first tank :)

Hey guys, im new to all this (my friend convinced me to buy a tank after he got his a few years ago) and i wanted to check i was doing everything correctly....

I bought a 26gal tank, similar to a nanocube, with all the bits n bobs hidden behind a panel at the back. everything is setup and has been running overnight. i checked it this morning and the water is clear and warm
My salt (or gravity, cant remember which is which) level is at 1.020, am i right in saying thats slightly too low?
My temp is at 26*C
I am going to pick up some live rock tonight and get everything set up so i can get my fishys in the tank in about 3-4weeks. does that sound right? i was wondering how you know when the nitrate levels drop? can i get a kit to test the water?
Also should i buy some live rock rubble to stick in the filtering system at the back, instead of the plastic bits under the carbon. I read here that thats a good idea??!

Good so far? Thanks for your help

 

You sound like your on the right track and yes you need test kits a bunch of them here is a ruff guide line of different levels and things you need to test for.

 

nice one thanks very much!

Just to check something else. I have about 1" to 1.5" of sand and about 10-12kgs of LR. Will that be sufficient?

26gal tank btw

 

To see when your cycle is finished you need to test your water. When your ammonia and nitrites are 0, you should be good to go. Good luck.

 

You betcha! Sounds like a good start. Some people recommend 1-1.5 lbs per gallon, which puts you at 22+ lbs. Sounds good to me considering the bioballs (The plastic things in the back) do some of the biological filtration as well. Those bioballs will work, but they must be cleaned fairly often once you're cycled... some people put LR rubble back there because it's a PITA to get those out to clean them.. and you never know what's lurking back there; i.e. bristle worms and the likes.

GL!

 

I'd say your going to want to get more Live Rock, around 25-30 pounds (sorry, don't know what that is in kg). Other than that, sounds like you've done your research and know what your doing so far. Good Luck and welcome to 3reef.

 

Other than the salinity you're golden. Everything sounds perfect. I'd just bump the salinity up to 1.024 or 1.025.

There are test kits out there that all Saltwater reefers should have. Most of us test for Nitrate, pH, Alkalinity, Calcium, and Magnesium. You only really need to worry about Nitrate and pH from that list, since you have nothing really in the tank such as corals and inverts to use up the calcium and other minerals. And because you are cycling, you need to test for Ammonia and Nitrite.

When your Ammonia and Nitrite reads zero, and your nitrates are good (you want to shoot for zero though), then your cycle is basically complete and you can start adding critters.

There was a recent thread started here on what test kits members use. http://www.3reef.com/forums/water-chemistry/recomended-testing-kits-what-do-you-use-41328.html Most seem to recommend Salifert brand.

 

Welcome to 3reef, John!!

 

as far as live rock weight goes, having flow between the rocks is more important than actual poundage. For example, I have about 100 lbs of rock in my 150 gallon and it looks like 200 lbs but I stacked it very loosly so I could get flow in between. To me, the flow in between the rocks is the most important part of aquascaping and an equally important part of your biological filter. I would lose the bio balls btw

 

Hey guys thanks for all the welcomes and help...this is a really warm forum ;D

Hmmm tank is looking good, i'm well chuffed with it! Posted a pick of it so far...still to add another 5kgs of live rock, after reading your recommendations.

Salinity is currently at 1.022, so i think i will bump that up a little bit over the next few days.

The only real problem i can see is the temperature. I cant keep it constant. It seems to fluctuate between 24*C and 26*C (74*F - 79*F), 26 during day and 24 in the evening. I only have an external sticky thermometer, so it could be being affected by the room temperature. Will this cause stress on the fish? or are those temperatures acceptable? Surely reef fish will see similar temperature changes in the wild?

Oh and also, i have heaps of worms(they actually look more like centipedes) in my live rock! lol most of them are curled up and dead on the sand, but there are a couple still crawling around. i'm planning on getting some little hermits, some snails and a shrimp as part of my clean up crew....will they munch on these little pests?

Thanks again for all your help...karma to all