Demm's 29g

[Demm]

Hello everyone. I decided to post up my 29g tank.

I am totally new to saltwater, i started my tank about 6 or 7 months ago, so all suggestions are welcome, and feel free to yell at me if i did something totally stupid.

Tank Equipment:

-29 gallon tank
-Aquaclear 30 Filter with Phosphate remover and Carbon
-Maxijet 900 Power head
-Rio 200 Power head
-Seaclone 150 Skimmer
-Oddysea 130w (65 watt x2) PC light. 10000k day bulb and actinic bulb, with moonlights


Current Stock:

-30lbs Cribsea Live Sand
-45lbs Live Rock
-Condy Anemone (Very soon to be rehomed so it doesnt attack my other corals)
-Button Polyps (hitchhikers)
-Brown and some Green Mushrooms
-Green Zoas, and Orange Zoas (i think)
-1 Hitchiker Bristle Star
-1 Hitchiker Asterina Star
-2 Nassarius Snails
-6 Reg Leg Hermit Crabs
-2 Engineering Gobys
-2 Ocellaris
-1 Emporer Cardinal
-1 Sailfin Blenny
-1 White Ring Urchin

Goals:

My goals for this tank is to turn it into a decent reef tank. I would alot like to start getting much more into corals in the not so distant future. I am also planning on guying an overflow box, refrigium, and sump sometime soon as well. That way i am able to hide all those annoying filters, skimmers etc etc.

Pictures

Starting up the tank:

Water Settled (gotta love the freshwater background lol, i have it taken off and it's a solid black now)

First Live Rocks:

Cycling (yes yes i had damsels in there, shame on me. wont be doing that any more. no damsels died)

3 Months later (used to have a pincushion urchin, i got it sick and tried to retore its health.3/4 of its spikes were missing when i got it. lasted for 2 months:

White Ring Urchin:

Blenny:

After Some More Live Rock:

Asterina Starfish:

Bristle Star:

Emporer Cardinal:

Ocellaris:

Orange Zoas i think, correct me if i'm wrong

Green Zoas:

Green Mushroom:

Condy:

Full Tank Shots:

At Night (sry for blurry pic):

Thanks for looking!
-Demm

 

[SkiFletch]

Looks like a good start Demm

Moving forward ifi you wan't corals, I'd consider upgrades to powerheads and lighting first. Also you're gonna have to get mighty familiar with chemistry and test kits

 

[1entra]

I agree with skifeltch, depending on what corals you want to get in the future, you will have to upgrade your lighting along with adding more powerheads to increase water flow!

Anyways looking good so far!

 

[Demm]

yep, the test kits i already have...well just the regular saltwater test kit. not the reef kit yet.

as for the lighting i just got these lights 2 days ago lol. i'm not planning any SPS or anything difficult. just something that will do good under this light. i'm looking to start my 55g saltwater soon, that tank will have MH on it for sure.

powerheads i will be upgrading for sure on this tank as well, i know it's not to good of a flowrate in there. if it ook the rio out, you think i'd be ok with another maxijet 900? or would i still have to get more?

I agree with skifeltch, depending on what corals you want to get in the future, you will have to upgrade your lighting along with adding more powerheads to increase water flow!

Anyways looking good so far!

for right now i'm just going to stick with easier corals, i dont wanna dive into the hard ones until i knwo for sure that i'm able to take care of the easier ones. i was some green star polyps, maybe some more zoas, frogspawn. i'm gonna be given a xenia tomorrow if all goes according to plan.

also i wanted to ask, if i got a bubble tip for the clowns, would that be ok with other corals, or is that a mean little guy as well?

 

[SkiFletch]

I wouldn't get a bubble tip nem. Those lights are far underpowered, and the flowrate insufficient to support one safely.

As for the powerheads, you want a different type of flowrate for corals. Maxijets/Rios put out a point-flow type of water movement, a little jet of water if you will. This is very inneficient and doesn't really move a lot of water. What you want is something like a Hydor Koralia, Tunze Stream/Nanostream, or Seio Superflow. These powerheads have propeller-type motors and push water in a wide diffuse range. They turn over much more water for a fraction of the energy cost and corals tend to like that wide flow pattern MUCH better.

 

[Demm]

ok i will check out those powerheads that you suggested, thanks!

 

[Demm]

ok i like the way that the Hydor Koralia looks. there are several models...400gph, 600gph, 850gph and 1200gph. i dont wanna overkill the current. what would be suggested i get, and how many? maybe 2 600's? i'm thinking about putting 2 in each end of the tank, and i dont want to crate a tornado effect in there lol.

 

[Demm]

Some new editions to the tank:

well i didnt know which one to go with so i got the nano version. 265gph, guess i should have gone with something a bit stronger, i was afraid to lol. its doing the job and getting the current across the tank.

Torch:

Well this is supposed to be a green star polyp home, i got it for free, dont know if there's any green stars in there, i'll find out.

Orange Zoas

 

[Demm]

yay! there are some green stars in there! not many, but they will grow

will that mushroom in the second picture be a problem? they are kinda right next to each other

 

[Matthew5664]

As has been said: Dam good start mate! Glad the back ground has changed, good that the flow has increased.