hi everyone,
I have been keeping freshwater tanks for nearly 30 years and I have finally made the jump into saltwater. This is my first reef tank and having done some basic research thought I’d post here to get some feedback, as well as ask a couple of questions. Sorry for the length of post. First, the specs:
90 gallon (4’ x 18” x 25”)
Bean type DIY return
3.5 “ sand substrate
~ 80 pounds of LR arranged in a central pillar zip ties to a PVC diy stand.
Jebao DCT 15000 set at half flow capacity
Sump with algae and grow light strip
Reef Octopus CoralVue skimmer (not sure of the size)
Phosphate reactor (not set up yet)
Lighting: LED light bar and one Kessil tuna blue light (will eventually replace the bar with another Kessil).
The tank, sump, skimmer, and reactor are all second hand. The pump & plumbing are all new.
The live rock and substrate are from a FOWLR tank I dismantled for this one. That tank was 55 gallon and had a fully mature 3 ft snowflake eel in it for more than a year. (Donated the eel to a LFS when I took the reef plunge.)
Livestock is limited as it’s still new (cycled for a month prior to adding last week):
2 emerald crabs
8 nessarius snails
6 astrea snails
8 hermit crabs (tiny)
1 lawnmower blenny
1 Ocellaris clown
1 rose BTA (maybe half dollar sized)
Parameters have been pretty good so far:
Ammonia & Nitrite at 0
Nitrate at 2ish
SG: 1.025
PH: 8.2
Temperature 76/78 (thinking of getting a bigger heater)
Alkalinity: 12
Calcium read at 12, but I think maybe I’m doing that one wrong.
Phosphate: 2
Ok so now on to the questions:
1.) The skimmer is not running now as it was consistently overflowing with bubbles. On this model it appears I can not control the Venturi - it’s either open or plugged, so I cannot regulate the amount of air. It was so much bubbles that it they made their way into the pump and into the display tank. Does anyone have experience with this type of skimmer? Any advice on keeping the bubbles low? I did read that prime water treatment will froth and that could be the cause. I don’t have an RODI system so I can only convert tap to tank water.
2.) my anemone was doing ok first few days but has since disappeared overnight. I know they move but it’s odd that I cannot see it at all. Wondering if the CUC would take it down overnight?
3.) as mentioned above, I have the LR in a central pillar. Great for hiding places and surface area, but wondering if this is poor design?
Thanks in advance!
I have been keeping freshwater tanks for nearly 30 years and I have finally made the jump into saltwater. This is my first reef tank and having done some basic research thought I’d post here to get some feedback, as well as ask a couple of questions. Sorry for the length of post. First, the specs:
90 gallon (4’ x 18” x 25”)
Bean type DIY return
3.5 “ sand substrate
~ 80 pounds of LR arranged in a central pillar zip ties to a PVC diy stand.
Jebao DCT 15000 set at half flow capacity
Sump with algae and grow light strip
Reef Octopus CoralVue skimmer (not sure of the size)
Phosphate reactor (not set up yet)
Lighting: LED light bar and one Kessil tuna blue light (will eventually replace the bar with another Kessil).
The tank, sump, skimmer, and reactor are all second hand. The pump & plumbing are all new.
The live rock and substrate are from a FOWLR tank I dismantled for this one. That tank was 55 gallon and had a fully mature 3 ft snowflake eel in it for more than a year. (Donated the eel to a LFS when I took the reef plunge.)
Livestock is limited as it’s still new (cycled for a month prior to adding last week):
2 emerald crabs
8 nessarius snails
6 astrea snails
8 hermit crabs (tiny)
1 lawnmower blenny
1 Ocellaris clown
1 rose BTA (maybe half dollar sized)
Parameters have been pretty good so far:
Ammonia & Nitrite at 0
Nitrate at 2ish
SG: 1.025
PH: 8.2
Temperature 76/78 (thinking of getting a bigger heater)
Alkalinity: 12
Calcium read at 12, but I think maybe I’m doing that one wrong.
Phosphate: 2
Ok so now on to the questions:
1.) The skimmer is not running now as it was consistently overflowing with bubbles. On this model it appears I can not control the Venturi - it’s either open or plugged, so I cannot regulate the amount of air. It was so much bubbles that it they made their way into the pump and into the display tank. Does anyone have experience with this type of skimmer? Any advice on keeping the bubbles low? I did read that prime water treatment will froth and that could be the cause. I don’t have an RODI system so I can only convert tap to tank water.
2.) my anemone was doing ok first few days but has since disappeared overnight. I know they move but it’s odd that I cannot see it at all. Wondering if the CUC would take it down overnight?
3.) as mentioned above, I have the LR in a central pillar. Great for hiding places and surface area, but wondering if this is poor design?
Thanks in advance!
