New start 30 gal tank

[Jojo1628]

Hi all, I'm starting out a small 30 gallon reef tank...but after going through all articles and postings, I have a game plan and not sure if all the experienced ppl here agree...

To start this setup, I'll have these steps going...

1) wash the tank and fill w/ 25 gallon water first and mix in the salt (using instant ocean)

2) let the water mixed well for 7 days sitting the tank

3) then start adding 30 pounds of live rock, and 50 pounds of live sands

4) let the tank cycle w/ the live rock and sand for a few weeks and monitor the water chemistry. During this process I'll be using the Cascade 700 filter and the Tunze Nano 9002 protein skimmer running at the same time.

5) continue to monitor the water chemistry and then start with 1 or 2 clowns

6) then after another several weeks, I'll start to put in a small soft coral (not sure which type yet, but like the soft ones w/ finger like tentacles)

7) then hope for the best and once the tank is stable, I'll add 1 or 2 more fish and other crabs and shrimps. (knowing the tank is small, there'll be a limit )

Here are my equipments for this setup, everything is brand new:
1) Cascade 700 canister filter
2) Tunze 9002 nano filter
3) two power heads 400
4) 150w heater
5) T5 compact dual 10k and actinic lighting


Thanks for all inputs!!
JoJo

[RyanG]

Sounds like a good plan Jojo, good job on reading up before starting! What are the bulb wattages on your lighting? Just remember with the canister filter that you will have to clean with vinegar weekly.

[Bifferwine]

I agree that it sounds like a good plan to me too!

[Jojo1628]

Originally Posted by RyanG

Sounds like a good plan Jojo, good job on reading up before starting! What are the bulb wattages on your lighting? Just remember with the canister filter that you will have to clean with vinegar weekly.

Both light tubes are 21 watts...I hope it's enough for soft corals. But why do I need to clean the canister filter w/ vinegar every week? Which part do I clean? the entire thing w/ exception of the bio filter?

On a side note, what's the best way to setup a quarantine tank? should I use the cycled water and then use fresh mixed saltwater to refill the water used for the quarantine tank? I hope I don't need it, but I'm sure it'll come in handy...

[RyanG]

Clean the whole thing with vinegar and rinse out the filter pad with RO water. They need to be cleaned so often because they will cause nitrates which are bad for corals and inverts even in small ammounts. Most people that run canisters actually take out the filter pad and just use the filter to run carbon or phosphate removal media(they still need to be cleaned weekly)

Your plan to have in QT is great, more people should untilize them. Run your canister for a week during cycling with the filter pad in. During cleaning just toss the pad into the QT for a few days and it will provide enough stuff to cycle that tank. Be sure to remember and add a few varied size pieces of pvc for your quarantined friends to hide.

[Jojo1628]

Wow...I thought I read up on the filter part, but looks like there's always something to learn...when you said filter pad, do you mean the bio pad or the carbon pad? I actually don't have access to RO water...I'm using tap water to setup my tank and using water conditioners like stress coat to remove the chlorines and let the water sit for a few days...I hope this works...

[RyanG]

Rinse the bio-pad if you decide to use it at all. Replace the carbon pad. The carbon doesnt need to be run all the time, just to polish the water say one week out of the month maybe two. Does your canister have the trays in each section? It would probably be more economic for you to use media bags and buy bulk carbon media. They sell it in galllon sized jugs. It would be a lot cheaper than using the carbon pads.

[Bifferwine]

Using tap water to set up your tank initially is okay, but stress coat and water conditioners will make your protein skimmer go crazy. The skimmer won't work if you use those additives, it will just pull straight water. You can buy RODI water at any grocery store or Walmart, and it's pretty cheap. I'd recommend using it if possible, as not only does tap water contain chlorine and chloramine, but it also contains heavy metals, nitrates and phosphates, all of which are bad for your tank, and water conditioners don't take those out.

As for the canister filter, it's a good idea to thoroughly clean them weekly, as like Ryan said, they can lead to nitrate problems down the road.

As for your lights, you will have 2 x 21 watts over a 30 gallon tank, correct? That's just over 1 watt per gallon, which is not a lot at all, not even for soft corals. For low light corals, you should aim for around 4 watts per gallon, for SPS, anemones and clams, which are more light intensive, aim for at least 8 watts per gallon. Not all lights are created equal, the watts per gallon rule is not as strict for T5s.

[reeffreak]

The normal output T5's are really no better than the standard florescents(fatty tubes) that come stock with many fishtanks.You may have enough for possibly zoas and mushrooms,not much else.

Everything else sounds good.
Welcome!

[Jojo1628]

Thanks for all the great advice...the canister filter has multiple trays, so maintenance should be easier, I had such a hard time performing cleaning of the marineland's magnum 350 canister before which I ditched. As for the lighting, I may be a little under, but I'll go slow w/ just one small soft coral and see how it'll do...I'll post some pics when I get them. Can't wait to get the tank all setup...but must be patient...thanks again for all your inputs