So what next...............

[Otherone]

I stocked the 180 with a Clown, Yellow tail damsel, Royal gramma, 2 blue leg hermits, 1 red leg hermit, 1 scarlet reef hermit, 10 Margerites, 1 Trochus sp. snail. - Slow drip acclimation. All is well eating twice a day frozen enhanced variety cubes. Using a net to filter water from the cubes to aviod added phos. Nitrate went up to 40 ppm as expected.

When the nitra goes back down I'd like to start adding corals any tips or suggestions on hardy starter corals would be appreciated. A few ppl have suggested corals next to give them time to anchor before the fish get bigger.

Heres a couple of 1st day shots - the fish seem like specks of dust in the large tank.

 

[nonstophoops]

I stocked the 180 with a Clown, Yellow tail damsel, Royal gramma, 2 blue leg hermits, 1 red leg hermit, 1 scarlet reef hermit, 10 Margerites, 1 Trochus sp. snail. - Slow drip acclimation. All is well eating twice a day frozen enhanced variety cubes. Using a net to filter water from the cubes to aviod added phos. Nitrate went up to 40 ppm as expected.

When the nitra goes back down I'd like to start adding corals any tips or suggestions on hardy starter corals would be appreciated. A few ppl have suggested corals next to give them time to anchor before the fish get bigger.

Heres a couple of 1st day shots - the fish seem like specks of dust in the large tank.

I bet they do look like dust. Lots of space in there for them and I am sure they are enjoying it. If I was you, I would be looking into get a bigger show fish or two. Tangs being the best choice if you are planning a reef.

Good move filtering the water out of the cubes, definitely beneficial. I would look to add a properly sized New Life Spectrum pellet food to the feeding regimen. It is the best food money can buy for your fish and is easy to feed.

The nitrates will have to physically be brought down via water changes. A realistic goal is to keep nitrates under 20. To get there you will need to be doing frequent 25% water changes. When you get that level down and keep it there you can move on to some corals.

I wouldn't worry about getting corals in there before the fish get too big, no rush. The fish you currently have will stay "specks of dust" and not get much larger. Even if you add a few "big" fish, you won't have to worry about adding coral. There is plenty of space in a 180 for fish and coral. Hardier corals that you should look into are Zoanthids, Trumpets/Candy canes, Colt's, and Toadstools to name just a few. Even some brain corals would be good to start depending on your lighting. Not sure I am familiar with your setup.

I do recommend moving your rock off the back glass. You want to allow for water flow around the rock on both sides so that you don't create dead zones. I think 2 stacks of rock, one on each side would be a good move. Breaks up the tank, leaves different territories, and looks better imo.

 

[fishfanatic80]

I would add a big angelfish, do you use dechlorinated water, tap or ro. Im planning to make my 55 into a reef im gonna get some f5 ho lights and grow soft coral right now i have a trigger though but i really like him so im hoping he doesnt destroy the soft coral, like bubble coral stuff like that. Can you just put coral on top of rock?

 

[fishfanatic80]

That looks like and amazing tank though

 

[FLESHY]

A 180 is a nice tank...wish my 125 had that sort of depth to work with.

Corals can be secured using glue or epoxy, so no worries there. I usually like to have the system fully established before adding anything in the way of corals. I have been adding corals to my new system and some of them are struggling.

 

[fishfanatic80]

Im sorry to hear that i wish i had as much experience as you do im a little nervous about adding corals because i dont want to kill any and its challenging to someone just getting into salt. Im starting to have a problem with algae bloom idk why though, its like brown crude allover my sand so i continually skim it with a net. its not by a window and i dont leave my light on 24/7 i just try to clean of the glass rock and sand

 

[Otherone]

Nitrates have to be physically removed - boy I sure hope not. Denitifying bacteria changes Nitrate into Nitrogen gas - it is he final stage of the Nitrogen cycle. After 4 daze the the Nitrates are down to 20ppm before a 30 gal waterchange. I'm also toping off another 5-10 gallons a week.

My concerns are more related to the overall maturity of these colonies needed to house corals. Are there varities of corals that can handle the fluxuation nitrate?

My lights are 5' Compact fluorecent HO sq 4 pin, 2 bulbs are T5 700nm, 2 bulbs actinic 420nm, 5 lunar LEDs. The liverock pile has 2 dedicated powerheads pionted right at them - bubbles come out of the bottom of the pile.

 

[nonstophoops]

Nitrates have to be physically removed - boy I sure hope not. Denitifying bacteria changes Nitrate into Nitrogen gas - it is he final stage of the Nitrogen cycle. After 4 daze the the Nitrates are down to 20ppm before a 30 gal waterchange. I'm also toping off another 5-10 gallons a week.

My concerns are more related to the overall maturity of these colonies needed to house corals. Are there varities of corals that can handle the fluxuation nitrate?

My lights are 5' Compact fluorecent HO sq 4 pin, 2 bulbs are T5 700nm, 2 bulbs actinic 420nm, 5 lunar LEDs. The liverock pile has 2 dedicated powerheads pionted right at them - bubbles come out of the bottom of the pile.

It is the final stage of the nitrogen cycle, but also something that rarely takes place on a fast enough level to keep up with your fish and feeding requirements. Right now it may work because your stocking level is so low, but once you start to add a couple bigger fish your system most likely won't be able to denitrify fast enough. I am actually surprised that your nitrates have fallen that far that fast(and honestly question it assuming you are using the same test kits we all do where you can't tell the difference between 20 and 40). Do you have a deep sand bed in your tank or remotely?

The water changes are really what is going to maintain proper water levels in time. Top-offs have no affect on nutrient levels, all you are replacing is water that evaporated. All the salt, nitrates, etc. are still in the system.

As far as corals for your system, I would look into starting with some mushrooms and leathers. Neither need a lot of light and are quite hardy.

 

[Otherone]

Admitedly this is my 1st saltwater tank by hardly my 1st experience with water chemistry. My nitrate test kit is maroon @ 80 ppm, red @ 40ppm, orange @ 20 ppm
yellow @ 10, 5, & 0 ppm and from personal experince I've found the Nitrate stage to be almost as quick as ammonia (nitrosomonas) but perhaps the chemistry is a little different in saltwater , guess I'll find out and sure glad you ppl are here to help out.
I'm in no rush, nothing is going to be added til nitrates are 5ppm or less, just trying to get my head around the next step to aviod costly mistakes like buying conflicting corals that release toxins that kill each other.

My sand bed is 4" deep

 

[enwelz]

Admitedly this is my 1st saltwater tank by hardly my 1st experience with water chemistry. My nitrate test kit is maroon @ 80 ppm, red @ 40ppm, orange @ 20 ppm
yellow @ 10, 5, & 0 ppm and from personal experince I've found the Nitrate stage to be almost as quick as ammonia (nitrosomonas) but perhaps the chemistry is a little different in saltwater , guess I'll find out and sure glad you ppl are here to help out.
I'm in no rush, nothing is going to be added til nitrates are 5ppm or less, just trying to get my head around the next step to aviod costly mistakes like buying conflicting corals that release toxins that kill each other.

My sand bed is 4" deep

You can get away with murder in freshwater, not in saltwater. Nitrates don't leave your tank in significant amounts unless you have macro algeas, or mangroves or some organism to absorb it. DSBs can help but ive never had much luck with them in contoling nitrates, and they can nuke tanks if things turn sour...

I had a 55gal tank that i filled with a hose straight from the faucet, dumped prime in it, and feed my fish regularly and just did top offs and monthly w/c and it was fine. My first SW, i blinked and my nitrates shot up and killed my cardinal but saltwater is like having a hot girlfriend, its most likely a giant pain in the butt but hot damn its fun to look at