My 1st Aquarium

[johnvic]

On Saturday I picked up a Solana. I also picked up live rock and live sand and salt, an RO and testing stuff. I put the stand together and filled the tank with tap water to test it for leaks. On Sunday I learned that a 50 gpd RO filter makes 34 gallons in 17 or so hours, less with the apartments using water, duh. On Monday night I had a full tank of RO'd water and began adding salt, meanwhile I kept the live rock wet with water that WWoF was nice enough to give to me. Yesterday I tested my water and had a SG of about 1.023, depending on which hydrometer I used, and the temperature was at 77'. I lowered the heaters control although part of it may be that my apartment was at 77', so I shut the radiator. My apartment in winter can be over 80' if I don't watch it. Later I did my first attempt at aquascaping. I added the live sand, 40 lbs. and the rock. I added "bio-magnet clarifier", which came with the livesand. My plan is to check the SG again and start testing for ammonia and nitrates, ph etc. The LFS sold me bio-spira, so I guess I add that soon. I'm going away on Aprl 2nd for 5 nights so I will not add fish until after that, even if I get good levels. I may add a CUC before I go. I will probably also add a little piece of raw fish to help things along.

The tank came with 2 lights, a 55 watt and a 150 watt. My plan is to go FOWLR, but may add coral once everything is very stable and consistant. I will not have the light on for a long time until I have fish, but will install it this weekend just to see things better. My plan is to do weekly 5 gal. water changes starting next weekend. Also do one the night before I go away and one the day after I get back.

Is my thinking correct? What do you folks think of the aquascaping? Yes, the pictures are bad! Once I get a light on I will try again. I also have a few small pieces of rock left that I did not put in, so I can add more. Also, I am slightly concerned that the top rocks can be easily knocked over. My fish will be few and small but should I epoxy them together? Should I even out the sand more? Should I add a nano circulation pump on the left side? Also, I put the sand in first and pushed the bottom flat rock down and under. I got some comments about that on another forum and I am wondering if I pull it all out and put the rock down first. That would not be too hard at this point. Or should I just epoxy the rocks together?

Any advice is truly appreciated. I am an absolute beginner. I still have to figure out livestock but I have weeks for that. Here are 2 pictures:

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/215338front-med.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/215338side-med.jpg

[lovethemfish]

You are not going to add any living animals to you tank for a couple weeks at best. Look up some threads on cycling new tanks. When I did mine I added a raw table shrimp to my tank to get the cycle started and get the amonia level up. You need to get a good test kit that is going to tes for amonia, nitrites and nitrates. First you will see your amonia levels go up then level out at zero while your nitrite levels go up and peak. Then your nitrate levels will go up peak then level off at zero. Once all your levels are at zero then it is ok to add a cuc, but you have to feed them. Then I would wait a few more weeks after your tank cycles to think about adding a fish. The whole point is to get the biological system in your tank running strong so that it can handle fish and other waste. I would really suggest on doing some reading about starting a tank the cycle process, and also how to mix fresh salt water and do water changes. I read the saltwater fish for dummies book when I first started and it helped out alot with a great step by step process to follow. remember you have to be very patient with this hobby. Any more questions feel free to ask. I am new to this sight, but have been doing reff tanks for about 2 years now.

[thegrun]

Awesome start! I can tell you've done some reading; you are miles ahead of most beginners, well done. The rock on top of the sand will not be an issue if you pushed and shifted them down to the glass below, if you think there may be some sand between the bottom glass and your rocks, you should start over, you do not want the sand to shift and make your rocks unsteady. If the rocks are not stable, you can epoxy them together, but drilling 1/4" holes and inserting plastic or fiberglass dowels to lock them together is even better. Your tank temperature is fine, try to keep your tank between 77 and 82 degrees, although a little higher or lower will not kill anything. I would take your salinity up to 1.025 or 1.026, but no harm with where it is at now. Wait until you come back from vacation before adding the CUC, your water chemistry is not likely to be ready for them before that.

[thegrun]

How big is your tank? You didn't list it. I would also recommend you get a refractometer instead of the hydrometer you are using, they have a tendency to get out of calibration easily. You do not have to do water changes during your cycle, unless your ammonia levels get over 2.0, and even then it is debatable. Be sure you mix your water in a container, not in your tank. After you add livestock, you should mix it the day before you use it, put a heater in the container to bring it up to tank temperature and drop an air stone in it to mix the water and oxygenate it (you can use an old power head for this as well.

[spw4949]

Very nice start, looks good. As far as water changes go I would not do any until your tank has fully cycled & that could take anywhere from 4-8 weeks. In your case probably closer to 4 because of the amount of live rock & the fact that it (the rock) looks to be well established. If you haven't invested in 1 yet I would recommend a good test kit. API has a reef master test kit that has almost everything you need at a decent price. That way you can monitor your levels closely & you'll know when to add a CUC & what not. Another suggestion is to buy a good book/books and read away. Also, this site is great so any questions ask away, no such thing as a dumb question here. Everyone for the most part is here to help out. Keep us posted as your tank progresses.....