Hello to everyone

[outlaw38]

New to this forum and also new to the hobby of saltwater aquariums. I just purchased a new 70 gallon Oceanic reef ready tank along with the stand. For lights I bought the coralife 36" aqualight pro 250 w HQI. Underneath the tank is a pro clear refugium along with a coralife protein skimmer. In the sump is a Lifeguard quiet one model 3000 which i have about a three foot head so I suppose it is pushing approx 580gph. In the tank I have two Rio 1000 power heads with hydor FLO rotating deflectors. those should be moving approx 300gph each. I started out by filling the tank with salt and RO water I added approx 80lbs of live rock and maybe 50lbs of arag-alive sand enough for 2" across the bottom. Also added 20lbs in the refugium along with a couple of pieces of live rock and some Chaetomorpha Macro Algae. Did all that and performed a water check Naturally everything perfect. 76F,1.025,PH8.0, no nitrates no nitrites and 0 ammonia. Let that go 1 week and performed another test here we go. temp 75.5 1.025salinty ammonia to high to test ph8.2 no nitrates but the nitrites tested @ 2mg/l. So i did a little scrubing of the live rocks and vaccumed about 50% of the water out. Refilled the tank and now going on the second week. I was wondering if I should have the lights on during this cycling of the tank period or not ? Also I have no place for any kind of filter media eg; filter floss ,filter pads. is this needed? I am seeing some brown spots pop up on my sand bed and was wondering what it was ? Well thats my story and would appreicate all the help i could get Thanks!!!

[reeffreak]

Welcome to the Living Reefs Outlaw,
Your setup sounds sweet.First,I would remove the chaeto until your tank has finish cycling.Once ammonia and nitrite reaches zero then add chaeto.Its also not necessary to run the lights while your tank is cycling.You can run the lights,but I would keep it to a minimum(maybe 4-5hrs).Not running the lights or reducing the light period will help with the diatom bloom(brown algae) which is common with new tanks.

Oh I almost forgot...filter floss etc.isn't necessary either.I like my water crystal clear so I run floss in my sump.I don't know alot about that particular sump but if it doesn't have an area to put floss get a small canister filter and put floss in that...just make sure its cleaned often or it can be a nitrate/sponge.One more thing...don't do any water changes until the tank has completely cycled and nitrate shows up on your test kit.Your just prolong the cycle.

Any ??? fell free to ask.

[Adrastos]

Welcome!

Don't worry about the odd testing numbers - when the tank is cycling the numbers will go all out of whack - they should start looking normal within maybe a week or so with no water changes.

I'd recommend against scrubbing your live rock - you want the live stuff to be on there - it's a natural filtration system as well as a food source depending what type of fish you are planning on keeping.

I am confused though - you mentioned that you have a 70 gallon oceanic with only a 36" long strip. Does that cover the entire length of the tank? I have a 46 gallon tank that is 36" long. I know you have MH and that they should be positioned high up in the middle - but the MH should not be run constantly. It's usually a good idea to have your PC bulbs cover the entire length of the thank...

[Bifferwine]

Hello and welcome! I agree with everything said above, especially the part about you not scrubbing your live rock . It sounds like you have done your research and are taking the right steps.

[jhnrb]

Welcome to the site and glad you have found us. Your system will go through a breakin period where you will have outbreaks of diatoms and algae. once the food source is depleted the outbreaks should subside. once the ammonia and nitrites are at 0. you can do a substantial water change to bring down your nitrates, and after a couple days add some cleanup crew. snails etc to deal with the algae etc. keep us posted. post all questions in the general forums where you will get more responses to your inquiries. good luck and have fun on the site. Oh almost forgot. you will need to raise your temp. up to apprx. 78. recommended.