New 29 gallon reef tank

[flyfishingben]

I just moved into a new house and started a new reef tank. I haven't had a saltwater tank for about 4 years, so i'm getting back into it. The tank is 29 gallons. I've got 27 pounds of live rock, as well as live sand. I set up the tank on 11/15/04. I have one actinic bulb and one daylight bulb; i'm using an emporer 280 filter system. I tested my water yesterday and today and everything is proceeding nicely. At the advice of my shop, i added a tiny tomato clown to help cycle the tank initially. I didn't want to go with the traditional damsel because i don't like them and don't want them in my tank. I plan on doing mostly a reef tank with only a few fish and mostly inverts and corals. Any advice on anything would help as the knowledge is slowly coming back, but i'm still a little rusty. I really want to know how long i should cycle it, but i'm intent on not rushing anything and letting nature take its course. Still, i can't wait to get my inverts and coral, water chemistry permitting.

[saltjunkie]

Wow, ..you dont wanna rush, but yet you put a clown fish in the tank after 3 day????
First, to do a proper reef,, you are going to need more water flow than that filter you got. Go buy some.. not 1... but some powerheads.... next you WILL NEED a protien skimmer...
With live rock, goood water movement and a skimmer.. you should do allright for a fish only tank.
Those 2 lights you have will not be good to keep anything hardly at all in your tank as far as a real reef goes.
maybe some mushrooms.... but not much else. Reef, and the coralsthat are on them REQUIRE intense lighting. There are many diffferent types of set ups you can get for your tank to maintain those types of life found on a reef. Your 2 lights wont sustain the animals you are looking to get. Search around this board and look at members tanks and see the light and equipment they have, it will be an eye opener. Hopefully you came to this site to learn and help keep your reef up and stable, without wasting money.
Please do not add anymore fish to that tank until it has fully cycled.
WELCMOE to REEFLAND, i hope i didnt sound rude.. if i did dont take it that way..

[Samper]

On a 20 gallon tank I have the following

3 mj 1200's for circulation
1 mj 1200 with seaclone 100
1 mj 400 on a hawaiian marine uv sterilizer
and a carbon filter made for a 40 gallon tank
Lighting is a 260w coralife fixture that is 48" long. Only half of it is over my tank cause it's really for my 75g but it works for now. I still need a MH for my anemone.

Your lfs told you to cycle your tank that way to make more money. You could have saved the cash and thrown a small dead shrimp or fish in and accomplished the same thing. It's very stressful on a fish to cycle a tank while it's in it.

[Ninong]

Hi flyfishingben, welcome to Reefland!

The tank is 29 gallons. I've got 27 pounds of live rock, as well as live sand.

The live rock would cycle the tank quite nicely WITHOUT a fish, damsel or otherwise.

I set up the tank on 11/15/04. I have one actinic bulb and one daylight bulb; i'm using an emporer 280 filter system.

That lighting is adequate for a fish-only aquarium but it won't work with any corals. The Emperor filter would be marginal at best.

At the advice of my shop, i added a tiny tomato clown to help cycle the tank initially.

Proof positive that your "shop" is run by a bunch of idiots. Please don't take their advice on anything in the future and please tell them that we told you that. Tell them that we said they are all a bunch of morons! Tell them to register to Reefland if they want to "discuss" this issue further.

I really want to know how long i should cycle it, but i'm intent on not rushing anything and letting nature take its course. Still, i can't wait to get my inverts and coral, water chemistry permitting.

The initial cycle is considered complete once both ammonia and nitrite have spiked and returned to undetectable levels and nitrate is down somewhere below 50 ppm. Whether that takes six days or six weeks depends on the condition of your live rock more than anything else. Once the initial cycle is complete, it is OK to add one or two hardy fish. It would be better to wait at least five weeks before adding anything but some people can't seem to hold off that long. I started with fully cured live rock, so my initial cycle lasted only a few days but I waited more than five weeks before adding my first fish.

You could run this tank as a FOWLR (fish-only with live rock) system for a few months with your present equipment, but you will need to upgrade your lighting before adding corals.

Suggested reading: Robert Fenner's Conscientious Marine Aquarist as a first book and then Eric Borneman's Aquarium Corals once you get ready to add corals.

Good luck!

[flyfishingben]

Like i said, i'm new at this, so i appreciate the help. I had already planned on adding the protein skimmer once the tank is established. As far as lighting goes, i'm in the dark (pun intended). Any suggestions on suitable lights would be appreciated. My ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and PH levels all look good so far; the live rock i have looks pretty good. i can see small amphipods and copepods scurrying around the rock already. And don't worry, i'm not adding any other livestock any time soon. Why is my filter (emporer 280) inadequate; it says it cycles 280gph? How many gph is necessary for a 29gal tank? Any info on anything else is appreciated. thanks for your time.

[Ninong]

Why is my filter (emporer 280) inadequate; it says it cycles 280gph? How many gph is necessary for a 29gal tank? Any info on anything else is appreciated. thanks for your time.

It's not the gph that makes it "marginal," it's the type of filter. A decent hang-on protein skimmer would be much better. You can wait till later on to upgrade.

[flyfishingben]

I have a nice 'shelf' of live rock about 6-8" deep below the Actinic bulb. I was under the impression that this would be sufficient for placement of some soft coral. Is the distance close enough to compensate for the lack of light intensity? I tried this several years ago and had success with my anemones around the tank and a soft coral(i forgot which kind) on the 'shelf'. Can anybody give me some clues here?

Oh yeah, I also read that i should leave my lights off while I cycle the tank. It helps the live rock or something?

[flyfishingben]

I've been doing some reading in some books and online, and I've heard a lot about sumps. Do I really need a sump, and is it simpler than it sounds? I'm mechanically inclined, so I wouldn't have too much trouble installing one. But, I don't want to go to unnecessary lengths.

[flyfishingben]

Is a moonlight necessary for nighttime partial illumination?

[saltjunkie]

[quote]I tried this several years ago and had success with my anemones around the tank and a soft coral(i forgot which kind) on the 'shelf'. Can anybody give me some clues here?[/paste]

really, unless you kept anenomes for many years.... not kept buying them, but kept each individual for many many years.. then you werent successful with them.. they live a long long
life in the ocean
The intensity of Normal output bulbs isnt enough to sustain the anenome and its zooanthella(sp?) And it will slowly die.. Some coral may stay alive under that lighting but will not grow. mostly mushrooms and the like...

Like i said, i'm new at this, so i appreciate the help. I had already planned on adding the protein skimmer once the tank is established. As far as lighting goes, i'm in the dark (pun intended). Any suggestions on suitable lights would be appreciated. My ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and PH levels all look good so far; the live rock i have looks pretty good. i can see small amphipods and copepods scurrying around the rock already. And don't worry, i'm not adding any other livestock any time soon. Why is my filter (emporer 280) inadequate; it says it cycles 280gph? How many gph is necessary for a 29gal tank? Any info on anything else is appreciated. thanks for your time.

Getting a 4 bulb power compact lit.. say like a 4 x 55 or 4x 65 retro would be a minimum... or those new(er) short 96 watt bulbs.. do a retro 4x96 that would be real nice.
or look into buying a retro metal halide kit. say likr a double ended 150 watt set up and try to use your one actinic bulb for dawn dusk effect..

I've been doing some reading in some books and online, and I've heard a lot about sumps. Do I really need a sump, and is it simpler than it sounds? I'm mechanically inclined, so I wouldn't have too much trouble installing one. But, I don't want to go to unnecessary lengths.

Sumps are great tools.. you can adda refugium for pod/algae propegation. its best suited imo for algae .. i leave mine lit 24 hours to help algae grow and remove dissolved organics from the system.. its not alot of trouble. Buy a hob over flow. sump, and return pump and all associated hoses. and then you have a place to set your heater and quality in sump skimmer.. . Plus it is if you choose to use it as so, beneficial.

Is a moonlight necessary for nighttime partial illumination?

Nope.