Twisted
07/20/2006, 04:15 PM
I just joined like 5 minutes ago, but been reading the forums for a couple weeks. Here is my story as short as I can make it.
I have had a freshwater 55 gallon tank for about 5 years. it started with three baby angle fish, a couple of freshwater gobies, and kulhi loaches. A pair of angels recently decided to go on a rampage killing the third angel and the two gobies. I decided I wanted to be rid of them so took them to a local petstore. While there I decided that instead of buying new freshwater stuff I would switch my tank to saltwater.
I bought a couple bags of live sand, about 14 pounds of live rock and the salt to get started.
I went home and cleaned my tank out with light vinigar and water as suggested by the pet store. Then started set up.
My neighbor sees me doing all this and asked what I was doing, when I told him his eyes lit up, as he tells me about the two reef tanks he has. So after a couple weeks he gives me a couple of basic polyp frags and a gallon of his water to speed up my tank set up.
My other neighbor stops by the next week and sees what I have done and tells me I can have his old tank for $100 dollars. I go over to see what his "old tank" is, and find a custom made plxi tank of about 325 to 350 gallons. with a refugium and bio balls, pump, and some old school filters. So I bought them, even though the tank shows a lot of scratches and I still don't know if this tank will even hold water.
Thats the basics of my story, hope I didn't put you to sleep. As for my questions.
My tank is in the mass algea stage, how long does this usually last? My rocks and sand are turning brown, I have 3 bumble bee snails, 4 of another type of snail that the shop recommended, and one turbo. I also have a horseshoe crab, a skunk shrimp, and a gold banded jawfish.
Filtration is a basic walmart special filter that looks like the whisper 60, with carbon bags in it. Skimmer should be here this weekend.
and I have a 48 inch PC with 2 10k or 12k, and 2 actinics all 65watts each.
I have cut the day time lights down to about 8 hours a day.
I have about 6 polyps in there right now, and 6 small clusters of pink pulseing xenias, so I am useing DT's, coralite, and 2 part b-ionics.
I had a clown in there two, but he died after about 5 days, so I am assumeing my tank is not fully set up yet, the jawfish seems fine, along with everything else, the clown just never started eating, so may not have been the tank?
I am new, but luckily I have a neighbor and a friend that all have 2 to 4 years of experience behind them to give me some ideas, but I like hearing from others too, no one seems to have the same results.
I have had a freshwater 55 gallon tank for about 5 years. it started with three baby angle fish, a couple of freshwater gobies, and kulhi loaches. A pair of angels recently decided to go on a rampage killing the third angel and the two gobies. I decided I wanted to be rid of them so took them to a local petstore. While there I decided that instead of buying new freshwater stuff I would switch my tank to saltwater.
I bought a couple bags of live sand, about 14 pounds of live rock and the salt to get started.
I went home and cleaned my tank out with light vinigar and water as suggested by the pet store. Then started set up.
My neighbor sees me doing all this and asked what I was doing, when I told him his eyes lit up, as he tells me about the two reef tanks he has. So after a couple weeks he gives me a couple of basic polyp frags and a gallon of his water to speed up my tank set up.
My other neighbor stops by the next week and sees what I have done and tells me I can have his old tank for $100 dollars. I go over to see what his "old tank" is, and find a custom made plxi tank of about 325 to 350 gallons. with a refugium and bio balls, pump, and some old school filters. So I bought them, even though the tank shows a lot of scratches and I still don't know if this tank will even hold water.
Thats the basics of my story, hope I didn't put you to sleep. As for my questions.
My tank is in the mass algea stage, how long does this usually last? My rocks and sand are turning brown, I have 3 bumble bee snails, 4 of another type of snail that the shop recommended, and one turbo. I also have a horseshoe crab, a skunk shrimp, and a gold banded jawfish.
Filtration is a basic walmart special filter that looks like the whisper 60, with carbon bags in it. Skimmer should be here this weekend.
and I have a 48 inch PC with 2 10k or 12k, and 2 actinics all 65watts each.
I have cut the day time lights down to about 8 hours a day.
I have about 6 polyps in there right now, and 6 small clusters of pink pulseing xenias, so I am useing DT's, coralite, and 2 part b-ionics.
I had a clown in there two, but he died after about 5 days, so I am assumeing my tank is not fully set up yet, the jawfish seems fine, along with everything else, the clown just never started eating, so may not have been the tank?
I am new, but luckily I have a neighbor and a friend that all have 2 to 4 years of experience behind them to give me some ideas, but I like hearing from others too, no one seems to have the same results.