New to R2R advice needed please.

[MisterrBee]

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum and new to reef tanks. I have been into freshwater for the past 5 years and love the hobby. I have a big 550L and a small nano freshwater tank and have a new one being delivered today to start my first saltwater reef tank.

Please see a couple of pics of my current freshwater setups.

I have a few questions about getting started.

I have got myself a 100 Litre tank with a built in filter (sump) along the back of the tank, a NICREW HyperReef 100 light and a Eheim Skimmarine 100 internal skimmer. I have a couple of bags of live sand, some dry rock and I am thinking of going and buying a couple of pieces of live rock to help it get started.

Is it a good idea to add the liverock? The place that sells it get their water from the sea.

Am i right in thinking that once i have it all set up i dont turn the lights on at all for the first month or so and do weekly 30% water changes?

i have seen mixed reviews on weather to put a nemo in there fairly quickly or not, some say it will help build the water quality.

I am also thinking of adding a refugium a month or 2 after the initial setup.

Any advice for the initial setup would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Ocean_Queenie]

Hello & Welcome!

 

[vetteguy53081]

 

[cdemoss01]

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum and new to reef tanks. I have been into freshwater for the past 5 years and love the hobby. I have a big 550L and a small nano freshwater tank and have a new one being delivered today to start my first saltwater reef tank.

Please see a couple of pics of my current freshwater setups.

I have a few questions about getting started.

I have got myself a 100 Litre tank with a built in filter (sump) along the back of the tank, a NICREW HyperReef 100 light and a Eheim Skimmarine 100 internal skimmer. I have a couple of bags of live sand, some dry rock and I am thinking of going and buying a couple of pieces of live rock to help it get started.

Is it a good idea to add the liverock? The place that sells it get their water from the sea.

Am i right in thinking that once i have it all set up i dont turn the lights on at all for the first month or so and do weekly 30% water changes?

i have seen mixed reviews on weather to put a nemo in there fairly quickly or not, some say it will help build the water quality.

I am also thinking of adding a refugium a month or 2 after the initial setup.

Any advice for the initial setup would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

You should make more posts asking the questions you have!

 

[blecki]

If you can keep a planted tank like that you'll be fine. I would go ahead and add the refugium immediately, and there's no reason to keep the lights off. The secret is really just live rock. Not dead rock that the LFS happens to have wet. Real live rock if you can get it. If you can't you can't, but you should expect about a year for the tank to mature if you start with wet rock or bottled bacteria.

Water changes are also kind of pointless if there's no coral using up stuff and no fish adding waste. Just wasting water at that point. Wait until you've got detectable nitrate and no nitrite for the first water change or you're just throwing away perfectly fine water.

 

[Uncle99]

So, welcome to R2R!
Some like live rock, some don’t.
I’m on the not side because I don’t want the risk of hitchhikers and I can be just as successful without.

Does take a tad longer to mature up.

Rock, sand, water, flow, heat, a bottle of bacteria, wait 2-3 days, due a 50% water change…..add your Nemo or pair.

Enjoy!

 

[Reef Devils]

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum and new to reef tanks. I have been into freshwater for the past 5 years and love the hobby. I have a big 550L and a small nano freshwater tank and have a new one being delivered today to start my first saltwater reef tank.

Please see a couple of pics of my current freshwater setups.

I have a few questions about getting started.

I have got myself a 100 Litre tank with a built in filter (sump) along the back of the tank, a NICREW HyperReef 100 light and a Eheim Skimmarine 100 internal skimmer. I have a couple of bags of live sand, some dry rock and I am thinking of going and buying a couple of pieces of live rock to help it get started.

Is it a good idea to add the liverock? The place that sells it get their water from the sea.

Am i right in thinking that once i have it all set up i dont turn the lights on at all for the first month or so and do weekly 30% water changes?

i have seen mixed reviews on weather to put a nemo in there fairly quickly or not, some say it will help build the water quality.

I am also thinking of adding a refugium a month or 2 after the initial setup.

Any advice for the initial setup would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome!

 

[Gill the 3rd]

Hello and welcome! True live rock is a great way to jump start your tank. I like a mix of dry and live rock to offset the cost, but still get the benefits. I wouldn't worry about water changes unless your nitrates/phosphates are sky high after the cycle. I also wouldn't keep the lights off. IMO all it does is delay the ugly stage and does nothing to prevent it.

No reason not to add the refugium now and I wouldn't add any fish until your tank is cycled.

 

[threebuoys]

 

[Reef By Steele]

MisterrBee welcome to the reef. I discovered this forum as it seemed to always come up when I googled a question. Finally joined, then chose to become a supporting member and later a partner member to keep the forum available for others to come. My wife @Ocean_Queenie and I started culturing copepods and phytoplankton eventually selling some on here as a hobbyist. Eventually we decided to try to make a career out of it so we are now sponsors as well. I love the Reef2Reef community here and the wealth of knowledge. Thanks for joining us.

 

[Buckster]

Hello and Welcome to R2R! I won't be giving you advise that's different from what has been advised already

 

[CO2TLEY]

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

 

[MisterrBee]

MisterrBee welcome to the reef. I discovered this forum as it seemed to always come up when I googled a question. Finally joined, then chose to become a supporting member and later a partner member to keep the forum available for others to come. My wife @Ocean_Queenie and I started culturing copepods and phytoplankton eventually selling some on here as a hobbyist. Eventually we decided to try to make a career out of it so we are now sponsors as well. I love the Reef2Reef community here and the wealth of knowledge. Thanks for joining us.

That's really good to hear, I have just ordered the refugium. What plant do you recommend to give the correct habitat for the copepods? Am I able to buy some from you please?

 

[Brisk]

Welcome!

 

[zheka757]

Welcome to R2R!
Respect on freshwater aquascapes, I use to be into it as well

 

[LandLockedJones]

Any advice for the initial setup would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome, looking forward to seeing your salty side haha. Those freshwater tanks are incredible.

There is a ton of info for beginners here. However, lots of different methodologies so pick one and stick with it. If you do change, change things slowly.

You shouldn’t have much need for the skimmer or the refugium at first. As there are no nitrates and phosphates to remove. But can turn them on when you see nitrates start creeping up.

Live rock can come with lots of fantastic things like sponges, bristleworms, and even some corals on occasion. Some of the bad critters are just annoying like asterina star fish (personally don’t mind them), some are down right destructive or predatory.

So it’s up to you, but it will definitely add a more diverse bacteria population to the tank. And tends to cycle much faster.

Long term, I’m not sure which is “better” as there are tons of successful tanks running with/without the addition of live rock.

I wouldn’t add a fish until you see ammonia spike, and then recede to zero. But that too, is up to you. Ammonia present in the water is toxic to fish, though much more so at higher concentrations.

I added a clownfish before the cycle completed when I started and noticed a drastic change in behavior from before and after the tank cycle was complete. So personally I wait out the cycle now. That’s my choice though, you do you.

My biggest piece of advice is consider your aquascape. Be sure it has places for fish to hide and surface area at various heights in the tank for coral placement. Also ensure that you have room to work around it.

Good luck! Lots of people here happy to help if you run into more questions.

 

[Reef By Steele]

That's really good to hear, I have just ordered the refugium. What plant do you recommend to give the correct habitat for the copepods? Am I able to buy some from you please?

I recommend chaeto in the refugium, and I do have some that I could send along with an order of pods if you remind me when you order.
I have a small portion running in a fishless system to avoid any fish borne diseases.

 

[kevgib67]

Welcome, glad you are here!

 

[jsker]