New Reefer

[Drwsky]

You should get some, then. You can start with dry rocks, but adding some live rocks would really help establish the tank. Rocks are the main filtration material for reef tanks. Do you intend to have a reef tank with corals or fish only with live rocks?

I'm shooting for a mixed reef. I want it to be as close to an closed off ecosystem as I can. I think we wife and I are taking a trip to MainStreet this weekend.

I'm also a little stumped on ALK. From what I've been reading and researching mine is running a little low. I have added Coragrow but it's still low. Any insight?

 

[Tomoko Schum]

I'm shooting for a mixed reef. I want it to be as close to an closed off ecosystem as I can. I think we wife and I are taking a trip to MainStreet this weekend.

I'm also a little stumped on ALK. From what I've been reading and researching mine is running a little low. I have added Coragrow but it's still low. Any insight?

What do you have in your tank so far?

Alkalinity value swings to some extent depending on what you have in your tank. I do not know the product Coragrow. If I want to raise alkalinity some, I usually use baking soda. Here is a handy calculator for figuring out how much you need: http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chemcalc.html

A lot of people use internet to learn about reef keeping rather than reading books nowadays. As you might have found out, some information on internet are not accurate. I'd prefer to learn from trusted sources. I found the Reefkeeping Online Magazine to be very good and trustworthy. It's no longer updated, but the past issues are still available. Some information is a bit dated, but the majority is still very good and applicable. You can find them all here: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/past.php

By the way, did you make it to Main Street Aquarium? Did they have a lot to offer?

 

[Drwsky]

What do you have in your tank so far?

Alkalinity value swings to some extent depending on what you have in your tank. I do not know the product Coragrow. If I want to raise alkalinity some, I usually use baking soda. Here is a handy calculator for figuring out how much you need: http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chemcalc.html

A lot of people use internet to learn about reef keeping rather than reading books nowadays. As you might have found out, some information on internet are not accurate. I'd prefer to learn from trusted sources. I found the Reefkeeping Online Magazine to be very good and trustworthy. It's no longer updated, but the past issues are still available. Some information is a bit dated, but the majority is still very good and applicable. You can find them all here: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/past.php

By the way, did you make it to Main Street Aquarium? Did they have a lot to offer?

I did it's a nice shop and he's getting ready for a remodel. I picked up a nice place piece of live rock and in the 2 weeks since I've had an diatom bloom and added my CUC.

Just checked my parameters and I've got 0 ammonia .05 nitrite and 50 nitrate. I plan on doing a water change tomorrow.

Any ideas on what the first fish and coral I should add?

 

[Tomoko Schum]

I'd try to bring the nitrate way down before adding a coral. Now that diatom came in, you may see some cyanobacteria on the sand bed. A new tank often goes through a phase of cyanobacteria. Nassarius snails will keep the sand bed stirred up to reduce or prevent cyano from getting out of hand.

As for the first corals, softies or a sturdy LPS would be my choice. Mushrooms seem to be back in style. There are many colorful ones. You might like some LPS's. I suggest that you post a message/thread on this forum to see if anyone have extra to sell you some. Some people may give you some freebies.

Fish wise, you need to stay away from domineering fish, such as a yellow tang, for now. You should add them last since they will not tolerate newcomers easily. When you see some green film algae growing on glass or rock surfaces, a lawnmower blend would be useful and fun to look at. Although some people will advise against adding damsels, I would not shy away from yellow-tail blue damsels. They are not aggressive and very pretty. They are very tough, too. They may quarrel among themselves for territory, but they will leave other fish alone. There is also a good old clownfish. You have many choice there, but just go slow. Don't add too many at once. If you are not going to use a quarantine setup, be very vigilant for diseases. Some stores use copper treatment in their tanks. If so, make sure you don't add their water into your reef tank. I don't know what Main Street Aquarium does, but Aquatic Cove told me that they usually give a fresh water dip to all fish and then add them to their tanks which are treated with copper.

Sorry about the long post. Hope this helps.