Hello forum

[themuffinman22]

Ok so i have finally had the importunity to start a saltwater tank! :bounce: the tank has been set up since 17 of march 2012. today i did my usual water testing and noticing a brown algae on my live rock! also i can see about 10-20 small shrimp-like organisms float around and some om my live sand bed. its a 28 gallon tank with 30 lb of live rock and 25 lb of live sand. i have a micro protein skimmer running and a 2 powerhead powered filter behind the tank. sort of like a biocube but the company that makes it is called Aquaeurousa. i also have a 560 gph rated wave maker. so i was wondering what i should do about the algae.

Also i wanted to occupy the tank with 1 clown-fish (idk what type) 2, 4 striped damsel fish 2 cleaner shrimp and 1 sea star. maybe some snails. my tests (as best as i could do them) show that i have a close to doubled amount (of what i need)of calcium, pH of 8.4, Nitrates at a very low level, no phosphates and idk KH. im learning and doing my best. i use the API saltwater test kit. thanks!

 

[themuffinman22]

opportunity* not importunity

 

[Trigger Happy]

Hello!! From down under in Australia, it's very exciting getting your first salt tank up and runnning. I look forward to seeing pictures

 

[Smitty]

Hello and welcome to the site...the brown algae are diatoms, which are normal in newer tanks. Sounds like you're off to a good start. You should also start your own tank thread so we can follow along with your progress.

 

[tritan]

Re: new tank and many questions

The shrimp like organisms are most likely pods and are good to have in the tank. How about ammonia and nitrites?

If the cycle is complete (ammonia, nitrites, nitrates all 0) you would want to get a CUC (clean up crew) and that would help with the algae problem and you could start slowly adding fish. I would suggest no more than 1 a week.

 

[little_fish]

Hello and Welcome!!

+1 Smitty

The little shrimp things are pods, which are good guys! Free fish food!

The diatoms will go away on their own, but you should get a good CUC in there to deal with the other types of algae that you will get.


If you dont have corals, no need to worry about the calcium, but I really dont trust the API calcium or alkalinity test anyways. Either way, no need to worry about it yet.

Also do your research before you buy any livestock. The starfish you want to keep are super hard because they are so sensitive to any water quality issue and are prone to bacterial infections and just melt away. The starfish that are super hardy, arent reef safe and will usually eat soft corals and small fish.

Also you are limited to one fish for every 10 gallons for the first year of so, and then after that you can add a few more if you have planned ahead for this. A pair of clowns would be great for your tank, but the damsels are not a good choice. They are some of the meanest fish you can buy and will likely bully anything else you add to the tank to death and then they will turn on each other. I would check out the site below for good fish ideas. Make sure you check out the size requirements, not every fish will do well in every tank.
Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums

 

[little_fish]

Also, please dont double post threads

 

[Becky]

Welcome to the forums! :wave:

 

[Waddi]

Welcome to the Reef bud!