40G First timer. Setup everything today finally

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JFinlay

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Wanted to move some sand around this morning before taking pics, which made it get all cloudy again. Finally starting to settle down. Again this is 20lb of live rock! I really thought I’d get more to work with than I did, but, it’s a start.
My LFS swears I will be able to cycle with just the live rock, sand, and the 10G water from his tank. But I’m just not sure what to expect with this method? I tested ammonia with API (I know) and it’s .25 of course, I just added flakes to try to get ammonia up, will test later tonight again.
 

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Also, my water level looks uneven, even though it’s perfectly level according to a leveling tool lol. So not sure what that’s about, maybe sand?
 

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Yeah, that water level does look a bit askew. Try turning off all pumps first and see if it levels out.

If not, use a spirit level on top lip of stand, then top rim of tank, then measure distance between water level and top rim of tank left and right. Should reveal any inconsistencies.
 
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Yeah, that water level does look a bit askew. Try turning off all pumps first and see if it levels out.

If not, use a spirit level on top lip of stand, then top rim of tank, then measure distance between water level and top rim of tank left and right. Should reveal any inconsistencies.
Didn’t appear to change it, it’s in my basement on carpet. I didn’t put the feet on the bottom of the stand I’m just noticing.. Is there any negative effects of having a slightly uneven water level? Or is it just going to bother me like the mysteriously lost water clarifier packets
 

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Is there any negative effects of having a slightly uneven water level? Or is it just going to bother me like the mysteriously lost water clarifier packets

Yeah, your clownfish will slide to one end of the tank. It’ll be an uphill battle for them.

Did you check the measurements? You want to determine if the issue is stand or tank related. If your tank is not seated evenly on your stand it may be an issue that needs to be dealt with asap.
 
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Yeah, your clownfish will slide to one end of the tank. It’ll be an uphill battle for them.

Did you check the measurements? You want to determine if the issue is stand or tank related. If your tank is not seated evenly on your stand it may be an issue that needs to be dealt with asap.
Yes, it looks like the stand itself is -2 or 3 degrees. I think my basement is very slightly sloped, think I can try to shim it on the lower side of the tank?
 
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My tank is also on the edge of the right side of the stand, and there’s about a quarter inch of stand showing on the left side of tank, if that makes sense
 

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Hey man Congrats I know its very exciting, I will say this though be VERY patient with cycling and adding fish, also I would Quarantine youre fish before adding them to make sure they are disease free, this means another tank "Oh No" lol x), but its totally worth it in the long run, also if you add any fish in the future youre gonna have to Qurantine again so i suggest get all the livestock you want the first time around, with the consideration of the tank size and all that! I think you should be good to go !!! A lot of ppl will say the same about coral but to be honest ive never had an issue with just adding coral without quarantining them which makes sense but at the same time it doesnt lol but anyway good luck and just have FUN ! Did I mention be patient ????? lol
 
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Is this normal? Last thing I need is this tank leaking. Would destroy thousands in equipment near it. Going to Home Depot to buy shims now. Level is telling me to raise the side that has a higher water level, the water level is 1/4 inch uneven
 

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Update: leveling is all done, that was a project. Next time don’t be afraid to pull out the instructions for once. If I would’ve installed the leveling pads that came with this stand I would’ve had no issues.

Going to be getting a shipment of Caribsea base rock in on Friday, and after those are put in the tank I’ll be getting 2 clownfish.
I’ve been checking parameters every now and then, not obsessing over it, and I’m pretty confident it is cycling well. I found a slug? That must’ve hitchhiked from the live rock, will attach photo. I had an ammonia spike, then that went down and then nitrite went up, now I just have to test nitrate but haven’t done that yet.

My next debate is what I want to do for a lid. My basement is naturally pretty cold year round, so I’ve been debating a glass lid to keep heat in the tank and reduce evaporation, but have also heard bad things about those. I originally bought milk crate to cut to size but feel like that will look crappy.
 

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Hey man Congrats I know its very exciting, I will say this though be VERY patient with cycling and adding fish, also I would Quarantine youre fish before adding them to make sure they are disease free, this means another tank "Oh No" lol x), but its totally worth it in the long run, also if you add any fish in the future youre gonna have to Qurantine again so i suggest get all the livestock you want the first time around, with the consideration of the tank size and all that! I think you should be good to go !!! A lot of ppl will say the same about coral but to be honest ive never had an issue with just adding coral without quarantining them which makes sense but at the same time it doesnt lol but anyway good luck and just have FUN ! Did I mention be patient ????? lol
I’d say this is the #1thing I’d recommend to a beginner. In hindsight I definitely rushed some stuff which is causing me more work. Be patient, think things through, and scour these forums for any and all questions and thoughts about the tank.
 
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So with my above comment, I’ve added lights, but didn’t do proper research/thought I could be cheap. I don’t feel confident in this Finnex LED light, so I’m returning it and getting a ViparSpectra 165W, I feel with my glass lid the current light definitely won’t cut it.

I opted for a glass lid because the tank is in the basement, and evaporation/heat loss are a concern.
I’m also wondering if I should put any other filtration in while it’s cycling other than the filter sponge/ filter floss I’ve put in my HOB, I have bio-media rock that came with the filter, and I purchased carbon.
 

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Just added 2 small clown fish and got some dry rock to add. I’m throwing the dry rock in a bucket with water from a water change, then going to glue and add it into the tank.

My clowns have made behind my filter their home it seems. Haven’t really came out to explore the tank in the past 24 hours.
also got a small CUC started, 4 hermits and 2 cerith snails
 

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Glad you got tank levelled out and stand issues addressed. I bet you’re feeling better about it!

Have you thought about getting an ATO? Your glass lid will definitely decrease evap but tbh I think an ATO is one of best pieces of kit you can get to assist with stability. Tunze 3155 is my go to.
 
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Glad you got tank levelled out and stand issues addressed. I bet you’re feeling better about it!

Have you thought about getting an ATO? Your glass lid will definitely decrease evap but tbh I think an ATO is one of best pieces of kit you can get to assist with stability. Tunze 3155 is my go to.
For sure, thanks for the recommendations and pushing me to do it properly.

Yes I was looking at ATOs/protein skimmer as my next purchase. Evaporation has decreased significantly since adding the glass top and it keeps temps more consistent in a cold basement
 
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Well things have progressed pretty quickly. The live sale from A Reef Creation sparked me to seize the opportunity and buy coral a little bit ahead of schedule. I made sure to test and parameters seemed good for corals, just hope I don’t regret loading up. I couldn’t pass up the amazing deals! All in all about $100 spent on 10 corals. I’ve got a decent CUC going, still only 2 clownfish with the a YWM goby and pistol shrimp pair arriving next week.
My favorite coral is by far the double head blue tip torch! The Spongodes monti is really cool too. Hopefully I can keep it alive

Using Salifert/API Test kits
parameters
Alk - 7.9
Calcium - 440
Magnesium - 1400
Ammonia - 0
Nitrate - around 15? API sucks for this
Purchasing all for reef to use to dose and get Alk up a little
 

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