first saltwater tank

[tnice17]

So I'll just keep with the pwc weekly.

Another problem I have now is that I want to get a timer for my lights. I picked up a mechanical one and it didn't work

Upon further investigation, some timers won't work with florescent light.

My light set up is
- deep blue 2x15w T5 bulbs
- original T8 50/50

What can I do for a timer? I need to get one soon because I'm leaving for vacation thursday morning.

 

[tnice17]

Picked up a timer from lowes that is duel outlet and is CFL! hope it works

 

[tnice17]

Made it down to Florida successfully for vacation! Found someone to maintain my tank while I'm gone so I'm relieved about that.

I am on the gulf coast, a bit south of Saratoga. Would it be a good idea to bring some sand back? What about anything I find in the ocean?

 

[tnice17]

Here is a picture of the sunset and some things I will be putting in the tank.
- 20+ sharks teeth
- 2 interesting looking shells
- 1 foot shaped shell!

Tomorrow is my last day so I'm thinking of swimming out as far as I feel comfortable and bringing a small cup/ bucket with me, swimming down to the floor and getting some sand or whatever sparks my interest

Lmk what you guys think! I'm very excited to putting some decor from a far location to give it a more personal feel

 

[thominil]

I am one of the people that tends to recommend leaving things in the ocean, a few shells are OK, but sand and rock are a big no-no do to hitch-hikers and/or pollutants that can be brought into the tank and cause chaos. Also, with the shark teeth, if you have any fish that tend to rest or sift/dig through the sand, these may injure them. I hope you have fun.

 

[tnice17]

Yea I was reading about the pollutants on other forums. It seems to be a odd topic because some people like your self say leave it and others say I have this and that and have been fine for years. I think if I rinse the sand in hot tap water it will be fine. I just want the different color and texture and to say this sand if from.... Lol

A co-worker that I got my fish from has a dsb 5-6 inches in his fish only 175 gal tank, it's been up for 8 years and has sand from all over the world.

The sharks teeth are dull on all corners from erosion on the beach, I'm not concerned with them injuring my fish.

I'll be cautious of what you said and do my best to make smart choices. I don't know what exactly hitch-hikers are so I'll start doing some homework.

 

[thominil]

The things collected Far out away from the beach tend to be fine pollutant-wise. The main factor is that you probably don't have the permits/licenses needed for the collection to be legal.

 

[tnice17]

^^ and neither do the million of other people that take shells for paper weights and decoration but you don't see the police knocking on everyones door. It's when it's a massive amount does it bring up a concern to the local authority. I only have a water bottle filled if your concerned.

I won't forget what you said about the pollutants so I think I will rinse it under tap water before I put it in the tank. Thank you for the heads up about the pollutants! Much appreciated.

 

[tnice17]

In case anyone else is curious about the sand thing. The only problem I encountered was airport security.

I know it's not legal and they knew that too, a police officer told me a sandwich bag is no harm done but they do need to test it for contaminants. That process took about 20 min by the time I got it out of my bag.

I am probably going to rinse it before I put it in my tank.

I haven't been able to upload pics via my iPhone, it says it's a problem with the site and should contact the forum administrator. Has anyone else encountered this dilemma?

 

[tnice17]

So I'm having some problems with my nitrates....

I have been doing 20% pwc once-twice a week for the past month and nitrates are still at 20.

I clean my canister every other week.

The only thing that concerns me is that I haven't seen my firefish or scooter benny in atleast 2 weeks. I hope they didn't die in the LR and just causing ammonia which would make my nitrates go up.

Can anyone offer advise?

I am feeding every other day.

 

[mr_X]

my advice would be to not worry about the nitrates unless you are seeing adverse effects from it. i would clean the cannister weekly though. those things get dirty fast.

 

[tnice17]

What would be some side effects?


But yea, no effects, inverts doing great and active, adult clown is active but he really old so he just hangs in a few spots in the tank .

I have some cyno and sucked it all up two weeks ago, no signs of it returning so I'm happy about that.

I also sold some old car parts so I'm thinking of picking up a RO/DI unit. I have been using distilled currently

 

[mr_X]

the clown is really old? how old?
you said it, cyano, unhappy fish...etc.

 

[tnice17]

5-6 years old. He is a mix of tomato and ocellaris, 2.5-3" head to tail

He was in a 125gal tank previously and he was the smallest in the tank so his attitude is to eat, sleep and swim in a couple spots. He is very active while eating so I'm not worried.

Can you recommend a good RO/DI unit? Around 100?

 

[hackteck]

this is a unit alot of members have purchased off ebay with no complaints

Portable 100G Reverse Osmosis RO DI Radiation Removal | eBay

 

[tnice17]

Awesome!! Thanks. What about maintenance for those? Filters and such

 

[hackteck]

i just pulled this off the item list on ebay just now also this is true for most all ro/di filters


The filter can work for 12 months and create the 2500-3000 gallons pure water

 

[tnice17]

Duh should have read the description. But thanks! I'll order that asap

 

[mr_X]

i would get a 75 gpd or less unit over a 100 gpd. you'll waste a lot less water this way.
also, those DI resin chambers need to be vertical, not horizontal.

 

[tnice17]

Oh so the units aren't something I can turn on/off whenever I want than?

Would there be anything wrong mounting the portable eBay one vertical?