42g FOWLR Project

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SHARPiE

Gambusia
MFK Member
Sep 3, 2009
6
0
16
Adelaide, South Australia
Hi all,

Thought I would post my journey here - feel free to tag along. Criticism and advice accepted!

I recently got a 42g (well 165L) AquaOne AquaStye AR-850 Tank (above tank open filtration bed, wet + dry trickle system with spraybar, carbon, cotton, sintered glass and power head)
 Filter Flow Rate: 528g/hr
Lights: 2 x 30in 25W 1 x 23.5in 20W
200W Heater

To be installed:
1x 280L Venturi Driven Protein Skimmer SA-2011
1x WH-2000 Weipro Internal/External Water Pump

I have an inch of aragonite coral sand at the bottom.


Day 1 -

Assemble tank, prepare water and salt.
All good - no leaks

Day 2 -

11 pounds/17 kg of live rock - got it cheap as I know the guy at the LFS ($10 AUD a kilogram OR $3.8 USD for a pound!)



Day 3 -

Another 26 pounds of live rock added - orange and green coral come attached. A few microscopic shrimp and a tiny cone shell critter appears.



Day 4 - (3rd day of LR cycle)
It's time to do some tests:

Ammonia - 0.25 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate - 2.5 ppm
SG - 1.020
pH - 8.2
Temp - 24.5 celcius (76 F)

I have turned the heating up very slightly to hit 25 C or 77 F



Stay tuned for more pics and updates.
I will need help planning tankmates soon (keeping in mind I eventually want this to be a reef). Any ideas?

What FOWLR fish do you have in your tank? Seen any good setups or colour schemes? Need some inspiration.
 
I'm not using anything at the moment for ammonia, just the LR.
I have read around that LR can cyce a tank for you without an ammonia source.

Will the LR do the job, or should I be adding a raw shirmp or two?
 
If the live rock has little too no die-off, then you'll only experience a tiny / quick cycle. Personaly, i would not rely on the rock unless you know it to be "un-cured" live rock, and use a medium sized raw shrimp / prawn to cycle ....
 
Been a while since I have posted here - thought I would give some updates:

- Struggled through a major heat wave here in AUS, before I could lower the temp, I had lost a few tank mates:

1 Coral Beauty
2 Firefish
1 Coral Banded Shrimp (pregnant female)

- At the tail end of my diatom bloom (have had an RODI unit for a few months now). Using phosphorus and silicate remover, cut down on feeding and lighting. Bought a whole chunk of macro algae too.

- Bought a larger cleanup crew - 8 hermits, and two stromb snails - was sick of righting astrea snails

- A few weeks after the wreckage of the heat wave I have bought a few new tank mates - 2 Kaudern's Cardinals (Bangaii)

Photos:

RIP Fishies:


Newest shots:
 
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