new to aquariums-questions about water levels

[melonheadorion]

a few weeks ago, i decided that i would get into the hobby to have something help calm my nerves, and love the idea of interesting fish, such as those for saltwater, so i dove in and went with a saltwater tank. originally bought a 65 gallon, but decided to tone back and buy an additional 20 gallon tank to start with before jumping into the big one. i started with doing a fishless cycle. 2 decent size dry rock and standard substrate. also went with a couple algae plants just for something to look at while the tank cycled. that was just over 2 weeks ago that all started. had a water test done at the LFS, and ammonia was zero, and nitrites/nitrates were at low enough levels where the owner of the store felt confident that now would be a good time to introduce a couple fish (clowns) and some hermit crabs to help continue the cycle. its been a few days, fish are good and happy.
obviously in the coming days, i will be wanting to start with a water change and will probably do a 10 or 20% depending on what my levels are at at the time, but had some questions on that. how much cleaning should i be doing? i do have a bit of brown build up on the sand, but as far as i know, its part of the process, but dont want to throw off the cycle by doing a clean that is too thorough.
the talk of keeping the good bacteria in it, comes to mind since its really the part that is needed, so should i be cleaning the sand and surfaces where that bacteria is? and wouldnt that remove what the intent was, to begin with? i know water changes wont effect that, but when it comes down to the filter cleanings, or other surface cleanings, i dont want to mess it up.

 

[Jekyl]

Welcome to R2R! Should have went with the bigger tank. It's actually easier. For cleaning I clean the glass every day. Rocks get blown off with a turkey baister during water changes. I also vacuum about 30% of my substrate. Get yourself some salifert test kits. Better to have your own. How about some tank shots? Also make sure you make a build thread for both of your tanks! Regular maintenance water changes should be 10 or 20pct every week or so. If there's an issue like high parameters then you can do higher. Also make sure you're using RoDi and topping off the water at least daily. The smaller the tank the bigger the parameters can swing.

 

[melonheadorion]

Welcome to R2R! Should have went with the bigger tank. It's actually easier. For cleaning I clean the glass every day. Rocks get blown off with a turkey baister during water changes. I also vacuum about 30% of my substrate. Get yourself some salifert test kits. Better to have your own. How about some tank shots? Also make sure you make a build thread for both of your tanks! Regular maintenance water changes should be 10 or 20pct. If there's an issue like high parameters then you can do higher

trust me, i wanted to do more, but i am apartment living, and when it comes to moving, it would be easier to do the smaller of the two, ya know.
i do have a test kit, and right now, since the fish are new to the tank, im keeping an eye on my levels every other day or so.
with the removal of the brown algae on the bottom, with the baster method as you mention, will it remove the good bacteria that i hear so much about, or matter enough? i am also curious about the filter cleaning, when it comes to the cleaning of the filters/media, because again, it comes down to the good bacteria? will cleaning the media and non replaceable filters on the sunsun3000 ruin that good bacteria, or what is the best method for that?

 

[Jekyl]

A steel brush is probably what it would take the harm the bacteria

 

[Jekyl]

I've never used canister filters however from what I understand they need to be cleaned well twice a week or so.

 

[melonheadorion]

again, its still early in everything, so not too much going on yet

 

[melonheadorion]

A steel brush is probably what it would take the harm the bacteria

well then, thats good to know. i figured it was lightly attached like the brown algae growing on the substrate. that makes everything make sense now

 

[Jekyl]

Nope. For the bacteria you want it's all in the rocks.

 

[dedragon]

Getting into the hobby to calm nerves, lol wait until your first heart attack when something goes wrong or a random fish just decides to jump. I would suggest taking the canister offline as well, too much cleaning as jekyl said to be worth it. Hang on back power filters work well on a 20 gallon as does adding in an all in one filter that slides directly into the tank

 

[dedragon]

I clean my filter socks every 2-3 days or they clog so any biomedia in the canister filter will begin to become a nitrate factory in a couple months. No need to switch the filters fast just an upcoming improvement you can make

 

[CMMorgan]

I started with a canister filter. It was quite efficient at removing detritus but it was a PITA. It all depends on how you have your set up but mine had filter floss, which was changed every few days... pads that can denitrify, etc. ... some course and fine sponges that required regular cleaning and a section for ceramic rings for biologically filtering the tank.
The thing with the canister filter is that you can't rinse those rings in tap water. If you are using that to supplement live rock and sand as you grow your bio-filter, don't rinse them off. That said... it is a replication of a trickle filter at that point - not the best.
Long term, you will want to use your live rock and sand to do the heavy lifting in that department. The canister becomes a glorifies filter sock. Lots of mess for little reward.
If you have the opportunity to pitch it, I would.
I second or third the suggestion that you go with a bigger tank if you can. Perhaps even look into an All In One. That is compact enough for an apartment and better filtration and maintenance than the canister.
Best of luck and welcome to the fishy family!!