOB skimmer for filtration. Research the skimmer, because it's going to be a waste of money and effort if it doesn't do anything productive.

Flow can also be a challenge in a 29g, as it was for me. I had too much live rock, for one thing, and this hindered the flow considerably. That resulted in detritus settling in the rocks where it could rot, and the resulting phosphates created an algae bloom I just couldn't lick. Got discouraging! If I were you, I'd have a shallow sand bed (easy to clean, and some say safer), and just enough live rock to do the job. Have enough flow to keep any uneaten food and fish poop up in the water column, where the skimmer can eventually grab it. Ditch the canister filter idea, unless you want to change the filters every 3 or 4 days.

Feed your fish VERY lightly. A little food goes a long way with fish, and overfeeding the tank can create a multitude of problems.

Ok, enough advice?

[shifty51008]

does anyone have proof about copper actually being absorbed into the silicone and then leaching out? I have looked alot but have never seen proof of this happening with a tank that has used copper then cleaned with bleach and vinigar.

[duncantse]

Nope. It is scientifically proven that silicon cannot leech out copper.

[shifty51008]

Originally Posted by duncantse

Nope. It is scientifically proven that silicon cannot leech out copper.

thats what I thought, it will bind to cal. junk that may be on the silicone but not the silicone itself. and the cal. can be removed with vinigar.

[cogaritis]

Thanks for the warm welcomes and advice!

Originally Posted by thegrun

A word of advise, wait and purchase quality equipment, most of us have a closet or garage full of old "cheap" equipment that we purchased trying to save a dollar and ended up throwing the stuff away and purchasing quality equipment in the end. If money is an issue, purchase good used equipment, it can usually be had for 1/2 the price of new stuff. Best of luck.

Absolutely!

Originally Posted by CLisPRO

i got almost the same setup except and extra aquaclear 20 with just the foam and some live rock rubble and i have 130 CF with moonlights and a 200gph power head i would suggest at least one if not more of those anyways Good Luck! nice start.

Thank you! I'll definitely look into some powerheads.

iwishtofish, Great advice! Thanks!

Originally Posted by duncantse

Nope. It is scientifically proven that silicon cannot leech out copper.

May I ask for some reference material for this answer? It seems that this is a matter of debate just by reading the replies to this thread. I might find my answer (references), though, by looking through the stickies as suggested by thegrun. Regardless, thank you.



I'm looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead. I want to eventually be successful with SPS corals, but I'm saving that for a larger tank. I've always wanted to build a tank into a wall. Since this is my first tank and I don't have a lot of extra spending money right now, I figured I would dink around trying to get the hang of topping off the tank, doing water changes, maintaining a specific gravity, etc. I'm super stoked with all of the inhabitants the tank has so far. I don't want to subject them to an ill environment though.

Oh, skimmers! The 55 gallon has an in-the-tank skimmer that works amazingly well. I'm not sure of the brand, but it's all plastic and uses a piece of wood to blow air through. I've heard disadvantages of the wood getting clogged, but it seems to be working well! Maybe I think this way because it's the only skimmer I've seen in person. All in good time I suppose.

Thanks again!

[socalsalttank]

Congrat. That's a good start. You'll find your self wanting to upgrade soon.

[~RuSh~]

Originally Posted by iwishtofish

My first tank was a 29g. I had a lot of fun with it, but I also learned a lot of lessons that I hope will help me be successful with my new tank.

A 29g tank presents some challenges. The 30" length makes it tricky sometimes to find a lighting fixture that fits - many people resort to a 24" T5 fixture, or a single metal halide pendant. Anemones require a lot of light to stay healthy, so a good fixture is a must if you want to keep one.

The small footprint also makes it difficult to use a sump of adequate size down below, if one were to choose that route. A 20L tank is the same length, and typically doesn't fit in the same stand. A 10g or 15g tank can be difficult to work with.

If you are sumpless, I would recommend using just live rock, water changes, and a good HOB skimmer for filtration. Research the skimmer, because it's going to be a waste of money and effort if it doesn't do anything productive.

Flow can also be a challenge in a 29g, as it was for me. I had too much live rock, for one thing, and this hindered the flow considerably. That resulted in detritus settling in the rocks where it could rot, and the resulting phosphates created an algae bloom I just couldn't lick. Got discouraging! If I were you, I'd have a shallow sand bed (easy to clean, and some say safer), and just enough live rock to do the job. Have enough flow to keep any uneaten food and fish poop up in the water column, where the skimmer can eventually grab it. Ditch the canister filter idea, unless you want to change the filters every 3 or 4 days.

Feed your fish VERY lightly. A little food goes a long way with fish, and overfeeding the tank can create a multitude of problems.

Ok, enough advice?

This post is pretty much word for words what I have been experiencing with my 29g tank.

- The length is 30" and they do not make 30" bulbs, they make 24" bulbs. I could have bought a 24" fixture, but then I would have had to suspend it above the tank (which I couldn't do). So I paid 60 bucks more for the 30" fixture.

- I wanted a sump, but my stand isn't big enough to hold even a 10g sump. It just doesn't fit.

- I have a lot of live rock for a 29g... probably 35lbs... and I had trouble with dead spots too even with two Koralia 750's and skimmer flow.

I know a lot of this sounds negative, but I wouldn't change anything about what I've gone through. A lot of it is learned that gives you experience for your next upgrade. I already know I want to get a larger tank, but I also want to get everything I can out of this tank and it's inhabitants before I move on. Definitely a great hobby and a good start for you!