Am I on the right track?

[curiel909]

Week 3 with my 40 gallon build.

And I want to know if I’m on the right track.

Here is what I have so far.

Water parameters:

• Salinity 1.025
• Temperature 77.3°
• Ammonia 0.15
• Ph 8.3
• Nitrite 0.1
• Nitrate 1
• Phosphate 0
• Calcium 460
• Alkalinity 13.4
• Magnesium 1350

All tests where taken with Salifert Test Kits.

For my DT I have 40 pounds live rock, 30 pounds live sand.

Equipment in my DT 3 Hydor Circulation pumps.
240GPH on the back of the tank facing forward (always on). 420 GPH on the left side of the tank and 545GPH on the right side of the tank. I have the wave maker and have them timed for 2 minutes each.

For my sump, in chamber one I have my heater and my protein skimmer and filter sock from the drain , chamber two I have drip pan that leads to my bio media. Bio balls, marine block and activated carbon in bags. Below that I have a small refugium with live sand, rock rubble and green chaeto with a grow light that turns on when my DT lights turn off at night.

Third chamber I have a bubble filter sponge and a return pump of 400 GPH.

For live stock I have 1 clownfish, 1 yellow tang, 2 damsels, 20 blue leg hermit crabs, 2 turbo snails, 6 nassarius snails, 10 trochus snails, 2 sand sifting starfish, copepods, 1 pulsing Xenia, 1 zoa frag, 1 GSP and 1 bubble tip anemone.

I have my lights set to sunrise , daylight, sunset and moonlight. (I am using Current USAs recommended light setup for coral).

I am currently in the uglies stage and still have diatoms hanging around.

Is there something I am missing or need to change?

Thanks soo much!

 

[LIreefguy]

looks good
just 2 quick points, take out the bio balls, you dont need them in a reef tank.
the rock and the marine pure bricks is all you need

also the rock in your main tank looks very tight. try to get more caves and try to leave it off the back glass. this will help with flow and help eliminate dead spots where detritus will build up

 

[Dom]

You have both ammonia and nitrites present. Your tank isn't cycled.

Your sump is an older style wet/dry sump. The bio balls are like artificial live rock; media designed to have a lot of surface area to house nitrifying bacteria. Based on the total weight of live rock in the tank, you have enough. I'm with LIreefguy; remove the bio balls and substitute live rock.

I would also lower the level of water in the sump. That filter sock is floating in the water. I've never seen a filter sock used in that way. I've always seen them set up in a way where water filters through it, kind of like water flowing through a cone filter in a coffee maker.