Sorry for the hundreds of questions

[gemini9]

Hey thank you to everyone who has been every so patient with me and my hundreds of questions. I wanted to throw most of my concerns all in one place. Can some of you please read through my .... small list and give me your input? Thank you all so much. I have been very anxious about this tank lol I don't wanna ruin anything.

First, my stats:
30 Gallon FOWLR (no fish yet)
Ammonia 0, pH 8.2, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 160ppm
14 pounds of rock in the tank
Another 12 pounds of dry sitting beside me I'm about ready to put in

Equipment:
No sump yet
Marineland 350 Filter (HOB) with Bio wheels and 2 carbon filters (installed)
Marineland Maxi Jet 400 in circulation mode

1. My first concern is about the diatoms during the cycle. I don't have any diatoms, algae, or any type of growth yet and it's been a month. Should I be concerned? Is something wrong? I thought for sure I would see something growing in there by now. It worries me a little.

2. The carbon filters in my Marineland 350, how often should I change them? I have read that they should be changed every month, but I've also read I shouldn't change them because they host beneficial bacteria.... which is true? I'm confused....

3. My water is slightly cloudy. (I have crushed coral). The cloudiness is coming from very small particles, dust like and it's all through my tank. I understand some of these smaller particles are pods because they are swimming around. The others might be micro bubbles? Not sure... But there are so many of these small particles in there It makes the water look Kinda murky. I first noticed it after I added API Proper pH to raise the ph from 7.8 to 8.2. A few days later I had the murkiness. Also when I noticed the micro pods swimming around (which have infested my tank by the way)

4. I understand, I should start doing some water changes now?

5. Can I add a small CUC or some hardy fish to see if they will survive yet, or is there something else I should do first?

6. I don't have a RO/DI yet. I've been using natural spring water from down the road. I will be getting a RODI unit soon, maybe this weekend or next, from Lowes. we have well water at the house and it's very hard, and high in metals, etc. Will the RODI unit be good enough and safe?

7. I have a smaller hob filter from a 10 gallon tank I'd like to put to use somehow. What's the best I can use it for? As another carbon based filter? Or should I just use it to circulate the water more? I was going to make it a reactor but I understand the flow wouldn't be sufficient enough.


I know it's a long post and thank you for your patience and reading through all that.

 

[wuuzzzuuppp]

I would work on getting your sump with a skimmer going. It's a must to have a skimmer. Once you have a sump you can add a filter sock and it will help polish your water to make it clearer. Just change and wash your socks weekly.

Are you running any kind of lighting during the cycle? If not then it's a lot harder for the diatoms to grow.

Once you have a sump and a skimmer you wont need your Marineland 350 IMO. You filtration will be your sock and you live rock. You need at the lowest 1lb of live rock per gallon.

Once you are sure your tank is cycled then I would do a water change before adding anything to the tank.

Adding the dry might give you a mini cycle. I would add that and watch your ammonia and nitrite. Then if nothing spikes, add something to the tank.

Your RODI is important for keeping algae down and also other impurities out of your tank. I've read where some people have had success with spring water, but it's kinda a crap shoot. I also have hard well water and my RODI does well. You can buy a TSD (total dissolved Solids) meter and hook it up so you know exactly how your filter is working.

You hob filter... maybe a quarantine tank filter?

 

[gemini9]

just change and wash your socks weekly.

lol!

 

[reepher]

I would work on getting your sump with a skimmer going. It's a must to have a skimmer. Once you have a sump you can add a filter sock and it will help polish your water to make it clearer. Just change and wash your socks weekly.

?

Second this

 

[wuuzzzuuppp]

LOL Yes change your socks and wash them weekly weather they need it or not! :tongue:

 

[gemini9]

I'd like to have a sump but I don't have a clue how to put one together. It's a bit over my head. I have hard enough time with this other stuff. Today has been a very discouraging day. I added some dry rock and my water level got too high, so I went ahead and did a water change. Had a time trying to figure out how to get that suction hose thing to work... So I finished adding my dry rock. My water became even MORE murky and cloudy. I realized after dumping in 4 new jugs of water, my water was too cold So I added another heater to warm back up. Then I saw my salinity was too low so I added some salt. Then my salinity was too high so I had to change out some more water. In the mean time, I spilled my cherry coke on the carpet, spilled a cup of mixed salt water on the carpet. Sigh. I have no idea what I'm doing. OH, and my aquascaping is awful.

 

[wuuzzzuuppp]

:jaw: Yikes! Sorry you had a crappy day! Keep your chin up though! You will figure things out and it will be worth it. I promise!

 

[wuuzzzuuppp]

A simple sump isnt too hard to set up. There will be some cost involved just like anything else in this hobby lol. I can walk you through it when you are ready if you want the help!

A water change isnt going to hurt anything. In the future get yourself for starters a new clean heavy duty plastic trash can. The big blue 55 gallon drums are the best but a trash can will work. Once you have one fill it with your water preferably RODI water once you get it. Add your salt, a heater, and a pump to help mix things up and get everything to match your tank parameters. That way when you do a water change and put your new water back in you wont shock your critters to death.........literally. For starters save some of your old water incase you take too much out so you have some more water to put back in if you dont have enough new water. I made a mark on the back edge of my tank so I know exactly how much water to take out every time and not take too much out. It took a few tries to get it right.

 

[wuuzzzuuppp]

You stirred things up when you added the new rock. Next time wash the dry rock off before adding it if you didnt do it this time to get it clean.

Aquascaping....its hard to do with the water in the tank. Maybe find some photos of 30 Gallon reefs that you like the aquascaping and try to follow it to your liking? Just an idea maybe

 

[gemini9]

I apprecieate your help and I will definitely be up for that walkthrough on the sump. How big of a tank do I need for a sump? I do have a smaller 10 gallon tank in storage. If sumps are noisy, I may be able to put it in the basement and run the pipes up through the floor, but if they are fairly quiet I can stick it here beside my 30 gallon.

I'm about off for bed now, but are there any ideas as to why my water is getting cloudy? It's a white/grey cloudiness. I haven't changed my filter in my marineland hob filter yet and it's been in there for a month. They have carbon preinstalled in them. Should I change those?

 

[gemini9]

The water was cloudy even before I added the new rock. :-/

 

[wuuzzzuuppp]

I'd go a little bigger than the 10 if it were me. A 10 gal pretty small and not much room for a skimmer,heater, sock filter, refugium if you want one, ect.

 

[wuuzzzuuppp]

There was probably a lot of particles in the crushed coral. It will take some time to filter them out.

The filters in your hob filter do house good bacteria, but they also can hold nutrients which produce nitrates. Are the filters plugged up? Right now that is your only way of filtering out particles in the water column. If the filters are plugged I'd change them.

Have a good night!