Newbie 20g FOWLR

Read this article. It is an in depth look at ALK, Ca, Mg and pH.

A Simplified Guide to the Relationship Between Calcium, Alkalinity, Magnesium and pH by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

I would hold off on adding anything to the system in terms of Ca or Mg until your tank is cycled. Believe me, when your tank is good to go, the coralline will grow and grow and grow. On everything. I scrape mine off the glass weekly.

I would add about 12 more pounds of base rock, not live rock. You already have the bacteria you need growing in the tank. Base rock is dead rock waiting to become live. It is much cheaper and really all you need right now IMO. I got some that was white and boring not too long ago. I already have lots of color on it, so don't worry about that. Color will come with time.

How to prepare base rock. Read the third post by amcarrig.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/live-rock/how-prepare-base-rock-50464.html

So, with rock, you are looking at about 1lb/gallon for a FOWLR and 1.5 to 2lbs/gallon for a reef tank.

Your dwarf angel should be the last fish placed in the tank. They are very territorial. Also, they are not completely reef safe. Just letting you know, because many of us have converted to reef mid-stride when we saw just how cool it was. That is not to say you cannot have one in a reef tank. I have a Coral Beauty. It is, for the most part, a good girl. But on occasion, I do see her nipping here and there. Not eating, just nipping. As soon as she crosses over to the dark side, I will take her back to the LFS. So just be aware.

Have fun, Peace and Rock on.......John.

 

It turns out the thread was on a different reef site (my bad). I browsed a few sites before deciding to join this one. It's the first link that shows up if you Google PurpleUp. Here's what that thread said:
"It can cause some nasty Alk and Ca++ problems in thanks. Some of the stuff in this product is powdered aragonite. It accumulates on the bottom. Then one day the pH drops into the high 7's and poof Alk and Ca++ through the roof. Every month there is a post on this probelm/issue."

Let me know if you want the link to the full thread.

 

Ok, that's good advice. (karma +1) I definitely would like some more rock for my tank, the left side is pretty bare besides the substrate. The base rock is about $4/lb cheaper at my LFS, and cheaper is always good.

I'll definitely read that article on Ca, Alk, ph, Mg, too. I've been looking for a good article on that topic.

Thanks!

 

I've been meaning to take my wife and toddler up to the West Palm zoo, I'll try to talk the wife into taking a side trip to one of your LFS while we're at it. Thanks!

 

I agree with Pharm.....forget the Purple up.....Coraline will come in due time....when your tank is ready!!! Then you will get so sick of it you will wonder why you wanted it to hurry up. Just let it be!

 

I purchased bulk Calcium, Alkalinity buffers, and Magnesium from TB Aquatics (sponsor of this site). I purchased 2lb bags of each, except Magnesium which I purchased 2 2lb bags. Shouldn't have to buy any more of each for quite some time, and it was a lot CHEAPER to buy it in bulk, rather than using Purple up or any other "packaged" additive.

I then use a Kalkwasser drip to maintain Calcium and Alkalinity, but since my water doesn't evaporate quite fast enough, I have to supplement the Calcium and Alkalinity once in a while (that's where the bulk stuff comes in).

 

sounds like there's two schools of thought here, supplement for coralline growth or just wait and let nature take its course. I guess I'll wait-and-see for now, probably pick up some base rock, and see how my patience holds.
Can anyone tell me how many fish I can put in this tank? I have the one b/g chromis, and I'd like to put a dwarf angel in after the tank is more fully cycled. by some accounts, this is pretty much as many fish as I can add (1 fish per 10 gallons), but I've also heard I can add more depending on the size of the fish (1 inch per gallon).
Also, will my adding another 8 to 12 lbs of base rock affect the number of fish I can have? The reason I ask is that on the one hand, more rock will displace more water, but on the other hand it will eventually add more biological filtration. (sorry if this follow-up question is in the wrong section, i can start a new thread if needed).

 

I just scraped Purple dots of my glass. Piece of cake.

As far as how many fish - GO Slow.

There are general rules but as you gain experience you will be able to keep more fish in less space.

That said, as you gain experience you will NOT keep TOO many fish in that same said space.

 

lol, okay. i hear ya. I just don't want to be cruel to the fish I'm adding. I think I'll wait for 3 or four more weeks of stable numbers, and add a fire goby. then maybe the dwarf angel after that.... I'm sure I shouldn't really add much more than that to this little tank. but we'll see...