Starting all over

[Ashleigh3405]

Well..it's been 3-4 years since I took my tank down. I never could let go of my 90 gallon tank or my 48 gallon hex tank. Now I know why. I've missed it! I'm glad I found this forum. I knew the thinking processes would have changed some and they sure have.

My first time start up was horribly ridiculous. Imagine this scenario...I acquire a 90 gallon tank with stand and canopy. I bought the blue bio ball filter and all the other equipment LFS felt was necessary. Back then LR was not suggested as a way to cycle the tank. Back then a dead shrimp was the choice. But that wasn't even the suggestion made to me. I was given a product that you poured in the tank that would cause a cycle..some kind of enzyme. Two weeks later LFS said it was time to stock the tank! You guys will flip when I tell you what I was allowed to bring home that day. A tassel file, 2 yellow headed jawfish, a maroon clown, a flame angel, an engineer goby, a yellow spotted box fish, and a long horned cowfish!!! (of course today I would have walked out of the store and NEVER returned) Somehow...maybe to my deligence the fish survived. I was nuts about my tank and tested my water daily and literally watched my tank for hours every day. I went back to the store a week later and she told me I could take a fish a had fallen in love with...hold on...a mandarin! I really liked the smaller angels and she also told me I could add a bicolor AND a lemon peal. At this point she told me I should add a couple of pieces of LR for the mandarin. Now even I, as a complete novice, worried about the water quality because they never seemed to be at 0 when they needed to be and I always tested positive for nitrates (not a really light pink but I dark pink). I think you have the picture. Things actually went well for a few months. I kept adding LR periodically, bought a skimmer....eventually the fish did get sick and I lost most of them. Except the engineer goby who ended up HUGE! I kept the tank going for 8 years and was able to maintain things until an electrical short with the heater fried everything...except for the engineer. I was at work when this happened and was devastated. Just happy my house didn't catch on fire. I caught the goby..took him to a LFS and tore the tank down. Threw away tons of LR and the substrate. Put everything in the garage.

My husband agreed with me yesterday we should try again. YAY! This weekend we are going to see if any of the equipment works. We will see if the tank will hold water (fingers crossed) and this time it will be done correctly...slowly. I've been reading these forums and there is a lot of good information. I was glad to see someone mention Terry B. When my fish started getting sick he was so amazing and helpful. So be prepared..I'll have lots of questions to refresh my memory. Once we get this tank going my husband wants to attempt a reef with the 48g.

[Parrothead]

Hi Ashleigh,

Welcome to reeflands

We here try our very best to help each other, and have a bunch of fun along with it. Post your questions, thoughts and concerns. Have the hubby start a thread in the reef section if he is planning on a reef for the 48

Again welcome

[twisted]

Why didnt you let the engineer goby fix the electric problems? sorry, its early and i havent had enough coffee.
welcome to Reefland! i think if most of us shared our first experience with starting our tanks we'd have one heck of a funny, scarey and embarrassing book;;. heck, with being able ot keep up a tank for 8 years you should be able to contribute alot of knowledge to the forum. look forward to seeing your tank up and running. there are alot of peeps here that will be happy to help you with anything you need. good luck!

[Ashleigh3405]

Thank you. Now I know why you are known as Twisted!!! I couldn't believe the engineer survived. Scared me to death when I began taking all the LR out and this snake looking thing jumped out! I had drained more than half the water out the night of the electrical fire but it was a couple of days before I could get to the LR and substrate. No power to the tank at all and he survived....amazing. Now I'm just waiting for my husband (impatiently) to move the tank so I can check it for leaks.

This time I want to set up a refugium. Would I be better off making one myself or buying one? How sophisticated do they really have to be? I've been reading a lot and from I can tell I would need 3 chambers, right? One chamber for the skimmer, one for the live stuff, and one where the water comes in from the tank. I'm also wondering...please tell me if it is a bad idea, could I use the "tank" part of my bioball filter? Without the bioballs of course. I had added a skimmer to that previously and it fit perfectly.

Thanks again for any thougthts.

[twisted]

i didnt get to tricky on mine. there are no dividers at all. i have the water dropping down in the middle. protien skimmers on one side and return pump with strainer on the other. never had any issues. heres a pic of it. its worked great, loaded with pods and cheato.




the hang on skimmer is just for holding my turkey baster and stuff, its not in use. but like i said, its real simple. i had a 10gal fuge set up the same way for about a year only the protien skimmer was hung on, when i upgraded to the 45 fuge i stuck them in the tank. i run a sock on the intake a few days a week

[Ashleigh3405]

Thank you!! That is exactly what I had pictured in my mind.

[leebca]

Glad to have you back in the hobby and extra glad you've found this Forum. I know you know most of the things about marine aquariums, but I hope you'll take time and learn some of the details that will make for a much better success and experience. Read this beginner's post just to get acquainted with the things you'll need:
Setting Up a FOWLR Aquarium

That post is basic of course, but very thorough. More importantly it links to other posts that get more into details such as these:
What is Water Quality

Good luck!

[Ashleigh]

Ok sooo better late than never. In May Hubby and I went to local fish stores to price new equipment and found a used 150 tank (was set up and running in the store with corals in it), stand, canopy, filter, set up (including water), 150 lbs lr and 200 lbs live sand for $850!!!!! So excited so instead of setting up the 90 we chose that option. As they were loading the tank to bring it to my house the tank shattered, when then went over the curb outside of the store. Soooo got a brand new tank with a life long warranty for the same price! Win all the way around for me! July 2nd we added 2 cinnamon clowns. On Sept 2 we added a flame angel and coral beauty. A week ago we added a regal tang and yellow tang. Everything is doing beautifully. The rock is growing all kinds of fun stuff (feather dusters, polyps, sponges). At the time of installation we upgraded the lights and added a reef octopus protein skimmer. I had a problem with cyano so added a power head to blow across the front of the tank and it seems to have helped. I'm keeping a bag of phos-guard in the sump and I'm using B-Ionic calcium buffer system. No fish losses!! Very happy about that.

1. What would be a good mix clean up crew?
2. In a month would like to add a couple of yellow headed jawfish.
3. Would like to add a couple of wrasses in the future. Good idea?
4. I place a piece of Green Marine Algae w garlic extract on a clip for the tangs but they don't seem so crazy about it. Is there something else I should clip?

Thanks for reading and thank you for any suggestions on what I can do better!

[Reefing Madness]

Ok sooo better late than never. In May Hubby and I went to local fish stores to price new equipment and found a used 150 tank (was set up and running in the store with corals in it), stand, canopy, filter, set up (including water), 150 lbs lr and 200 lbs live sand for $850!!!!! So excited so instead of setting up the 90 we chose that option. As they were loading the tank to bring it to my house the tank shattered, when then went over the curb outside of the store. Soooo got a brand new tank with a life long warranty for the same price! Win all the way around for me! July 2nd we added 2 cinnamon clowns. On Sept 2 we added a flame angel and coral beauty. A week ago we added a regal tang and yellow tang. Everything is doing beautifully. The rock is growing all kinds of fun stuff (feather dusters, polyps, sponges). At the time of installation we upgraded the lights and added a reef octopus protein skimmer. I had a problem with cyano so added a power head to blow across the front of the tank and it seems to have helped. I'm keeping a bag of phos-guard in the sump and I'm using B-Ionic calcium buffer system. No fish losses!! Very happy about that.

1. What would be a good mix clean up crew?
2. In a month would like to add a couple of yellow headed jawfish.
3. Would like to add a couple of wrasses in the future. Good idea?
4. I place a piece of Green Marine Algae w garlic extract on a clip for the tangs but they don't seem so crazy about it. Is there something else I should clip?

Thanks for reading and thank you for any suggestions on what I can do better!

Hi ya!!
#1- Turbo Snails, Bumble Bee Snails, Nass Snails, Super Tonga Snails, Scralet Reef hermits. Amount for each one would be around 15-20.
#2- Ok. But they require a rather deep sand bed, and if they settle next to each other, may fight. But if they get opposite ends of tank, you will have no issues.
#3- Wrasse are very cool, and you have your choice of Reef or FOWLR ones.
#4- I use Romaine Lettuce for mine. I dont' dip it either.

[Ashleigh]

Thank you for the quick response.

Will that mix of clean up crew move the sand some? I obsess on some things and that is one. I want something to move it!

Hmmm I do have some Romaine as a matter of fact...Does it have the nutrition they need? I assume yes or you wouldn't use it. ;)

[Ashleigh]

Oops forgot one thing....
Currently I've been feeding 1 cube Emerald Green and 1/2 cube of Mysis one day and then the next day 1 cube of Mysis and 1/2 cube Emerald Green. I have been accused of over feeding in my fish keeping years ago...Is this too much or just about right for the number of fish I have. The regal is about 4 1/2 in. with tail and the yellow tang is about the same size. The other 4 are smaller. I defrost the cubes and add a small amout in the tank, wait a few seconds and add some more, repeat until it's gone.

[Reefing Madness]

Oops forgot one thing....
Currently I've been feeding 1 cube Emerald Green and 1/2 cube of Mysis one day and then the next day 1 cube of Mysis and 1/2 cube Emerald Green. I have been accused of over feeding in my fish keeping years ago...Is this too much or just about right for the number of fish I have. The regal is about 4 1/2 in. with tail and the yellow tang is about the same size. The other 4 are smaller. I defrost the cubes and add a small amout in the tank, wait a few seconds and add some more, repeat until it's gone.

I feed every other day. One day Mysis, just in the morning. And in 2 days I feed a leaf of Romaine in the morning and a leaf in the evening. But, if your water parameters are not going bad, then feed away. My trates were going up so I had to drop the everyday feedings.

[Reefing Madness]

Thank you for the quick response.

Will that mix of clean up crew move the sand some? I obsess on some things and that is one. I want something to move it!

Hmmm I do have some Romaine as a matter of fact...Does it have the nutrition they need? I assume yes or you wouldn't use it. ;)

Sand sifters would be the Super tonga, and the Nass snails. If you want more siftering, you could get more of those snails. Cerith Snail, Fighting Conch are other sand sifters.
As far as the Roamine Lettuce nutritioin is concerned, its not really high. For nutrition you could try hunting down Nori Sheets. I believe Orential places sell like 50 sheets for less than $10. But, not for nothing, my fish are pretty fat and healthy so I'm stickin to that.

[leebca]

With regards to your 4 concerns/questions.

1. Snails are most useful. Just vary the kinds, but make sure they are tropical. Choose from those given in these descriptions:
Cleanup crew article on Reefland:
Clean Up Crews | Reefland

3 articles on snails:
The Grazing Snails, Part I - Turbo, Trochus, Astraea, and Kin by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com
The Grazing Snails, Part II - Abalones, Limpets and Nerites by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com
The Grazing Snails, Part III: Conchs, Ceriths, Cowries, and Columbellids by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com

Those benthic creatures that move the substrate around sometimes are particular to the kind of substrate and particle size. The most tolerant are the bristle worms, but some find them undesirable. They can grow large and when they do, can be destructive. The sand sifter would be sufficient for a substrate of 1" thick. Worms will go deeper. But if you have about 2" a Red Tail Cucumber (one) would do fine. It will likely reproduce in your tank if it has enough nutrients. Let the tank get a few months old before bringing in the Cucumber.

2. One would be sufficient. They can fight with each other for territory and in my 300 gallon one took care of the entire tank. They can grow to over 5" in length, by the way.

3. Wrasses tend to make good community tank fishes. Some are to be avoided, especially those that are in the class of 'cleaner wrasses.'

4. Try different kinds of algae and follow the suggestions here: How To Feed Macro Alage to Marine Fishes As the Tangs get older they should turn more and more to the macro algae. Also try different brands. Adding vitamin, fat, or garlic to the algae is not too useful. Within a minute or two the additive is off and just in the water.

Our fishes eat constantly in the wild. Feed as frequently as you can until they show little interest in the food. After a while you can tell when their interest drops off. As long as they are still going for the food in an enthusiastic way and the food is not just floating away, into the filter, or going to the bottom, keep feeding.

The sand sifter will need some supplemental food. It should be fed every couple of days with a tube, if it doesn't come up for food when you feed the others. While in quarantine, the sand sifter can be trained to come to the top for food.