Looking for opinions and advice on my newer tank

[FNG530]

cliff notes:
40 gallon long tank,
36" current orbit marine led light,
heater
tetra whisper charcol filter
single powerhead.

I am just looking for some opinions and advice on my "new to me" tank.

About a month and a half ago, I picked up a 40 gallon (long) saltwater tank, stand, light, heater, filter, powerhead, live sand/rock, with two clown fish for $50 from a co worker! :dance:

I brought everything home and set it up in my house. Now before i got this tank it was neglected for awhile so it had brown algea looking stuff all over it the sand and rocks which i assume to be detritus, along with green grassy looking algea. Once i had mixed salt water and added it to the tank i added the clown fish since i had nowhere else to keep them and they have been doing good since.

There were two small nassarius that showed up (must have been hidden in the sand), and shortly after that i added two larger turbo snails and two small red legged hermit crabs to help eat the algea, and they did a wicked job at that. About a week later added a single Cardinalfish.

Fast forward to about two weeks ago the girlfriend got a 36-48" current marine orbit led light fixture to replace the single tube light we had and boy it made the tank look a lot better. Last week we added a couple more live rock which brings our total to about six pieces i believe.

So in the last few days we have noticed some more brown algea forming on the rocks, sand, and glass. I just want to know if this is normal or if we are over feeding or have too much lighting for what is in the tank.

I will snap some pictures in a few minutes and post them. :cool:

[acabgd]

What is your salinity and other water parameters. Without these there's not much we can comment on.

[FNG530]

here are some pics.

This is how the tank looked before i got it
http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b477/Dingman90/Tings/3AA732E8-80EB-44F5-A5C2-661BD7B9E38E_zpsn5xbam7u.jpg (http://s1047.photobucket.com/user/Dingman90/media/Tings/3AA732E8-80EB-44F5-A5C2-661BD7B9E38E_zpsn5xbam7u.jpg.html)

Once i got it to my house
http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b477/Dingman90/Tings/845FFF2F-8929-4F52-840B-816036E7AE7A_zps0w7bjbaj.jpg (http://s1047.photobucket.com/user/Dingman90/media/Tings/845FFF2F-8929-4F52-840B-816036E7AE7A_zps0w7bjbaj.jpg.html)

Some more rock we added
http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b477/Dingman90/Tings/DBA4FECF-BE02-4890-94D6-1F9A834923D7_zpswf7huf1k.jpg (http://s1047.photobucket.com/user/Dingman90/media/Tings/DBA4FECF-BE02-4890-94D6-1F9A834923D7_zpswf7huf1k.jpg.html)

It is kind of hard to see but this is some of the brown algea i am trying to show.
http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b477/Dingman90/Tings/BE582C60-4949-4A0F-B712-9A5BC32C7C48_zpspzjibynl.jpg (http://s1047.photobucket.com/user/Dingman90/media/Tings/BE582C60-4949-4A0F-B712-9A5BC32C7C48_zpspzjibynl.jpg.html)
http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b477/Dingman90/Tings/BDDE8E1B-7C9C-44B7-981F-3FA9E34E1699_zpsgxrikzmx.jpg (http://s1047.photobucket.com/user/Dingman90/media/Tings/BDDE8E1B-7C9C-44B7-981F-3FA9E34E1699_zpsgxrikzmx.jpg.html)

[FNG530]

What is your salinity and other water parameters. Without these there's not much we can comment on.
edit: Thank you for responding by the way!

I should have known to post that from all the reading i have done. :doh:
The instant ocean hydrometer that i have is not very accurate when i first did it i had it mixed to 1.025 on my gauge, which when i had tested at the local fish store, he said it was off from his refractometer, so we discussed i needed to bring it up .003 according to my hydrometer. so as i just tested it my "hydrometer" says "1.028" which means it should be right at 1.025. I need to buy a new one, or even a refractometer.

The guy at the fish store tested it a couple weeks ago and said i needed to bring my salinity up before i could get accurate readings, (needless to say the store was closed today when the girlfriend and i wanted to go get the water tested). (40 mins away)
The tank came with a box of testing supplies and everything seemed to test out okay, but looking at the date on the box it was long expired, so i tossed all of it, didn't even write down the parameters. Any recommendations on new testing supplies?

[FNG530]

was just looking at everything for the first time with a flashlight since the lights are off and it is dark.

i notice i have a ton of small worms in the sand, saw one worm in a rock, possible some pineapple sponges?, and a bunch of little tiny things crawling on the glass. pretty cool, gonna keep looking and see if there is anything else that is going on

[acabgd]

Some algae is normal and overall your tank seems to be doing omay. However, you definitely need to get some tests, as that is the only way to check your water quality. Start with a Nitrate test. You can get the one from API, although they are notoriously unreliable. If you can get the one from Salifert or Red Sea. As you don't have any coral this is probably the only thing you should test for. It might be good to test at least once for ammonia, but you can do that at your LFS. If they test your water don't take "good" or "bad" for an answer, but request the proper value they got from the test and then post here.

Do you have a skimmer? Do you do water changes and how often? Do you use tap water or RO?

[FNG530]

tested the water today with an api test.

ph is 8.2
ammonia= 0ppm
nitrite=0ppm
Nitrate=20ppm?

SG=1.025
Temperature is= 79 degrees

I say we have been doing water changes every week and a half or so.
using tap water since i haven't bought a RO system. Might just start getting water from the LFS.


DO not have a skimmer, was looking at the reef octopus. Cant decide on the bh100 or the bh1000.

[FNG530]

well went to the LFS today and got Rodi water that we will start using. topped off the evaporated loss and i think tomorrow will do a water change.

Also picked up a yellow wrasse which after about 10 seconds decided to go and bury itself in the sand. After searching for a minute i found it through a small opening in one of the rocks.

Now i have read these fish can be jumpers. The tank came with a full lid (glass) that i kept on for the first couple weeks, but i kept being told to run an open top, so off came that (amazed at how much the water evaporates with it off). Well with that said, i do not currently have a screen top and was wondering if i should throw that glass cover back on until i can get one.

[bizacon]

Well with that said, i do not currently have a screen top and was wondering if i should throw that glass cover back on until i can get one.

You don't want to put the glass cover back on, you want the gasses to escape. You can do a DIY with some plastic egg crate. Home depot using carries egg crate that are used for lights. Just trim it down for the tank opening

[billdogg]

Sounds like you are off to a fair start!

I would not even waste my time using eggcrate for the top. Your wrasse will go right through it like it's not even there. (don't ask how I know this, but it is very true!)

I would put the glass top back on, but only until you get a good top for it. What I would suggest is a DIY screen top using window screen frame and 1/4" clear mesh. It is very easy to make and will prevent anything from carpet surfing on you. The frame parts you can get at HD/Lowes, the mesh they might have, or take a look at www.bulkreefsupply.com. You'll be glad you did.

I would also strongly suggest you go ahead and get your own ro/di unit. There are many reasonably priced options out there. I like www.buckeyehydro.com , but that is my experience (great customer service, great price)

hth

[SwampyBill]

Welcome to Reef Central! You've found a great community here w/ a ton of knowledge. Your tank's looking good & you're well on your way; but a few things concern me...
1--Wrasse need a fine sandbed to dive into at night or when stressed; all those rocks on top of sandbed will be a problem for it (& don't dig around to find him. He's getting acclimated & will come out when ready. Digging around in sandbed will just stress it out more).
2--ANY fish can be a jumper, so +3 to making a screen cover for the top...
3--Don't use tap water for top offs or to mix salt. The brown algae is normal in a newish tank--adding the 2nd batch of live rock may have caused a little mini-cycle; but it could also be the tap water.
Approx. how many lbs. of live rock are in the tank? Ideally, there sound be around 1 lb. per gallon of tank...Good luck!

[Bakes2]

Hard to tell but how deep in the sand under those small rocks?

[FNG530]

Thanks for all the replies guys!!

Ill get a measurement of the sandbed tonight for you all. Id say at least an inch of sand all around. I actually do not like all the small rocks on top of the sand, so i bought a new cat litter box scooper to some what strain all the rock out. Doing that however does kick up a lot of crap out of the sand and i wonder id that has anything to do with the algea.

The wrasse has been burying in the sand (found his spot). But every once in awhile he moves or earlier today he was out swimming with the clowns and seemed fine.

I left the top off and so far no jumpers but im sure it will happen eventually. I might throw that glass top on until i can get a screen. The lfs said thry did custom tops for about $35.

[FNG530]

Oh and also to answer your question Bill. I would say there would be about 20 pounds of live rock or so. Maybe a little more, but clearly that is just an estimate based upon the small amount we bought size/weight verses what we had before.

[SwampyBill]

When did you get the banana wrasse? So cool that it's already swimming out n about. Sometimes takes wrasse weeks to acclimate & come up out of the sandbed. Is it eating? Since sandbed is only an inch deep, you probly won't have much of a parameter spike after you sifted out the stones; & cleaning the detritus out will be good for your water chemistries but you should probly do a water change anyway. Now you might want to make some dunes where sandbed is a bit deeper in spots so the wrasse has more of a 'bed'.

[FNG530]

it is not entirely flat. i just got home and would venture to say it is between 1-2" in some places..

I honestly got the wrasse yesterday about 27 hrs ago. the wrasse is hiding now but he was out earlier and ate some frozen brine shrimp

Also i haven't had the lights on for the tank all day, in order to see if the algae would die down without the lighting. I was told taht would be a good idea since i have no corral in the tank.

[SwampyBill]

Good to hear it's eating already. I agree, keeping lights out will help w/ algae control.

[FNG530]

With the RODI units. what exactly am i looking for?
I only have a 40 gallon tank so i am assuming i do not need a large gallon per day system.
I have been looking at the ones from BRS, but at the moment i do not have the extra cash to spend on that

[mluntz]

well went to the LFS today and got Rodi water that we will start using. topped off the evaporated loss and i think tomorrow will do a water change.

A bit of advice on the LFS RODI water:
If I were you, I would invest in a TDS meter to check that water. I was buying water from my LFS and had a constant hair algae and cyano problems. Checked the water I was buying and it read almost .30 TDS.

I don't have my own RODI unit yet, so I have been using distilled water from the store with much better results. 0 TDS, which is what you want. A bit expensive though.

[FNG530]

I will keep that in mind thank you!

I don't plan on getting water from them forever. JUst until i can afford a rodi unit i think.

here is a picture of the wrasse swimming around. i threw some pellets in this morning. The clown fish are pigs and will eat anything so they ate them all basically, the cardinal fish won't eat pellets, and the wrasse didn't get any. but i watched the wrasse swim around for awhile and he was eating the small bugs (pods?) off the glass so i guess he prefers them over pellets.
http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b477/Dingman90/Tings/BA413B52-6A5E-4AF7-B02A-435E6FDB1BE1_zps5zsx7wvm.jpg (http://s1047.photobucket.com/user/Dingman90/media/Tings/BA413B52-6A5E-4AF7-B02A-435E6FDB1BE1_zps5zsx7wvm.jpg.html)

Edit: wow i need to clean the outside of my tank a little bit lol

[Fishyoga]

I got a RODI unit from Aquasafe recently:
http://www.aquasafecanada.com/store/aquarium-ro-di-filter-systems/aquarium-ii-7-stage-ro-di-system?gclid=COKPk-TOkL0CFaw-MgodqFsAJw
and it came with a TDS meter. I think it made an improvement to my tank,and to the growth of the coralline algae. I was using a Brita filter system for drinking water, but now I just fill up with RODI whenever I need to.

[FNG530]

I cant imagine usig a brita filter setup. We have one for drinking water and it seems like it would be incredibly slow.

That link you posted seems like a good deal, but i dont really know much about rodi systems. Does anybody else have thoughts on that system

[Bakes2]

you should really move that thermometer out of the front middle of the tank

[FNG530]

added these two guys last tuesday.

http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b477/Dingman90/Tings/723302A3-51AD-46D1-BDC3-FDF2285E3F79_zpskhvgblfb.jpg (http://s1047.photobucket.com/user/Dingman90/media/Tings/723302A3-51AD-46D1-BDC3-FDF2285E3F79_zpskhvgblfb.jpg.html)





And can anybody tell me what this looks like growing from my live rock in a couple spots. I have searched and cannot find anything similar

http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/b477/Dingman90/Tings/A39EE3A5-68A2-4E99-9A82-F8E6D5084285_zpsqwsuudsu.jpg (http://s1047.photobucket.com/user/Dingman90/media/Tings/A39EE3A5-68A2-4E99-9A82-F8E6D5084285_zpsqwsuudsu.jpg.html)

[zeebies]

Colonial hydroids?

[FNG530]

thank you. i searched and couldnt find anything related to the picture. they do indeed look like colonial hydroids :/ I will keep reading about them. Thanks!

Edit: Stinks that they are a problem, because i don't think it looks all that bad.

2nd edit: i don't know if they are actually colonial hydroids. i have been reading online and what i have seen is it may be a "Nausithoe"? All i know is i tried to blow them off with a turkey baster, and all the tips retracted into the tubes. :dunno:

3rd edit: i have no idea. im going to go back to colonial hydroids. i read somewhere people saying they won't retract, and then people say that they will.

[FNG530]

Been about a month since i posted.
One of my turbo snails died probably close to a month ago and started rotting in its shell, nasty smell, and the other turbo seemed like it wasn't far behind. So i was down to only two nassarius (sp?) snails and decided against turbo snails for the fact they kept falling and i had to flip them over. Well to tonight i was lookin at my tank real close and noticed quite a few little white snails on the glass eating away (which i assume are turbo snails). Noticed two bigger snails on the rocks munching away.

Added two peppermint shrimp a while ago and when we added them one was being harrassed in a corner by our clown fish. Well i think that one died or got eaten after the first couple days because i have only seen one in a long time (he comes out when he sees me looking with a light at night)

My clown fish have laid eggs on the rocks for the second time now, this time at the front of the tank so i can see them!! :)

We added an orange spotted gobby and i think that is my favorite fish by far! He has done such a great job sifting the sand through out the whole tank and the sandbed stays nice and clean now!

I also noticed one bristle worm in a rock which i hope isnt too big of a deal, it wasnt a red one ive read people dont like. And i also identified these white shell things i first noticed in the filter housing months ago as limpets. They are spread throughout the the tank now days and dont seem to be a problem.