Brand new help me out

T

tegracer877

Reefing newb
hi, so i just got into saltwater reef tanks, zero experience whatsoever. had a few small freshwater tanks before, so i know the very basics of fishkeeping.

ive had this tank runnig about 3 days, added live rock yesterday, seems to be doing ok but i have this feeling im messing up.. all the reading ive been doing has made me nervous but i wont quit.

its only a 6g, my plans are a few easy corals at first (i have upgraded lights on the way) one or possible 2 small clownfish, some hermits and a few snails.

it would be great to get some advice and if im doing something wrong please point it out, heres my stats so far, then on to pics

salinity: 1.023
temp: currently 77, (on its way to 81)
PH: 8.1
KH: 225
phosphate: .25
amonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate:0
9011.jpg

9007.jpg


as u can see ive put a decent sized shrimp peice in there to help get it started, please help me out with anything im missing, thank you.
 
and im not seeing ANY activity at all from the live rock or the live sand.. im not sure if your supposed to but im not seeing anything "live" from either one..

im hoping i havnt killed it already..
 
Live just means it has bacteria on it that can transform the waste from the fish into less harmful stuff. Just keep your shrimp piece in there for a day or two and keep measuring your levels.

I also dont know if you can put two fish in there, that would be a lot of waste for such a small tank.
 
Oh yes, welcome!

Sorry for my terrible manors! Im very tired :(

But ask any questions you have, we love to help people out! Its going to be great!
 
Hello and welcome to the site...looks like you're on the right path thus far. My lfs has that tank also with 2 clown fish in it.
 
Nice rockscape lookin good!

You will eventually see bacteria bloom all over the rocks, my rock had been at the store in a tank full of rocks with water from the stores system so it was quick to cycle once so it all depends on where you got the rock and how it was treated. Once you see the numbers go up and then back to zero you can add a few of your snails and crabs.

Good luck!
 
thank you everyone for the warm welcome:D, the reefing community is so far one of the nicest bunch of people ive come across in the many hobbies ive gotten into.

im glad i havnt done anything to mess up yet, thats a relief. il be testing all my levels again today to see if my cycle has started, i hope so.

thanks for the help and i will updating this thread with my progress as i build my tank:bounce:

UPDATE: the amonia is now reading around .25, but the water has a distict smell of shrimp.. kinda nasty but its not like really bad, probly not a big deal..

whats the optimum temp for cycling? i would assume warmer water would be better but is there any drawback to warm water (81?, 82?)
ive been running the lights 24/7 because im assuming thats good for bacteria growth, or should i turn them off at night... thanks
 
Last edited:
You should try and keep your tank around 79 degrees, but stability if more important that actual temp.

And its great your ammonia is going up, i would remove that bit of shrimp now.

The lighting doesnt really do anything for the bacteria, but it does help nuisance algae grow, so i would put it on whatever lighting schedule you plan on. So around 8 hours per day, or you could do no light until you put fish in there.
 
UPDATES!!:
so my tank has been running a few weeks now and i wanted to share a few pics and ask a couple questions.
money1072.jpg

led upgraded lighting and coralife 10w bulb
money1078.jpg

his name is stuart:D

i currently have 3 hermits, stuart, some zoanthid and a mushroom

so im noticing red growth on my rocks, im assuming its coraline? this is good right?
is my cuc sufficient? im wanting a starfish and maybe a shrimp or 2, is this ok?

im leaving in about an hour to go get more mushrooms, hopefully some ricordia, maybe more zoos and maybe a shrimp or star!!

(how did i get yet another hobby to keep my wallet thin... hahah)
 
I think shrimp would be a great addition, but i would hold off on the starfish. There isnt enough in your tank to sustain them and they are very delicate. I would wait until your tank matures more.

Also i think you are going to want a larger CUC but i would add them as you get more algae growth so they dont starve. But when you get your larger CUC i would check out reefcleaners.org they have great packages and awesome customer service.
 
Welcome to the site. Glad to have you. Feel free to ask as many questions as you need....Is that a Fluval Edge?...I think I'm falling in love with that tank...I love the look of it.
 
PRC said:
Welcome to the site. Glad to have you. Feel free to ask as many questions as you need....Is that a Fluval Edge?...I think I'm falling in love with that tank...I love the look of it.
Click to expand...

yes it the edge, there is some really great reef setups that people have done with it and i fell in love also, the lighting is the only thing, i still may have to upgrade further..
 

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