My 120g setup, helpful critics very welcome

[frantz]

I've had very good luck with my 25 cube and have been working on my 120 which is become quite exciting as well. I've posted some photos but I had just stirred up some dirt a little while ago and it hasn't all settled. Please be a critic on my setup, but offer ways for me to improve if you are going to point out deficiencies. Basic tank is a 120g and 40g sump. Oct 165 skimmer. 2 Ocellaris, 1 sail fin tang, 6 green chromis, 1 lawnmower blenny. I have several BLH crabs and 3 emerald green crabs. The photos are of my coral, all frags. zoas, 2 different candy canes, yellow cup, and what I think is a hammer coral. I have 2 large and 2 small power heads set to run at different times and the main lighting is on for 10 hours a day, no light on sump (yet). I haven't really glued the frags down, should I? or will the coral grow onto the rocks I've placed them on? Perms have been good and I'm keeping around 1.025 for salinity and 78 degrees. Thanks so much for the feedback!

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[mph84]

hey frantz pretty sure that is a frogspawn not a hammer. everything seems to be pretty decent. what kind of lights do you have? as far as glueing frags down I don't worry about it unless they repeatedly fall off. some stuff does better than others as far as staying put. I would probably suggest some snails of some sort. they are good little cleaners. one of the things i would look into is a UV sterilizer, they help with algae outbreaks and I believe they help to keep the water crystal clear. lookin good so far!!

 

[frantz]

Thanks for the input on the softie.. I didn't really think it was a hammer but the guy at the shop said it was. The heads are quite "hammer" shaped from pics I've seen. I do have some turbo snails, forgot to mention them, but I could use some more. I need to do more research on the UV stuff

 

[frantz]

oh and lights.. i have expensive ones of some sort?.. they are t5s, though i couldn't tell you the kelvin ratings or anything.. I'm a noob and bought the system opened but new (and missing a leg, hence the one leg is currently centered rather than on the side.

 

[grouper therapy]

Great start! I personally would paint the back of the tank.

 

[cr500_af]

Also, I can't tell what kind of powerheads you are running. Depending on their flow and how you have them staggered on the timer, you may be in need of more. Keep in mind that if you have two on/two off at any given time, you have randomness (good) but your flow is effectively that of only the two that are on, not the combined capacity of all four.

 

[fish scales2]

SLOW DOWN! In no way should a tank that has been running for a couple of weeks have corals in yet. No offense meant in any way, your system is still trying to stabilize and get an ionic balance. You have 11 fish, it looks like you have a Scopas Tang also.

The lace rock that you have is nice rock but I would recommend that within your sump you add some aragonite rubble to help you with buffering a bit.
Add a powerhead with decent flow to the side of the tank and I would have it running all the time. This will help create random type flow.
Get some stability, it will help with establishing the system.

BUT your tank does look good and I cant wait to see how it progresses. Weekly water changes will help your system dramatically. Test frequently Alk, Ammonia and Nitrites over the next few weeks, this may lead to additional water changes.

 

[cr500_af]

Fish Scales2;607539 wrote: SLOW DOWN! In no way should a tank that has been running for a couple of weeks have corals in yet. No offense meant in any way, your system is still trying to stabilize and get an ionic balance. You have 11 fish, it looks like you have a Scopas Tang also.

The lace rock that you have is nice rock but I would recommend that within your sump you add some aragonite rubble to help you with buffering a bit.
Add a powerhead with decent flow to the side of the tank and I would have it running all the time. This will help create random type flow.

YES! Good catch, Chris... I totally missed that it was a new system.

 

[fish scales2]

Great selection of corals!!!

 

[grouper therapy]

cr500_af;607542 wrote: YES! Good catch, Chris... I totally missed that it was a new system.

Yea me too.
I must be blind I did not see where it was a couple weeks old. I thought he posted in another thread a week ago that he had a sailfin in there for a few weeks .

 

[mph84]

where does it say when he started it? I have apparently missed it too!!!

 

[gmpolan]

Id also be concerned with one leg supporting the lighting structure. You might want to look into building something to hold it up alil better as it would be a shame to have that one leg go and the fixture fall in the water....

 

[grouper therapy]

I think Chris must know from previous post that he (the op) made in another thread.

 

[fish scales2]

I just clicked on his screen name and selected previous post and read through them.

 

[grouper therapy]

Fish Scales2;607551 wrote: I just clicked on his screen name and selected previous post and read through them.

That 's what I figured you did! Good catch:up:

 

[frantz]

Guilty. The system is only a month old. I have been doing 10% water changes and I will add an additional powerhead. perms have been good with my nitrates having started to head back south, and everything else had been pretty stable. I (impatiently) assumed they cycle was started.

 

[cr500_af]

Frantz;607563 wrote: Guilty. The system is only a month old. I have been doing 10% water changes and I will add an additional powerhead. perms have been good with my nitrates having started to head back south, and everything else had been pretty stable. I (impatiently) assumed they cycle was started.

I'm sure it has, but you add livestock after the cycle is FINISHED.
Edit: and even then you do it slowly.

 

[frantz]

Thanks for the input everyone. I added a UV system and have continued doing the other maintenance which I had been doing. 2 Chromis died and I removed them, and everything else is doing well. The chromis were added last so I believe it was due to stress. Everything is eating and the "frogspawn" is growing. I realize that this may still be stressful living for them now, but I think they system will do well. I'll update if things change but I will be pulling back my buying for awhile!