> > > Ecopico Saltwater Build ! !

Ooh, he looks pretty awesome.

 

They are... Watch some videos on youtube, you will see why! They come with an awesome price tag as well... 80-200$

 

I wonder if they can form a symbiotic relationship with a pistol shrimp... that would be kinda cool to have.

 

Not sure that they can. They only get an inch big....

I read a post from bob fenner saying that they cant. (on a different site)

 

Aw, alright, thanks.

 

great build so far!, im new to salty so this is going to be a great thread to follow keep it up

and also that fire pawn goby is BEASTTT now i want one

 

Part 4: Clear Tank + New to Hobby Guide + Cycling + Today's Update

PART 4: CLEAR TANK + NEW TO HOBBY GUIDE + CYCLING + TODAY’S UPDATE


Water Clearing


Durations:
First Hour:





Four Hours Later:





Next Day:






I know there are some people who are new to this, so I’ve included a short new to saltwater hobby guide!



New to Saltwater Hobby Guide:


For those who are starting saltwater aquariums, start here:
Great Beginner's Guides:


The Ultimate Newbie Guide
http://www.3reef.com/forums/new-hobby/ultimate-newbie-guide-86462.html

Mistakes as Newbies
http://www.3reef.com/forums/new-hobby/mistakes-i-made-newbie-83502.html

Important to Keeping a Successful Tank
http://www.3reef.com/forums/general...st-important-keep-successful-tank-108543.html




Good Book to Start & Learn About Marine Reef Aquarium:
The Marine Reef Aquarium by Philip Hunt





Quick Tips & Rule of Fin:
Rule of Fin




Tips:
- If you want to start, start off with a big tank. The bigger the tank, the less fluctuations in your water!
- Weekly Water Changes are Crucial! 20%-30% Water Change is typically suggested by experienced aquarists.
- Every new tank MUST go through the cycling process.
- Be extra careful when adding new things into your tank
- 1 Inch of Fish per Gallon
- 1 lb of Live Rock per Gallon
- 1 lb of Live Sand per Gallon
- Wait for tank to finish cycling before adding livestock
- Research, research, research!!!
- Be Patient

Cycling:
What is Cycling?


Cycling is also known as: Nitrification, Nitrogen Cycle, Cycling, Biological Cycle, Break-In Cycle, Starting Cycle.
Cycling, in our case, is the natural chain reaction that you want to kickstart your tank. Your first cycle will have toxic concentrations of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, so you don’t want to add any livestock yet! Cycling helps establish beneficial colonies of bacteria for your biological filtration. Once these bacteria are established, they’ll help convert the toxic chemicals in your tank to less toxic chemicals. Every new tank goes through this!
There are Three Main Phases: Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate
The first two stages are deadly to fishes and your livestock. When you reach the nitrate phase and you have no ammonia and nitrite in your tank, then your tank is considered “cycled”. You may now add livestock!

How Long Does it take?
Cycling typically takes a month but it can range anywhere from 2 weeks to 1 month. Go to your LFS (Local Fish Store) to have your parameters measured (Check for levels of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate). If ammonia and nitrite levels are low and nitrates are high, your tank is cycled, and you might be able to add new tank inhabitants! Make sure to double check with your LFS.



Today’s Update
Materials Part 2:
- Black Background
Price: $2.00-$3.00 Per Foot (Petsmart or Petco)
- Top Fin Desktop Net & Brush
Price: $4.00 (Petsmart)
- Extra Small Net
Price: $2.00 (you can get these anywhere)
- Marina Internal Filter i25 (will be used as an extra filter & pump)
Price: $13.00 (Petsmart)
- Long Handled Aquarium Cleaner
Price: $4.00 (most fish stores will sell these)






Applying Black Aquarium Background:


- Marina Black Aquarium Background




- Double Sided Tape




- Placement of Tape on Aquarium Background


- Aquarium Background Taped to Aquarium
Before:



After:




Livestock Decisions (Updates):
I’m leaning towards the gobies and pistol shrimps (for their symbiotic relationship), but I’ll wait for some more suggestions!
I'm not getting:
- Staghorn Crab (they're too delicate for a small system like this)
- Spotted Cardinal (?)

Corals??? YES! I'll try them out! (the safe way of course)





COMING UP NEXT:

CORALS + CYCLED TANK + LIVESTOCK DECISIONS + ADDING LIVESTOCK!


Stay Tuned! MORE TO COME!!!!!

 

Awesome updates! Very detailed. Everything seems to be moving along nicely! ;D

 

Hey guys, I was thinking of making the tank into a mini reef tank too since I'll have pretty sufficient lighting once the extra LEDs come this week. But, the problem is, I've only done reef once, and it only lasted for a little over a month, so I'll need some help/suggestions! Any colorful hardy corals I should start with? Or maybe I should keep it FOWLR?

 

Add a zoa or poly frag and a mushroom of some sort, and see how they do..