novice setting up 150 gallon reef aquarium

Woot another reefer welcome. Lol if your going reef take the balls out and replace with some live rock. You will thank us later.

 

Hello....

Welcome Fielding. You'll love 3Reef. Theres a great buncha guys on here that love their tanks. They really know their stuff and are always ready to help. Yeah, get rid of the balls, Live Rock all the way!

My 2bits of advice:
Go slow!!!
Ask questions or research past threads here on 3Reef first.

 

I've got to grow some of my own live rock first. Then I'll be able to cycle and also replace the bioballs.

Today I finished with the live sand and tomorrow I pick up what I hope will be enough live rock to seed the tank's other rock.

Previously I had 40 lbs live sand and Oceanic Sea Salt for 150 gallon tank with some rock. Today I added more.

Are we allowed to post costs here?
Current supplies:
80 lbs. or about 1 1/2 to 2" depth live sand (CaribSea, Aragonite, LFS $35.98/20 lb)
Rock (came with tank) - estimated 24 lb
Live Rock - Fuji? (one lonely one) - 9.5 lb (LFS $4.98/lb)

Tomorrow I am getting about 20 to 25 lb Fuji live rock from another marine aquarium enthusiast in a nearby town (est $3-$5/lb). He has rocks up to Marshall (sp?) Island quality ($$$$) but I'm staying with the low end and hoping to give the tank enough time for the rock I have to become live. I know the supplier needs to be reliable, but he is the VP for our region's reef aquarium society. I'm hoping that live rock will be good.

By next week at the latest, I hope to get back the rock that used to be live and used to be in the tank I got (long boring story). It won't be live now, but I think it might bring my rock volume up to around 75 to 90 lbs.

I'll leave the pump off until tomorrow and then I'll start running it again. Lights on for about 2 hrs a day.

I'll measure the salt water tank chemical tests from the basic (Tetratest Laborett) water test set (pH, KH, GH, NO2, NH3/NH4, CO2 calculation) again in two days. The first chemical tests done earlier this week were all within normal range. Today I purchased a Deep Six Hydrometer (Coralite) - inexpensive version of hydrometer - and will take the salinity when I do the rest of the chemical testing.

I am waiting for the nitrite/nitrate spike to return to normal. Then I will add my first first fish. Those who are experienced are suggesting a damselfish because it is almost certainly going to die (!) I like green chromis but may go damsel and then give it to another beginner or to the LFS when I know cycling is complete if it, by some miracle, survives.

Odd to be planning to be Dr. Death to some poor fish. Even if my ultimate goal is a peaceful, well fed environment for other fish. I'll do my best to take it slow and maybe the fish will survive. I can hope.

 

welcome

 

I suggest spending the money on a refratometer! those swing arms will give you a different reading every time you use one. Trust me, it will be the best money you have spent yet!

 

fielding - most people including myself would suggest a Damsel as a 1st fish, not because its going to die, but because they are a species that are tolerant of higher ammonia and nitrite levels and as such have a great chance of surviving compared to other fish species

I have set up 8 salt water tanks over the years, always asked a yellow tail blue Damsel to help me cycle the tank , never lost one yet and my present 2 year old set up still has the Damsels in I placed there 20 plus months ago

saying that - check out "fishless cycle" many people do cycle tanks without any fish present - live rock and a bacteria food source ( piece of fish or shrimp)

Steve

 

OceanParadise1, thanks for mention refractometers.

I found a thread on the forum on refractometers:

http://www.3reef.com/forums/salt/refractometer-vs-hydrometer-64723.html

Helpful to know (1) to get one and (2) all don't cost $100+ like the one that LFS manager showed me but didn't have any for sale.

 

nope you can get one at marine depot for i beleive 50 bucks! no joke, its the best purchase ive made SO much more acurate then a swing arm

 

I've updated pictures in the album to show where I am.

First, I finally got to speak with my local aquarium maintenance expert and got more information about the equipment. Second, I found out that I need to add a lot more salt in the water.

Biggest surprise: I don't have a protein skimmer. Apparently the tank was run for years without one. My local expert suggests that I will need one but it doesn't have to be right away. I can cycle without it. I won't have many fish or coral in there for months (a year?) and the current set up should handle it if the tank is balanced.

I will start looking for a second-hand/bargain skimmer.

Second, my tank maintenance expert said to leave the bioballs and the wet/dry filter area completely alone. Do not clean it out.

I've ordered a recommended reference and will do more research. I think that when the tank is set up as a reef tank, the live rock and refugium (and skimmer) will become more important. Bioballs will probably have to go.

Setting up, I have to go slowly (from frags for example) so this tank will be pretty bare for a long while to come.

I've done testing on my water for two weeks and those parameters are fine:
ammonia 0 mg/L
pH 7.7
NO2 <0.3 mg/L
KH 6 German hardness/carbonate

I understand that once the salt has been increased, then I am waiting for a peak in ammonia (cycling). I can use dead fish or live fish as a cycling choice to cause the ammonia peak. It will probably be next week before I add either.

(fingers crossed)

 

Just out of curiosity, what was your salinity running at?

Did you order Delbeek and Sprung v.3?