Bifferwine
I am a girl
Sorry, I don't remember. I bought what was recommended for my tank size (the first time, 55 gallons, the second time 240). I called them on the phone and told them about my tank and bought what they said I should.
I'm Putting Together a 40 Gal Tank - One Step at a Time
- Thread starter 1geo
- Start date
1geo
Reefing newb
I put the rock in the tank last Thursday so this is the day 5. The chemistry is following the pattern set by my last experiment and is starting to fall. Ammonia is 0, Nitrites 1.0 and Nitrates 5.0. Both Nitrites and Nitrates have fallen since my last post. Still, I see nothing alive on this rock. Today I was rearranging the rock in the tank getting ready for the last 10 pounds of rock. When I picked up a small, 5 inch piece which as been laying on the sand for 5 days, I was surprised to see the under side of the rock was a solid purple. I can only conclude that the sand has coraline algae spores in it and it seeded the rock. The sand is without question, live sand. It has been producing protein for the month its been in the tank. Can’t wait to get the Garf Grunge and seed this rock. That should be coming in on Thursday.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Sounds like it's coming along well!
1geo
Reefing newb
Actually I live in the bay area in Tarpon Springs about 20 miles from Tampa on the Gulf.
1geo
Reefing newb
On Wednesday I got the Garf Grunge. Ordered it on Monday and it only took two days to get here. I had ordered 10 pounds and they gave me two pounds free along with a small bag of what looked like sea weed. I poured the Grunge on the sand, dumped the sea weed in the tank and then arranged my rock on top of the Grunge. The Grunge is absolutely loaded with color. Today, Thursday, I got the remaining live rock shipment. This time, largely because I called them up and raised hell, they had it wrapped in damp newspaper in a sealed bag and packed well enough so it did not break up in shipment. The rock was still wet and full of color. This was one 10.5 pound piece of rock which forms the center piece of my live rock display in the tank. As soon as the dust settles, I will post a photo of my tank. Tomorrow’s chemistry will be interesting to see if this wet rock raises the Ammonia, Nitrates and Nitrites anymore then the dried rock did which wasn’t very much.
1geo
Reefing newb
Chemistry this morning was interesting. With the wet live rock in the tank for 12 hours Ammonia has risen to .25, Nitrates are up to 20 and Nitrites remain at 1.0 For the first time we are seeing an increase in Ammonia. Its also interesting to note that without the Grunge and the wet live rock the skimmer was producing very little protein. Now, its producing a lot. Below are some pictures of my rock arrangement. The pictures show an overview that may look precarious but in fact, its very sturdy. I also took a shot of my principle rock and of the Garf Grunge. You can also see some of the sea weed the Garf group sent me.
1geo
Reefing newb
I'm not to good at pictures so here goes again.
yote
In Memoriam
You've got some pretty good looking rock there.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
You had dry rock in there before, correct? That's why the skimmer wasn't picking up anything -- nothing producing waste in the tank. There isn't anything living on dry rock. Then you added the live rock and grunge, and you had living critters dying off and/or creating waste, which made your skimmer start collecting gunk.
1geo
Reefing newb
Its been six days since the Grunge and last live rock was put in the tank. The chemistry is still going in the right direction although it has not completed cycling. Ammonia is zero, Nitrates are 10 and Nitrites are .25. The last shipment of live rock had color in it and was wet when it arrived. The color has not faded like the dry rock in the first shipment. So some Coraline algae survived and hopefully will populate the dead rock in the first shipment. My next step is to put together a janitor crew. I live in FL so shipping is cheap and now I need to find the best package I can for the price. I was going to order from the GARF organization but I fear shipping over night from Idaho would be prohibitive. There is an outfit in FL http://www.reefscavengers.com/ that only charges $7.99 overnight shipping in FL so I will give them a serious look. My Percula will be coming out of the QT tank in a week. I expect the 40 gal tank will be ready for her by then.
Last edited:
1geo
Reefing newb
Well, I am quickly getting to the end of curing the rock. This morning the Ammonia was zero, the Nitrates were zero and the Nitrites were .25. Once the Nitrites get to zero I will let everything settle down for a week and then transfer my Percula from her QT copper tank to the 40 gal tank. This now poses a problem. How do I get her from a copper tank to a non-copper tank without contaminating the non-copper tank? It would seem prudent to have a two stage process. First do water exchanges on the QT tank to reduce the copper load. Next move her into an interim vessel using an acclimation process, then, again, using an acclamation process move her into the 40 gal tank. Or, am I making this more complicated than it should be?
Last edited:
Bifferwine
I am a girl
You can just use a net to move her from one tank to the other.
1geo
Reefing newb
I though I may be making it to complicated which is one of my major faults.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Hahaha, that's okay. I understand it's concerning to think that you may inadvertently contaminate your main tank with any residual copper on the fish or on the net, but I've never heard of that happening before.
1geo
Reefing newb
Its been ten days since I put the GARF Grunge and last shipment of live rock in the tank. This evening the chemistry was all zero. Zero Ammonia, Nitrates and Nitrites. The LR and Grunge are cured and the tank is now ready for the janitor crew. I plan on ordering a package from Reef Scavengers this evening and should have them by Tuesday. My Percula is doing good in the QT tank. She's three days into the Formalin treatment so she has eleven days to go. There was one thing about her treatment that gave me some trouble. The directions on the Formalin says to add 2 drops per gal of tank water by volume. My QT tank is a 10 gal tank so I needed to add 20 drops. Unfortunately a drop is not always a drop. there are small drops and big drops. For lab purposed 20 drops is equal to 1 cc. So from now on, I will add 1 cc every other day for the next 11 days. When I started the Formalin my Percula had two white spots, one on each cheek. To day both spots are gone.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Glad to hear she's doing better and that your tank is coming along.
1geo
Reefing newb
This is my last posting for this thread which was started Feb 25, 2009. My project was to put together a 40 gal tank and to do it right. In the last two months I learn a lot about what should be done, how fast it should be done and what not to do. My first lesson was patience. Patience is more then a virtue, it’s a necessity if you are going to be successful with a marine aquarium. People moving to fast is probably the major reason for failure. Here is a summary of what I’ve learn with this project:
Plan ahead. Have in mind what your tank will look like at the end and what equipment you will need to get there. New equipment is great if you can afford it but I have found used equipment serves the same purpose and is far cheaper.
The tank. The size of the tank is critical. Most people get to small a tank to fit their needs. Look at other setups before you buy a tank.
What salt to buy. Not all sea salts are the same and much depends on what your goal is. For example, if you need high calcium make sure the salt you use has high calcium levels.
Live Sand (LS). Before you buy study the different types of LS and which one will suit your purpose. Also ask the vendor how he ships. If the LS you get is dry then its dead sand not live. LS should be wet and sealed in a plastic bag. 30 pounds can be jammed into a USPS flat rate box and make sure its sent priority mail because live things die. Once in the tank cycle your LS before you introduce live rock.
Live Rock (LR), Normally the hobbyist is buying sight unseen. Here there is some danger. The LR may have hitch hikers such as Mantis Shrimp. Ask the vendor if he can guarantee there are no Mantis Shrimp or other dangerous organisms in his package. Also ask how he ships. I have had LR shipped bone dry; that’s not LR that’s dead rock. LR should be shipped wet and in a sealed plastic container. The best and cheapest LR I’ve found is on eBay.
Scavenger Crew. There is a wide difference in price for your clean up crew and its shipping costs. Do your home work before you buy and you will save a lot of money.
Fish. Quarantine new arrives. I cannot stress this point enough. One of the most common and fatal mistakes is dumping a new arrival in your main tank the day it arrives. When you buy fish have a QT tank setup and keep your new arrives in there for at least three week.
Diseases. Brooklynella, the various forms of Ich which includes Marine Velvet, Flukes, worms, etc. These are common in the hobby and difficult to get rid of. I am stunned by how little the average hobbyist knows about these parasites. One even asked if he could transfer his diseased clownfish to his father’s tank while he treated his tank for the parasites. Read, read and read some more You cannot have enough information on how to diagnose and treat these diseases. Your best prevention is to QT your fish before introducing them to your main tank.
Five days ago I transferred a Percula Clownfish from my QT tank to my main tank thus ending my project. I wish to thank all for their contributions to this effort. Their council has not only been beneficial its been vital to the success of this effort. Thanks to all. 1geo
Plan ahead. Have in mind what your tank will look like at the end and what equipment you will need to get there. New equipment is great if you can afford it but I have found used equipment serves the same purpose and is far cheaper.
The tank. The size of the tank is critical. Most people get to small a tank to fit their needs. Look at other setups before you buy a tank.
What salt to buy. Not all sea salts are the same and much depends on what your goal is. For example, if you need high calcium make sure the salt you use has high calcium levels.
Live Sand (LS). Before you buy study the different types of LS and which one will suit your purpose. Also ask the vendor how he ships. If the LS you get is dry then its dead sand not live. LS should be wet and sealed in a plastic bag. 30 pounds can be jammed into a USPS flat rate box and make sure its sent priority mail because live things die. Once in the tank cycle your LS before you introduce live rock.
Live Rock (LR), Normally the hobbyist is buying sight unseen. Here there is some danger. The LR may have hitch hikers such as Mantis Shrimp. Ask the vendor if he can guarantee there are no Mantis Shrimp or other dangerous organisms in his package. Also ask how he ships. I have had LR shipped bone dry; that’s not LR that’s dead rock. LR should be shipped wet and in a sealed plastic container. The best and cheapest LR I’ve found is on eBay.
Scavenger Crew. There is a wide difference in price for your clean up crew and its shipping costs. Do your home work before you buy and you will save a lot of money.
Fish. Quarantine new arrives. I cannot stress this point enough. One of the most common and fatal mistakes is dumping a new arrival in your main tank the day it arrives. When you buy fish have a QT tank setup and keep your new arrives in there for at least three week.
Diseases. Brooklynella, the various forms of Ich which includes Marine Velvet, Flukes, worms, etc. These are common in the hobby and difficult to get rid of. I am stunned by how little the average hobbyist knows about these parasites. One even asked if he could transfer his diseased clownfish to his father’s tank while he treated his tank for the parasites. Read, read and read some more You cannot have enough information on how to diagnose and treat these diseases. Your best prevention is to QT your fish before introducing them to your main tank.
Five days ago I transferred a Percula Clownfish from my QT tank to my main tank thus ending my project. I wish to thank all for their contributions to this effort. Their council has not only been beneficial its been vital to the success of this effort. Thanks to all. 1geo
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Glad to hear your clown ended up okay and that your tank is on its way to being successful. I hope you keep us updated with any changes you make to the tank in the future.
Similar threads
