Newbie here

[Aqualung]

Hi Folks,

Just wanted to 'jump in' and let you all know that I recently joined TalkingReef. I am relatively new to salt water aquariums as well. I staretd my first marine aquarium back in July 2012, a 75-gallon standard, and only had live rock and a bunch of Turban and Astraea snails in it until last November, when I bought a 'Fire' shrimp. Back in December, I decided that I will make this a Hawaiian biotope tank, as I am coming up on my 15th (wedding) anniversary, and my bride and I spent our honeymoon in Hawaii. So, I picked up my first Yellow Tang back in December - it's doing very well, so far. (Note: I added a Blue Damsel and a few Blue/Green Chromis recently. And, I also added the (proverbial) Clown Fish (Amphiprion ocellaris). But I know that these are not native/indigenous to Hawaii - I added them just because I like them.)

I have compiled a list of aquarium-suitable fishes native/indigenous to Hawaii from Fishbase.org, and have tentatively highlighted a few that may be appropriate (based on care level, temperament, etc.) for my tank, including Lemonpeel Angelfish, Auriga Butterfly Fish, and Orange Butterflyfish. However, there are quite a few on my compiled list (254 to be exact), and I have a ways to go in my learning curve before I make my next purchase. Oh, did I mention, I am also looking into some soft corals?

Anyway, I look forward to perusing the various boards/threads here at TalkingReef, and I am sure I will learn more than I need to know (you never stop learning, right?).

-Brian

[SaltyDawg]

Welcome to the site. Got any pics of your tank? We like eye candy. What part of new England you from? Maine here. Like the avatar pic..I grew up fly fishing for Atlantic salmon so I can spot a classic fly pattern from a mile away lol.

[Aqualung]

Thanks for the reply SaltyDawg.

I do have some good pics that I can post. I am at work right now, and my pictures are on my home computer. So, I will upload some tonight (I gotta write a reminder on a sticky-note, just to be safe).

I live in northeast Massachusetts (the 'burbs) and I work in Boston - not by choice, but my wife has a 'city girl' mindset and she doesn't share my desire to move to South Carolina.

I have been fishing all my life (freshwater primarily), but a couple years ago made the switch to fly fishing. I enjoy throwing the fly much better than chuckin'-and-windin' a spinnerbait. It slows the whole process down, and I find it much more mentally relaxing. I fish mostly for bass and panfish in my local ponds/lakes, but in a couple local rivers/streams I can catch trout and suckers.

Last September (2012) I went down to Pennsylvaina to flyfish the Susquehanna for smallmouth bass. Unfortunately, they had just experienced an unusual warm front, and it slowed the fishing way down. This October, I am heading up to Cape Bretton, Nova Scotia to fish for Atlantic Salmon on the Margaree River (my first salmon experience). I am excited about going, and I need to make a shopping list for gear (I only have a 3-weight and a 6-weight so far. I plan on procuring a 9-weight for the salmon trip.). I would definitely be interested in your recommendations for good, effective salmon flies. I've done some reading about what works, but I am always open to suggestions.

-Brian

[Aqualung]

Here is a picture of my tank (it currently sits in the southwest corner of my kitchen)

DSCN3342.JPG


Here is one of my 'friends'.
DSCN3343.JPG

As the tank was converted from a frewshwater setup, I am currently using the Marineland C-530 canister filter. When I move the tank to my finished basement 'man cave', I will construct a new stand in which will be a sump filtration arrangement. Here is a picture of what the stand design and contents looked like when I had it setup as freshwater (this was from last summer).
DSCN2636.JPG

Here is an interesting picture of one of my Turban snails covered in the pearl green bubble algae stuff. That type of algae is nowhere else in the tank except on this snail (how curious).
DSCN3337.JPG


Here is another one of my 'friends'.
DSCN3312.JPG

[SaltyDawg]

Thats green bubble algae. You might want to consider removing it before it shows up all over the tank. The sand is a little brown also. Since the tank is 6+ months old, I'm guessing that is not diatoms. Probably cyano or dinos. Can you post all your params. The canister filter is a nitrate factory. How often do you clean it? What kind of test kit do you use? Whats the source of the water? How much flow is there? Got all sorts of questions. But you are off to a good start. When you decide to get corals, check this guy out. cheap shipping to the northeast and large selection at good prices. He lives 15 minutes from me and I've seen his facility a few times and he knows his stuff. CultivatedReef.com, Aquacultured Coral Frags

[Aqualung]

Yes. I will remove that green bubble algae. It's a bit unsightly.

My water parameters are ideal. I test them weekly (every Saturday morning), and they are always as follows: Ammonia=0, Nitrite=0, Nitrate=0, pH=~8.2 - 8.3, Phosphate=~.1, KH=10dKH, sp.gr.=~1.025 - 1.026. I use the API saltwater test kit and a refractometer. I attribute these parameters to the great work that the live rock and aragonite are doing, as well as my weekly dosing of Seachem Trace Elements. I also use Seachem Marine Buffer, as necessary (which isn't all that often).

I am not very worried about the brown stuff on the substrate. I believe it is diatoms. Where it exists (which is not over the entire substrate, it appears to cover the entire grain of the aragonite - it's not a purplish film like cyano would be. Also, there is some coralline algae covering some spots of the substrate (which is not unheard of). I may rake the substrate a little to mix it up a bit.

I understand the belief that a canister filter is a 'nitrate factory', but I rinse it out every month. It's easy enought to do with the quick disconnects. A sump will not work with the current stand, so I am stuck with the canister for now. There is plenty of nitrifying/denitrifying bacteria in the media I have in there (including API biochem stars), and considering my nitrate measurements, I am not very worried about that. Also, the protein skimmer is producing some good dark stuff (like coffee). So, it's doing its job.

As far as water goes, I use my local tap water for freshwater top off and to mix up my saltwater. While I do believe in the benefits of RO/DI water, many folks still use tap water without issue. My tap water runs a little on the hard side, and I use Seachem Prime which takes care of some issues. Interestingly enough, when I was considering the switch to a marine tank, we had just received a Water Quality Report from our municiple folks (they put this out each year, usually around summertime), and report did not show any significant concerns for the tap water category. Based on my research, I was aware of issues regarding copper, mercury, and other (bad) content, but I held off on getting a RO or DI unit, pending the tank's move to the desired location (in my finished basement - I am awaiting carpeting to be put down there in a month or so, at which time I wil set about moving the tank down there). I maintain a 32-gallon barrel of aged saltwater (Seachem's Marine Salt), using a cheap Aqueon powerhead and a cheap heater. I change out about 9 to 10 gallons each week (I simply siphon into two 5-gallon buckets for measurement purposes). I fill up from the aged supply (which resides in my basement) using a simple sump pump and potable water hose up to the tank. As I don't lose too much tank water via evaporation (maybe an inch during the week), I do not often top off the tank - I simply wait until my Saturday morning water change. Depending on salinity (sp.gr.) readings, I may mix freshwater with saltwater.

Regarding flow, the Marineland C-530 puts out a nominal 530gph, but that is most likely somewhat reduced by the media in the canister. To supplement, I have a Hydor Koralia 1050 (1050gph) butting heads with the filter output, crosswise/lengthwise across the center of the tank (if you can visualize that) - both of which are pointed slightly toward the surface to create a 'boiling' effect on the surface for gas-exchange. So, I am looking at about 10X turnover. I have the Koralia on the same timer as the daylights of my light fixture, so that powerhead is only on from 2pm to 10pm.

My lighting schedule is as follows: 1:30pm to 10:30pm = actinics only; 2pm to 10pm = actinics + 10,000K 'whites'; 10:30pm to 11:30pm = 4x1watt LED moonlights.

In summary, I am very happy with my progress with the marine tank. I do not have much livestock in the tank at present, which may account for some of my water chemistry readings. In fact, while I enjoy watching the fish swimming around, I quite enjoy watching the inverts (snails and hermits) do their thing and I enjoy just staring at the coralline algae growth on the liverock (is there counseling for that mental problem? ). I have learned quite a bit about what works and what doesn't work from books, magazines (e.g. TFH and Coral), and forums (like TalkingReef), which has not only inspired me to greater heights in reefkeeping, but has also made me realize that these things should be taken slowly. While God may have created the seas in one day, it takes us humans a bit longer to replicate them in our homes. Frankly, when I watch shows like 'Tanked', I don't know how they get away with dumping everything (substrate, water, livestock) into a tank in a matter of hours (maybe they have a magic wand) - I don't believe shows like that are sending the right message.

Anyway, please feel free to keep the questions coming. I certain have many questions of my own, and (unless there is already a thread to address them) I look forward to asking some on TalkingReef.

[Aqualung]

CultivatedReef.com, Aquacultured Coral Frags[/url]

I have been seriously considering corals - softies primarily. I am going to wait until my tank move before I add any more livestock or do any equipment changes - I want the move to be as harmless as possible. So, I expect to be making purchases this summer. In fact, I'd be willing to take a drive up to Maine to pick up some frags and learn some stuff about corals. I'm always up for a roadtrip.

[CarmieJo]

Hi Brian,

Glad to have you aboard!