A Noobs Adventure - My First Saltwater Tank - Page 2

Chiefsurfer · 12/10/2009, 11:12 AM

no need for the filter swap now, just saying for the future, it will probably happen with your unit thatn most because your water is so high in tds.

As to the lighting, yes, that's what I have. That wattage seems low, because it is the 4-bulb fixture. From what I hear, they are coming out with a 6-bulb fixture soon. This is to my understanding, available from 30" upward.

I like the fixture a LOT!!!, but the bulbs will have to be swapped. They put some wierd variety of lights in there for your daylights, and it gives the tank a yellowish/orangish look. I have swapped mine out for new bulbs and am much happier. I am going to do some more fiddling, as my actinics now seem fairly inadequate. I have 2 12,000K ATI aquablue 1, supplied 420/460 actinic, and one UVL 75/25. I really like the 75/25, but it is more of a daylight than actinic like I thought it would be. I will be probably using 1-12,000K ati, and the UVL for my daylight bulbs, one supplied actinic, and one ATI aquablue PLUS.

So far I love the fixture. Nice package, the digital timer and single power cord are AWESOME! The only thing I might want extra on this fixture is a 3" diameter computer fan on top. It gets quite hot, and has a nice exhaust section, however no fan. Gotta call aquatic-life and see if it can be connected to the digital interface.

CreatiVe2 · 12/10/2009, 11:42 AM

I agree, the fixture looks fantastic! I just didn't expect to be buying bulbs for a brand new fixture, i found the 12000k ATi bulb you were talking about. but the bulbs below came with your unit? could it be a newer model? i found the 36" t5HO here http://www.aquaticlife.com/t5ho/index.html it also has 2 cooling fans on the top.

(2) 36" T5 HO 39W 420/460 Lamps
(2) 36" T5 HO 39W 10,000K Lamps

CreatiVe2 · 12/10/2009, 04:49 PM

I continued this light discussion on this thread

CreatiVe2 · 12/22/2009, 10:52 AM

I ended up Getting the AquaticLife 36" T5 housing (10k day light/420/460 Actinic/8 LED) 4 bulb @ 39w Each.
Here

Pictures below.

The light is fantastic, although the daylight bulbs are pure white, i will eventually swap out these stock bulbs for the combo below

ATI 12000K Aquablue
ATI Blue Plus
GE 6500K
ATI Blue Plus

I was going to let the tank run for about a week. Do a 25% water change, Change all of my filter media, add a clean up crew.

i was thinking about this Clean Up crew. Is it overkill?

Chiefsurfer · 12/22/2009, 11:30 AM

i replied here because now with the CUC talk, this area is much more appropriate.

That is a pretty nice cleaner package. There are a few things I would change.

The snails look good, the dwarf blue-leg hermits look good. I would however be wary of the scarlets, I think those grow fairly big, and if they grow too big, they will put a wild kind of hurt on your snails, killing and eating for their shells.

I would also only suggest 1 emerald crab, I'd think 2 might be a bit much. Also, unless you have a pretty sizeable aptasia problem, 3 peppermints are overkill as well.

Not all a loss tho, if you have a decent LFS, you can likely bring all those in to him and get store credit, with which I would get something that sifts sand. The hermits do a good job, but may not go as deep as something like a star or mow through as much as say a sifter goby, or a proper sand-sifting cucumber.

CreatiVe2 · 12/22/2009, 12:00 PM

thanks for the info on the scarlets, i heard them and the emerald crabs have given people some issues. would you think 2 peppermints would be fine?
I do eventually want to purchase a goby, i love their look and behavior.

thanks for switching the threads

Chiefsurfer · 12/22/2009, 02:14 PM

I'd say avoid the scarlets, keep one emerald, keep 1 or 2(kinda up to you) peppermints, and goby's are great, but so you know, I do not think they will pair up with a goby like a goby shrimp pair. That would be between a pistol shrimp and a goby. I don't know if the emerald would cause problems with the goby.

CreatiVe2 · 12/22/2009, 02:25 PM

hah, well if the emerald causes problems its out ;p

does the pistol/goby need to be introduced together or will they pair if introduced to the tank separate?

Bonta · 12/22/2009, 03:05 PM

Woah, after reading this interested build thread you gave me suggestions for new lighting

May I ask how much you paid for the set of lights ?

Marsha · 12/22/2009, 05:31 PM

I have a yellow watchman goby and a tiger pistol shrimp in my HQI and they were not introduced at the same time. They found each other within minutes of adding the goby and have been living together since with no problems. The tiger pistol does not take to animals that invade his space beneath the rocks (other shrimp/crabs etc.) but has not bothered the fish in the tank at all.

kyrin01 · 12/22/2009, 06:11 PM

The Last pictures with the lights, Have you since moved the Rocks away from the side walls? You are gonna hate yourself later when it comes time to scrape/clean those areas.

Good progress so far!

CreatiVe2 · 12/23/2009, 07:53 AM

Bonta - It was under 300$ and i got it from here

Marsha - good to know. i have also heard that pistol shrimp make a clicking noise, is it annoying at times?

Kyrin - Yeah, i moved the rocks around, in those pics are final placement. I have a verry small mag scraper i can get into all of the areas with. if it becomes a real bad problem ill change around the rocks. but its fine now.

Chiefsurfer · 12/23/2009, 08:28 AM

pistols do make a clicking noise when the "shoot" their pistol. I do not if they actively hunt, or if they just use it for defense. I thought they would use it occasionally to exercise the muscle. From what I have heard, although the noises are VERY similar, mantis do this a LOT more often, and can get real annoying. Never heard of the pistols being annoying.

Check out some videos on youtube about them, their power and "shooting" is awesome. One cool fact is that when they shoot, they create an extremely low pressure air bubble, that implodes on itself because of the low pressure. When it does so, apparently, right around that air bubble can reach the temperature of the surface of the sun.

Bonta · 12/23/2009, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CreatiVe2

Bonta - It was under 300$ and i got it from here

Marsha - good to know. i have also heard that pistol shrimp make a clicking noise, is it annoying at times?

Kyrin - Yeah, i moved the rocks around, in those pics are final placement. I have a verry small mag scraper i can get into all of the areas with. if it becomes a real bad problem ill change around the rocks. but its fine now.

Thank you very much ! And good luck with your build.

jayhawk317 · 12/23/2009, 01:58 PM

what do you guys mean by "gravel siphoning"?

CreatiVe2 · 12/26/2009, 09:09 AM

Jayhawk:

SO the tanks been up and running for a few days now. No immediate problems. But the one thing i do notice is that the water from the tank evaporates MUCH MUCH faster now that i removed the glass top to let more light through.

how often to you guys top off your tank? and do you heat the water before you add it for the top off? whenever i add more water it takes quite a bit of time for my rena heater to catch up.

theyammieguy · 12/26/2009, 10:06 AM

From what I've been reading on here, it seems people are topping off with anywhere from 1-5 gallons a day.

Chiefsurfer · 12/26/2009, 11:15 PM

I have a 20 gallon tank, no top, and I do about 32 oz a day. I do not heat it up before I put it in, mine is at room temp(roughly 70) and I pour it in very slowly, and my water may drop .2-.4 for each top-off.

micrors4racer · 12/27/2009, 01:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CreatiVe2

Jayhawk:

SO the tanks been up and running for a few days now. No immediate problems. But the one thing i do notice is that the water from the tank evaporates MUCH MUCH faster now that i removed the glass top to let more light through.

how often to you guys top off your tank? and do you heat the water before you add it for the top off? whenever i add more water it takes quite a bit of time for my rena heater to catch up.

Do they make those for sand? Wouldn't it just suck up the sand with it?

CreatiVe2 · 01/03/2010, 02:17 PM

so the cured tank has been up a little over 2 weeks now with new light. It has went through some light algae growth, but my small cleanup crew has been adequate for now.

As of now I have:
2 Cerith Snails
2 Chestnut Turbo Snail
3 Dwarf Blue Hermit
4 Scarlet Reef Hermit
3 Astrea Turbo snails
1 Coral banded shrimp

Just made an order off of liveaquaria.com
Cerith Snail, Qty:10
Dwarf Blue Leg Hermit Crab, Qty:10
Emerald Crab, Qty:1,
Peppermint Shrimp, Qty:2,
Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab, Qty:6,

Hopefully that will be good for now. I will probably purchase my first corals in about 3 weeks.

some Pictures of the CUC below

Catastrophi · 01/03/2010, 03:35 PM

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but the renas filter pads can become a nitrate factory. I was too lazy to read through everyone else's post.

Just though i might help out a little!

CreatiVe2 · 01/03/2010, 04:04 PM

No no one has mentioned this at all. Nor have i ever seen them being an issue. which pads are you referring to? the 20ppi/30ppi coarse pads? micro filtration/polishing pads?
All of the media is cycled out, and doesn't not stay in longer than 6 weeks. all of my levels are fine, and algae is sporadic at best.
do you have any proof of your claim?

I also have the bioballs removed because of said "nitrate factory" issues.

theyammieguy · 01/04/2010, 06:07 AM

Its been mentioned numerous times here on RC.

Chiefsurfer · 01/04/2010, 08:24 AM

i know nothing about renas. Those are the heaters right? If there is a "sponge" or pad in there, I would assume that it would be a nitrate factory.

CreatiVe2 · 01/04/2010, 08:54 AM

they make canister filters and heaters. In the canister there are 2 levels of pads, 30 ppi, 20 ppi, carbon, zorb, then polisher. all are cleaned on a regular basis. and go no longer than 6 weeks in the can. i do not have enough room to run a sump...

12/22/2009, 03:05 PM	#34
Bonta Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: California Posts: 453	Woah, after reading this interested build thread you gave me suggestions for new lighting May I ask how much you paid for the set of lights ? __________________ I sometimes talk to my fish when no ones around. Current Tank Info: 60g

12/22/2009, 05:31 PM	#35
Marsha Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Mesa. AZ Posts: 253	I have a yellow watchman goby and a tiger pistol shrimp in my HQI and they were not introduced at the same time. They found each other within minutes of adding the goby and have been living together since with no problems. The tiger pistol does not take to animals that invade his space beneath the rocks (other shrimp/crabs etc.) but has not bothered the fish in the tank at all. __________________ The only thing I control is my reaction to what happens around me. Current Tank Info: 125 gallon saltwater

12/26/2009, 10:06 AM	#42
theyammieguy Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Houston Texas Posts: 1,691	From what I've been reading on here, it seems people are topping off with anywhere from 1-5 gallons a day. __________________ "Ya'll can go to hell, I'm going to Texas". David Crockett. 12g JBJ deluxe JBJ viper 70w, maxi jet 900, Koralia nano, two false percs, softies, LPS, and SPS, about 25# LR and 2"-3" SB. Running since 3/22/07. Soon to add sump with skimmer Click my home page for pictures. 40g breeder upgrade in progress. Planning a 60g cube FOWLR.

01/03/2010, 04:04 PM	#47
CreatiVe2 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 117	No no one has mentioned this at all. Nor have i ever seen them being an issue. which pads are you referring to? the 20ppi/30ppi coarse pads? micro filtration/polishing pads? All of the media is cycled out, and doesn't not stay in longer than 6 weeks. all of my levels are fine, and algae is sporadic at best. do you have any proof of your claim? I also have the bioballs removed because of said "nitrate factory" issues. Last edited by CreatiVe2; 01/03/2010 at 04:10 PM.

01/04/2010, 06:07 AM	#48
theyammieguy Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Houston Texas Posts: 1,691	Its been mentioned numerous times here on RC. __________________ "Ya'll can go to hell, I'm going to Texas". David Crockett. 12g JBJ deluxe JBJ viper 70w, maxi jet 900, Koralia nano, two false percs, softies, LPS, and SPS, about 25# LR and 2"-3" SB. Running since 3/22/07. Soon to add sump with skimmer Click my home page for pictures. 40g breeder upgrade in progress. Planning a 60g cube FOWLR.

12/10/2009, 11:12 AM	#26
Chiefsurfer Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Seaside Park, NJ Posts: 2,138	no need for the filter swap now, just saying for the future, it will probably happen with your unit thatn most because your water is so high in tds. As to the lighting, yes, that's what I have. That wattage seems low, because it is the 4-bulb fixture. From what I hear, they are coming out with a 6-bulb fixture soon. This is to my understanding, available from 30" upward. I like the fixture a LOT!!!, but the bulbs will have to be swapped. They put some wierd variety of lights in there for your daylights, and it gives the tank a yellowish/orangish look. I have swapped mine out for new bulbs and am much happier. I am going to do some more fiddling, as my actinics now seem fairly inadequate. I have 2 12,000K ATI aquablue 1, supplied 420/460 actinic, and one UVL 75/25. I really like the 75/25, but it is more of a daylight than actinic like I thought it would be. I will be probably using 1-12,000K ati, and the UVL for my daylight bulbs, one supplied actinic, and one ATI aquablue PLUS. So far I love the fixture. Nice package, the digital timer and single power cord are AWESOME! The only thing I might want extra on this fixture is a 3" diameter computer fan on top. It gets quite hot, and has a nice exhaust section, however no fan. Gotta call aquatic-life and see if it can be connected to the digital interface.

12/10/2009, 11:42 AM	#27
CreatiVe2 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 117	I agree, the fixture looks fantastic! I just didn't expect to be buying bulbs for a brand new fixture, i found the 12000k ATi bulb you were talking about. but the bulbs below came with your unit? could it be a newer model? i found the 36" t5HO here http://www.aquaticlife.com/t5ho/index.html it also has 2 cooling fans on the top. (2) 36" T5 HO 39W 420/460 Lamps (2) 36" T5 HO 39W 10,000K Lamps

12/10/2009, 04:49 PM	#28
CreatiVe2 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 117	I continued this light discussion on this thread

12/22/2009, 11:30 AM	#30
Chiefsurfer Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Seaside Park, NJ Posts: 2,138	i replied here because now with the CUC talk, this area is much more appropriate. That is a pretty nice cleaner package. There are a few things I would change. The snails look good, the dwarf blue-leg hermits look good. I would however be wary of the scarlets, I think those grow fairly big, and if they grow too big, they will put a wild kind of hurt on your snails, killing and eating for their shells. I would also only suggest 1 emerald crab, I'd think 2 might be a bit much. Also, unless you have a pretty sizeable aptasia problem, 3 peppermints are overkill as well. Not all a loss tho, if you have a decent LFS, you can likely bring all those in to him and get store credit, with which I would get something that sifts sand. The hermits do a good job, but may not go as deep as something like a star or mow through as much as say a sifter goby, or a proper sand-sifting cucumber.

12/22/2009, 12:00 PM	#31
CreatiVe2 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 117	thanks for the info on the scarlets, i heard them and the emerald crabs have given people some issues. would you think 2 peppermints would be fine? I do eventually want to purchase a goby, i love their look and behavior. thanks for switching the threads

12/22/2009, 02:14 PM	#32
Chiefsurfer Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Seaside Park, NJ Posts: 2,138	I'd say avoid the scarlets, keep one emerald, keep 1 or 2(kinda up to you) peppermints, and goby's are great, but so you know, I do not think they will pair up with a goby like a goby shrimp pair. That would be between a pistol shrimp and a goby. I don't know if the emerald would cause problems with the goby.

12/22/2009, 02:25 PM	#33
CreatiVe2 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 117	hah, well if the emerald causes problems its out ;p does the pistol/goby need to be introduced together or will they pair if introduced to the tank separate?

12/22/2009, 06:11 PM	#36
kyrin01 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 301	The Last pictures with the lights, Have you since moved the Rocks away from the side walls? You are gonna hate yourself later when it comes time to scrape/clean those areas. Good progress so far!

12/23/2009, 07:53 AM	#37
CreatiVe2 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 117	Bonta - It was under 300$ and i got it from here Marsha - good to know. i have also heard that pistol shrimp make a clicking noise, is it annoying at times? Kyrin - Yeah, i moved the rocks around, in those pics are final placement. I have a verry small mag scraper i can get into all of the areas with. if it becomes a real bad problem ill change around the rocks. but its fine now.

12/23/2009, 08:28 AM	#38
Chiefsurfer Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Seaside Park, NJ Posts: 2,138	pistols do make a clicking noise when the "shoot" their pistol. I do not if they actively hunt, or if they just use it for defense. I thought they would use it occasionally to exercise the muscle. From what I have heard, although the noises are VERY similar, mantis do this a LOT more often, and can get real annoying. Never heard of the pistols being annoying. Check out some videos on youtube about them, their power and "shooting" is awesome. One cool fact is that when they shoot, they create an extremely low pressure air bubble, that implodes on itself because of the low pressure. When it does so, apparently, right around that air bubble can reach the temperature of the surface of the sun.

12/23/2009, 01:58 PM	#40
jayhawk317 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 81	what do you guys mean by "gravel siphoning"?

12/26/2009, 09:09 AM	#41
CreatiVe2 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 117	Jayhawk: SO the tanks been up and running for a few days now. No immediate problems. But the one thing i do notice is that the water from the tank evaporates MUCH MUCH faster now that i removed the glass top to let more light through. how often to you guys top off your tank? and do you heat the water before you add it for the top off? whenever i add more water it takes quite a bit of time for my rena heater to catch up.

12/26/2009, 11:15 PM	#43
Chiefsurfer Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Seaside Park, NJ Posts: 2,138	I have a 20 gallon tank, no top, and I do about 32 oz a day. I do not heat it up before I put it in, mine is at room temp(roughly 70) and I pour it in very slowly, and my water may drop .2-.4 for each top-off.

01/03/2010, 03:35 PM	#46
Catastrophi Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Beaumont, TX Posts: 326	I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but the renas filter pads can become a nitrate factory. I was too lazy to read through everyone else's post. Just though i might help out a little!

01/04/2010, 08:24 AM	#49
Chiefsurfer Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Seaside Park, NJ Posts: 2,138	i know nothing about renas. Those are the heaters right? If there is a "sponge" or pad in there, I would assume that it would be a nitrate factory.

01/04/2010, 08:54 AM	#50
CreatiVe2 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 117	they make canister filters and heaters. In the canister there are 2 levels of pads, 30 ppi, 20 ppi, carbon, zorb, then polisher. all are cleaned on a regular basis. and go no longer than 6 weeks in the can. i do not have enough room to run a sump...