New to the hobby

[rhudd26]

Hello all,

I am new to the hobby so please be gentle. I have a 65 gallon glass tank that I am trying to turn into a reef tank. I have an RS80 skimmer in my sump.

When it comes to chemicals what chemicals should I be looking at adding to my tank and at what frequency should I be adding them.

Looking for help from start to finish. I only have about 30 pounds of live rock in there at the moment. Should I add more and should the rock be placed more towards the back of the tank or in the middle. Please any thoughts or suggestions are much appreciated.

[WaterKeeper]

Hi Hudd,

If all is going well the only chemical you need to add at this time is salt water mix. Adding chemicals, where you haven't found them to be low by testing, is both dangerous to the tank and also your wallet. About the only chemicals you usually need to add to an established tank are possibly an alkalinity booster and calcium. Both of these are used by growing corals. Other than those not much else is needed.

I would suggest another 30-40 lbs of LR as it is the backbone of your tanks biological filtration system. It is better to do it now than wait till you have livestock in the tank that may be harmed by an ammonia spike when adding new rock.

You may find this The New Tank Thread (http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=239848) helpful in getting you started.

[welcome]

[rhudd26]

Thanks for your help. I have about a 3 inch LS setup right now. Should it be more?

[WaterKeeper]

I push more toward 4" but 3" usually does in a pinch. You may also slope it so you have deeper sand in the rear than the front.

[rhudd26]

Should I stack my LR more towards the back of the tank. Right now its closer to the middle of the tank.

Also would you recommend that I attach some of the rock with an adhessive?

[WaterKeeper]

That is entirely up to you. Arrange the rock in any fashion that is pleasing to you. If you plan on shelves of rock then gluing them together works fine. I avoid gluing large amounts of rock together as it make it more dangerous if you ever need to move them out of the tank.

[rhudd26]

Good point!!!! I have a hang on overflow and it makes a lot of noise. Any way to quiet down the draining noise it makes? Also any type of overflow that you might recommend?

[Wett Hands]

I'm also interested in finding a reliable and quiet HOB overflow box.

[rhudd26]

I have some algae growth on my sand bed. Not much but some is a redish color and the other looks like hair algae. What is the best way to take care of something like that?

[Wett Hands]

Sounds like cyano or maybe diatoms, both are common in new tanks. I either case the solution is the same:

-Regular water changes with good water (RO/DI water prefered)
-Patience and then more patience, time will take care of the rest usually.