Starting a Reef Tank

[Colin_T]

nope. I lost all my pictures and everything else when I ended up on the street. And my first reef tank was back last century before cameras were invented.

 

[Neil Mani]

Oh my god. I hope you have gotten everything you need back. Was your first tank successful?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Oh my god. I hope you have gotten everything you need back. Was your first tank successful?

I don't have a good photo of mine, but so far, it has been very successful. I'm just getting over the "ugly stage" (the time period where there is a lot of algae/diatoms) and now have almost all my livestock.

You can follow my build journal if you like: https://www.fishforums.net/threads/29g-saltwater-nano-tank.471210/#post-4043346

 

[Colin_T]

Oh my god. I hope you have gotten everything you need back. Was your first tank successful?

no I lost everything and nothing has been replaced.

my first marine tank was fish only and didn't do well because I didn't know about the filter cycle and nobody else did back then. Eventually when I worked out the filter cycle, the tanks started doing well. After a few fish only tanks, I set up an anemone tank and that did really well after I removed one of the trouble makers (fire clown fish). Then I did a coral and fish tank and that did well for a few years before I took it down when I moved house. I didn't set it up again for about 10 years after that and then I had a number of coral and anemone tanks.

 

[Neil Mani]

Can you explain what a filter cycle is?

 

[Neil Mani]

Also, will dry rock work for a marine tank in place of a life rock?

 

[Neil Mani]

Another Question. Is 1.025 a good salinity?

 

[Colin_T]

Dry limestone is fine for a marine tank and turns into live rock after a few months in the water.

1.025 is fine for salinity.

Cycling a tank is where beneficial bacteria develop in a filter. It usually takes around 4-6 weeks but can take a bit longer. With marine tanks you should cycle the tank before adding fish or other life forms because any ammonia is extremely toxic in the sea water, which has a pH of 8.5.

To cycle a tank you add some liquid bacteria or a small amount of fish food, dead fish or dead prawn. You get the ammonia level to about 3ppm and keep it there until the level drops (usually around 2-3 weeks). Then you wait for the nitrite level to go up and come down (takes another 2-3 weeks). After the ammonia and nitrite have both gone up and come back down to 0ppm, the nitrate levels start to go up and the filter/ tank is considered cycled.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I used Instant Ocean Bio-Spira and I cycled my tank in 4 days.

 

[Neil Mani]

I used Instant Ocean Bio-Spira and I cycled my tank in 4 days.

How about Fritz Turbo Start?

 

[Neil Mani]

Dry limestone is fine for a marine tank and turns into live rock after a few months in the water.

1.025 is fine for salinity.

Cycling a tank is where beneficial bacteria develop in a filter. It usually takes around 4-6 weeks but can take a bit longer. With marine tanks you should cycle the tank before adding fish or other life forms because any ammonia is extremely toxic in the sea water, which has a pH of 8.5.

To cycle a tank you add some liquid bacteria or a small amount of fish food, dead fish or dead prawn. You get the ammonia level to about 3ppm and keep it there until the level drops (usually around 2-3 weeks). Then you wait for the nitrite level to go up and come down (takes another 2-3 weeks). After the ammonia and nitrite have both gone up and come back down to 0ppm, the nitrate levels start to go up and the filter/ tank is considered cycled.

It feels extra killing a fish just to cycle a tank.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

It feels extra killing a fish just to cycle a tank.

Never buy a “starter fish” to cycle your tank, that’s just cruel and inhumane.

How about Fritz Turbo Start?

Never heard of it, sorry.

Bio-Spira worked very well for me and it has thousands of t star reviews. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[Neil Mani]

Can you use rain water instead of RO/DI?

 

[Neil Mani]

Is instant ocean Bio Spira like a beneficial bacteria in liquid. Does the bacteria colonize in bio media.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Can you use rain water instead of RO/DI?

I don’t suggest it. Issue with using rain water, is it actually has to rain, so you can collect it. It may not rain for weeks, and if you need to do a water change, you’re out of luck.

Is instant ocean Bio Spira like a beneficial bacteria in liquid. Does the bacteria colonize in bio media.

Yes, it is bottled bacteria. (Nitrifying bacteria)

Once you pour it in your tank, it will establish a colony of bacteria on your filter media/live rocks. (Live rocks usually already have a small colony of bacteria, which should speed up your cycle)