75 Gallon in Wall Aquarium w/ 55 Sump first tank and build

necat · Mar 21, 2012

little_fish said:
+1 Chichi

I would pick out the asterina star, the diatoms will go away on their own, the other algae wont, but its normal for new tanks. Just suck it out when you do your water change.

Thank you and that brings me to my next question. When should I do my first water change? My tank has been running for about 3 weeks now and readings are pH 8.2 - Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 5, and Salinity 1.024

Is 10 gallons a week enough when I start doing them?

kbuser92 · Mar 21, 2012

Now! Cycles done so start changing. And yes, that would be perfect.

Time for a water change and start getting your CUC in there!

necat · Mar 23, 2012

Hey everyone, hope all have been well. I got a new RO/DI system from Bulk Reef Supply today. I installed that and also some shelving to get things organized. Here are a couple pictures of that. I really like the system so far.

necat · Mar 23, 2012

Here is the latest shot of the full front view. As you can tell from the picture my fish tank is not the only project going on. I have been finishing my basement for the last year as well! Also got a seat in there for our 4 month old little lady to enjoy the tank as well! :D

kevdogg · Mar 23, 2012

Oooo its looking nice! +1 on the bumbo chair!

necat · Mar 23, 2012

kevdogg said:
Oooo its looking nice! +1 on the bumbo chair!

Lol, Thank you!

chichimom79 · Mar 23, 2012

I just love the set up. I hope I can have something like this someday :)

necat · Mar 23, 2012

chichimom79 said:
I just love the set up. I hope I can have something like this someday :)

Thank you I really appreciate that. Im trying to make it very easy to maintain when it is all set up. So its taking me longer to get it going but Im happy with the direction its headed.

Thank you again!

Samhain · Mar 24, 2012

Nothing good happens quickly in this hobby, so take your time and do it right the first go-round. Lookin' good so far!

necat · Mar 27, 2012

Here is the latest addition. 10 Turbo snails and 10 hermit crabs. some have blue legs and some red.

necat · Mar 27, 2012

Also while getting these at one of our local salt water stores the owner seems persistant that my tank hasnt cycled yet? I told him I used "Smart cycle" which is a product another salt water store owner says he helped develop. I dont know what is right. I think it has cycled but who knows? It has been running for over 3 weeks now with a lot of activity it seems.

Here is a link to the stuff:

http://www.startsmart-testimonials.com/

chichimom79 · Mar 27, 2012

Your test readings say that your cycle is done. Take them some water and let them test it?

I don't know how reliable that particular bacteria supplement is, but if you had your ammonia and nitrite spikes, you should be good.

necat · Mar 27, 2012

Here are my records to date. I have a fancy little line graph but cant get the excel file to upload.

kbuser92 · Mar 27, 2012

Wow. Looks good, the only thing that worries me is the salinity changes. As long as you have fish only, you'll be fine, but it's better to get it stable. I realize it's difficult in newer tanks, though. Corals won't be so tolerant.

Are you topping off regularly? Such as every 2-3 days?

necat · Mar 27, 2012

kbuser92 said:
Wow. Looks good, the only thing that worries me is the salinity changes. As long as you have fish only, you'll be fine, but it's better to get it stable. I realize it's difficult in newer tanks, though. Corals won't be so tolerant.

Are you topping off regularly? Such as every 2-3 days?

My top offs have been lack luster at best. I need to get it on a schedule. The evaporation chamber is fairly large so it allows me to not pay as much attention to it as I should. I just added about 2 gallons tonight of fresh ro/di water. I might add about a gallon of salt water in the next day or so and see where that puts me. I had it right at 1.024 for a bit and was happy. I need to pay more attention to it.

I did get my new water process in place however so its just tipping a jug over and turning a valve to add either type of water now!

necat · Mar 28, 2012

Just got the rocks in today from reefrocks.net! Ill post a picture once I get them situated in the tank.

kevdogg · Mar 28, 2012

Sweet! Make sure you rinse them off a little. I had a lot of loose debris in my rock.

necat · Mar 28, 2012

Thanks Kevdogg! I did rinse and soak them for a bit. Found 1 bug and lots of small debris. The picture is cloudy but atleast you can see the rocks. I wasnt happy with it at first but its growing on me. Now i can pick out some special pieces to complete it.

Question: How do you know if your emerald crabs are dead? I had two but have not saw them for a couple days. They also didnt appear while I was moving all the rocks??

Have a great day everyone!

little_fish · Mar 28, 2012

they will smell to high heavens if you pull them out, but i wouldnt worry. They are nocturnal and prefer to hide in the rocks.

chichimom79 · Mar 28, 2012

It looks great with the new rock!

75 Gallon in Wall Aquarium w/ 55 Sump first tank and build

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