New tank, new to hobby! What i got going on, next steps, advice?

Chris Craig · 12/28/2016, 03:39 PM

Hey, Ive be studying biology for years and have be brought to the world of saltwater reef aquariums! Amazing from a naturalist standpoint! The tank; 65gal with 20gal sump (DYI 3 chamber with 10gal refuge) 45lb live rock, 40lb live sand. The equipment; RO 110-int protein skimmer, DYI GFO/Carbon Reactor, Jebao pp-4 wave maker (plan on getting another larger Jebao model to link together), Eheim compact 5000 Return pump (1300GPH), eshopps 125 HOB overflow (DYI, added 2 more syphons), Eheim 200w heater. I used Pukani dry rock from BRS, which I used a muriatic acid curing process (Great results!). the tank was cycled for 2 1/2 months using Seachem Stability form day one. I recently have added my first inhabitants; 1 porites, 2 montipora, 1 ricordia, 1 euphyllia, 1 seriatopora, ten blue hermits and 3 nassarius snails. My Water Parameters have been stable the whole time since day one, I knew my cycle had completed when the diatoms had bloomed (now gone thanks to hermits); the water parameters as of a few minutes ago were, Cal 400, Mag 1400, dKH 9.2 (had trouble getting this higher; have been using Seachem ReefBuilder now, and its working), Nitrate <.1, Phos 0. Everything is Growing and coloring very well; the birdnest grows about .5-1mm a day, the montipora are slowly creeping along, and my Euphyllia is eating and in the process of growing a new head. The hitchhikers I've found are some amphipods, copepods and a couple red and white brittle stars.
My Questions are what kind of Meiofauna should I be looking into and where do I buy them. also how long does it take for coralline algae to really start taking off ( I had the LFS scrap me a bunch off there tank wall to seed my plus what was on the frag plugs. another quick question is; I feel that adding lots of coral and microfauna is the way to go...would adding a couple fish increase the biodiversity (beside the fish obviously)?
Any advice and ideas for the next steps would be great. I'm having problems getting my pictures to upload on this forum, ill keep trying.

Thanks,
Chris

AwesomeDavid · 12/28/2016, 03:47 PM

Coralline algae will start spreading after a few weeks of being in the tank. Always remember to stock slowly (do you have a quarantine tank?). Adding fish will probably decrease or not change your biodiversity because they like to eat pods. Buying the pods that you want is a good idea.

RobZilla04 · 12/28/2016, 06:06 PM

9.2 dKh is acceptable. Many SPS heavy tanks keep stable in the mid 8's. Don't go crazy trying to chase values. Stability is the key.

As for coralline, some get it fast others it takes a while. Be mindful that the coralline can soak up Alk like crazy. You'll need to dose if that turns out to be the case.

12/28/2016, 03:39 PM	#1
Chris Craig Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2016 Posts: 17	New tank, new to hobby! What i got going on, next steps, advice? Hey, Ive be studying biology for years and have be brought to the world of saltwater reef aquariums! Amazing from a naturalist standpoint! The tank; 65gal with 20gal sump (DYI 3 chamber with 10gal refuge) 45lb live rock, 40lb live sand. The equipment; RO 110-int protein skimmer, DYI GFO/Carbon Reactor, Jebao pp-4 wave maker (plan on getting another larger Jebao model to link together), Eheim compact 5000 Return pump (1300GPH), eshopps 125 HOB overflow (DYI, added 2 more syphons), Eheim 200w heater. I used Pukani dry rock from BRS, which I used a muriatic acid curing process (Great results!). the tank was cycled for 2 1/2 months using Seachem Stability form day one. I recently have added my first inhabitants; 1 porites, 2 montipora, 1 ricordia, 1 euphyllia, 1 seriatopora, ten blue hermits and 3 nassarius snails. My Water Parameters have been stable the whole time since day one, I knew my cycle had completed when the diatoms had bloomed (now gone thanks to hermits); the water parameters as of a few minutes ago were, Cal 400, Mag 1400, dKH 9.2 (had trouble getting this higher; have been using Seachem ReefBuilder now, and its working), Nitrate <.1, Phos 0. Everything is Growing and coloring very well; the birdnest grows about .5-1mm a day, the montipora are slowly creeping along, and my Euphyllia is eating and in the process of growing a new head. The hitchhikers I've found are some amphipods, copepods and a couple red and white brittle stars. My Questions are what kind of Meiofauna should I be looking into and where do I buy them. also how long does it take for coralline algae to really start taking off ( I had the LFS scrap me a bunch off there tank wall to seed my plus what was on the frag plugs. another quick question is; I feel that adding lots of coral and microfauna is the way to go...would adding a couple fish increase the biodiversity (beside the fish obviously)? Any advice and ideas for the next steps would be great. I'm having problems getting my pictures to upload on this forum, ill keep trying. Thanks, Chris

12/28/2016, 03:47 PM	#2
AwesomeDavid Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Crystal River, Florida Posts: 131	Coralline algae will start spreading after a few weeks of being in the tank. Always remember to stock slowly (do you have a quarantine tank?). Adding fish will probably decrease or not change your biodiversity because they like to eat pods. Buying the pods that you want is a good idea. __________________ Xenia grows, fish swim, and small fish love brine shrimp! Current Tank Info: 75 gal reef tank in the making with SunSun canister filter, Coralife super skimmer, Current USA Orbit Marine LED light, and a Hydor powerhead

12/28/2016, 06:06 PM	#3
RobZilla04 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: St. Augustine, FL Posts: 1,857	9.2 dKh is acceptable. Many SPS heavy tanks keep stable in the mid 8's. Don't go crazy trying to chase values. Stability is the key. As for coralline, some get it fast others it takes a while. Be mindful that the coralline can soak up Alk like crazy. You'll need to dose if that turns out to be the case. __________________ 90g Mixed Reef