Bringing my tank back to life

M

mark3090

Reefing newb
hey guys,

so about a year ago i started to get into the hobby, my tank was up and running for about 3-4 months and then things started to crash. i eventually just gave up and left it aside. i figured it was a combination of trying to add too much at once and water changes with tap water + prime. long story short, the water eventually evapourated along with all the inhabitants. the tank is small at 30 gallons with an Eheim 2213, maxi-jet 1200, Jager 3606 heater, and coralife "lunar aqualight"

today i started up the tank again and was looking for advice. i had rinsed the excess salt from the rock but had left the substrate in the tank without rinsing. As for the filter, im using the materials provided when i had purchased it, including the carbon pad, i had taken it out to inspect it but it all looked ok so i didnt bother rinsing anything there. instead of filling with tap water this time i had decided to use all RO water to fill it. i landscaped the rock (roughly 25 lbs worth), went to the LFS and purcahsed another 3 lbs in cured live rock and the guy also gave me a little live sand as well. my problem at the moment is getting the specific grav correct. last i checked it was low at 1.014 so i added another 2.5 lbs salt and am waiting about 12 hours before i check again to make adjustments. the heater is placed in the far left corner while the intake for the filter is at the far right corner, the pressure side is horizinal in the middle across the back and about 3 inces below the water level. my concern as well right now is the placement of the powerhead. it is placed on the far right, beside the intake for the filter about 3 inches below water level pointing at a 45 degree towards the front of the tank. my irritation is that if aimed too low, it blows all the substrate elsewhere and if aimed too high, it generates too much salt build up on the glass canopy which eventually causes my light to become dull. any suggestions as to how to place it? or even if i should go with a smaller powerhead? its a maxi-jet 1200.


also, if i had done anything wrong or if anyone can make suggestions to make my re-start-up any better, advice would greatly be appreciated.


thanks for taking the time.
 
Last edited:
Hi and welcome. Your Maxijet 1200 is a bit big for that tank, I might go with a 600. As for your water, using RO is the only way to go. Are you mixing your salt in the water before you add it to the tank? You should be. And you should also be checking your salinity and specific gravity before it goes in, that way you don't end up where you are now.
 
fastrd400 said:
Hi and welcome. Your Maxijet 1200 is a bit big for that tank, I might go with a 600. As for your water, using RO is the only way to go. Are you mixing your salt in the water before you add it to the tank? You should be. And you should also be checking your salinity and specific gravity before it goes in, that way you don't end up where you are now.
Click to expand...

hey thanks for the reply,

unfortunately i didnt premix, i figured if i was starting from scratch i'd have an opportunity to mix it while in the tank before placing anything in it, will low salinity and SG affect the live rock i picked up today?

as for the powerhead i think i'll take your advice, looks like its craigslist for the 1200..

thanks again
 
You kinda stuck right now. You added another 2 and a half pounds? Yikes! Keep that 1200 blowing in there to help mix that up real good. I would give it a good 24 hours before you test it again. Otherwise, start over from scratch. Get your water, mix in your salt, put a power head in the water to help it mix well for at least 12 hours, test it, and add it once you get your SG up to 1.025. Keep track of what you use amount wise of the salt so you have a good starting point for future water changes. Your LR should be okay, you said you were just starting it back up, no you have no coral or CUC in the tank to worry about right now.
 
Hello and welcome to the site, glad to have you. I agree with Fast, let the maxi-jet run for about 24hrs...set the pump so that it is slightly rippling the surface of the water, but also blowing on the rocks. The live rock will be ok in there, but next time, you should mix the salt/water in a bucket, especially after you place livestock in there. Good luck, keep us updated, post pics, and feel free to ask questions.
 
Welcome aboard.
Fast and Smitty are right on the money with how to get your salinity in check.But once thats taken care of,dont get rid of the maxi-jet.You can use it to mix water for your waterchanges down the road.
I'd also suggest to invest in a good protein skimmer.
 
thanks for the input guys,

so here's the situation at this time. i checked the salinity/SG just now (about 24 hours from topping it off) and its sitting at 1.022 - 1.023. looks like i hit the nail on its head. as for the powerhead issue, i got my hands on a hydor 1, any thoughts on this? i was about to pick up the maxijet 600 but after looking at the physical size differnce i decided to spend the extra few dollars. any suggestions on positioning? another thing i have noticed is that there seems to be some cloudiness in the water still, its been about 36 hours since i added the water and the filter and powerhead have been running since. i have a bad feeling it might be actual dust from the air since the tank was sitting long and i didnt rinse the substrate since i wanted the dead stuff to be in there still.

also, when i was at the LFS i was inquiring about skimmers and the guy said for the size of my tank, 30 ga, a 5-10% water change every 2 weeks should avoid me having to purchase a skimmer. he also suggested that instead of using the filter media that came with the Eheim i should consider switching for live rock and floss. any ideas on that?

lastly, when dealing with the issue of evaporation, should i refill with straight water or pre-mixed salt? i don't want to bring the salinity level up over time.

thanks in advance
 
Your salinity is fine. The cloudiness is fine too -- that can usually take several days to clear up.

The Koralia 1 will probably not be enough flow for a 30 gallon tank. It will be fine for now though. Just think about upgrading in the future. I'd place it in a back corner, facing diagonally. Make sure it's near enough to the surface that it causes a ripple where air and water mix.

I agree with your LFS about the skimmer. There are some good ones for a 30 gallon tank, but you can save some money and do regular water changes instead. Except, I'd do more than 4to 10% every 2 weeks. I have a 10 gallon (with no skimmer or filter) and I do about 30% once a week.

I also agree with what he said about the Eheim. Be sure to clean the floss thoroughly every week. And put 1 to 2 lbs per gallon of live rock in your tank.

Always top off evaporated water with fresh water, not salt. When water evaporates, it leaves the salt behind. If you top off with salt, you will raise your salinity very quickly in a tank that size.
 
Bifferwine said:
Your salinity is fine. The cloudiness is fine too -- that can usually take several days to clear up.

The Koralia 1 will probably not be enough flow for a 30 gallon tank. It will be fine for now though. Just think about upgrading in the future. I'd place it in a back corner, facing diagonally. Make sure it's near enough to the surface that it causes a ripple where air and water mix.

I agree with your LFS about the skimmer. There are some good ones for a 30 gallon tank, but you can save some money and do regular water changes instead. Except, I'd do more than 4to 10% every 2 weeks. I have a 10 gallon (with no skimmer or filter) and I do about 30% once a week.

I also agree with what he said about the Eheim. Be sure to clean the floss thoroughly every week. And put 1 to 2 lbs per gallon of live rock in your tank.

Always top off evaporated water with fresh water, not salt. When water evaporates, it leaves the salt behind. If you top off with salt, you will raise your salinity very quickly in a tank that size.
Click to expand...


so should i keep the maxijet then? should i use both or is that too much flow?

i also have about 25-27 lbs of rock in there, doesnt leave much room for swimming :ugh:
 
mark3090 said:
so should i keep the maxijet then? should i use both or is that too much flow?

i also have about 25-27 lbs of rock in there, doesnt leave much room for swimming :ugh:
Click to expand...
You're ok, I've got 56 lbs. of rock in my 28g and there's plenty of room. You may just have to change your rockwork around.
 
Hey guys,

3 days in and the once dead live rock is starting to grow purple on it. What is that stuff anyways? And I'm assuming its a good thing?

Any suggestions as to what fish I can use to cycle it further? And do you guys suggest doing any water changes during the cycling process?

Thanks
 
Don't add any fish, it won't help/speed up your cycle at all. Also, don't do any water changes either, that will actually prolong your cycle.
 
If it's hard then it's most likely coraline. Most people like to keep it because it gives a nice color to their rocks but, if you don't like it you can always pull the rocks out and scrape it off.
 
Yep, sounds like coralline algae, which is a good type of algae. It's hard and colorful, and where it has established itself nuisance algae has a tougher time taking ahold.
 
Just know that if you wish to keep corals there is a chance that it may nip at them. It's usually a crap shoot to whether they will or not.
 

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