Hi so I recently just purchased the Red Sea Reefer 250 and 2 Radion Xr15 Pro lights with the mounting kits. I'm fairly new. I am still cycling my tank so I'm leaving my lights off until I get new fish because I've read it slows algae growth. When I do decide to get fish and corals I would like a mix of SPS and LPS, I plan on getting the reeflink to easily modify light schedules but in the mean time what do you guys recommend I set my light Intensity on?
You should have a acclimation mode you can set on your lights.
I highly suggest you use that a few times when introducing corals to your set up.
When is it time to add fish and corals.................. that can be complicated in many ways but I will tell you the right way to do so and then leave it up to you how you going to follow up.
First you have to go through your cycling process and I'm not sure how you cycle.
Do you use some kind of bacteria that you added to the tank or liverock?
Testing for ammonia and nitrite is a must everyday.
When these numbers are zero out you add a little ammonia to the tank in order to see if it balance out back to zero within 24 hrs.
By adding fish I suggest as many hobbyist are getting the hang of it now to quarantine your fish for a few weeks, 76 days is the best but I've seen ppl doing it for just three week in observation and in order to get the fish to eat.
IMO go for the full 76 days,
This is in relation that lately a lot of fish pop up with deceases, no matter what your LFS or fish guy is telling you that they quarantine the fish it's always better to do it your self.
That same count for your corals, corals need to be dipped at all times in a dip solution.
There are a few on the market you can buy but hobbyist a cross the lines now days you Bayer.
Bayer is a garden insecticide that in the last 6 years enfold into a great dipping solution.
That said maybe not the answers you looking for short term but believe me it s the right way to do so.
During the cycling process set your mind off corals and fish and browse around on this forum how to acclimate and quarantine your livestock.
Don't forget to stop by https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/fish-disease-treatment-and-diagnosis.771/ and read up on the sticky threads.
Oh if you plan on corals go with the easy stuff first like softies and some LPS just leave the SPS alone for a month or six.
I highly suggest you use that a few times when introducing corals to your set up.
When is it time to add fish and corals.................. that can be complicated in many ways but I will tell you the right way to do so and then leave it up to you how you going to follow up.
First you have to go through your cycling process and I'm not sure how you cycle.
Do you use some kind of bacteria that you added to the tank or liverock?
Testing for ammonia and nitrite is a must everyday.
When these numbers are zero out you add a little ammonia to the tank in order to see if it balance out back to zero within 24 hrs.
By adding fish I suggest as many hobbyist are getting the hang of it now to quarantine your fish for a few weeks, 76 days is the best but I've seen ppl doing it for just three week in observation and in order to get the fish to eat.
IMO go for the full 76 days,
This is in relation that lately a lot of fish pop up with deceases, no matter what your LFS or fish guy is telling you that they quarantine the fish it's always better to do it your self.
That same count for your corals, corals need to be dipped at all times in a dip solution.
There are a few on the market you can buy but hobbyist a cross the lines now days you Bayer.
Bayer is a garden insecticide that in the last 6 years enfold into a great dipping solution.
That said maybe not the answers you looking for short term but believe me it s the right way to do so.
During the cycling process set your mind off corals and fish and browse around on this forum how to acclimate and quarantine your livestock.
Don't forget to stop by https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/fish-disease-treatment-and-diagnosis.771/ and read up on the sticky threads.
Oh if you plan on corals go with the easy stuff first like softies and some LPS just leave the SPS alone for a month or six.
I appreciate all the information I have some of Dr. Tims All in one bacteria for reef tanks I haven't used it yet because I've read that you should add fish within 24 to 38 hours after putting it in the tank which I don't plan to do until the nitrogen cycle is finished I haven't bought any test kits yet. I currently have the tank empty (no live rock) I have just live sand in the tank at the moment salinity is stable. I plan to use dry live rock from BRS just for security that it won't contain any hitch hikers along the way and it will make cycling the rock a bit quicker. Do you have any recommendations on building a small cheap quarantine tank I've already spent about 2600$ on what I have so far so I'm looking to take a cheap route for that
I must say nice tank.
That can be a beauty in a year from now.
Let me start first by your cycling process.
Why no rock?
You do know rock needs to be cycled as well, especially when you use dry rock.
Going through a nitrogen cycle you dong that best with bacteria.
Dr Tim's one and only works great it works even better if you use the ammonia as well from Dr Tim's.
If you add the rock later you going again through a cycle process.
I'm a straight forward guy in most cases and in some case this is a bit hard on ppl but you spend $2600 on a amazing setup and have no test kits to test your cycle process
How you going to know if it started and ended?
Some cycles can take up to 2 months or longer
Not saying that you need to whole nine yards on test kits but reading your game plan you need to have at least......... ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, ALK, CAL, MAG and PH.
Just let this sink in for a moment.
Ok QT....... if you read up on the link I send you there is a sea of information on there.
Basic QT, 20 gallon long tank $20, HOB filter $20, Ammonia disk $5, heater $10, plumbing pipes and couplings for fish to hide in $10.
Some using a air stone with pump as well.
Cover the tank up as fish can jump out.
Basic set up cost tank cost $65 and if you buy it used you can find it for half some times.
That can be a beauty in a year from now.
Let me start first by your cycling process.
Why no rock?
You do know rock needs to be cycled as well, especially when you use dry rock.
Going through a nitrogen cycle you dong that best with bacteria.
Dr Tim's one and only works great it works even better if you use the ammonia as well from Dr Tim's.
If you add the rock later you going again through a cycle process.
I'm a straight forward guy in most cases and in some case this is a bit hard on ppl but you spend $2600 on a amazing setup and have no test kits to test your cycle process
How you going to know if it started and ended?
Some cycles can take up to 2 months or longer
Not saying that you need to whole nine yards on test kits but reading your game plan you need to have at least......... ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, ALK, CAL, MAG and PH.
Just let this sink in for a moment.
Ok QT....... if you read up on the link I send you there is a sea of information on there.
Basic QT, 20 gallon long tank $20, HOB filter $20, Ammonia disk $5, heater $10, plumbing pipes and couplings for fish to hide in $10.
Some using a air stone with pump as well.
Cover the tank up as fish can jump out.
Basic set up cost tank cost $65 and if you buy it used you can find it for half some times.
you should put in your rock ASAP or your tank will go through nitrogen cycle again once you add the rock. You should read up on how to cycle the tank with Dr tims. You only need to add fish with dr tims if you don't plan to add ammonia to your tank to kick off the cycle.
Diesel I didn't know dry rock also helped the nitrogen cycle, good to know I will definitely get some rock in the next couple of days. As far as test kits do you recommend any fairly cheap but quality sets that will test for all of those? And to ciscomania so if I add the Dr tims, would just adding food only as if I was feeding fish help with ammonia? Or is using ammonia from my LFS the best idea? Not too sure if you are able to buy ammonia either. And I also have a Vertex Omega 130 skimmer on order which should be here by next week which I plan to add to
This is the sump set up for now I plan to change out the soft tubing with schedule 80 pvc to match the rest of the pipe. I also plan to get a sicce syncra 3.0 silent return pump. I hear they are pretty powerful and have to be toned down which is why I plan on switching over from soft tubing. I currently have a model 7 pump I bought from Craigslist but I have the overflow set on the tank so that you can even hear the water unless you put your ear up to the overflow, however the return pump just vibrates on the glass of the sump and gets pretty annoying
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Your are in safe hands with @Diesel advice. I really like the Red Sea tanks
I suggest you read up on how to cycle a reef tank.
Everything that will be in touch with your water will be part of your cycle.
The rock is you main part in the cycle process as it needs to colonize with bacteria in order to fight off your or consume your nutrients.
Basically it will keep it balanced for you.
What ever you get on test kits don't get a cheap one like API.
A good investment will tell you more accurate where you are and helps you to stay solid.
Redsea, Salivert, Hanna all good test kits and it won't break the bank.
If you add food first to get some ammonia going and two days later the Dr tims you will see results but only if your test.
There are only a few ppl who know by tasting the water if it's cycled
and I'm not one of them.In stead of using ammonia some ppl using a large shrimp in a filter bag that they hang in the sump to start the nitrogen cycle up.
When you test after two days your ammonia level should be high and by adding the Dr Tim's it should drop down and after a few days close to 0.0.
Make sure when you add bacteria to take out the shrimp in the bag.
This is the sump set up for now I plan to change out the soft tubing with schedule 80 pvc to match the rest of the pipe. I also plan to get a sicce syncra 3.0 silent return pump. I hear they are pretty powerful and have to be toned down which is why I plan on switching over from soft tubing. I currently have a model 7 pump I bought from Craigslist but I have the overflow set on the tank so that you can even hear the water unless you put your ear up to the overflow, however the return pump just vibrates on the glass of the sump and gets pretty annoying
Sump looks great my friend.
Sch 80 is awesome but you can get the same results if you just buy regular pipes and fittings and you can get it in colors as well, and a lot cheaper.
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/pumps-plumbing/plumbing/pipe-tubing.html
Not sure what a model 7 pump is but I guess it will give around the 700 gallon P/hr.
As of now your good on that.
You can put some rubber under the pump that will reduce the noise a lot.
Any kind of rubber will work IMO
Cool I appreciate all the advice. I heard in a few videos that you shouldn't have your phosphate levels at exactly 0.0 because some corals feed on it and it will also help the color pop so around the .02-.03 range is ideal wonder if that is true.
Yes sir.
Once you tank is cycled and you ready for corals you can test for ALK, CAL, MAG.
For nutrients you test Po4 around 0.02 and 0.05 to start out with.
When tank is running for a while and have big colonies you go up to 0.05 to 0.15.
Nitrate needs to sit at a minimum of 2ppm and can be as high as 10pmm, again start out at the lower end.
I use red sea testing kit for Ca, alk and mag. Ammonia and nitrite testing only use at the beginning, I would just buy the lower cost API test kit for ammonia.
I have API for nitrate and phosphate (free from other reefer), not really accurate and I don't really test much for these. Looking to buy salifert or hanna in the future.
I have API for nitrate and phosphate (free from other reefer), not really accurate and I don't really test much for these. Looking to buy salifert or hanna in the future.
Yes you can.
But you need to test for ammonia before hand and during as that will creep up and after a few days you dosevyour bacteria to bring down your ammonia after that happens we talking about a cycle.
But you need to test for ammonia before hand and during as that will creep up and after a few days you dosevyour bacteria to bring down your ammonia after that happens we talking about a cycle.
Ok, I was looks at the Hanna test kits. What ones should I buy? I seen some for low tests and ultra low tests if you can advise which ones I should buy as a set I'd like to have one for everything I'm going to check regularly what would you recommend?
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