Haphazard sort of build

[reefermadnes5]

My 75 gallon tank started as fresh water. After 3 years my pair of gsp (i should have had them in brackish then marine i learned) passed, i decided to try marine. My journey until this point can be sumed up by saying ive lacked direction and education and suffered because of it. I learned the hard way on several aspects of fish medicating. Had a porky puffer. He was in my tank for a year and evidently had worms that i was ignorant to that messed up his swim bladder and he went belly up for 2 days then passed. After that my tank seemed unable to host life. I lost fish after fish to various illnesses and bad fishkeeping practices. Ich, worms, velvet and amonia. I tore the tank down and started again but didnt it cycle well enough and i stocked it too early. Bad parameters and another lesson learned. I cycled and waited with 2 survivors, a yellow watchman and a tiger pistol shrimp. Cyano hits so i add snails. Seems okay so i put in a few more swimmers. No qt on new inboud fish led to a wipeout of the next batch of livestock (watchman and goby are again the survivors). Waited. Then after a month i add some fish slowly. All good. Few more fish. Its okay. Then....white spots. Shoot. Drop the salinity to 1.009. Lost the snails i had working the cyano and the urchin. Dose the now 10 swimmers with kanaplex-metroplex-focus in the food (for 3 weeks of every other day feedings) and treat the water with paraguard ( for 30 days). Lost the bio filter in the duration but all my swimmers survived this time. I have just this week brought my salinity up to 1.020 and put carbon back in my filter and am running a cycle of seachem stability for my biofilter. If you made it this far into my story you are awesome. This post is 4 years of frustration in the making.



Now i sort of have direction and clear goals with my tank. Until this point i have just done stuff. Now i would like to establish an enviroment i can have an anemonie, decorative macro and coralline crusty rocks.

The pics are a progression over the last 2 years. The rock was all just added as i have found a bit of direction. My tank is a hobby and work in progress and i need lots of information and advice.

I have a 75 gallon tank with a fluval 407 canister. A random light bar. And now i have a bunch of rock. I warned you in the begining this was haphazard. I have 10 swimmers and 1 crawler. I cant reach the outter rear glass on my tank because placement wasnt so good.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

What are you using for the sandbed in your tank?

 

[Jim Gomoll]

Think you need to read up on what is needed for a saltwater tank.
Substrate and rocks for freshwater are not the same for saltwater. I'd start over with reef sand or crushed coral along with only reef safe rock. None of you freshwater rocks should be in this tank. Start there and get water parameters in check before killing more fish, creatures.

 

[Rjukan]

It's all about the journey and what you learn along the way!

What's that dark rock you're using? Idk if that would be good for a saltwater tank.

 

[reefermadnes5]

Its a slate.

It's all about the journey and what you learn along the way!

What's that dark rock you're using? Idk if that would be good for a saltwater tank.

What aspect of it would make a rock better than another? What about it would not be good?

 

[reefermadnes5]

Reasons are more helpful than brash comments. Please explain your reasons so i can undersand.

Think you need to read up on what is needed for a saltwater tank.
Substrate and rocks for freshwater are not the same for saltwater. I'd start over with reef sand or crushed coral along with only reef safe rock. None of you freshwater rocks should be in this tank. Start there and get water parameters in check before killing more fish, creatures.

 

[reefermadnes5]

Gravel i got from petco. The puffer was a beast when he ate so we had to vac regularly. The sand became problematic. When i redid the tank i didnt think it was too important for a substrate so the gravel didnt get changed again

What are you using for the sandbed in your tank?

 

[Rjukan]

Its a slate.

What aspect of it would make a rock better than another? What about it would not be good?

Slate is a non porous rock, so it won't build the bacteria colony you're looking for. I don't know if coraline algae will grow on it either, and, imo it looks out of place in a saltwater aquarium. From what I read, it won't hurt anything.. but it will be lacking the benefits you want from using a dry or live ocean rock.

Idk much about the gravel, besides the lack of pH buffering you would get from using crushed coral. And again, it looks out of place. It might also leech things into the water that could be a problem for saltwater creatures, but not a problem for freshwater ones. Again, idk for sure and you could research it a bit.

 

[reefermadnes5]

Slate is a non porous rock, so it won't build the bacteria colony you're looking for. I don't know if coraline algae will grow on it either, and, imo it looks out of place in a saltwater aquarium. From what I read, it won't hurt anything.. but it will be lacking the benefits you want from using a dry or live ocean rock.

Idk much about the gravel, besides the lack of pH buffering you would get from using crushed coral. And again, it looks out of place. It might also leech things into the water that could be a problem for saltwater creatures, but not a problem for freshwater ones. Again, idk for sure and you could research it a bit.

Thank you for the explanation. Thats what i am here for mainly is reasons so i can understand the principles.

I dont want coraline on the dark stack. I have the stack done to prevent the fish from getting in there so hopefully copepods thrive and i dont have to buy so many. The marco stack is where i would like to see coraline.

I have probably 35lbs of dry live rock and 40 of the other.

 

[Rjukan]

Thank you for the explanation. Thats what i am here for mainly is reasons so i can understand the principles.

I dont want coraline on the dark stack. I have the stack done to prevent the fish from getting in there so hopefully copepods thrive and i dont have to buy so many. The marco stack is where i would like to see coraline.

I have probably 35lbs of dry live rock and 40 of the other.

I see, well the other benefit of reef rock is that it has waayyyy more surface area which is where the pods live and reproduce. That Marco rock will have exponentially more pods living and thriving in it than the dark stack.

But hey, it's your system and I'm all for you trying out things you think will work. Especially if you're committed to posting the outcome regardless of success or failure.

 

[reefermadnes5]

I see, well the other benefit of reef rock is that it has waayyyy more surface area which is where the pods live and reproduce. That Marco rock will have exponentially more pods living and thriving in it than the dark stack.

But hey, it's your system and I'm all for you trying out things you think will work. Especially if you're committed to posting the outcome regardless of success or failure.

Deal.

 

[reefermadnes5]

I have a foxface with an appetite that doesn't quit. I also have no sump so it may all be a lost cause and I have to keep pods stocked regularly.

 

[reefermadnes5]

Better pic

 

[Jim Gomoll]

Reasons are more helpful than brash comments. Please explain your reasons so i can undersand.

Sorry, this wasn't to bash. Just trying to point out that freshwater substrate and rock isn't good for reef system.
I see Rjukan posted the explanations which I didn't. Keep reading thru the many R2R posts and topics here. There is a plethora of information. Even after years in salt world I learn something new each day here.
Best of luck on your transition to the salt world. Happy Reefing

 

[reefermadnes5]

It's all about the journey and what you learn along the way!

What's that dark rock you're using? Idk if that would be good for a saltwater tank.

I was wrong. Sorry. The stone is seiryu. Im reading about the possibility of leeching zinc. That is going to get pulled out and replaced with marco.

 

[reefermadnes5]

So I've never attempted a substrate change in an occupied tank. How would that go?

Think you need to read up on what is needed for a saltwater tank.
Substrate and rocks for freshwater are not the same for saltwater. I'd start over with reef sand or crushed coral along with only reef safe rock. None of you freshwater rocks should be in this tank. Start there and get water parameters in check before killing more fish, creatures.

 

[reefermadnes5]

40-50 more pounds of marco and like 75 - 80lb reef sand is my next move then. The rock is simple.

 

[Rjukan]

So I've never attempted a substrate change in an occupied tank. How would that go?

The earlier the better... but I would get a larger diameter hose and just siphon it out. Ofc you would need a few buckets of new saltwater on hand to replace what's removed.
Or wait, no.. just use a net. It will be way easier.
The harder part is replacing with the new sand/crushed coral. Be prepared to rinse it, over and over and over again. It's insane how long it takes to get the particulate out of it, and keep rinsing in tap water until its clear. Then you can scoop out and put it in a little at a time. I like to use Chinese food soup containers, they are a perfect size.

40-50 more pounds of marco and like 75 - 80lb reef sand is my next move then. The rock is simple.

Yeah and your aquascape on the left with the marco is really sweet, another arch like that with a little island in the middle would be awesome.

 

[reefermadnes5]

The earlier the better... but I would get a larger diameter hose and just siphon it out. Ofc you would need a few buckets of new saltwater on hand to replace what's removed.
Or wait, no.. just use a net. It will be way easier.
The harder part is replacing with the new sand/crushed coral. Be prepared to rinse it, over and over and over again. It's insane how long it takes to get the particulate out of it, and keep rinsing in tap water until its clear. Then you can scoop out and put it in a little at a time. I like to use Chinese food soup containers, they are a perfect size.

Yeah and your aquascape on the left with the marco is really sweet, another arch like that with a little island in the middle would be awesome.

I was reading up on technique here. Tons of awesome info on this forum. Im going to do the sand this weekend since i can still count my tank as cycling. I have a brute can for mixing sea water. I will rinse the new sand in tap water until its not dusty then into my water mixing can for a salty rinse then into the tank to go out with the old and in with the new. Followed by a large water change and more bacteria to aid cycle. Ill post pics.

 

[kevgib67]

Just keep learning you will get there. If you’re replacing your rock, do yourself a huge favor and go with live rock. You can thank me later. Best of luck and happy reefing!