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View Full Version : newbie setup, diatom bloom and something's growing!


fairladyZ
03/31/2013, 11:06 AM
Hey everyone,

Just got bit by the reef bug so decided to make the plunge and start off with a 90gallon tank.
So far i've got it setup and running with LFS RO/DI water, a Vertex IN-100 skimmer, 2 koralias powerheads, and ViaAqua 3600 return pump. 4 T5HO bulbs with a ecoxotic blue LED Strip.

Filled it up and turned everything on tuesday, did have my lights on a little more than i should of at first and by friday i had a diatom bloom starting and on saturday it had spread quite abit although not out of control yet. But today on sunday i notice something that i hadn't seen yet. It almost looks like a shell/mushroom just sitting in the back of my tank on the sand. To this point have have not put ANYTHING in my tank.

I did start with 70 lbs of sand, 20 lbs of Live sand. 16 lbs of live rock, and 33 lbs of dead rock. wondering if i got a hitchiker in one of the rocks or something. I'm sure it's no need to worry yet just like with the diatom blooms but being new i'm constantly curious about EVERYTHING. I'm having alot of fun already, can't wait to start putting in livestock. Will probably start off with some snails and crabs here in teh next couple days then hopefully some shrimp.

Future plans is a mixed tank with some nice fish and nice coral. I probably won't stock it until i finish the aquascaping and setting up some nice rock walls and what not, haven't decided yet what route to go.

Future equipment planned so far is either a reefkeeper or neptune system haven't decided which yet.

onto some pictures.

The tank at first run:
http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q615/spoolinse-r/20130327_071545_zps737201e5.jpg

sump setup:
http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q615/spoolinse-r/20130331_110106_zps9a46a6af.jpg

tank with diatom bloom:
http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q615/spoolinse-r/20130331_103115_zps5835d808.jpg

the mysterious unidentified growth:
http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q615/spoolinse-r/20130331_102844_zpsb165e31c.jpg
http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q615/spoolinse-r/20130331_102905_zps14e0c082.jpg
http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q615/spoolinse-r/20130331_102937_zps5d362351.jpg

any tips or help is greatly appreciated and happy to be into this hobby, hopefully it's kind to me!

nanoreef heaven
04/01/2013, 07:26 AM
I can't really see it well but just looks like a small clam of some sort. A filter feeder. Harmless.

fairladyZ
04/21/2013, 01:11 PM
Well figured i would update since i got started.

Tank cycled just fine and have had 0 issues with it other than aquascaping. I jbwelded some baserock togeather to make a formation and arch with some caves and cracks in it.
So total of about 80lbs of rock in the tank and the live rock has been seeding the others.
Had a couple hitchikers so far, Had the clam/mussle that has vanished, he was under a rock and now can no longer find him, have about 7-8 bristleworms, some amphipods, a peanut worm.

My livestock so far only consists of about 18 dwarf blue leg hermits, 5 astrea snails, 1 turbo snail, 6 nassarius snails, 3 peppermint shrimp to take care of some aptasia that started. Everything has been going great, we lost 1 hermit crab that seemed to be eaten by a nassarius snail but maybe he was just old!

Re-arranged the rocks and powerheads, put some rock in the sump to help filter, Added a Apex Lite with PH probe, and purchased an BRS RO/DI machine that will be here tuesday.

Setup a QT tank but waiting for the filters to build up bacteria sitting in the sump before filling it up and letting it cycle then will probably purchase the first fish or 2.

Onto some pics.
http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q615/spoolinse-r/20130421_130141_zps2d621f6c.jpg

Apex controls are all mounted in the cabinet just to the side of the DT. Still some more work to be done on the programming but it's running smooth for now.

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q615/spoolinse-r/20130421_130229_zpsfc6dfa87.jpg

http://i1166.photobucket.com/albums/q615/spoolinse-r/20130421_131405_zpsb851e767.jpg

Still to come will be hopefully a ATO and then possibly swapping out the hydor's for vortech or tunze as the hydor's kick on in reverse whenever i feed and click like crazy!

jpruitt
04/21/2013, 05:53 PM
Is your ph probe calibrated. If so a ph of 7.25 is horrible.

fairladyZ
04/21/2013, 06:57 PM
yes it's calibrated. I was curious as to how that stacked up as it seemed low to me, one reason why i posted that shot.
I'll have to get a PH test kit and check it to see how if it is indeed calibrated right.

jpruitt
04/21/2013, 08:13 PM
I assume that the calibration is off cause if you we're at a 7.25 your live rock would be melting away very slowly. You want to attempt to keep the ph between 8.1 and 8.4. I run mine at a 8.45. Just the way my tank is for some reason. Other than that your setup looks good. Hair algae is normal. You might get your hands in there and pic out as much as possible. Then after you get your ph sorted out add some more snails. Good luck. Heads up I have never been able to get a peppermint to eat an aptasia. I went with Bergia nudibranches. Worked like a charm.

Beandawg
04/21/2013, 08:23 PM
Your pH shouldn't be that low if your salinity is correct. The only other reason it would be that low is if you weren't using live or dry "live" rock. What is your salinity?

fairladyZ
04/21/2013, 10:05 PM
salinty has been holding steady at 1.25. Peppermints have been doing fine, so has the emerald crabs and snails. I have 16lbs of live rock and about 30 lbs of baserock that has begun to come live as i've seen bristleworms living in it aswell as the peppermint shrimp and others feeding off it. THen i have 34 lbs of the baserock that i just barely added, so as for live rock i don't have a TON, but i also had 20lbs of live sand when i started.
I'll pick up a PH test kit to actually see what it says. As far as the peppermint shrimp they ate all the aptasia i had growing, i watched one of them rip a aptasia bulb out of the sand and go crazy on it.. was quite the site to see for sure.

So i've been trying to read up on low PH and it seems as maybe the fact that i don't have a fan setup, my sump is in the stand but is kind of wrapped up in there with some plastic backing to prevent leaking, and i also have glass tops on the tank. My powerheads are kind of low as are my returns so i haven't had much surface agitation. Could all this be a factor in my PH being low?

Chaotic Reefer4u
04/21/2013, 10:52 PM
Nice startup fair lady, thanks for sharing!

fairladyZ
04/21/2013, 10:57 PM
Thanks!

Also to add i do have some tests and will pick up more tomorrow.
Today went as follows when i tested at about 5:30PM
Temp: 79.1 (mid day was trying to get the temp down back to 78)
Phosphate: 0.25
Nitrate: 0-2 ppm

those test were with the API Reefmaster test kit. Will go and purchase the API Reefmaster Salwater kit tomorrow and whichever ones i need that aren't included in that.

fairladyZ
04/22/2013, 08:45 PM
alright so ran some tests today after picking up the API saltwater test kit, and a red sea Alkalinity Test.

I left the glass tops, a window open and a fan running in the room all day and it brought the PH on the apex up to a highest point of 7.46 but no higher.
The test results from the API and redsea kits are as follows.

ph: 8.1
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 2
Phosphate: .25
Calcium: 440
Alkalinity: 8.1
Salinity: a shade under 1.025
temp: 77.9-78.1 throughout the day