First Salt Tank!

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Otherone said:
Odds are with predatory fish nitrates will never be 2 ppm more like 20 - as for algae eaters don't worry about it if you don't have an algae issue as algae species are eaten by a-specific hermits and others i.e. lawn mower blenny's don't eat every variety of algae.
Yes zoas can live in standard salt mixes. Using salt mixes high in alk stuff can be detrimental if nothing in the tank is reducing it's totals - instead it will build and ph will climb higher as alk stuff is an acid.
Lastly w/c's help replenish h20, trace, and dissolved sodium as well as numerous alk materials to help stabilize ph. It also manually removes nitrates phosphates, tds, and co2 in small amounts. Obviously the larger the w/c the larger amounts removed however there is a point where removing too much water screws with the chemisrtry.

I would strongly recommend the frequent use of testing kits to guide you thru the initial cycle process and beyond
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Alright so as far as algae goes I'll cross that bridge when it comes I guess. Is it at all realistic for me to expect the Macro Algae to consume a reasonable amount of Nitrates? I know in Freshwater, plants don't really change anything unless you have a ton, or you have something like Pothos hanging in the back of your aquarium. I have no idea if the algae can actually make a difference in Saltwater though.

Do I need to worry about all these water chemistry things you mentioned or would that be only if I was to use the Reef Salt?

Make no mistake I will be testing the water daily, more for my own curiosity then anything. If everything tests safe then within a week or two I'll be getting a small little damsel just to help keep everything going and have a source of ammonia. Everyone says Damsels are bad for your first fish, is that something I should worry about at all or is that only for reef/nano set ups? I can't imagine a damsel picking on a lionfish or eel, or at least not a very smart one haha

Update wise I won't be able to get the stand until Thursday now so everything else is delayed until Friday evening. I'll try my best to take lots of pics and not get too caught up in excitement!
 
I've never used flora for nitrate control instead I use 6 units of chem-pure elite in my 210 keeps my nitrates at 5ppm for 6months.

In saltwater it's all relevant however for fish only stable PH and salinity are more important if these two start swinging then worry about alk.

More than likely the eel will eat the damsel some day and no worries they are lil buggers but mostly towards other damsels - I actually have a couple species of damsel in the same tank with my cowfish. Stressed Cowfish = Dead Tank.
 
Otherone said:
More than likely the eel will eat the damsel some day and no worries they are lil buggers but mostly towards other damsels - I actually have a couple species of damsel in the same tank with my cowfish. Stressed Cowfish = Dead Tank.
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Yeah the damsel isn't likely to make it but I'd love it if by some miracle he finds a nice tight safe crevice! Haha

I take cowfish are quite sensitive? I really know nothing of them.

So in recent news, I got my stand, driftwood, and heater! Though the wood I purchased was already bought.. The stand is worrying me. I currently have the empty tank on the stand and there is a small space between the black trim of the tank and the stand... The stand bows in the center of the 4' section. It's big enough I can slide a dime through without any force required. That seems like a bit of flex for the tank. Am I just worrying over nothing? I also have a lizard tank with 2 heaters on it, it probably weighs about 50lbs? That being on the bottom bars shouldn't make a difference right?

Should I just slide a quarter under the tank in the center to shim it or will that just cause a pressure point to break at?

In other news the tank has tons of silicone, in fact some was drizzled on the tank. The bottom pane, and trim on the back of the tank! Out of sight yes, but still..

In more news my delivery may not be able to make it out to me, so I changed my schedule for nothing...

Not the best week! But in good news my female gecko laid her first clutch of eggs for the season and they're fertile :)




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Otherone said:
You don't want lizards or anything of value near sw tanks - Salt in the air, salt in splashes, natural salt creep, etc...
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You raise a point I had never considered... the lizards will be moved as this is just a temporary housing but I was planning on moving my desk over beside the tank. I can easily slide the tank over probably about a foot away from my desk but now you have me worried. On my desk would sit my monitor and on the ground (farthest away from the tank) would be my gaming rig... Would the fact that I have glass canopies on the SW tank help at all? I know I need to keep the tank almost air tight so the eel can't squeeze out anywhere so will this almost stop these concerns? I was really looking forward to pausing from my games to stare at the tank for a while... What if I put some PC fans in the real canopy I'll be building and made the air blow in the opposite direction from my desk?

So about the stand, should I be worried? That seems like a decent flex the aquarium needs to go undergo?
 
I'd really like to do a test fill of my aquarium before my LR gets in tomorrow to make sure the tank doesn't have a leak or anything like that but this stand issue is the only thing holding me back. If someone could chime in and give me their opinion it would be greatly appreciated.
 
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