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sarahh

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hello there folks, i have just purchased a 40 gallon breeder with live rock, live sand and 4 damsel fish and one unidentified fish.

lucky for me the damsels are hardy little critters, cos this may take a minute to get used to. Due to work/ time/ thanksgiving constraints, i haven't been able to purchase any water to do even a PWC ( the tank was refilled with it's original water) I have mixed up 10 gallons and had it sitting with a bubbler in it for about 20 hours now (4 to go) and as soon as possible i will do a 25% pwc. the nitrates are a little high (exact measurements are at home) but the phosphate is ok. Calcium is a little low and hardness was out of whack. hopefully the change will do the job.

the tank came with a HOB filter and powerheads. i have recently purchased a UV steriliser, and will be installing a sump as soon as i can figure out how it works with a refugium in it...good articles on site, and thanks to the admins.

i also will be adding a protein skimmer and may just purchase an RO filter due to the number of fresh and salt tanks i have.

have i forgotten anything? what is the best calcium adder?

thanks in advance
 
So you a freshy converting to a salty? lol

You can buy water at publix from the machine if you are hard up for water.

I think you will be fine on doing the WC now vs waiting 4 more hours.

How high are those nitrates? Some advice I can give is not to dose anything like calcium unless you can test for it. Seachem makes a decent calcium supplement though.

Keep asking questions, they will get answered here..there is lots more than needs to be told if you have no SW experience but keep reading and you will find your way.
 
SuperClown;585876 wrote: im curious as to why your waiting 24 hours for the mixed up salt?
Click to expand...

Thats the most common answer when people ask "how long should I wait" ....24 hours. I wait at least 24, sometimes a few days myself but thats just me - most salt can be used in just a couple hours of mixing.
 
Thats odd ive been doing this for over a year and no one has ever told me that I pour mine in like 15 minutes after I mix it
 
SuperClown;585884 wrote: Thats odd ive been doing this for over a year and no one has ever told me that I pour mine in like 15 minutes after I mix it
Click to expand...


I used to mix it up and use it right away......

I let it mix long enough to come to the correct temperature, but really don't bother waiting beyond that.....

I've seen no adverse effects either way....

Oh, and welcome to the club Sarah!
 
:) First of all, Welcome! Kudos to you for doing your research. You are well on your way to being very successful in this addiction......er....hobby! lol

Patience is your friend. For now, I recommend you concentrate on your basic chemistry and husbandry. Keep up on your water changes and learn how to check and maintain your ph, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.

Install your sump/refugium, protien skimmer and uv sterilizer if you wish.

Consider adding some snails, shrimp, etc. for a clean up crew.

When you get the hang of all that and your tank is stable for some time, then move on to checking things like calcium, magnesium and alk. Then start adding some easy care corals and grow from there. :D
 
hey all, i only waited for 24 hours due to the directions :) it said wait 24 hours for the co2/ oxygen mix to be kinda even
the API reef master test kit said that nitrates are 80, phosphate is 0.25 and kH is 89.5
the calcium was 420 - 440 ( i am adjusting to this new level)

the salinity is at 1.024

i am excited! this new level of fish keeping is kinda awesome! domino is quite the charachter! he bought all his fins out and displayed for me when i got the camera. i have to get past this 10 post thing before you can see, but he's a funny bugger :)
 
yes, it's best to wait about 24 hours, however, 20 hours is usually fine....no worries.


the best thing to do at first, imho, is to pick a decent salt that has good calcium, mag, and alk levels where weekly changes will suffice for now.

A great supplement would be a 2 part such as BRS.com calcium & Alk (recipe A). You dose both parts at least daily to maintain your Calcium & Alk levels.

you can put them on a doser, too.
 
Amici;585943 wrote: Freshly mixed salt water is highly caustic, I talked with a seachem rep about it there are theories but no one really knows why. If you look at your corals closely after a fully mixed water change then you have longer polyp extension but if its freshly mixed the corals will sometimes slime up or recede. It is best to mix at least 12 hours but 24 hours is prefered.
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+1 from personal experience. I usually mix up 44 gal/a brute trashcan, and throw a modded maxi jet in there and let it churn about 24-48 hrs before I do my wc. Plus, the salt chemically reacts and heats up when u first mix it up, so if you already have a heat issue, and you dump it right in, more heat! Plus how can you determine the actually salinity if you don't allow ample time for the salt to dissolve. They can say that 1/2 cup does 1 gal or whatever but that's at the lab, where the salt is dry, new , and in they're possession, it all changes after you actually get it. Just my opinion guys.
 
success! i think!

i waited for a day and a half overall, mainly because i got hom late from work and dislike water changes at 10.30 pm... it makes me miserable, i assume it makes the fish miserable too :)

so i did the change this morning, and now, a half hour later, the coral is all out, one of the mushrooms is sulking, but the others are looking like big fans at full extension. Domino is out and abour and the other fish are being held at bay by him. He definately is a "center of attention" fish. And no one else is allowed to share the spotlight :lol2:
 
Congrats on the water change. You just described some bullyin' Have you started putting together a fish wish list yet? Obviously the damsels would need to find new good homes. JMO

Glad to have you here!! Welcome!!
 
you know i am kinda impulsive, so i am not even looking at which fish i want yet... cos i know i will find a great deal and then i will bring it home unprepared :)

my husband has seen how happy this little tank makes me, and so he's committed to setting up a 125 long for me. We just got a stand for the tank, and that needs a good clean up and the sumps etc are godawful, so it's going to be a build thread of epic proportions :yay:

i really hate parting with fish like these little guys. i may loan them to a friend when he sets up his tanks in a year or so. but knowing me i will probably keep a spare tank for them when he moves on to bigger and better things:)

just a side note, am i allowed to post pictures via an image hosting website? trying to roam the website for a definitive answer, but nothing as yet
 
what the heck. here's a full tank shot. i have actinic bulbs usually, but the light wasn't that good for the pic :)

saltwater%20tank
>http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v237/aussiesare/saltwater%20tank/?action=view&current=IMG_4233.jpg#!oZZ3QQcurrentZZhttp%3A%2F%2Fsmg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv237%2Faussiesare%2Fsaltwater%2520tank%2F%3Faction%3Dview%26current%3DIMG_4231.jpg</a>
 
Not to take over the thread or change the subjects ct but i've always toook abou a quart of hot water mixed it in the salt for like 5 minutes then i use cold water for.the rest and that make the temp same as tank and my salinity is always spot on where i want.it. i've always just waited until the water was clear and when i pour in tank i always pour. Away from corals. I may however start doing 5 gallon changes in advance.
 
SuperClown;586054 wrote: Not to take over the thread or change the subjects ct but i've always toook abou a quart of hot water mixed it in the salt for like 5 minutes then i use cold water for.the rest and that make the temp same as tank and my salinity is always spot on where i want.it. i've always just waited until the water was clear and when i pour in tank i always pour. Away from corals. I may however start doing 5 gallon changes in advance.
Click to expand...

To each it's own, whatever works for you. I have had outstanding results from simply taking my time and asking questions, in my opinion this hobby is tough if you're impatient, you'll crash tanks, kill live stock and waste money. It's important to me, to give the most accurate advice to new comers, for the benefit of they're li e stock and wallet! Patience it key.
 
so i have access to many lights, ranging from actinic to 10K lights to t8 (i think) ... anyways it's a bunch. I tried to read the light thing in the newbie Q & A thread, but holy smokes!:confused2: there's no real definitive answer on that.

so i have a 40 breeder with fish, one coral and mushrooms. WHat should i use? stay with actinic? go with 10K? anopther option altogether?

thanks
 
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