New tank

bangbangkhan

bangbangkhan

Reefing newb
Hi everyone,

I recently decided to start a salt water tank so thought of starting with a 30 gallon tank so I could first get some experience.

I have added 40lbs of live and regular sand in equal proportions.
5 pound of live rock for starters
55 gallon circulation pump
45 gallon filter
Heater

I read the articles here and they have been very helpful.

I know you probably get this questioned asked a a lot but I just had to ask! First off I didn't start of the tank with room or distilled water bottles to treated our tap water and used that. The water here in Canada is pretty clean. Will this be a problem?

Secondly I have been checking the salinity and it's in the proper range at the moment but there is foam accumulating on the surface. Is that a bloom?

Thirdly, the water is pretty cloudy...will it clear up in couple of days? It's only been 24 hours so far.

Fourth, the filter the kinda one that hang from the top, should it placed in the center or one of the corner?

Lastly, I can see the sand moving at one corner of the tank...sort of like an eroding action. The bottom is visible there now. Did I put the circulatory in the wrong spot? Right now it's position on one of the side walls, 3 inches below the water level and angled 45degrees upwards.

I have bought a salt water testing kit along with a kh testing kit. Will run test after 48 hours and see how it's looking.

Any input is greatly appreciated. Cheers!
 
Tap water can be a problem. Lots of people start their tanks with tap water then end up battling algae problems. Switching to RODI water as soon as possible will help you, so you should do that ASAP. You can get RODI water from the grocery store or buy it from your LFS, but most of us buy an RODI unit and make it ourselves at home. The sooner you can switch to RODI water, the better off you will be. But starting with tap water isn't going to cause anything that you can't fix down the road. :)

The foam accumulating on the surface is normal in a newly set up tank. It's probably from the sand that you added. You can scoop it off with a spoon or net. Having good surface agitation from the powerhead (it sounds like you have good flow in your tank) will help.

The water being cloudy is also normal. It may take a few days to clear up, but it will eventually.

It doesn't matter where you place the filter. You need to be sure to keep it clean. HOB filters can actually lead to poorer water quality if they are not cleaned frequently. Most people that use them clean them every week or two as part of regular maintenance. You will probably want to look into replacing it with a protein skimmer eventually. They are much more effective and low-maintenance.

Sounds like your powerhead is positioned correctly. It is inevitable that you'll get some sand shifting. You want the powerhead to create a ripple on the water's surface.

Good luck! Sounds like you are off to a good start. :)
 
thanks for the info...the water is pretty much full right now so i will put in some RODI after a week when i do a change.

which protein skimmer would be ideal for 30 gallon tank? something not to crazy as i am not looking to go to a large tank anytime soon.

what should i do about the sand moving on one of the corners?
 
Another question....I had the cartridge in the filter and now after running for almost 48 hours I think it's choked because of the sand. Should I run the filter without the cartridge until the cloudiness goes away?
 
Rinse the cartridge out, when I first set my tank up I rinsed it a few times a day. After the water cleared I changed to a new one.
 
Thanks!

I did water check after 48 hours. See below:
Salinity 1.020-1.024
Kh 200+
Ph 8.0-8.2
Ammonia 0
Nitrate 0-5 ppm
Nitrite 0

Shouldn't amonia be high? Has the cycle not started? Or did a water check too soon?
 
Still early, The trates are probably a false test the api tests sometimes do that.
 
Did you add anything to start the cycle? A piece of table shrimp will do the trick.

Also the bit of nitrates you have could be from the tapwater
 
I had added live rock and sand...i assumed they would have started the cycle...i will toss in a shrimp...a week should be good for the shrimp to decompose?
 
Well the tank started to clear up a bit Tuesday night...but i still cant get that sand mountain to subside. some places the sand bed is almost 4 inched while some its only 1.5 inches ...i think the water movement is too much for my tank?


utf-8BSU1HLTIwMTMwMTMwLTAwMDI4LmpwZw.jpg
 
Ummm...if you had it level and the pumps did that...you would be correct or adjust where the power heads point. My power heads point at the glass, that way it deflects back.
 
Ted said:
Ummm...if you had it level and the pumps did that...you would be correct or adjust where the power heads point. My power heads point at the glass, that way it deflects back.
Click to expand...

So I moved the power head to the other wall and the sand has stopped moving :bounce: for the time being...will find out in a day or two.

Thanks!
 
Sometimes its just trial and error...I came home one night and a power head had dropped onto the sand...That is why I use korillas now...love the magnets...
 
I currently have a Aqueon 950...I am thinking of installing a hydor koralia 425 as well. Will it be too much flow? Or is it okay?
 
My tank has a 712 return pump with headloss lets say 600gph in the tank two hydor evolution 550's so another 1010 gph. A hydor nano so another 240 gph and a power filter that is another 500 gph so 2350 gph divided by tank size 45 gallon is 52 times turn over...I do have them all crashing into each other..As long as the sand stay on the bottom...which was a issue for you..you would be good..Just angle the flows so they hit each other or bounce off the glass..
 
Ted said:
My tank has a 712 return pump with headloss lets say 600gph in the tank two hydor evolution 550's so another 1010 gph. A hydor nano so another 240 gph and a power filter that is another 500 gph so 2350 gph divided by tank size 45 gallon is 52 times turn over...I do have them all crashing into each other..As long as the sand stay on the bottom...which was a issue for you..you would be good..Just angle the flows so they hit each other or bounce off the glass..
Click to expand...

OMG serious waves dude!
 
It works...and the tank seems happy...The 550's where on a wave maker originally so they alternated but I took that off.
 
I've heard the water in vancouver, B.C is incredibly pure with TDS sometimes at 10ppm. You might very well be able to use Tap with a dechlorinator or let it sit for 3 days so chlorine evaporates. Before spending money on RODI you might want to check with your local reefers if they have done this.
 
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