Observation tank question

[BuddyBonButt]

Another option would to just place a container of sand in the observation tank if you are keeping fish that need sand, like sand sleeping wrasses.




Say that happens.... if it was an outbreak from a parasite such as ICH, then that sand in the observation tank would be infected with ICH too. You would then need to fallow that tank 45+ days with no fish in order to get the ICH out of the sand and rocks again.

I think it would be easier to go no sand, or just a container of sand if necessary.

Yeah, that does make sense. but even if something does show up, the rocks and media filter are now infected anyways. So I feel it wouldn't matter that much. As of right now I have my 8 fish picked for my tank. I dont ever plan to qt more than one at a time (I'm not susceptible to impulse buys, I've gotten really good at control). Corals are a different story though. If I have to do a hospital tank, that tank will be empty for at least 2 months anyway.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

I don't think that is an overly blue mix. I try to run enough white that my fish show their colors. too much blue and the fish colors get lost. I try to run enough white that I like the look of my fish too.

Saying that, I did tweak my settings a few weeks back and can't remember if I kept those changes or went back to my previous settings. I'll check my lights in a couple hours when they come on and make sure I posted the right settings above. they might be slightly different that what I posted from memory.

What channels settings are you running on yours currently?

Here's my channel settings (see pic) if I go any lower on white, the tank goes too blue)

My light schedule is
9:00 ramp up to full until 11:00, full until 19:00. Start ramping down from 19:00 to 21:00 and then off at 21:00

 

[Tamberav]

Sand is fine.. I use it in my observation tanks. It is nice for sand sleeper wrasse, gobies, jawfish, etc. It also makes the tank more natural for the fish.

You definitely need a reef light but there are $70 options on amazon.

 

[LeftyReefer]

Yeah, that does make sense. but even if something does show up, the rocks and media filter are now infected anyways. So I feel it wouldn't matter that much.

Yeah, but if it's just a bare tank (no sand/rock) you simply dose copper/meds to the tank, which then kills the parasites in the filter, media, etc... after 30 days in copper, they are good to go again. As long as you don't have anything that will absorb copper or meds, then just treat with copper for 30 days and it's good to go. If you have live rock and sand, you can't treat with copper or other meds and instead must do a long fallow period.

Same with a bacterial infection. if you have live rock and sand, dosing antibiotics will kill your live bacteria. It's just easier to not have rock and sand in these types of tanks.

I don't run observation tanks, just QT tanks that I sometimes use for observation.
It's just easier overall and easier to treat when/if issues do pop up if there is no sand/rock in the tank.

It's also easier keeping a bare bottom tank clean. less places for bad stuff to hideout.

save the live rock and sand for your display tanks.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

I run my lights 12 hours on 12 hours off
15/75/75/75/10/15.
i also have an LED bar adding some additional 470nm.

Did you get a chance to double check your lights? 15 white just seems really low to me. When you look at your tank, would you consider it white or blue?

 

[LeftyReefer]

Did you get a chance to double check your lights? 15 white just seems really low to me. When you look at your tank, would you consider it white or blue?

Yeah, I'm actually running mine 15/75/75/75/0/5 now.
attached is a shot of my tank. not overly blue in my opinion.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

Yeah, I'm actually running mine 15/75/75/75/0/5 now.
attached is a shot of my tank. not overly blue in my opinion.

Weird... wonder why mine turn so blue. Tomorrow morning when my lights turn on I'll copy this and see what happens. I'll send a photo of what it looks like. But I do want to say that is an amazing tank. I would want to do something like this but I have a fear that I will move and it'll be too hard to take the tank with me. I don't own I rent

 

[LeftyReefer]

Keep in mind, I'm also running a 470nm led bar with my setup too.
(2) smat farms running the settings above and a 470nm led bar from aliexpress. Top down shot.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

Keep in mind, I'm also running a 470nm led bar with my setup too.
(2) smat farms running the settings above and a 470nm led bar from aliexpress. Top down shot.

Even with the extra blue bar, it's still VERY white. My lights turned off an hour ago so I can't play with them. Again, that torch... torch are my favorite coral. What is that, a tiger torch?

 

[LeftyReefer]

It's a dragon soul torch.
got it as a single head frag, its up to a dozen heads now. had it less than a year.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

It's a dragon soul torch.

It's beautiful

 

[LeftyReefer]

It's beautiful

Thanks, its my favorite coral too.
I just picked up a little NY Knicks torch too. hoping that one grows just as well.
I just fragged a few heads off the green torch with blue tips too. It had a few heads underneath that were shaded and starting to lose color, so I fragged them off and will grow them out a bit.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

Thanks, its my favorite coral too.
I just picked up a little NY Knicks torch too. hoping that one grows just as well.
I just fragged a few heads off the green torch with blue tips too. It had a few heads underneath that were shaded and starting to lose color, so I fragged them off and will grow them out a bit.

I'm new to the hobby, buying a torch is a bad idea, I've got a build thread but don't know how to share it. I'm gonna start with softies then get a dosing pump for lps and sps.

 

[LeftyReefer]

After I got my tank up and running, I added a couple clowns, a royal gramma, and then bought a BTA from a fellow (local) R2R member, who gave me the BTA on a pc of rock rubble that also had a devils hand leather attached, so that was my first coral. it opened right up and seemed to do fine, so i went to my lfs and grabbed a bicolor splatter hammer shortly after that. its also in the full tank shots above. So I had a devils hand leather and a hammer about a month after getting my tank cycled. still have both of those corals and both can be seen in my above shots. as evidence that I didn't know what I was doing at all, you'll notice I placed that devils hand leather at the very top of my rocks. its getting about 450 par and it's completely happy.

As long as you provide stable water parameters, lighting, and flow, most of your corals will adapt. I lost a few SPS early on... but haven't lost any corals in well over a year now.

Just don't buy anything expensive until you get some time under your belt, but I wouldn't worry about experimenting with some cheaper corals. everyone has to start somewhere.

good luck!

 

[BuddyBonButt]

Yeah, I'm actually running mine 15/75/75/75/0/5 now.
attached is a shot of my tank. not overly blue in my opinion.

Ok so, first picture is with 80% white light and second is with your settings. With mine, sand is way brighter and with yours, it's darker. Although on camera, the pure difference of color isn't that obvious, in person, it's very different.