New 69 gallon red sea system

[Jwfish13]

So I pulled the trigger on a life long dream of mine today. I purchased a red sea MAX E260 at a great local reef shop today, I brought the cabinet home, the tank will be delivered tomorrow morning. I have all the rock and sand to set it up and get it cycling. Here are a few pics

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160605/56328b08ba47a1ad2805b8589c84f175.jpg
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160605/8dbd0961b49bcea0e1d00192991ecdb4.jpg
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160605/2406d3a49e43c744f97deadb53e0d7f5.jpg

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[Fish & Bird Kid]

Congratulations!

[SueD]

That looks like quite a system and very sleek, too. This will be fun for you and for us watching.

[Jwfish13]

Thanks ladies, I can't wait [emoji1]

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[Mrs. JwFish13]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160605/3d456879853ee9ffaa38ed9943540dbf.jpg

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[Mrs. JwFish13]

We are both very excited! Anxiously awaiting the delivery this morning!

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[Slaphppy7]

Congrats on the new setup!....should I move the journal to the salty section?

[Jwfish13]

Yeah if that's where it goes lol

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[Jwfish13]

Tank is here! Starting construction now
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160605/28c0189842aa1e022e93f9782c4b1173.jpg

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[Slaphppy7]

Yeah if that's where it goes lol

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It IS going to be SW, correct?
How about the "Beginner Saltwater" section?

[Jwfish13]

That will work :)

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[Slaphppy7]

Done!...the SW guys here may give you more answers you need than in the other location

I'll be following along, and learning with you

[Jwfish13]

Thanks, I hope all the gang follows along

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[Slaphppy7]

I like your puppy dog, too

[Jwfish13]

Thanks that's Bella, one of our four chihuahuas

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[Slaphppy7]

Wow, 4?

You need to get us a group shot of them thumbs2:

[Jwfish13]

4 dogs, a cat, and too many fish to count LOL!

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[Jwfish13]

Stand done now to lift the 90 lbs tank

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[Jwfish13]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160605/07cd8127a6443c0104acf0391bd50f82.jpg

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[Fish & Bird Kid]

Thanks, I hope all the gang follows along

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I'll follow, with envy.

[Jwfish13]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160605/f197d84e126543f7964a8e9e571a0b5d.jpg

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[Mrs. JwFish13]

Why is this under Jwfish13 account?

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[Mrs. JwFish13]

Nevermind, it is fixed now.

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[Mrs. JwFish13]

Sorry, I am still getting used to posting on the forum. Anyways, there's a pic of 3 of our 4 chihuahuas. I'll find a pic of the 4th.

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[Slaphppy7]

Let me know if all is good

Cute dogs!...where's #4

Careful with the tank...90# nothing to sneeze at, lol

[Slaphppy7]

Oooh, ninja'd by Mrs. JW

47839

[Jwfish13]

Tank on stand
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160605/3e0c3bf9d733f5136c600c7b4952b8d8.jpg

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[Mrs. JwFish13]

Ok. Left is Taquito #4. Right is Tequila.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160605/693a09771d81cf61cfff4857d921cefd.jpg

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[Mrs. JwFish13]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160605/f197d84e126543f7964a8e9e571a0b5d.jpg

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Left - Tequila, middle - Snickers, right - Bella.

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[Jwfish13]

Tank and stand done, aqua scape tomorrow http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160606/dc22f915dd338300bf129f28c697b472.jpg

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[DebinWhitmore]

Nice! I'll be following along.

[BluewaterBoof]

Looking good! Super jealous!

What's the stocking plan looking like, so far?

[PaulPerger]

Following... I want a SW tank, but I am still learning FW... Will pull the trigger on a SW soon enough. In the mean time, I will watch you!

[Slaphppy7]

JW, do you expect to be affected by TS Colin?

[Boundava]

Thanks, I hope all the gang follows along

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How neat, I will be following along as well.

[Jwfish13]

We are getting some wind and heavy rain, it's making landfall 4 to 5 hours north of us

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[Jwfish13]

Got the lights programmed about to start the rock placement.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160606/a4bdc5459be17ac56638ae3653b91cd2.jpg

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[Jwfish13]

Not nailed down a stocking plan yet, when I do I will post it

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[Slaphppy7]

We are getting some wind and heavy rain, it's making landfall 4 to 5 hours north of us

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Glad to hear that...you guys needed a bit of rain anyway, right?

[Jwfish13]

Yeah we were really dry

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[Jwfish13]

With rock in. What do ya think?
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160606/f6e87a68f5dd08379c2abe3be05776d4.jpg

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[Slaphppy7]

I think it looks swell...that's "live" rock you bought locally?

[Mrs. JwFish13]

Live and dead. We got a mix.

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[Marty.h]

Welcome to the salty side

A good choice to start of with there.

I'm happy to give you any advice you may need being a reef keeper myself so feel free to ask as many questions you have.

If you can let me know your end goal with the tank as in if you want corals if so what type Softies,LPS or SPS I can advise on what route to take.

I will advise to add a bag of rowaphos to the rear chamber this will help keep phosphate down from the beginning and less chance of algae going out of control.

Also if you have not already grab yourself some Salifert test kits for

Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
PH

I use elos for phosphate as more accurate but Salifert also does one.

Also a good refractometer for checking SG ( Salinity )

The main thing to remember with marine keeping is nothing good happens fast so take your time.

What sand are you planning on adding as sand will help to buffer PH also good surface agitation will help PH but bear in mind the PH will drop overnight when lights go off so test that mid day.

But feel free to ask me what ever you need to know or anyone else tagging along and ill offer advice based on my own experience

Cheers
Marty

[Slaphppy7]

There you go, JW and Mrs. JW....you have an expert "in the house" now thumbs2:

[Jwfish13]

Thanks Marty I do indeed have a few questions. I will message you in a minute lol.

Thanks slap. Im also moving our betta tanks out into the same room as well as my shrimp tank is in there to.

[Jwfish13]

Hey Marty, So i guess my first question is can i mix the salt in the tank the first fill, i pretty much have to fill with tap the first time, i know its bad but i ordered a ro/di unit from BSR and a good refractometer I have a hydrometer right now i figure would be good for the first fill.

I plan on corals, the guy at the reef shop said with this setup (redsea) i could have any type corals, which i would love to have. also i plan on a few fish, not sure what yet.

[Marty.h]

First of mixing salt in a tank with live rock present is a big no no the fact it would be just water going in to start of with will cause mass die off in the live rock.

If you have bought live rock and it has not been kept in salt water with a heater and a powerhead it will now sadly be dead and will leach once is added to water.


Using tap water to start of with is definitely starting of in the wrong direction you could be putting anything into that tank and you will definitely be giving yourself a headache from doing that with excess nutrients.

Like I said in an earlier reply nothing good happens fast with marine I would 100% hold out for the Ro/Di unit and start as you mean to go on.

For example I don't know what your pipework is there but say you end up putting copper into the tank corrals and inverts will not thank you for that.

Also the excess nutrients from tap water I gurantee will give you algae issues can your LFS not supply pre mixed salt water for the initial fill.


What salt are you planning on using ?

A refractometer is a lot more accurate then a hydrometer start as you mean to go on do it 100% the first time.

Remember a reef tank will only be as good as the water and care you put into the system

[Jwfish13]

Thats what i feared about the water, i will wait for the ro/di unit to come and the refractometer. I think i made a big mistake with the rock though. What do you suggest i do about the now dead live rock?

Again i am not in a hurry, i want to do it right.

[Marty.h]

If you are able to get yourself a plastic bin like this
http://images.plasticboxshop.co.uk/images/products/zoom/1358866999-66236700.jpg

Or something similar fill it with salt water from you LFS and plonk the rock into it as you will now need to cure it.

You will need a powerhead in there and a heater and add an ammonia source Jeys clean off is good as is ammonia in a bottle or chuck a couple of raw prawns in there.

You need to cycle the rock as that is you biological filtration so you now need to grow the Ammonia eating bacteria to convert it to nitrite and then nitrite eating bacteria to turn it to nitrates.

The nitrogen cycle is the same for marine as it is freshwater. By cycling it out of the tank you will not foul the water in the main tank and as there will be no rock present in there you can then fill it with plain RO and add salt.

If you use Red sea coral pro salt you need to add 1910 grams of salt per 50L should give you an SG of 1.026 the same as natural salt water.

Also bear in mind when checking SG it will read low until upto correct temp of around 26°c not sure what that is in F as I'm from UK so convert to F so check SG when at that temperature.

[Jwfish13]

roughly how long does it take to cure the rock?

[Marty.h]

Curing depends on how it's processing the ammonia.

If you use Jeys clean off dose the container to a concentration of 2ppm ammonia and let the bacteria get to work.

You will need to test the water and watch for the cycle as you would in a freshwater tank.

Once you can dose 2ppm on ammonia and it clears that withing 24 hours over 3 consecutive days it's ready to go into the tank.

Then just a case of lifting it out of bin and placing in the tank.

But remember once in the tank add some pinches on flake or a fish or 2 as that bacteria needs feeding to stay alive.

Also some CUC ( clean up crew) hermit crabs and snails ect

[Jwfish13]

sorry for so many questions that make it sound like i just jumped in unprepared, do i need to cure the dry rock the same way/with the live rock now?

[Marty.h]

It's fine the only silly question is one not asked.

Yeah put it all in and make it all live again will save a cycle in your main tank you need at least 1 kilo of live rock per 10L of system volume.

[Jwfish13]

Ok, we have 40 lbs of rock. Dry/live

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[Jwfish13]

Oh and temp to cure the rock is?

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[Marty.h]

That's plenty

Just make sure once you put it into your main tank once cycled run rowaphos within your filtration to remove phosphate.

The ideal paremeters you want are

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0

PH 8 - 8.2

Nitrates

[Marty.h]

20-26°c be fine for curing :)

[Jwfish13]

Can I use my api freshwater test kit to test in the curing process?

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[Jwfish13]

Also, if I want to add the rock, and sand (I have live sand) then fill. ...it's this possible?

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[Marty.h]

I just edited a spelling in above post and lost the reply ill have to write it again


That's plenty

Just make sure once you put it into your main tank once cycled run rowaphos within your filtration to remove phosphate.

The ideal paremeters you want are

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
PH 8 - 8.2
Phosphate 0.015

Nitrates
<2ppm SPS
2ppm - 10ppm LPS and Softies

Alk 8.3
Magnesium 1350
Calcium 420


Don't worry about magnesium, Calcium, alk at present we will come to that later on in your log where I will explain the chemistry more but feel free to have a google as they are important to LPS and SPS corals.

There is a lot to take in and I don't expect you to get it all overnight it takes time but if I help along the way and step by step as things are needed it will make it a lot easier for you to get your head round.

If the time comes for dosing ect we can cover that or what ever is needed as your system matures and evolves but at present we will concentrate on the basics and go from there :)

[Jwfish13]

*edited, a redundant question

[Marty.h]

Also, if I want to add the rock, and sand (I have live sand) then fill. ...it's this possible?

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Purchase Salifert kits so you use to using them they will be your most valuable tools in keeping a reef tank.

Live sand is a con it's bagged up with no oxygen and is cold that is a bag of water pollution right there !!

I would personally go dry sand and give it a good rinse before putting in its also cheaper then live sand.

The rock you cure and add to the tank will soon make the sand live I honestly cannot believe your LFS sold you live rock and did not tell you to keep it under salt water and airiated ect.

I forgot to add you will need an air stone in with the rock while curing to oxiginate the water.

Prepare the rock out of the tank in a bin as the water that is left will be a mess and you don't want that in your main tank as you will end up with algae everywhere.

I know it's a depressing thought you got a nice new tank and you want water in it ect but the way I'm advising you to do it will cut down on the algae you will suffer as it can be hard work and involve a lot of water changes to export the excess nutrients to get ontop of it.

In the bin it's not spoiling your nice new tank with excess nutrients if you can keep nitrates and phosphate down algae will be kept to a minimum.

All new marine tanks go through the diatom bloom algae bloom ect but having dealt with the worst of them nutrients in the bin it will make your life easier.

If you had filled that tank with salt water and got it upto temp and then got all live rock and put it in you would not have the issue of doing it in the bin but because it would of died off not being in water and you have dry rock it's best to do it out of the tank.

[Jwfish13]

Yeah I'm gonna cure it in a tub, unfortunately I already have the live sand. I will get the saliferts test kits. I have the ro/di unit coming in 3 days. I will buy enough water to start the curing soon

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[Jwfish13]

When I order the saliferts which kits do I need to get right now

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[Marty.h]

To start of you will need the main three.

Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate

That will get you going to begin with

[Jwfish13]

Ok will get those ordered

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[Jwfish13]

say I don't use Jeys clean off , can I dose with the pure ammonia from ace hardware? and do I dose to the same 2 ppm?

[Marty.h]

Yeah just make sure it has absolutely nothing else added like perfume ect :)

[Mrs. JwFish13]

This is what we have. We bought a temporary test kit from the fish store and purchased a more accurate kit online that will come in a few days.

We dosed it and it's between 2 and 4ppm. More closer to 2 than 4.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160608/52090d9717f6880fccdbd99bf3f44283.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160608/b31ec22ab686a81f7b3c6e5ae1f2487f.jpg

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[Slaphppy7]

I have a few questions, trying to learn more about this process.

The OP bought what was supposed to be "live" rock, but it may not be "live" anymore, correct?

So he will begin to dose ammonia to begin a cycle, which will in essence turn the "dead" rock into "live" rock, which will be biological filtration?

What about "hitch hikers" that I have read about (briefly) in SW setups?

Will any survive the cycling process, while dosing ammonia?

Do they use the live rock as a transport mechanism to another tank?

[Mrs. JwFish13]

Yes to both, I think the hitchhikers will be dead at this point, but not sure on that one

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[Marty.h]

I would be very surprised if any hitchikers are now alive due to the fact they have been out of water for so long.

The term live is used as it's full of the good bacteria needed but as it's been left out of the water it will most certainly be dead and that's the reason to now cycle it and get all that good bacteria back. It will also leave the death so to speak and it's better to leach there then have the job of big waterchanges in the main tank to dilute excess nutrients.

If that live rock had been kept we from LFS to the tank and put strait into salt water there would be no need to cycle away from the tank it's just easier to do it in a bin as any water changes needed will be far cheaper and easier then in his system.

Water changes will only be needed if nitrates start to get really high other then that none will be needed

[Jwfish13]

I have the rock cycling now in the bin, ammonia is at 2 ppm

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[Jwfish13]

Will check in a few days.

The RO/DI unit will be here on Friday along with the refractometer from BSR also the good test kits

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[Marty.h]

Once the RO Di gets here get RO only into your tank and fill the system and get it running and upto temp.

Then add salt to bring it upto correct SG.

To then add your sand either jug it in or what I do get a big piece of pipe like a drain pipe that is long enough to reach bottom of tank and pour sand into that it will go down the pipe to bottom and then levil it out.

Putting it in via a pipe stops it causing a mess and clouding the water.

When it comes to add the rocks make sure you wiggle them down through the sand so they are on the glass because if you don't and you get like a goby it can dig the sand out from under the rocks and cause a collapse but them being on the glass will make them secure.

[Jwfish13]

Ok I will do that, I have some of that egg crate on bottom. I will also get that pipe to add the sand.

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[Jwfish13]

When it comes time to add the rock, I will need to drain a bit of the water to account for displacement right?

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[Jwfish13]

Also, is a 150 watt heater good for a 69 gallon?

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[Boundava]

Sorry I don't mean to add confusion, but why wouldn't you add the rock first and then the sand? That way you would be sure the rock was on the egg crate/bottom of the tank.

[Jwfish13]

thats what i wanted to do, but i am deferring to the expert :)

[Marty.h]

Sorry I don't mean to add confusion, but why wouldn't you add the rock first and then the sand? That way you would be sure the rock was on the egg crate/bottom of the tank.
As he already has the sand get it in and get it settled then just a case of adding the rocks.

On my 800L system I run 2 x 300w heaters but then I'm in UK it depends on your ambient temps there winter time ect.

And yes as you add rock you will need to remove some water for displacement.


Once you fill tank with water mark the water levil as it will evaporate and to up with RO water only.

As water evaporates salt doesn't topping up with salt water will just cause SG to go up so RO ONLY for top ups that is a mistake often made by new comers

[Jwfish13]

yeah i got that down just adding the ro water not saltwater. when topping off can i add it to the rear sump? also i intend to install an ATO in the future.

[Marty.h]

You can top up anywhere it will bring it upto the correct levil an ATU will keep your SG nice and stable and makes your life easier :)

[Jwfish13]

yeah i have been watching alot of BSR youtube stuff.... cant afford all those shiny things just yet.... but i do intend to get the auto top off unit and some other stuff. and ofcourse what Marty says i need :p

[Jwfish13]

RO/DI unit arrived and have it installed and flushing, getting closer


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[Jwfish13]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160610/d4324f214ab41726dcfd10585687ed7a.jpg

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[Mrs. JwFish13]

We need to time warp so we can get a cleanup crew!

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[Jwfish13]

Lol patience

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[Mrs. JwFish13]

What's that? ;)

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[Jwfish13]

I just want to mention something about redsea. If you are looking for an aquarium that is one of the best quality and solid aquariums out there then this is it. From the construction of the cabinet to the tank, half inch thick glass everything. It comes with high quality lights and an easy to use power center. It is well worth the money. The only thing is it comes pretty much plug-in play. So if you like building you setup or like to tinker with different equipment it might not be for you.

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[Mrs. JwFish13]

We found this on our local beach in SW Florida.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160612/3b4236f8479cecbb175462acc659d369.jpg

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[Boundava]

What a neat find.

[Marty.h]

How's things going :)

Has the ammonia been converted to nitrite and nitrite to nitrates what are you current readings for.

Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate

[Jwfish13]

Hey Marty, things are going lol, readings as of yesterday are

Ammonia: .2 ppm
Nitrite: says 1ppm but I think it's off the chart I got the redsea tests.
Nitrates: 20 ppm

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[Jwfish13]

Oh my wife wanted to know if we can put a couple shells from the beach in the tank?

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[Marty.h]

Yeah you can just boil them in RO water first this will kill any possible nasties :)

Looks like things are happening wait for the drop in ammonia you may need a partial waterchange on it if you have had a lot of die off :)

[Jwfish13]

Will do

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[Jwfish13]

Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite : 1 ppm*
Nitrate : 20 ppm

Saturday my ammonia was at .2 ppm so I dosed it up to 2 ppm and now Monday they are at

* The redsea test kits only go up to 1 ppm for nitrites on the color chart, so I am thinking that my actual number is well higher with the drop of ammonia.

[Marty.h]

The bacteria are now getting to work dose ammonia back to 2ppm and see how fast that is removed ideally within 24 hours

[Jwfish13]

Alright will do

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[Boundava]

Super great info, whenever I get the courage to try SW tank I have a great reference!

[Jwfish13]

Hey Marty, do you know much about LED lights? the Hydra 26 HD LEDs came with the redsea, I'm trying to find a good setting for the spectrum for when I get corals and fish, nothing to rush about just curious right now.

[Marty.h]

Hello :)

I'm afraid I don't run the Hydra units I use Maxspect Razor's.

Fish will be fine under any spectrum and settings it will dependent on what corals your are wanting to keep.

Softies are not light hungry

LPS require higher light then softies however some LPS like low light.

SPS are light hungry and require higher PAR levels and longer duration.

The colour channels can be tweeked to manipulate colouration in SPS and LPS.

Once you know what type of corals you want as SPS will require a stable system 6 months + and you will have to keep an eye on Magnesium, Calcium, Alkalinity levels as they can easily turn to expensive skeletons also SPS don't like high nitrates or phosphates they also like a lot of water flow.

LPS will be fine from a few months on providing tank is stable and nitrates and phosphates are kept low they like slower gently swaying motion to much flow will damage them.

Softies will be happy with nitrates and phosphates as they like "dirty" water so to speak

With regards to lighting settings decide what you end goal is for example if you want SPS google

Hydra 26 SPS light settings

Or for LPS

Hydra 26 LPS light settings.

Also bear in mind tank depth when searching to make sure it's of similar depth

Sorry I can't help you on the settings as not having used them myself.

[Jwfish13]

Thanks a lot I know it's early. I do want to have sps ,well I want to eventually have them all

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[Silbar]

I'm super excited for both of you. This tank is going to look awesome in your room. I love that you are doing this together.

[Marty.h]

It is great and I can't wait to see it come together as well its always a journey with marine and you will never tire of it as there is always something all be it a new critter appears or you get growth on a coral or a new head appear on a coral it's truly a facinating world that you will never tire of that's what I have found.

I often find myself sitting there beside the tank watching the fish then you will notice a hermit going about its buisness or a coral gracefully moving in the flow there is always something to watch.

[Slaphppy7]

It is great and I can't wait to see it come together as well its always a journey with marine and you will never tire of it as there is always something all be it a new critter appears or you get growth on a coral or a new head appear on a coral it's truly a facinating world that you will never tire of that's what I have found.

I often find myself sitting there beside the tank watching the fish then you will notice a hermit going about its buisness or a coral gracefully moving in the flow there is always something to watch.

THIS is exactly what fascinates me about SW.

[Jwfish13]

Thanks Marty and Sil, I cant wait either lol... I am actually finding it a little easier to be patient now for some reason... I redosed this morning and checked this afternoon its at 1.2 ppm, will check again tomorrow and see where its at.

I have always loved marine tanks, and I'm so excited that I have the opportunity now....Matt you could do something nano marine, I know its a bit harder to maintain water chem but with your experience I am sure you could handle it :)

[Jwfish13]

did you see the pictures sil? at the start of the journal?

[Slaphppy7]

Matt you could do something marine


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXN1yxax448

[Jwfish13]

Update- Ammonia today is at .2 ppm so its not 0 in a 24 hour period but almost.

[Jwfish13]

to clarify, Ammonia was at 1.2 ppm yesterday (june 21st) today (june 22nd) it is at .2 ppm

[Marty.h]

The bacteria are kicking in you ideally need to clear 2ppm of ammonia in 24 hours.

I would check nitrates if sky high do a 50% waterchange and dose back to 2ppm ammonia but it's defo going in right direction :)

[Jwfish13]

Ok will do

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[Jwfish13]

What do I need to keep the temperature at in the tank?

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[Mrs. JwFish13]

https://mote.org/

We're going here this weekend. I'm so excited!

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[Boundava]

How cool is that! I need to see them when we are in FL, I am hoping to try for a trip early next year.

[Mrs. JwFish13]

The Florida Aquarium in Tampa is awesome! We are going to plan a day to go there soon as well.

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[Jwfish13]

yeah I'm looking forward to it. ok off to test the water, back with an update soon

[Jwfish13]

ok tests done.

Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrate : between 20 and 40 ppm

I did two separate tests one using API and the other with redsea, the redsea showed 20ppm maybe a little more.... the API showed 40ppm so I figure I'm inbetween.

for the last few times tested the nitrates have changed very little. Is this normal? or should it move more since the nitrites are off the chart?

[Marty.h]

Nitrates is the last part of the cycle so nitrite needs to be present.

What's your nitrite reading

[Jwfish13]

the last time I tested it was very very high, I can test now if you would like

[Marty.h]

It's the nitrite that then gets converted to nitrate you need to monitor all 3 to see how things are going each stage takes a while as the bacteria has to grow for each stage :)

[Wolfgang]

Hey sorry to interrupt, but I'm just now getting caught up. SW aquariums have always fascinated me, unfortunately I don't see them anywhere in my future plans as I just finished my very first FW aquarium not that long ago. But maybe one day I'm hoping.

Jw, I've seen you in my journal often and noticed you live in SW Florida. That's a big reason why I love the ocean and all creatures that live in it. I was born and raised in Ft. Myers, Florida but currently living in Louisiana. I saw the picture of that neat find on the beach and was wondering what beach it was. Growing up I was a frequent beach-goer of Ft. Myers Beach, Sanibel, and Captiva.

I will definitely be following along this build. The tank, lighting, and the rocks you currently have all look fantastic!!

[Jwfish13]

Hey wolfgang, we live in North Port, about 45 mins north of ft. Meyers. The beach we got that was in Englewood at what the locals call middle beach, I cant remember the exact name lol. Its good to have another sw florida native :) *edit: speaking of loving the water.. I just changed my major this year to Marine biology (Oceanography) I love the water as well

Hey marty I just tested everything,
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 1ppm
Nitrate: 20ppm

[Wolfgang]

Awesome. I've been to North Port and Englewood many times for soccer tournaments while I was in junior high and high school. I definitely miss Florida!!!

[Jwfish13]

yeah I don't blame you... I don't wanna be anywhere else... maybe virgin islands lol

[Marty.h]

Dose ammonia back to 2ppm and see how it copes with it monitor those 3 again if you can clear the ammonia in 24 hours then it's basically ready to go :)

[Jwfish13]

ok will do, oh about the temp, what is the ideal temp to keep the tank at?

[Marty.h]

I run mine at 26°c or for you 78°F google converts it to :)

[Jwfish13]

Ok sounds good

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[Jwfish13]

Todays tests are in

Ammonia: .2 ppm
Nitrite : 0.5 - 1.0 ppm*
Nitrate : 20+ ppm**

*for nitrites it is not quite 1.0 its between the 0.5 and 1.0 shade

** nitrates it is also darker than 20 but not as dark as 50 (test shades go from 0,5,10,20,50)

^edit: So it cant quite clear the 2 ppm ammonia in 24 hours but almost. So its just a waiting game now.

Temp: 80
Kh : 3.5

[Marty.h]

That is close and virtually there the bacteria are there as it's converting well I would give it another couple of days and get that rock in your tank as it's just about ready.

The bacteria will need a food source so give it 2 days then move rock into tank and check water the following day and if you was wanting clown fish get yourself a pair and get them in. The rock will easily deal with the bioload from 2 clowns.

Then leave a couple of days and test water if all fine then start to slowly stock more like CUC ect.

[Jwfish13]

cool, will do. it is starting to get exciting again lol now that in a few days there will be fish in there. With adding the clowns can i turn the lights on or still leave them off for now?

[Marty.h]

They can go on but keep to around 6-8 hours lighting time till you have some corals :)

Once rock goes in give it a couple of days and test for Ammonia and nitrite they need to both be 0 before adding fish.

[Mrs. JwFish13]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160625/83ecc24e9ce4f52759d9178190918653.jpg

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[Mrs. JwFish13]

Mote Marine in Sarasota, Florida!

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160625/1244143ea8592db0ffdf915a08282898.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160625/09248e67b8cfa20ef421cba51945f84e.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160625/26c030ea1daed5d2f0c6e83b36ab789b.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160625/ce0205561be718228e3d8b26b2b8a213.jpg

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[Mrs. JwFish13]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160625/804d691d150a60408027167d064e4b9d.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160625/5cfe293744c3d0b1c00d2323bceafec3.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160625/543c8121c496920c8f13efd7eb8e9e9b.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160625/3f5312ff1dec3c44eb39e030274c70af.jpg

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[Slaphppy7]

Neat pics and critters, thanks for sharing.

[Jwfish13]

Really makes me want a giant tank lol

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[Jwfish13]

Oh and yeah I knew nitrites need to be 0 before fish :)

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[Jwfish13]

Hey Marty, will I need a QT tank for new fish right now? or after I already have life in the tank?

[Marty.h]

QT is upto you I have been down the QT route and still had things sneak in as long as you have a good supplier there is no reason why they can't go in.

Sorry I've not been on much had my own issues here my doser decided to dump in all my Alk, Cal , Mag , bio actif , K+ , A- so woke upto a nice cloudy tank and no fluids left in the dosing containers to say I'm in a hump is an understatement just don't buy a TMC doser or any of there other products to be honest.... There UV is about the only decent thing they make but a tube running just a bulb not exactly rocket science.

[Jwfish13]

Oh man, I hope your stock is ok.
On another note, I have decided to mainly do softies and LPS with reef safe fish. My wife and I really want a yellow tang but I don't think that is doable.

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[Marty.h]

A yellow tang is one of the smaller tangs along with the Kole tang both are absolutely reef safe and will be fine in your size tank in my opinion all be it the "Tang Police" will probably say no to small ect

[Jwfish13]

Thanks marty

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[Jwfish13]

I'm so excited, I'm putting my rock in the tank tomorrow! I will post an updated pic once done.

[Marty.h]

Look forward to seeing it all come together :)

[Jwfish13]

Got the rock in I think I'm satisfied lol
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160627/db9cbdbb9d3260d38a5b6018d7a03da3.jpg

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[Boundava]

Congratulations, it looks great!

[Slaphppy7]

Agreed, nice job!

[showmebutterfly]

Looks good to me!

[Jwfish13]

Thanks everyone, went in to my not so local reef shop (half hour drive) and was talking with the owner, very friendly and knowledgeable and got my first corals, she said the corals would be ok going in this early so in they went

[Jwfish13]

Gorgonia
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160627/fd48213020f556da5f4dd0530b7469f2.jpg
Green octo frogspawn
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160627/483210e8c91df6fdeb6ef5e39769b4c8.jpg
Leather finger
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160627/17fa78bc9345855c65c2d487a1cb7343.jpg

I didn't take a pick of the zoanthid cause I just moved it and it was mad at me and all closed up



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[Jwfish13]

Well you can see the zoanthid in the upper right of the last pic
* right above the leather

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[Slaphppy7]

LOL...corals have emotions....pretty cool

[Jwfish13]

they do lol and they show you! you definitely know when they are unhappy with something all be it light, flow, health you name it they will show. if they are unhappy they suck into themselves for lack of a better way of explaining lol

[Slaphppy7]

It would be cool to have a time lapse camera trained on them when they open back up.

Do they "suck up" when a fish bumps into them?...or just when they get moved around?

[Boundava]

neat, thanks for sharing...what is the growth rate on something like these? sister mentioned to me when we were at the fish store yesterday that she would love a nano-SW tank with some pom-pom crabs. :doh:

I have to say they are too darn cute (so they have to be an arm and leg...right?)

48065
48066

[Jwfish13]

Matt, I'm not exactly sure lol I'm still so new to this but I will let you know when I get fish :)

Boundava, the owner of the LFS said that the zoa's grow pretty fast but not sure exactly what "pretty fast" is again I will let ya know :) or hopefully everyone will see as I keep the thread updated. She also said that the leather grows pretty fast, I cant wait to see them grow and expand and also to get more. I'm going for more reef than fish so I hope to have many corals with a few fish.

[Boundava]

Well it is going to look stunning I am sure, and love the reef vs. fish. Do you need a cleaning crew? I know someone has a SW tank and mentioned getting a cleaning crew.

[Jwfish13]

yeah I will eventually, the lady said to give it about 2 months before, she said to start with small fish, so did Marty on here said to get fish first then clean up crew.
the good thing about corals is no bio-load, I'm still going to feed them, cause technically they can go without feeding directly but I am going to anyway.

[Jwfish13]

neat, thanks for sharing...what is the growth rate on something like these? sister mentioned to me when we were at the fish store yesterday that she would love a nano-SW tank with some pom-pom crabs. :doh:

I have to say they are too darn cute (so they have to be an arm and leg...right?)

48065
48066

those crabs actually carry around two anemones in their claws to catch food with, if they lose one of the anemones they can split the remaining one, they are really neat. I am most likely going to set up a nano reef when I learn the hobby inside and out :)

[Boundava]

I know she said they were small but I didn't know they were that small till I just looked them up.

[Slaphppy7]

Tiny or not, those are too cool

[Jwfish13]

yeah I thought their claws were just fluffy like that I didn't know they were actually anemones

[Marty.h]

Nice one but a couple of things there is 2 types of gorgonian one that filter feeds and your tank at present will not support that and the other is photogenic and will use light as a food source. Gorgonians are better suited in a tank that has been running for 6 months do to water stability and available food in the water column.

Zoa's are virtually bomb proof but can be moody for quite a while when first put in also please google "palytoxin" some zoas have this and it can cause you some serious harm.

Other then that looking good and keep and eye on the main 3 levels :)

[Slaphppy7]

Wow.

http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/articles/aquarium-science-palytoxin-and-you-how-and-why-to-avoid-a-deadly-zoanthid-toxin.htm

[Jwfish13]

yeah I knew about the tank not having been established long enough for it to filter feed.... also I have researched the palytoxin, and read on another forum that it killed the posters dog :( I have gloves I handle it with, I'm not taking any chances, also wash hands right after messing with the tank.

yeah the zoa is opening back up, not fully yet but it is getting there.

will post a pic in a sec

[Jwfish13]

Zoa opening back up
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160627/d58f1194acf31f91f0adee908cd58afb.jpg

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[Jwfish13]

I wish this was a better picture... it is actually very pretty. the outer ring so to speak is fluorescent orange and the middle is blue. I will have to get a better camera for this tank.

[Boundava]

Pretty! :thumbupleft:

[Marty.h]

Get yourself some gel filters for you phone / camera will make a lot of difference these here are the exact ones I use on my phone

www.ebay.com/itm/262371320103

This the sort of pics I get

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160627/7c879684d8340c018f555b96ee624e74.jpg

As you can see it filters the blue out and allows a nice clean picture I take all my pictures with a Samsung Galaxy S5

[Jwfish13]

oh wow, I am definitely getting those :)

[Jwfish13]

btw what coral is that?

[Marty.h]

They will make a huge difference just keep trying all the different ones infront of lense till it matches what your eye sees.

I had to order mine from the bloke in that link from US as I could not find any available on ebay from UK but he soon sent them and have a good selection for the money :)

[Jwfish13]

my tests today...

Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 50 ppm
Kh: 8.5 - 9
Ph: 7.8
Calcium: 500-520

not sure why my ph dropped, it has been steady at 8.2 since I have been testing.

[Marty.h]

Make sure you have good surface agitation also PH will drop overnight when lights off best testing mid Day.

Nitrates are on the high side you want them lower ideally 20 ish max with your corals but your system still new so a waterchange will not hurt as the rocks will now leach a bit.

Also run rowaphos to remove phosphate this will help keep algae down.

At the beginning don't go mad with lighting 6 - 8 hours is plenty if you get a load of algae appear then drop it back a bit and export more Nitrates and Phosphates with water changes.

Every new system will get the horrible hair algae and the diatoms it's perfectly normal as soon as you see any hair algae coming add some clean up crew

Hermits to munch algae

nassarius snail to help churn sandbed over.


Don't let an LFS sell you a sand sifting starfish yet as your sand will not contain nowhere near enough food yet give it 6 months for that.

Another thing an LFS may try sell you if you want one in an anenome but you ideally want the tank to be 6 months to 1 year old before adding one as your tanks parameters will be swinging like a pendulum till it matures.

Just remember nothing good happens fast in marine tank your time and your tank will thrive :)

[Jwfish13]

alright good info.

the LFS that I found here is way better than the place that I bought my system from, once I bought they stopped being helpful, was like they just wanted the cash. This one on the other hand is great. she told me the same about the starfish and anemone, said to wait on those for 6 months to a year. which I am glad that they matched what you said and aren't just trying to sell me stuff.

[Marty.h]

Sounds like you have a decent LFS there :)

Your journey is now beginning and you will find it facinating :)

[Jwfish13]

Thanks Marty, I couldn't of done it without your help. or I would of seriously screwed up lol... I hope you still follow and help me out along the way :)

[Jwfish13]

I found some apps that let me clean up some of the pics till I can get some gels
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160627/fd88bfbc420698034ae68953eacd3b9d.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160627/0cfd1137a4ede64bd80ef3f4bdfff089.jpg

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[Slaphppy7]

Looking better already

[Marty.h]

Looking loads better no need to thank me I'm happy to help and ill always be about :)

[Marty.h]

Just noticed you have a frogspawn that's an LPS a bit early for LPS in my opinion just keep an eye on it.

Watch it's not getting blasted with flow as you can damage it's soft tissue and they can then go down hill. If a coral is not happy it will soon tell you it will go into its skeleton and hide so to speak :)

[Marty.h]

Also LPS require

Magnesium
Alk
Calcium

Levels to remain stable so you already onto those at present those elements will not get used up that fast due to the low stock of what uses them.

If for any reason you see it clamped ( in its skeleton ) for a long period of time you will know something is not right then look at testing the above mentioned elements that applies to all LPS and SPS.

At present basic water changes will keep them all in check :)

Your corals you will find have there own personality you will learn there routines what time they go to bed ( as in close up ) how much they stretch when happy ect.

The more time you spend watching and learning your corals behaviour they become a vital tool in keeping an eye on water quality or possible issues as they will soon act differently.

I'm trying not to bombard you with loads of information at once but at least you can always pop back to this thread for reference :)

[Slaphppy7]

What are LPS and SPS acronyms for?

[Marty.h]

From google saves me typing it all :)

LPS, which stands for “large polyp stony coral (or large polyp scleractinian),” and SPS, which stands for “small polyp stony coral (or small polyp scleractinian),” are hobby-specific terms referring to the size of a coral's polyp or polyps.

[Slaphppy7]

Thanks!...........

[Jwfish13]

thanks for the info again :p, so far the frogspawn is doing well, they all are from what I can tell, they are all out and seem happy from seeing them all drawn up in their skeletons when I first put them in there. as you can see I tested for calcium and alk, I still need a magnesium test kit. I think my calcium is a bit high at 520. my alk/kh is right about 9

[Jwfish13]

I'm a nervous wreck lol I'm so worried about my corals for no reason that I can tell, they all seem happy so far

[Marty.h]

Don't stress LPS you have a chance to sort things if an issue.

SPS can be a different story but you need not worry about these at minute :)


Just sit back and enjoy all the hard work you have done :)

[Jwfish13]

Thanks, will do :) do you think I can add the clowns this weekend?

[Marty.h]

Yeah easy do a good size waterchange first to get nitrates down then in they go :)

[Jwfish13]

The frogspawn goes to bed about 10 mins after lights out.. goes in his skeleton. the others from what I can tell don't go to bed at the same time, they were all still out when I went to bed.

[Jwfish13]

Here is a couple of pics this morning. Happy coral.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160628/c1edf8eead28e058642b8d1d06d93967.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160628/eea6c0fe8d4d963c4a6e2168070500d9.jpg

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[Jwfish13]

Matt I will try and remember tonight to get a pic of them when they suck into their skeletons for bed.

[Slaphppy7]

Cool!...a vid would be even better, but beggers can's be choosers

[Jwfish13]

hey! I will try to do a vid, since I haven't done one yet... I will need to figure out how lol... and to think I was a computer science major lol

[Slaphppy7]

That would be great!...just upload the vid to Youtube, then link it here

[Jwfish13]

will do :)

[Boundava]

Cool pics-they are very happy corals.

[Jwfish13]

As requested my first ever youtube video. Sorry for the blurriness.

https://youtu.be/F--8NWgF9N4

[Slaphppy7]

Cool!...now you know how to do it

[Boundava]

Great video! Nice current in the tank.

[Jwfish13]

lol yeah I think I will still try and find a better camera than my phone. Thanks Boundava, the redsea tanks are great, don't even need any powerheads yet if ever really the flow is major coming out of the returns. now if I could get my skimmer dialed in, its either foaming to much (wet) or not at all. This might be because the system is so new still, we will see.

[Boundava]

I think I read that the protein skimmer takes a bit to break in.

[Jwfish13]

yeah the book said a couple days :P its been a couple weeks, I am adjusting it slowly and checking hourly

[Boundava]

wow, days vs weeks is a long time.

[Jwfish13]

I still think its breaking in, I mean I have had nothing in it to make any kind of bio-load to speak of so I think I am just being impatient.

[Marty.h]

A skimmer will take a while to bed in also being new salt water the water tention is different to matured water.

Also if you put your hands in, feed or use putty to secure a coral it will flatten the head on the skimmer.

I would definitely look at adding a powerhead as any dead spots could cause you issues with algae ect.

Mine 6x2x2 has around 35000 LPH of flow all be it im mainly SPS but this vid shows the sort of flow I have :)

https://youtu.be/TXI68d6DkGI

Having good surface water movement helps with gas exchange and helps keep PH up :)

[Slaphppy7]

Looks like the ocean, lol

[Jwfish13]

let me get a good vid of my flow.... brb :)

[Jwfish13]

here is my flow

https://youtu.be/OzNr3Q4LOS8

[Marty.h]

There looks to be a good amount there.

When you feed the fish the first time watch how the food gets blown around if it gets blown all over there may not be an issue with flow :)

[Boundava]

Beautiful, the lighting is so soothing, makes me want to find a pool!

[Jwfish13]

Will do Marty, that's the good thing about the Redsea systems is the flow.

[Jwfish13]

Here is the frogspawn going to bed
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160629/24f97c7d52ce77cab30474ae9181d673.jpg

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[Boundava]

Neat, and lol with the shot.

[Jwfish13]

lol I know, I didn't realize I was in it till I posted it. Oh well!

[Slaphppy7]

How long does it take to completely "go to bed"?

[Jwfish13]

probably an hour

[Slaphppy7]

Ah, I thought it was quicker than that...time-lapse vid needed for that, I guess

[Jwfish13]

well its pretty much instant when the lights go off to the point where I took the pic, I only notice it all the way in randomly when I walk through and notice it. so I couldn't really give you an accurate time frame. I will try and get a gopro sometime and set up some time lapse shots.

[Marty.h]

Don't forget to add a tiny bit of food to the tank to keep the bacteria fed either flake or a tiny bit of frozen fish food :)

Nearly the weekend and time for you to add some fish do a large waterchange the night before it saves you doing one to soon when they go in as they need time to settle :)

[Jwfish13]

I put in some frozen brine shrimp yesterday. I will do a water change tomorrow. And hopefully get some fish Saturday

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[Slaphppy7]

You gotta admit, or at least I do, that this is a bit more suspenseful than the arrival of the FW shrimp.....:14:

[Boundava]

OMG I agree! I have to put a reminder to check back Saturday. With the extra day off I have a huge to-do list so have to take some breaks to check in here, especially to check on the 69 new additions thumbs2:.

[Mrs. JwFish13]

Yes! I am very excited to pick out a couple of fish tomorrow!

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[Jwfish13]

There looks to be a good amount there.

When you feed the fish the first time watch how the food gets blown around if it gets blown all over there may not be an issue with flow :)


yeah when I put in the brine shrimp it blew everywhere, no dead spots at all thank goodness.

[Jwfish13]

You gotta admit, or at least I do, that this is a bit more suspenseful than the arrival of the FW shrimp.....:14:


OMG I agree! I have to put a reminder to check back Saturday. With the extra day off I have a huge to-do list so have to take some breaks to check in here, especially to check on the 69 new additions thumbs2:.

I know I cant wait! going to do the waterchange today. Gotta go get the salt mixing.

[Silbar]

I'm so excited for you!!

[Jwfish13]

Got the salt mixing up now... give it a couple hours to mix good then I can start the WC.

[Jwfish13]

Well I threw you guys a curve.... I have fish in the reef!

[Jwfish13]

Two clowns and a jawfish. The jaw fish burrows and sticks it's head out.


http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160702/861352befe35cd6b32646d029c276694.jpg

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[Jwfish13]

Here is a piece of coral I forgot the name will update with a name later


http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160702/425bfbd7b1c5fc5e297143da1c894c05.jpg

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[Jwfish13]

Got the iv started lol about 10 minutes left

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160702/b6bc9efa08eb9fcac527395f32d66efb.jpg

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[Jwfish13]

Here is a quick video of the new additions.
Sorry to bombard this thread with posts but its a bit exciting.


https://youtu.be/rtOCHg5MZMI

[Slaphppy7]

It's impossible to bombard your own thread with posts...TG for that, or I'd be in trouble

Newbies look great, congrats!

[Jwfish13]

Thanks Matt. I'm still a nervous wreck.... I will feel better after tomorrow when they are still doing well lol

[Slaphppy7]

Hey, you've given them a great chance for living well, you are to be commended

[Jwfish13]

thanks :19:

[Silbar]

You did it:19: The clowns are so cute swimming together. Can't wait to see the other one when he comes out of the sand.

[Marty.h]

Nice one they look happy enough as long as they are all feeding you should have no issues at all it can sometimes take a couple of days for them to settle and feed.

You will now find yourselves watching the tank for hours.

Can't see the coral frag pic that we'll but would say it's GSP ( green star polyp) they can be moody for quite a few days before opening up. If it's not that let me know :)

But congratulations on now having stock in there :)

[Jwfish13]

Thanks everyone

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[Jwfish13]

When the coral was out it looked like a carpet of green grass

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[Marty.h]

GSP then I have some like this :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/220gtiturbo/20160702_151630_zpshfhzjnin.jpg

[Jwfish13]

Nice :)

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[Marty.h]

Just be aware it will spread onto any neighboring rocks and will smother other corals.

I have mine placed on its own island to stop that happening :)