FOWLR to REEF

[ReefRob]

I am new to the whole saltwater world. So here it goes.
I have a 40 gallon Jebo R375 tank with a standard powerhead with drip filtration the upper back of tank. I also have an Ehiem canister filter running. I have very good water movement on 45 lbs of live rock. Tank has had the live rock for two weeks. I have had the water tested several times and water is perfect. Salinity is perfect and so are the rest of the tests (lack of specificity due to ignorance).

I have 1 blue damsel, 2 clowns, and one royal gramma and 5 hermit crabs.

Things are running smoothly. I hope to add no more than three additional fish (maybe a yellow watchman, blue tang or yellow tang and a flame angel).

I just purchased a new light system from Jebo that is above the water and provides 150 watts.

Bottom line: I am interested in going from FOWLR to Reef.

Now for my ignorance. A lot of the threads I read use a lot of abbreviations for everything from light to chemicals in the water. Is there a book to understand the lingo? Is there a "cheat sheet" out there? Am I going too fast and should slow down on the whole process?

I truly appreciate your expertise.

Rob

 

[pat8you]

I have very good water movement on 45 lbs of live rock. Tank has had the live rock for two weeks.

Was the rock cured or dry when you put it in the tank? Has the tank been running for two weeks or that is just when you put the rock in?

Things are running smoothly. I hope to add no more than three additional fish (maybe a yellow watchman, blue tang or yellow tang and a flame angel).

Your tank is going to be a little small for either of the tangs and if you want to go reef be careful about the flame angel. Dwarf angels as a general rule are not always reef safe. One flame angel may leave your coral alone and another might take out everything you own in a week. Many will be fine for months and then one day get a taste for coral. I know you weren't really asking about the fish but i thougth i would just give you a heads up. Always be very careful about doing research on a fish before you put it in the tank. They are much much harder to get out then they are to put in.

A lot of the threads I read use a lot of abbreviations for everything from light to chemicals in the water. Is there a book to understand the lingo? Is there a "cheat sheet" out there? Am I going too fast and should slow down on the whole process?

Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community - FAQ: Acronyms and Abbreviations

That is a link to common acronyms used on the site. Most of it you will just pick up over time and if you don't know then just ask. People here are friendly and you won't be flamed or anything for it. I still ask for acronyms sometimes.

There are some good books out there but i would start by looking in the articles section of this site. They have a lot of really helpful starting out information that will get you a good start.

As far as going to fast, I don't know when you started the tank but if it was just two weeks ago then i would say yes it is probably a good time to slow down and let the tank and fish settle in. This is on the other hand an excellent time to do a lot of reading and research about fish and coral.

I have had the water tested several times and water is perfect. Salinity is perfect and so are the rest of the tests (lack of specificity due to ignorance).

Again i am making some assumptions here to try and answer some of your questions so feel free to correct me if i am wrong. This sounds like you have been having the local fish store (LFS) do your testing for you. I strongly recommend that if you are serious about getting a reef started you go out and pick up your own liquid test kits and a refractometer. Both are a little expensive but are one of those things that are worth their weight in gold and will save you a lot of trouble and frustration down the road. Also keep in mind that coral are a bit more sensitive to not just your water parameters but also your water stability. Newer tanks will have bigger swings in water parameters and it is a good idea to give the tank at least a month or two to kind of break in and stabilize. This also gives you a chance to get familiar with your maintenance routine, feeding, fish, and water testing. You will get to know your tank after a few months.

Hope that helps

 

[mr_X]

tangs don't belong in small tanks. a 40 is a small tank IMO/IME. i'm not saying i haven't kept them in such, but i'm saying i don't recommend it for long. if you are expecting to upgrade in a short while, then it's ok, but if the 40 is the largest you will go, i say -pass on tangs.
wattage isn't what you shoot for with lighting. you need to figure out what corals you want to keep, then figure out what type of lighting you will use. if you go with metal halide, you would have to go with 2 x 150 or 250. i would go with 250 watters because your tank is 22 inches tall. i used a bunch of coralife clip on 150 watt halides over an 8' tank that was only 17" tall, and browned out a lot of sps because of lack of PAR. PAR= photosynthetically active radiation. this is the usable light that is over our tanks.
Jebo is a low end company from jump, so i am betting the light they sold you is compact florescent or t-5s with a single reflector.
if i am correct, this is suitable for only low light corals.
you will need (to keep anything and everything) metal halide, or T-5 H.O. that is individually reflected. (a single reflector for each bulb)

 

[melosu58]

It`s hard to add anything else. Everything above was spot on. Just wanted to say Welcome to AA. Enjoy the journey.

 

[ReefRob]

Thanks for the info...My live rock was wet when I bought it.