New Tank Problems

I've had a bad experience with the intstant ocean hydrometer, gave me bad results. The deep six by coralife is better. Of course, if you can afford a refractometer, go for it.

When adding salt and setting up a tank, always test and add salt to know how much to go up on salt.

About your heater, I'm thinking it's wayy to strong for your tank. 300w are usually for much bigger tanks. Get a 150w or 200w and avoid glass as they shatter! The all titanium fully submersible ones are nice!

 

With the cured rock you'll have to recure it due to die off intransit

 

So by the time it gets to my tank its uncured.

How do I cure it, just put it in and keep cleaning the dye off.

 

Well I'm got the temp down to 77 by turning off the heater and opening the windows.

I think my apartment may be to hot, I am considering a chiller, but they are quite pricey. Does anyone know of a good priced chiller? 75 Gallon, 20 Gallon Sump.

 

I've only just started my tank, it's just over a month old. I also bought some cured live rock, I didn't do anything with it, just placed it in the tank, added a few cocktail shrimp a week after adding the rock and then let the cycling begin!
My cycle took nearly four weeks and experienced a heavy brown algae bloom (diatoms), however I was patient and didn't panic by adding chemicals/treatment into the tank and it all cleared up nicely.

 

Sounds good, I am going to give them a quick scrub and get rid of any sponges. I was looking into a new kent product that makes the rock instantly ready to use, couldn't find any though, not even on the kent site. Too late now.

Thanx

 

I don't think there's any product out there that makes liverock "instantly ready to use"
If you have die off then you will produce ammonia and then nitrites and then nitrates... There's no way around that. Depending on your system (bacteria present and tank volume, etc.) and how much rock you add. That will determine how much of an ammonia spike you will see. If you have fish ( I need to read the entire post) and get a spike you can kill them all off.

Jim

 

No fish, just starting.

I put in 59 pounds of rock, I'm getting 25 more in a few days, and then maybe another 25.

I think I've got the rock thing down. My biggest problem now is microbubbles.
They're coming out of the return pipe, out the two pivot ends. I can't figure out how to get rid of them. I have a small leak where the return pipe plugs into the pivot heads, it may be allowing air in. I'm not sure how to seal it. I can't push it into the pipe all the way, way to tight.

Are there any products I can use to seal it, while the water is running out of it, and that's safe for the tank?

 

Do you have a sump? theyer prolly coming from down there from your over flow youll need to section the pump off from the outlet of the returning water

 

Yes I have a sump but it's not coming from there. Click on url to see a picture of the sump:
http://www.all-glass.com/products/featured/megaflowsump/

The water goes through about 3 foam filters plus the pre-filter on the pump, before it goes to the return pipe. Plus when I shine a flashlight through the clear hose on the return pipe I see know microbubbles at all. I know they would be moving fast, but I see nothing at all.