Started new 40G FOWLR

[radekmz]

After reading and reading and looking at all those pretty pictures of your tanks, I decided to give it a try. So, here is what I operate with thus far.

Tank: 40 Gallon
LR: 20 Lbs from a LFS
LS: 40 Lbs from petsmart.com CaribSea Aragonite Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand
Skimmer: Coralife Super Skimmer 65G (not yet installed)
Heater, Thermometer, Pump flow, light.

I will post test results tomorrow.
Any feedback appreciated.
As I understand it, my tank is now going thru a cycle.
What temperature should I be set on? Should flow pump be on at all times?

Thank you.

[All6Fish]

First off I would have added 35lbs of LR not 20, LS looks good. I keep both our tanks st at *79 - *81 degrees and we have constant flow. We have both Redseamax tanks which come equipt with to jets, right and left plus I added a wave maker to each tank. I do a faithfull 20% water change every weekend and skimmers running full force always.

[All6Fish]

Just to give you an idea of LR compared to your tank.

[sponger0]

I agree that you should put more live rock. IMO at least 40. This is your filtration. The more, the better filtration and capacity to keep the tank clean with the more fish you have, whether or not you have a skimmer.

Temp should be set between 77-82 with no more than a 3 degree temp swing in 24 hr time frame.

[PowerNap]

I’m always glad to see another join the ranks.

Before you do anything…LEVEL that tank!

Like the others said, 79F-81F temperature, and you need more live rock. Rule of thumb is 1 lb per gallon.

Right now you have the very basics. Any advice is completely dependant on your goals and aspirations. Whether you looking for a fish only of a reef tank will make a huge difference in what’s recommended. The most effective way is for you to tell us what you want. Then we can suggest ways to get there. Alternatively we can all talk about ourselves and let you figure out the rest…

[radekmz]

Would it be ok to add additional LR at this time directly into a tank since its going through cycle?

[sponger0]

Originally Posted by radekmz

Would it be ok to add additional LR at this time directly into a tank since its going through cycle?

Just add it now. As opposed to later when it could cause a mini cycle.

[PowerNap]

Cured live rock is always an option. Check out local Craig’s list ads!

[GrandPa_J]

Great catch PowerNap, definitely need to level the tank , those seems will come apart in time. Tank looks good so far, welcome to the madness

[radekmz]

Tank leveled, adding LR on Tuesday - another 20 lbs.

[radekmz]

My ultimate goal is to have a pair of clownfish and maybe two damsels.
What should I be looking out for with these fishes in mind? What kind of cleanup crew would you recommend for this set up?

[sponger0]

Originally Posted by radekmz

My ultimate goal is to have a pair of clownfish and maybe two damsels.
What should I be looking out for with these fishes in mind? What kind of cleanup crew would you recommend for this set up?

You can plan on seeing some fighting. Good chance of it once they mature

[PowerNap]

Damsels are AKA Devil Fish. Maybe consider chromies. They are cheep, they aren't agressive, they eat just about anything and they school. Different cleaners for different issues. Start your clean up crew with a few hermits and snails. Add as needed.

[radekmz]

So, today I noticed three things growing on my rock. One big one (pic attached) and two small ones that crawled back into the rock as soon as light went on.
Does anyone recognize what this is?
Oh, and I believe I saw something crab-looking, small size. But it also crawled inside the rock the minute I turned on the light.

EDIT 1: That big plant looking thing just disappeared - as in crawled back into the rock?

[slavver01]

Try checking your tank out at night with a flashlight covered with red tinted material. Help you see all the nightlife

[slavver01]

And welcome to the hobby

[PowerNap]

cant tell from pictures, try to identify with google "live rock hitch hikers"

[radekmz]

I added few pounds of LR - not sure exactly how much because I got a pretty good deal at craigslist. I still have left over LR in plastic bin covered with newspaper. I believe this should be enough. What do you guys think?

Also, did testing toda and here are results.

pH - 8.2-8.4
Ammonia - 0.25-0.50 ppm
Nitrire - 0
Nitrate - 10 ppm

What should I be paying attention to now?
I have lights off, skimmer not installed yet (have it in a box) and powerhead running on at all times. Temperature set to 79.

[PowerNap]

Time to play the waiting game... ahh the waiting game sucks, lets play Hungry hungry hippo!
You can run the skimmer now. I'd also try and figure a way to cover the thermistat. Many bread clows will hide in the corners of the tank._

[radekmz]

My numbers are pretty much staying the same (pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) as few days ago. The only change I noticed is pods. There are different sizes, some pretty small and some decent size crawling all over my LR. Is that a good sign that tank is properly cyclink? Should I be throwing some brine shrimp food to speed up the process and maybe increase the pods population?

[avieira]

i was thinking of doing a setup close to yours for my daughter.
Your skimmer is an hangon correct ? have you thought about adding a hangon refugeim ?
whats your light setup also.

[PowerNap]

Ideally your ammonia and nitrate levels should be close to zero, especially w/o live stock. Cycling a tank is a painfully slow process. Try doing a water change or two. That being said I think your tank would be able to support a couple of clowns. LOL, I’ve done some pretty horrible things (water quality wise) to my clowns and they always seem to carry on!

[radekmz]

Originally Posted by avieira

i was thinking of doing a setup close to yours for my daughter.
Your skimmer is an hangon correct ? have you thought about adding a hangon refugeim ?
whats your light setup also.

Yes, it is the HOB model which can be converted to sump as well. I liked the price on this model. However, this is my 2nd one. The first one broke in less than 24 hours. The plastic tube that connects pump with the rest of skimmer broke off. I think I screwed it too tied. Anyways, PetCo replaced without any problems. I do have some bubbles but they seem to go down. My first skimmer had no bubbles at all. So, it's a hit or miss with this model.l

Lights - standard fluorescent lights that came with tank and stand of craigslist for $50 (tank+stand+lights+cover).

I'm just starting so I'm not going all out buying expensive equipment. If I like the hobby and I'm successful I will def upgrade to something closer to 100g with LED lights, sump, etc.

I will not be adding refugium. I plan on getting fish and that's about it for this set up. If I upgrade down the road, this tank will become a QT.

One way to go is to stock up on LR. I added a lot to it. When you buy at LFS, pay attention to signs of aiptasia on LR. That's the mistake I did and now my LR from LFS is developing it. It's a pain trying to eliminate. Hopefully, pepperming shrimp and file fish will take care of it. If you are not familiar with what aiptasia looks like, google it and before you take the rock out of water at LFS, observe for signs. You see it, skip every rock at that LFS as most are likely to have them.

[radekmz]

Originally Posted by PowerNap

Ideally your ammonia and nitrate levels should be close to zero, especially w/o live stock. Cycling a tank is a painfully slow process. Try doing a water change or two. That being said I think your tank would be able to support a couple of clowns. LOL, I’ve done some pretty horrible things (water quality wise) to my clowns and they always seem to carry on!

I just retested the water. The numbers seem to be the same. I tested a water from a LFS and pH is about the same, but their nitrate and ammonia is lower (almost zero).

Should I do more than 10% water change?

[PowerNap]

Was the live rock cured when you bought it? If so you may need to ghost feed your tank to kick start the cycle. Also some test kis are better than others.