Topic: from fresh to salt. nano reef tank build (Read 14044 times)

B16Drag · « **Reply #60 on:** April 19, 2009, 01:27:18 AM »

Nice lil 10g tank...

Just wait until it sucks you in and then you start buying corals for $50+ per 1/2"

Had a 90g mixed reef... but took it down so I could buy more turbo parts!

Actually damn thing got too expensive and time consuming!

Here are some pics from my last tank. Send me a PM if you need some damn advice about this stuff. Still got a 20g and 10g with tons of expensive corals...

marcj · « **Reply #61 on:** April 19, 2009, 09:53:07 AM »

marcj · « **Reply #62 on:** April 19, 2009, 09:54:42 AM »

Quote from: Ghetto_D on April 14, 2009, 08:01:07 PM

heres my 2 tangs, I had a clownfish, but it died a month ago for no apparent reason. water parameters were fine.

why do you have a tang in a small tank? most places say they need 80 gallons to be comfy

junkyard racer · « **Reply #63 on:** April 19, 2009, 10:37:31 AM »

dude. your water level is still down.

marcj · « **Reply #64 on:** April 19, 2009, 12:28:26 PM »

no it's not.. that's from the same day you mentioned it.

btw, I have a feather duster that is hardly even noticeable unless you look really hard, and he's still alive. I've seen him pull himself into his body and then comes out again. it's cool as hell. hopefully he makes it through the cycle.

do you think I could just get a nitrate test kit and watch for the ammonia to fall and nitrate appear, instead of buying both nitrite & nitrate? also, I need to manage phosphate, calcium and magnesium levels with coral and delicate inverts, right? any others?

Joseph Davis · « **Reply #65 on:** April 19, 2009, 12:36:22 PM »

Let's review what Frank said,

Quote from: junkyard racer on April 19, 2009, 10:37:31 AM

dude. your water level is still down.

Are we still confused? I can make the font bigger, or change the color.

junkyard racer · « **Reply #66 on:** April 19, 2009, 10:11:25 PM »

Why would you skip any testing at the most critical part of setting up a nano tank? Further on down the road, if the tank is doing good you won't need test as often. Right now, if be testing about every 3 days for everything and writing it all down.
Were you able to pick up the skimmer?

Joseph Davis · « **Reply #67 on:** April 19, 2009, 11:18:51 PM »

92CXyD · « **Reply #68 on:** April 20, 2009, 01:39:04 AM »

Quote from: Joseph Davis on April 19, 2009, 11:18:51 PM

LOL that's classic

Robb · « **Reply #69 on:** April 20, 2009, 09:40:21 AM »

So marcj, did your goldfish die? Did you think a saltwater tank would be easier to maintain?

marcj · « **Reply #70 on:** April 29, 2009, 06:02:28 PM »

Quote from: Robb on April 20, 2009, 09:40:21 AM

So marcj, did your goldfish die? Did you think a saltwater tank would be easier to maintain?

no, the gold fish didn't die.. i let both of them go in the lake behind my house.

I've got a big turbo snail and a small hermit crab now. everything seems good. ammonia level has dropped but still present. Everything else is optimal.

Ammonia: .5 ppm
Nitrate: around 5 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Alkalinity: 180 ppm
pH: 8.4

junkyard racer · « **Reply #71 on:** April 29, 2009, 09:45:49 PM »

how many 10% water changes have you done?

marcj · « **Reply #72 on:** April 29, 2009, 10:12:22 PM »

i've had to replace 1.5 gallons.. haven't done any water changes yet

marcj · « **Reply #73 on:** April 29, 2009, 10:14:59 PM »

oh, i forgot to mention.. i have a lot of green hair algae on the glass.. turbo snail is working on it

d112crzy · « **Reply #74 on:** April 29, 2009, 10:57:22 PM »

Damn. All those pictures are making me want to start my own saltwater setup. Shit looks fucking dope.

My friend has a 75gal tank that just finished cycling and is gonna buy some fish this weekend.

RotaryGeek · « **Reply #75 on:** April 29, 2009, 11:32:30 PM »

Damn its been probably a month or more since i tested my tank for anything, and even then i think i only checked my dkh and my calcium. I dont even bother with nitrate or ammonia. And my tank is just aout packed full of softies and lps (large polyp stony) corals. Also its bare bottom, so i gotta clean the glass at the bottom of shit every time i clean the tank.

junkyard racer · « **Reply #76 on:** April 30, 2009, 06:53:55 AM »

Quote from: marcj on April 29, 2009, 10:12:22 PM

i've had to replace 1.5 gallons.. haven't done any water changes yet

get a 10% water change done. And get a few more snails in there.

Quote from: RotaryGeek on April 29, 2009, 11:32:30 PM

Damn its been probably a month or more since i tested my tank for anything, and even then i think i only checked my dkh and my calcium. I dont even bother with nitrate or ammonia. And my tank is just aout packed full of softies and lps (large polyp stony) corals. Also its bare bottom, so i gotta clean the glass at the bottom of shit every time i clean the tank.

Once the tank is rolling...you generally dont test for everything...

marcj · « **Reply #77 on:** August 06, 2009, 03:25:53 PM »

just a little update.. went to tampa bay for a 3 day vacation and brought back a few pieces for my tank.. most the rocks are covered in live barnacles.. and I found a huge hermit.

this is right after I added all the new rock and shit.. it cleared up but my camera batteries are dead, so whatever.

marcj · « **Reply #78 on:** August 06, 2009, 03:32:06 PM »

the huge amount of barnacles really added animation to the tank.. I can't wait for the purple coraline to start covering them to add some color ;D

Doug · « **Reply #79 on:** August 06, 2009, 04:48:09 PM »

I was in the gulf for a few days at the beginning of may. Caught two big ass hermits (one with shell was about the size of my hand) and some big snails. Wish I would have had a tank to keep them in. After seeing the crap my friend complains about his I don't think I would mess with one.

junkyard racer · « **Reply #80 on:** August 06, 2009, 09:10:18 PM »

you need to for real get a major CUC in that tank or taht algae will take that tank over in no time flat. how old are your bulbs?

I know this from experience. I had to totally dump a tank from that algae right there.

btw, im about to start slowly piecing together a tank at my new house. hopefully around a 50g with at least a 30g sump/fuge. Im stoked.

widebody93 · « **Reply #81 on:** August 08, 2009, 12:01:32 AM »

I have not had time to keep up on my tank. All my purple green grass stuff has died. my snails all but two are empty shells my crabs are gone. and I got green moss on the glass. I have been doing my water changes but the bulbs are tired. and the light timer has now been clocked back two hours. My sump looks fine. And so does my sponge and what not. Im just lacking time for the 75gal tank. salt level s I will check tonight. Finally will have time to check it all out.

marcj · « **Reply #82 on:** August 08, 2009, 10:06:23 PM »

I took out the tampa rocks.. found a good deal on a new rock with some zoas and what looks to be 2 green carpet anemones

I'm still in need of some turbo snails and hermits..

marcj · « **Reply #83 on:** August 15, 2009, 03:25:36 PM »

got a new anemone

Joseph Davis · « **Reply #84 on:** August 16, 2009, 01:09:00 PM »

Are those semen stains on the glass?

widebody93 · « **Reply #85 on:** August 17, 2009, 06:01:38 AM »

You would think that Yosiph

Coral line Algae

junkyard racer · « **Reply #86 on:** August 17, 2009, 07:43:44 AM »

Quote from: Joseph Davis on August 16, 2009, 01:09:00 PM

Are those semen stains on the glass?

Purple semen?

RotaryGeek · « **Reply #87 on:** September 24, 2009, 08:01:48 PM »

So did your tank crash yet or is it still ok?

I found some decently recent pics of my tank. I had a huge cyano algea breakout that just about killed all my stuff. Its all just now starting to regrow after i cut my lighting down to only 2 hours a day of metal halides.

Kryptonite CandyCanes

You can see the red algea starting already in that pic. That Candycane was the only coral i completely lost. Everything else just shrunk to a quarter of its old size.

Some Nuclear Grass

Here is a colony of some ugly brownish pally's. Now that they have been bleached out they are really white, almost pinkish. Hope they stay that way this time.

marcj · « **Reply #88 on:** September 24, 2009, 09:08:09 PM »

that nuclear grass looks pimp.. i'm wanting to get some type of algae going in my tank.. I might set up a fuge with some mangroves and chaeto to keep excess nutrients down.

here's a few updates

new additions:
yellow watchman goby
false percula clown
coral banded shrimp
flame scallop (not sure if this guy will survive.. I thought they were photosynthetic when I bought him)

I'm trying to get my xenias to climb up on the rock.. that's why the plug is sitting vertical up on the rock.

I might start dosing the tank to get my polyps to grow faster.

RotaryGeek · « **Reply #89 on:** September 24, 2009, 09:15:49 PM »

Lol pull that xenia shit out while you still can. It pretty much loved the cyano outbreak in my tank and took off like it was food. Im still taking scissors to that shit whenever i find it in my tank. I had a huge amount of it.

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Author Topic: from fresh to salt. nano reef tank build (Read 14044 times)

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