First salt water tank. Did I miss anything?

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Chaz88

Gambusia
MFK Member
Feb 21, 2010
695
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16
Iowa
The tank is 4'x2'x2'. MFK calculator says internal volume is 112.5g. So call it a 120.

I put in 96 pounds of substrate. 36 pounds was "live substrate". I also added bio zyme. Canister filter rated at 350g per hour and a protein skimmer. 48" T5 light with 2 54 what bulbs. I also added some fake reef decorations so there would be some structure when I add fish. I plan to replace them with live rock as time and $ allows.

Salinity is reading a bit low. I am going to let it run a few hours and adjust it later.

My start up plan is for fish and live rock. Might add inverts and such later. I plan to add UV after it cycles for a bit. I also left room for an inline heater, if needed.

Did I miss anything? Need to do something different? Thanks for any input.

One other question. I have some old conk shells from Hawaii. Would they be OK in the tank? I have had them for about 30 years. They are the kind you can blow like a horn. I would not want anything bad to happen to them. Like fade and dissolve.

Thanks again. Chaz
 
Bump because I posted this at 1:30 AM
 
arent you going to need a protein skimmer? and maybe some power heads to create a wave like motion?
 
I got a protein skimmer. I was not sure if I needed power heads for a fish and live rock tank. Do I?
 
will need more flow in the system, what is salinity reading, shell will be fine but maybe dip it in hot water and then rinse of with distilled or RO/DI water. If I missed a question or u have more post it or private message me.

mr.reef24
 
Specific gravity is 1.024. I got a power head. I was thinking I would put it close to the bottom and use the wave function to increase bottom circulation after I take the portable micron filter off. I am going to keep an eye on water readings but the live substrate seams to be cycling the tank much faster than I expected. I would not call it an "instant cycle" like the bag claims but it is going fast, so far.
 
Your salinity is fine, but you definitely want some rock in there. Get some cheap dry rock, look on the reef sites for someone local selling some, or go to liverockusa.com or bulkreefsupply.com. I wouldnt start a salt tank without at least a few pieces of good live rock. The LR provides so much bio diversity that I think is essential for a successful salt aquarium. If you put the rock in after the fish are in the tank, you will start a new cycle. Also remember that the rock is your bio media, and the more you have the better.

I have several hundreds of pounds of LR in my tank, and from it I got mini stars, bristle worms, pods of all types and some baby snails. These animals help to keep your tank clean by eating detritus. You will definitely need more flow in that tank in order to keep the cyano under control, and the detritus in suspension. Consider a few powerheads.
 
I put in several pounds of fossilized coral and one 6.5 pound cured live rock. It is going to be a slow build with the live rock unless I find a great deal on a bunch of cured rock. That one rock was $50.

On the plus side I am not looking to cram it full of fish. Everything from this point on is going to be a slow build up. I also added two bottles of Tigger Pods because I am planning to keep a Mandarin fish happy for a long life. If they don't propagate in the main tank I will set up a breeder tank for them.

The fish plan for this tank is not going to qualify as monster. If it goes good I might get into some monsters in a new tank, down the road bit.

I have added one power head. I have put some food in and it doesn't seam to settle any place. It gets to the bottom and kind of scoots along and back into suspension. Some of it dose get caught in the rocks. I am leaving it for now thinking it will help the Tigger Pods. Is there a better way to tell if I have to much or to little circulation?

I will commandeer my daughters camera and get some pics up.
 
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