New to REEF not FOWLR!

It's time.

I have a 75 Gallon (+30 gallon sump) so 105 gallon total system.

A snowflake eel and a Rectangular Trigger Fish (+ clean up crew..all snails) are the only things in this tank. The trigger is coming out.


I want to start off with things deemed "beginner" corals. More-so polyps right now. Those found at Beginner Corals: Corals Suitable for Beginners in Saltwater Aquariums

So here's some info
75 Gallon (+30 sump) 105 gallon total system
ASM G-1 Skimmer
100+/- pounds of rock that is now live (tank has been up for months, closer to a year)

7.8 PH - 8.0 PH

0 nitrate
0 nitrites
0 ammonia

Always use Red Sea Coral Pro salt (Despite never having corals)

1.021 salinity (need to raise 1.025 I know)

RODI water @ 0 TDS

Coralife Compact Aqualight
Coralife Lunar Aqualight Compact Fluorescent Fixture, 4X65 Watt, 48 inch

1 x 300 watt heater (78-82 Temp wise, I have a digital probe in the sump)

2 x MaxiJet powerhead 600 (Want to go Magnet - Koralia maybe? F suction cups!)

What do you recommend I get from here? I do have a test kit downstairs from previous owner however I think I'll go buy a new one. Do I need dosing solutions? I'm only going to star off with one or two polyps for a month to see if I can keep those before buying anything else.


Also I have a small hair algae problem when I found out my old RODI system was not completely 0 TDS. It was more like 10-20 IIRC. Do I need to get rid of this 100% before getting polyps?

 

good luck in the new venture Devin

I think now would be an ideal time to get on top of the hair algae situation
once corals are in there, removal becomes more of an issue, as you have fixed livestock in the way, thus rock removal for scrubbing etc, is not so easy

I would consider adding a reactor with GFO for phosphate reduction/ removal
after removing as much hair algae as I could by hand 1st
you can remove a bucket full of tank water, take out an affected rock, scrub it with a new toothbrush or scotch pad etc, to remove as much as you can
once the tank is more or less manually clear of it, then add the reactor with GFO , in order to reduce the fuel source for the algae and prevent it making a significant come back

if you can fit a dual stage reactor or 2 reactors, I would run carbon in the other chamber as this will also help with water clarity and quality, plus help remove any toxins released by soft corals, designed to irritate other corals

if you go with shrooms, zoanthids, soft corals such as leathers, toadstools, clove polyps, yellow polyps, green star polyps, anthellia, plus many more, then I believe you will be fine with what you have

you want about 20 times volume per hour with flow,( more can also be tolerated even by soft corals, provided, you disperse it well ) 2 powerheads are better than 1
as they can be used to create more random flow patterns and help to avoid to much flow travelling in any 1 direction

hope that helps

Steve

 

Thanks Steve. I do have one reactor currently for carbon. It's the BRS premium. Not sure if I'd be able to get two inside but I may be able to mount it somewhere somehow so I can run both. Thanks for the input. Everyone else comment your opinion!

 

+1 sums it up BIG TIME.. Make sure your clean up crew is properly sized for your tank. They will keep algae in check.

MAKE sure all your livestock is reef safe and will not eat your clean up crew.

Before the transition... How old is the rock and substrate.. You said the tank is almost up for a year..is the LR and substrate brand new? If your having GHA problems, it would'nt hurt to look into "baking" your LR or replacing your substrate with dry sand for cheap.

Powerheads... Koralia's are cheap. Kinda big, bulky, and ugly. "MP's" are friggen expensive!!! are they really worth it?? You decide.

Wavemakers is a pretty much a must.


IMO G1 needs to go... Replace with SRO line with the bubble blaster pump if your can fit it. Best bang for the buck skimmer.

GL check out Vivid Aquariums | Tropical Fish Store in Los Angeles for Reef Aquariums for "beginner coral videos".

GL

 

Lr and substrate have been in since the start.

Thanks for the help!

 

With all due respect, I disagree that you would need to go to this length with your LR and substrate only being a year old. I also don't agree that a wavemaker is a must if you're going to keep "easy" corals. Just my .02.

With GHA, look at the peroxide method to remove it....also running GFO after you do some manual removal is the way to go IMO.

The beauty of this hobby is that there are many opinions in achieving the same end. It's the hobbyist's job to pick the method that works for their own system and go from there

 

I agree with ya. That suggestion is the extreme measure.

Just a little clarification I failed to mention...my bad.
If the LR and substrate is truly less than a year old it is hands down totally unnecessary. I just wanted to make sure you got it brand new and it hasn't been moved from tank to tank over years or you got it used.

Example; my current tank is just over a year old. The sand and LR is about 5-7 years old after all of my tank upgrades and moves.

Research on the wave maker. IMO it's a must. Not just for coral, they have other benefits to them like help suspending detritus in the water column. I used to have about 30x dt volume moving on a constant flow. Detritus would find the dead spots and settle in the sand and he rock. After adding a wave maker I found the opposing cycles helped suspend it way better and helped with dead spots.

Research until your eyes start to bleed!!

 

My only worry with wave maker is I have the sugar grain type sand :/ guess it will be cloudy until the sand clears. All I'm seeing is $$$$$ in my eyes right now haha. Girlfriend is the one who actually wants a reef tank

 

Here's what I got so far in my cart to buy

1LB BRS Bulk GFO
BRS 2 Part Calcium & Alkalinity Starter Package (Pre-portioned)
1 Gallon - BRS Bulk Magnesium Chloride
1 Gallon - BRS Bulk Magnesium Sulfate
2 X Hydor Koralia Evolution 750GPH
Hydor Koralia SmartWave Controller

 

Hopefully GF can afford upgrades 8)