mplocar
Reefing newb
Greetings
I have just taken the plunge into Saltwater aquarium keeping I have 2 fresh water systems and have always wanted a saltwater system so now I do.
Here is the skinny on what I have so far
55 Gallon tank
Emperor 400 bio wheel
Bak-Pak protien skimmer
2 power heads
heater
I am useing crushed coral for the substrate of about 1 1/2 -2 in in depth
I have alot of decrotive hard coral skeletons that came with the tank( I bought it from craigs list)
My hydrometer reads about 1.021ish
ph is 8.1-8.2
I have added about 10lbs of live rock "uncured" from the local pet store.
The lighting is the old bulb that came with the tank a 40w floresent "Wide spectrum" bulb
My idea is to let the live rock "Seed" the gravel and hopefully the other rock I have in the tank. then to add the invertabrates followed by the fish and hopefully an aneonome and or some corals.
Patience is key I know and I am in no hurry to have the task completed However I would like to see some life enjoying my labors.
I plan to include Dwarf hermits, shrimp and a sea star in the invert crew, which of these would be best to start off with and how soon could I put them in and expect them to live?
The live rock has been in for about 48 hours and I have little to no algae would I need to put in dried seaweed to keep them alive for now or should I wait till I see algae growth to begin introducing them.
Also if I should wait to introduce them should I turn off the protien skimmer for a while to promote alge growth?
Thank you in advance for any and all assistance.
I have just taken the plunge into Saltwater aquarium keeping I have 2 fresh water systems and have always wanted a saltwater system so now I do.
Here is the skinny on what I have so far
55 Gallon tank
Emperor 400 bio wheel
Bak-Pak protien skimmer
2 power heads
heater
I am useing crushed coral for the substrate of about 1 1/2 -2 in in depth
I have alot of decrotive hard coral skeletons that came with the tank( I bought it from craigs list)
My hydrometer reads about 1.021ish
ph is 8.1-8.2
I have added about 10lbs of live rock "uncured" from the local pet store.
The lighting is the old bulb that came with the tank a 40w floresent "Wide spectrum" bulb
My idea is to let the live rock "Seed" the gravel and hopefully the other rock I have in the tank. then to add the invertabrates followed by the fish and hopefully an aneonome and or some corals.
Patience is key I know and I am in no hurry to have the task completed However I would like to see some life enjoying my labors.
I plan to include Dwarf hermits, shrimp and a sea star in the invert crew, which of these would be best to start off with and how soon could I put them in and expect them to live?
The live rock has been in for about 48 hours and I have little to no algae would I need to put in dried seaweed to keep them alive for now or should I wait till I see algae growth to begin introducing them.
Also if I should wait to introduce them should I turn off the protien skimmer for a while to promote alge growth?
Thank you in advance for any and all assistance.