 » 3reef Navigation | | | | » Forum Menu | | | | » Aquarium Ads | | | 
And here too!
|  | 
05-25-2006, 11:54 AM
|
#1 (permalink)
| | Sea Dragon
Join Date: May 2006 Location: CT Age: 29
Posts: 505
 
|  20H -- starting up
Hi all. Long time lurker, first time poster. I've had so many of my random little questions and queries answered here on 3reef already, but now that my tank is finally underway I thought I'd post to check in with all of you other reefers.
As I hope you can see from my signature, I've got a 20H tank that has been up for 2 weeks now. I'm running the kick-butt Remora skimmer and the tank has 20lbs of live rock, as well as a couple Rios I had kicking around for water movement.
My nitrogen cycle seems to be wrapping up -- 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and nitrate is on it's way down to nothing. My pH has stabilized at 8.2 and I'm getting a good handle on the temp (80F). In the past few days a small diatom bloom has begun. I've read that this is to be expected and that it to shall pass in time.
Wondering if anyone had thoughts on it being time for me to bring in the cleaning crew: 10 red-legged hermit crabs and 10 cerith snails, I was thinking.
Thanks in advance for your input!
_________
20 High (started 5/18/06)
20 lbs live rock and 3" sand bed - Remora w/ MJ1200 & Prefilter - 10 gallon sump/fuge - MAG7 & SCWD return - 96w Nova Extreme T5's - Red-legged Hermits - Cerith Snails - Nassarius Snails - Royal Gramma - 6line Wrasse - Maroon Clown - Wheeler's Goby - Bubble-Tip Anemones - Green Star Polyps - Frilly Brown Mushroom - Green Bullseye Mushroom - Kenya Tree Coral - Xenia | 
|  | | Reef Links |  | |
05-25-2006, 03:35 PM
|
#2 (permalink)
| | Astrea Snail
Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: NC Age: 24
Posts: 68
Karma: 22
 
|
it should be okay to add a crew tho in my opinion its still a bit early ..i didnt add mine till about 4 weeks right about that time a had a huge algae bloom so it was time...but i dont think they will die if you put them in now. good luck and thanks for joining
_________
24gal nano, xenia, green plate, orange zoos, orange spot gobie, 4 turbos, 4 scarlets
New tank 150 gal show tank, hippo tang, yellow tang, snowflake eel, 2 clarks, cardnial, toby puffer, dwarf loin, anemone, starry blenny, 4 blue chromis....im sure i left someone out.... | |
| | |
05-25-2006, 05:21 PM
|
#3 (permalink)
| | Skunk Shrimp
Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kenosha, Wisconsin Age: 24
Posts: 260
Karma: 37
|
Is that going to be enough rock?
_________
75 G Display, 12 G Refuge, 12 G sump, 1/10 Chiller, Coralife Skimmer, 300 Watts MH 14,000 K, 356 Watts of Actinic PC Lighting, 120 Pounds of Substrate, 109 lbs of Rock.
Corals: Pumping Xenia, colt, Hammer, 4 misc mushroom groups.
Fish: 2 Ocellaris Clowns, Yellow Tang.
Inverts: turbo snails, astrea snails, tiger striped serpent star, sifting star, skunk cleaner shrimp, sally, red ball sponge, 50 or so hermit crabs | |
| | |
05-25-2006, 07:28 PM
|
#4 (permalink)
| | Sea Dragon
Join Date: May 2006 Location: CT Age: 29
Posts: 505
|
The diatom bloom has really picked up today, so I think I'm going to go ahead and get the hermits and snails. Since my N cycle is just about finished I think they should fare alright.
As for the amount of live rock, I was working with 1 pound per gallon theory. Would you recommend something different? The tanks pretty darn full with the 20 lbs I already have.
Any thoughts on tops or canopies for the tank? When I ordered the lights the site suggested I buy an all-glass versa top. I've used them before with my freshwater tanks, but now that I have it about my reef I'm not sure. It seems to be trapping quite a bit of heat from the fixture. I've read a couple posts about using egg crate/light diffusers, but I need to check them again.
Cheers! | |
| | |
05-29-2006, 05:58 AM
|
#5 (permalink)
| | Sea Dragon
Join Date: May 2006 Location: CT Age: 29
Posts: 505
|
Happy Memorial Day, all!
Just thought I'd post a quick update...
My cleaning crew has completely cleaned up the diatom bloom...if only some of the snails hadn't become escargot along the way...
I'm still battling with rising temps. I swiched from my all-glass top to egg-crate and the A/C is now running. I'm considering ordering some mounting legs for the light fixture to raise it off the top of the tank a few inches.
Time to check the water quality and maybe do a H2O change... | |
| | |
05-29-2006, 10:53 AM
|
#6 (permalink)
| | Giant Squid
Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Meriden, Connecticut Age: 44
Posts: 3,973
   |
Add a fan to help dissapate the heat give off by the bulbs. Raise the lights higher up above water line. Yeah, get rid of the all glass top and go with the egg crate as it helps with the heating of your water, also it cuts down on the light intensity to your water in your tank!
By the way... WELCOME to 3reef!!!As you can see i'm from Connecticut as well!! _________ 125gal.w/Mag9.5 return(dual megaflow)>Mag7 pump Aqua Cev180skimmer.Wave2k Hamilton Reefstar(2)250watthqi(mh)pend.a Yellow, Naso Tang Red Lip Blenny Percula Clown Demoiselles Niger Trigger F. Wrasses Ceriantharia Orn.Shrimp and Stars Hermits Queen Conch asst. snails> Stars Zoos shrooms Montipora Brains Gorgonians Favia Turbinaria(large+small polyp) Acropora Xenia Tridacna (CroceaMaximaSquamosa) Leathers <35+75gal.reef tank as well> 
"IF THE PHONE DOESN'T RING...IT'S ME"  jb  | |
| | |
05-29-2006, 12:32 PM
|
#7 (permalink)
| | Sea Dragon
Join Date: May 2006 Location: CT Age: 29
Posts: 505
|
Thanks for the tip!
Do folks usually install the fan into a full hood? I think I've read about using computer fans for this, but I don't even have a fan yet.
Coral Reefer, can you recommend any LFS in CT for me to check out? I've most of my purchasing online so far, but I'd like to select my livestock in person, when the time finally comes.
Thanks much! | |
| | |
05-29-2006, 01:21 PM
|
#8 (permalink)
| | Giant Squid
Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Meriden, Connecticut Age: 44
Posts: 3,973
|
I have a coralife pc hood and it has 3 fans built into it. I have a pfo mh/pc combo also with a fan built in.
As far as pet shops go in the area...Puppy Center in West Hartford, Fin and Feather in Groton, Pet-a-rama in Southington isn't bad. Also a pet shop in the Massachusetts area close to Springfield called Aqua Dreams in Feeding Hills Ma. One last place in Cromwell called Aquarium Conservation.
On line check out Reefermadness.com and spstoner.com! | |
| | | Reef Links |  | |
Posting Rules
| You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off | | |
|
