New to reefs

Tulsa · 05/16/2012, 05:32 PM

Hello, long time member, about 2 years now but I've never posted here before. I guess it's now time and I'd like to get some free advice, I find I can afford it much easier.

I'm not necessarily new to saltwater, I used to have a FOWLR tank. I purchased a new home and moved everything into buckets the night before the big move. The next morning, dead, everything. I was so not happy the tank has sat in my garage for the last 9 years. So much for the bad memories.

Finally over it, I decided to set it back up but thought I'd try my luck at some corals. For the last three months this tank has been running. About six weeks in I put in some hermits, snails and the pair of clowns. I've since added a blenny.

Live sand and live rock (36lbs) make up the rest of this 46 gallon bow front. It has a Remora skimmer, an aquaclear filter, aquaticlife T5 HO 4 lamp unit. A powerhead of some kind, can't remember the brand. The water is reading zero on the ammonia, nitrates and nitrites. Calcium is at 380ppm and alkalinity is at 9dkh.

Now to the point of the post, here's the tank. I'm beyond ignorant about corals, where should I go with this lobstrosity?

Thanks in advance for any advice you may care to share.

sponger0 · 05/16/2012, 05:39 PM

Get a magnesium test and also a hanna phos checker. Those will help alot with corals.

Start off with some easy softies and get some experience dealing with corals and read about their needs and so on.

Mikez1207 · 05/16/2012, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sponger0

Get a magnesium test and also a hanna phos checker. Those will help alot with corals.

Start off with some easy softies and get some experience dealing with corals and read about their needs and so on.

Yes I agree get some test kits....main ones for reef atr calcium magnesium and alkalinati...your basic water parameters are also good to have phosphates, nitrates/nitrites and ammonia. Also like sponger0 said start of easy learn your corals..learn whem they look healthy or when they start to stress...i can pretty much look at mine and know when something is up...one last advise...read, read, and read some more good luck

greech · 05/16/2012, 06:11 PM

Ca is a little low. What salt mix are you using? May want to verify that concentration with another kit (maybe your LFS?). Ca is fine for softies but you'll wan to get that up a little before adding stoney corals. Reason I asked about the salt is that your level really shouldn't be there without any corals in there to consume it. Yes, coraline will take up some but it shouldn't be that low with a good reef salt.

You can keep a variety of corals in that size tank with a 4 bulb T5. You may want to upgrade your bulbs if they are stock but even those will be fine to keep softies, LPS and some SPS (montis, digis, etc).

What kind of corals do you like?

My advice would be to avoid some of the "starter corals" (unless of course you like them). Corals like xenia, green star polyps, mushrooms, kenya trees, etc are inexpensive and good tests for you but if you let them go, they can take over fairly quick. Many LPS are just as easy and will not engulf your tank.

Tulsa · 05/16/2012, 06:53 PM

Sorry I forgot to include the phosphates reading which is nil and the magnesium is 1180. As best I can tell from the testing stuff I purchased.

As far as the salt mix, I'm getting it from a local fish store right now. I'm not mixing my own yet. Will need to look into investing into an ro/di unit sometime in the future.

greech · 05/16/2012, 07:00 PM

That Mg is low as well and may be the culprit for your low Ca. Raise that to 1300. Many LFS use Instant Ocean which is fine but also require supplemental dosing for reefs. I would invest in a good reef salt mix and either get an RO/DI unit or by FW from your LFS. Water changes alone should maintain your numbers without the need for supplemental dosing until your tank is fairly full of decent sized corals.

The other thing to look at is your SG. If your water is currently at say 1.020, your Mg and Ca should raise as you increase your SG to reef levels (1.025-1.026). So if your running a lower SG due to the FOWLR, raise it up slowly and check your Mg and Ca again before making any adjustments.

Tulsa · 05/16/2012, 07:58 PM

My SG is already 1.025 full and with a little evaporation at 1.026.

PowderOrange · 05/17/2012, 11:51 AM

Welcome to the wide world of Coral! lol. Just make sure your calcium level doesnt spike to high, I made that mistake and it took months before I could get it back to normal. The salt mix from Petco is a no go if you ask me it says "High calcium content" Which is 520 + since then I've been using Instant Oceans the salt mix is def a huge factor. Good luck buddy!

Tulsa · 05/17/2012, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greech

That Mg is low as well and may be the culprit for your low Ca. Raise that to 1300. Many LFS use Instant Ocean which is fine but also require supplemental dosing for reefs. I would invest in a good reef salt mix and either get an RO/DI unit or by FW from your LFS. Water changes alone should maintain your numbers without the need for supplemental dosing until your tank is fairly full of decent sized corals.

The other thing to look at is your SG. If your water is currently at say 1.020, your Mg and Ca should raise as you increase your SG to reef levels (1.025-1.026). So if your running a lower SG due to the FOWLR, raise it up slowly and check your Mg and Ca again before making any adjustments.

I dosed it today with something call Ion for Reefs, for the Mg. Is that stuff any good? I tested again before I dosed it just to make sure because I wasn't sure I followed the directions for testing as closely as they suggest, 1st 5 drops a drop at a time and shake for 15 seconds in between each drop, well I read the 5 drops and in the 5 drops went. So I did it again and this time followed it to the letter, I got the same result, 1180.

So I put in a cap full of that Ions stuff and it suggests to use 2 cap fulls a week.

Tulsa · 05/17/2012, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PowderOrange

Welcome to the wide world of Coral! lol. Just make sure your calcium level doesnt spike to high, I made that mistake and it took months before I could get it back to normal. The salt mix from Petco is a no go if you ask me it says "High calcium content" Which is 520 + since then I've been using Instant Oceans the salt mix is def a huge factor. Good luck buddy!

Thank you for the welcome.

I'm going to tackle the magnesium issue first, then move on to the calcium if necessary. Test this, test that, doesn't someone make a one-a-day multiple vitamin for these guys?

05/16/2012, 05:32 PM	#1
Tulsa Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 10	New to reefs Hello, long time member, about 2 years now but I've never posted here before. I guess it's now time and I'd like to get some free advice, I find I can afford it much easier. I'm not necessarily new to saltwater, I used to have a FOWLR tank. I purchased a new home and moved everything into buckets the night before the big move. The next morning, dead, everything. I was so not happy the tank has sat in my garage for the last 9 years. So much for the bad memories. Finally over it, I decided to set it back up but thought I'd try my luck at some corals. For the last three months this tank has been running. About six weeks in I put in some hermits, snails and the pair of clowns. I've since added a blenny. Live sand and live rock (36lbs) make up the rest of this 46 gallon bow front. It has a Remora skimmer, an aquaclear filter, aquaticlife T5 HO 4 lamp unit. A powerhead of some kind, can't remember the brand. The water is reading zero on the ammonia, nitrates and nitrites. Calcium is at 380ppm and alkalinity is at 9dkh. Now to the point of the post, here's the tank. I'm beyond ignorant about corals, where should I go with this lobstrosity? Thanks in advance for any advice you may care to share.

05/16/2012, 06:11 PM	#4
greech Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Tallahassee, FL Posts: 3,133	Ca is a little low. What salt mix are you using? May want to verify that concentration with another kit (maybe your LFS?). Ca is fine for softies but you'll wan to get that up a little before adding stoney corals. Reason I asked about the salt is that your level really shouldn't be there without any corals in there to consume it. Yes, coraline will take up some but it shouldn't be that low with a good reef salt. You can keep a variety of corals in that size tank with a 4 bulb T5. You may want to upgrade your bulbs if they are stock but even those will be fine to keep softies, LPS and some SPS (montis, digis, etc). What kind of corals do you like? My advice would be to avoid some of the "starter corals" (unless of course you like them). Corals like xenia, green star polyps, mushrooms, kenya trees, etc are inexpensive and good tests for you but if you let them go, they can take over fairly quick. Many LPS are just as easy and will not engulf your tank. __________________ ~Graham Current Tank Info: Tank: 40 breeder; 20H sump w/SWC 120; Sicce 3.0 return; Vortech MP-10; Sundial T5, DIY Actinic LED (3W Cree). Livestock: Pair of Black & Whites; Midas Blenny; Firefish; Yasha/pistol; Black Leopard Wrasse; LPS and SPS

05/16/2012, 07:00 PM	#6
greech Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Tallahassee, FL Posts: 3,133	That Mg is low as well and may be the culprit for your low Ca. Raise that to 1300. Many LFS use Instant Ocean which is fine but also require supplemental dosing for reefs. I would invest in a good reef salt mix and either get an RO/DI unit or by FW from your LFS. Water changes alone should maintain your numbers without the need for supplemental dosing until your tank is fairly full of decent sized corals. The other thing to look at is your SG. If your water is currently at say 1.020, your Mg and Ca should raise as you increase your SG to reef levels (1.025-1.026). So if your running a lower SG due to the FOWLR, raise it up slowly and check your Mg and Ca again before making any adjustments. __________________ ~Graham Current Tank Info: Tank: 40 breeder; 20H sump w/SWC 120; Sicce 3.0 return; Vortech MP-10; Sundial T5, DIY Actinic LED (3W Cree). Livestock: Pair of Black & Whites; Midas Blenny; Firefish; Yasha/pistol; Black Leopard Wrasse; LPS and SPS

05/16/2012, 05:39 PM	#2
sponger0 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 6,659	Get a magnesium test and also a hanna phos checker. Those will help alot with corals. Start off with some easy softies and get some experience dealing with corals and read about their needs and so on.

05/16/2012, 06:53 PM	#5
Tulsa Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 10	Sorry I forgot to include the phosphates reading which is nil and the magnesium is 1180. As best I can tell from the testing stuff I purchased. As far as the salt mix, I'm getting it from a local fish store right now. I'm not mixing my own yet. Will need to look into investing into an ro/di unit sometime in the future.

05/16/2012, 07:58 PM	#7
Tulsa Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 10	My SG is already 1.025 full and with a little evaporation at 1.026.

05/17/2012, 11:51 AM	#8
PowderOrange Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Posts: 4	Welcome to the wide world of Coral! lol. Just make sure your calcium level doesnt spike to high, I made that mistake and it took months before I could get it back to normal. The salt mix from Petco is a no go if you ask me it says "High calcium content" Which is 520 + since then I've been using Instant Oceans the salt mix is def a huge factor. Good luck buddy!