NewtoReef

super upgrade! cool!

I got a scrubber and got all the algae off the sides of the tank, the algae on the sand seems to have receded on its own, im not sure if i owe that to conchy or what. the tank has been up and running for about 2 months. I just got a coralife lighting system, koralia 4 and some other assorted powerheads from AAI. Im having some worries about placement of the Koralia due to the strength of its flow. im not sure if theres a textbook place to set a powerhead to get optimal flow in a 55g but if anyone has any suggestions throw them out here! it is currently (no pun) placed on the right side about 4 inches underwater.

I would love to come pick up some of that rock. I have to work untill 10:30 pm though. If you think you will be up tonight i could for sure come after work, or if your willing to hold it for one more night i could come anytime before 5 tommorow. let me know 512-826-7036 Thanks. Gabe

Thanks for the guidance!

So my tank is coming along nicely. Ive got some waving hand coral, a few assorted zoas and i just got a yellow coris wrasse. a bloom of golden brown algae is starting to show along the sand and on the sides of the tank. I know this is very common in new tanks and aqua-tek recommended i get a conch. i got a conch and he is one lazy sob, rarely moves from one spot. i was wondering if there were other effective methods of banishing the algae. i hope to get some pictures of my tank up on the site soon, im still figuring out the best ways of clearly capturing some pics. Thanks. Gabe.

I would love them, i really need some stuff to fill out my tank. spent most of my money getting set up and dont have much left for live stock.

Do you guys have little cameras harnessed to you fish?! all this pics look GREAT!

How much are you asking for the deltec MCE 600 skimmer and UPS? Thanks.

OK im sorry, I said i had a skimmer but i just dont know what im talking about yet. i dont have any skimmers at all, i was calling my powerheads skimmers..... silly bean. ive decided that im just gonna give it a few days, testing the nitrates and do a hefty water change if my nitrates dont drop. i noticed some funny little guys on my new piece of rock, i wondered if someone could take a stab at what they are. i noticed little legs poking out of what appeared to be a shell attached to the rock. whatever it is hangs a small thread about 6-7 inches long out of the hole and well i think its fishing. there seems to be a little manhole cover they pull onto the opening when they retreat . they appear to be some sort of small crab although they never reveal their bodies

So its been 24 hours since I did a 40% water change and my nitrates are still really high. I was advised to do yet another water change. I dont have any problem doing another change but I was wondering if there was anything more I could do besides that to help stabalize my tank. Also I got a broken skimmer of mine to start working again, i allready have one in the back left corner next to my heater. I was wondering where a good location for the second one would be and at what angle they should be pointing to best circulate the water. Thanks alot, im gonna go stare at my tank some more.

I was cruising Craigs list and found this link http://austin.craigslist.org/for/444906168.html The guy on the phone said all their cured rock is 3.25 a pound. He also said that because he is at the bottom of their current load he will knock it down to 3.00 even. I think im gonna wait till the next shipment and head down and check it out. I got a nice 1.5 pounder at aqua-tek today, my first rock purchase, yey! I also spotted some small bristleworms and 5 tiny featherduster looking inverts on the rock that came with my tank last night. where theres life theres love.

OK! thanks alot everyone. I will keep posting my progress/questions. I will switch over to the reefkeeping forum so all this information doesnt get swept away to quickly.

Wow nice responses! I just got back from Aqua-tek and got some really good information, my salinity is at .24, my ph is a little below 8 and my nitrates are maxed out. Im getting ready to do a 40% water change using RO and some buffer. Aqua-tek was amazing, it was hard to resist buying something but i made it out empty handed. wish i had known about the cleaner shrimp before I went, now I have an excuse to go back tommorow!

See! im learning allready! I do have 2 test kits, a PH and KH. Im not quite sure how to determine my levels through the test yet. I cant really tell what the color changes are telling me and how many drops are needed. they came without instructions so im a little lost. they are Tetratest brand. Im heading up to aqua-tek to browse and get some more information today. I have done some looking for LR on CL but ive been a little wary due to my freshness to the hobb. If you get a surplus of LR from the seller on CL let me know. Thanks!

Hi! I sure am glad I found this site, nice to know theres a club in Austin. I found the link through aqua-tek.com. I am brand new to saltwater tanks. I found a 55g tank complete with all pumps some slightly living rock 2 clowns and a damsel on craigs list for 150$!! i managed to save almost all the water. I transfered the water to another 40g tank and cleaned out the 55g using only water. I made it to petco(yuck but only thing open late night.) 1 minute before they closed and purchased 20pounds of sand, 10 live 10 substrate. Completed my aquascape at about 1am and reintroduced the fish to the newly cleaned tank. 15hours later and the fish seem unaffected they are actively exploring the tank and feeding normally! for a newbie I think im doing pretty well at this point. I would really like to start putting more live rock into the tank but am unsure of which type would be good for someone just starting out. Also whether it is cheaper/more effective to order online or seek out stores in our vicinity. Thanks alot, I hope I can find out more of whats going on inside my tank and get that puppy bumping with some more life soon . Gabriel.