New here with questions and picture/details of my 125 gallon.

[sasscuba]

Hello. My name is Scott. I am 36 and have had aquariums for 30 years but this is my first saltwater. I have recently converted my 125 gallon fresh into salt.

I am using

(2) Penguin 300 GPH Bio-wheel filters.
(1) Fluval 405...340 GPH canister filter.
(2) Tronic 200 watt glass heaters.
(1) Aqua C Remora Pro Protein Skimmer with Mag 3 pump.
(2) 30 watt 18,000K Power-Glo High Intensity Florescent.
(1) Aquaclear 500 Powerhead...900GPH.
(1) Powersweep PS-40 Powerhead....270 GPH.

I have added

80 pounds of Florida crushed coral
120 pounds total of Fiji live rock and Tonga Branch.
30 pounds of base rock
Bio-Spira Bacteria to aid in cycle.

I have added a raw shrimp to help feed the cycle along with some fish food.

Going about this very slow and am going to make 100% sure the tank has cycled before adding any fish and even then I will add one at a time.

Couple of questions I have.

Aquarium store said to leave the lights off until the tank cycles so the nitrates don't spike and the lights contribute to unwanted algae growth.....does this sound right? My coraline algae has already started to move on the base rock.

I have fake corals in with the live rock so I have been told the (2) 18,000K 30 watt bulbs will be ok to keep live rock algae growing? Sound ok?

I am using B-Ionic Calcium Buffer system in 2 parts to feed the live rock.

Do I have enough filter system and power-heads? I am flowing almost 1,000 gallons per hour on the filters and 1,100 gallons per hour on the 2 power-heads.

I plan not to do any corals for the first year or so until I can get into some better lights. I am going to have just fish, live rock and low light animals like mushrooms and feather dusters.

Two animals I have noticed so far that have come out of my live rock are a small all white starfish about the size of a pencil erasure with 6 legs. Will it live, what is it, and what will it eat?

I have seen some white worms that come out of holes that look like really skinny spaghetti. What are they and are they good?

Lots of questions I know but any help is very much appreciated.

Thank you. Scott.

 

[bkv1997]

Check out Melev's Reef - Visual Identification they have some great pictures to compare what you're seeing to find out exactly what they are. Most worms and starfish that come in on live rock will eat detritus and extra food uneaten by your fish.

Tank setup sounds good, I would add a filter bag full of phosban or phosgaurd in the penguin just to help cut down on algea growths.

Everything sounds good so far... Keep us posted.

 

[squibley2]

I would take the bio wheels off the filters now to prevent a nitrate problem later. I would also consider switching the crushed coral for a deep sand bed before you get to far into it. The crushed coral will not do as much for your system as a deep sand bed will (better in the long run). You also might want to switch the powersweep for another aquaclear and run the 2 powerheads on some sort of wave device. Just a could thoughts but looks like you are taking the right approch. Nice stand!!! Want to build another one?

 

[smmagui]

Tank looks great, and welcome.

 

[sasscuba]

I would take the bio wheels off the filters now to prevent a nitrate problem later. I would also consider switching the crushed coral for a deep sand bed before you get to far into it. The crushed coral will not do as much for your system as a deep sand bed will (better in the long run). You also might want to switch the powersweep for another aquaclear and run the 2 powerheads on some sort of wave device. Just a could thoughts but looks like you are taking the right approch. Nice stand!!! Want to build another one?

Thank you and yes I built the stand myself. Could not find anything tall enough that I like that the wife's tank could also go on. Since it is already set-up I think the crushed coral is staying. Few friends have had the sand and switched to the crushed coral. They did not like the fact it stirred up so easily and I want to be able to siphon the bottom without sucking it up. Everyone says at all the shops here that the Bio-Wheels will greatly help the tank....I will keep a close eye on the nitrates and remove them if I see a problem. Thanks for the help. Scott.

 

[bkv1997]

I agree with squibley on the biowheels. Maybe different if you didn't have all the LR and a good skimmer, just my .02.

 

[sasscuba]

I agree with squibley on the biowheels. Maybe different if you didn't have all the LR and a good skimmer, just my .02.

If I remove the Bio-Wheels I get bubbles being put into the tank. I don't know how to fix that problem if I take them out. Some people say Bio-wheels are ok and some say no....???? Confused I am...:frustrat:

 

[bkv1997]

They are ok, infact great at what they do.... they break waste down into nitrate which is the better than ammonia or nitrite.

However, if your running a skimmer its better to give the skimmer time to completely remove it so you don't have any of the above.

If you didn't have a skimmer, I would say keep the Bio Wheels.

Hope this helps.
Brandon

 

[Ironman]

for the sake of keeping the bio wheels, just rinse them or soak them in fresh water every couple days, though with a 125 gallon tank, and such a small back filter I dont think that small of a bio wheel will have any affect either way. long term you may want to consider getting rid of them but for now I dont think they will hurt anything.
Im really not sure but I would think the coraline algae would need more than 60 watts total light to grow or even stay alive in a 125, but Ive always had high lighting on all my tanks so I dont know for sure. im sure someone else will verify the serviveability of coraline. sounds like your doing a pretty good job so far, keep us posted.

 

[sasscuba]

for the sake of keeping the bio wheels, just rinse them or soak them in fresh water every couple days, though with a 125 gallon tank, and such a small back filter I dont think that small of a bio wheel will have any affect either way. long term you may want to consider getting rid of them but for now I dont think they will hurt anything.
Im really not sure but I would think the coraline algae would need more than 60 watts total light to grow or even stay alive in a 125, but Ive always had high lighting on all my tanks so I dont know for sure. im sure someone else will verify the serviveability of coraline. sounds like your doing a pretty good job so far, keep us posted.

This is from Reef Central Online Community on the info. page....

How do I make coralline algae grow?"

The recipe for success regarding coralline is to have calcium levels of roughly 400 ppm, alkalinity levels between 3 and 4 meq/L (8.4 dKH and 11.2 dKH), extremely low phosphate (undetectable on a test kit), and good current flow. Intense light is not required for coralline, but your lighting regimen may dictate the colour of coralline that will thrive in your tank. The darker red and deep purple types of coralline seem to grow best under low light, and the lighter purple to white varieties seem to grow best under brighter lighting.

The lights I am using are a total of 36,000K and are very bright marine bulbs. The coralline algae has already moved onto my base rock and I have had the lights off for 6 days since the tank has been set up so I know it grows in total darkness??

 

[Ironman]

wow, interesting, cause when I put live rock in low to no light places in my tank it turns white or dies. thats why usually the coraline is always on the outer surface of your rock structure, which would indicate to me a dependency on light. but ive never researched coraline so I dont know. also your kelvin rating isnt what determines your lighting amount, that is stricly a spectrum issue. Wattage is what matters to some degree. you always calculate watts per gallon, then adjust kelvin to get the color spectrum you like or need for better growth

 

[Ironman]

just to give you a idea, I run a 120 gallon reef, I have 720 watts of halides and vhos. but I would still be considered under lit if I were heavily stocked with sps corals, I keep a handfull of stonies but dont push it with my lights. I run 14k bulbs mainly cause I like the color, I might get alittle better growth with 10k bulbs but they make the corals color fade out. So as I said watts per gallon is the key, then decide what kelvin rating you want. but for starting up or for fish only it really doesnt matter. I would really like to know how the coraline progresses in a couple months, it would be a great experiment! please keep us posted im curious how it goes

 

[sasscuba]

just to give you a idea, I run a 120 gallon reef, I have 720 watts of halides and vhos. but I would still be considered under lit if I were heavily stocked with sps corals, I keep a handfull of stonies but dont push it with my lights. I run 14k bulbs mainly cause I like the color, I might get alittle better growth with 10k bulbs but they make the corals color fade out. So as I said watts per gallon is the key, then decide what kelvin rating you want. but for starting up or for fish only it really doesnt matter. I would really like to know how the coraline progresses in a couple months, it would be a great experiment! please keep us posted im curious how it goes

I will. My LFS said she tried it once and left the lights off for 2 months and it still grew so go figure?

 

[Ironman]

cool, if you have the time take a picture of a certain rock or coraline patch and keep a picture log every week or so to document progress that would be cool, keep in touch