Tropical Fish Forums

[RobMac]

I had a tank given to me a while ago now and decided to finally do something with it. It's a 70 ltr tank measuring 24 x 12 x 18.


This is a first for me regarding saltwater aquariums. I am starting small for learning curve purposes before I get a more larger tank for Marine fish. I know it is not recommended to have a Nano system as they are more difficult to maintain to a degree but like I said, this is a learning process and in no hurry to rush to the local fish store and stock up.

So far, I have filled the tank with sand and water with the salt already mixed of coarse, and heated it up to between 78 - 80 degrees. It has an internal filter fitted with BioFoam, BioBalls and pre conditioned activated coal and a pump that circulates at 300LPH, an AquaOne Pump that circulates at 300LPH and a V2Skim Nano Protein Skimmer that punches out an impressive 700 LPH. The Skimmer has been running now for over 36 hours and is producing a rather cloudy slimy gunk. The lid of the tank was converted slightly to accomadate the height of the collection cup and for ease of removal for cleaning. The light fitted at the minute is a 35W twin white that is a little to bright for me so am going to replace them with 2 x 24W Triplus T5's and a blue spot for night viewing. As of two days ago the water perameters were Salinity 1.023, pH 8.2, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 5.0 and Ammonia 0.25. Later this week I will be adding more live sand and around 25lb of live rock. Will do further parameter checks to see if anything has spiked. No livestock will be added until the LR has established and the water perameters are balanced and even then it will be a clean up crew for starters.

Now over to you guys as like I said, this is a learning curve for me and now it is time for you experianced aqua mariners to slate, debate or divulge my listening ears

p.s. How do you add pictures [/img]
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Deep Blue Sea

[MarkLehr]

It sounds like you are off to a good start. I do have one very important suggestion. After you add the live rock, there is simply no reason at all to have bio media in your tank. In fact, the biomedia will actually harm water quality, not improve it, on aquariums with live rock, sand, and a protein skimmer.

Lets talk about this further. Biomedia is used to process organic waste with an end product of nitrate. In addition, this aggressive biological processing of nutrients depletes carbonates from your water, and causes a rise in phosphates. Basically, you have chosen a filter system that intentionally produces an undesirable outcome.

Your entire system will be much more stable and efficient by simply removing this biomedia. The live rock and sand will be more than effective in processing organic acids, and the end result will be nitrogen gas, which leaves the system naturally. The protein skimmer will directly remove organics from the water, allowing the organics that are broken down to be minimal. Nitrates build up much more slowly, phosphate accumulation is reduced, and the carbonate buffer system is depleted at a slower pace, helping to maintain alkalinity and calcium levels.

Overall, it sounds like you are off to a good start. Have you considered what livestock you might be interested in?

[Funky Fish]

Catch that rising PO4 early and a add phosphate remover. I would highly recommend 'ROWA Phos'. Works wonders!
It helps to rid of that PO4 from new live rock, gravel and sand.
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Funky Fish