Here's what I've got so far

[rodinwilmington]

Hey guys really have enjoyed reading all of the advice on this site, couldn't have even begun without the info I've gathered from your posts. Here's what I'm doing so far. I have a 45 gallon tank, built my own stand and canopy (crappy pic from my phone included below) koralia PH, prizm skimmer (mixed reviews on this so far but thought I'd take the chance), marineland stealth 200w heater (liked it cause of the wattage and the length of the heater cause my tank is 24 inches deep) 30lbs of carib sea arag and 40lbs of carib sea live arag (they only had one bag of 30lb dry arag so they gave me this for the same price) and about 60lbs of dry lava, coquina and limestone from a local stone supplier. That's all I have so far, got the salinity right today and I'm waiting for the sediment to settle (pic below) early next week I'm gonna get a filter (recommendations appreciated, looking at marineland penguin or rena smart) I have a local connection for some live rock (gonna get bout 10 to 15lbs) then gonna get a couple of dead shrimp and wait to see what happens, not too concerned with lighting so far cause I won't be needing it for a few days/weeks I'll probably go with something that I'll be able to do some soft corals in the future. My goal now is to get things going and add a CUC in a few weeks then add maybe 3 or 4 fish (clown, gobie, and whatever else my research/your recommendations find) slowly. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. One question is should I have the skimmer on while I'm cycling my LR.

 

[match55]

I have mine while cycling.
all I know its don't do any WC until u see nitrate, or u will slow down the cycle.
u might want to have a HOB or some kind of filter to make your water clear, since what make the water cloudy r dirty stuff from the sand.

 

[AMDPhenomX4]

Ok as filtration, either a sump or just the rock and skimmer. A sump is a tank which adds water volume and hides equiptment. Just make sure to have a 15-25X water turnover rate per hour.A skimmer while cycling is fine, some people do, some people dont.

 

[mdaniel2882]

You don't need the filter. The skimmer and the rock will do the work.

 

[factorboa]

Yes i agree but a very nice tank

 

[rodinwilmington]

Thanks guys, I think I might get a HOB just to turn the water over more, don't think it will hurt. Also, I've heard not to let the rock touch the back of the glass but it seems pretty much impossible for me to do that cause of the narrowness of my tank, any suggestions on this.

 

[mdaniel2882]

Thanks guys, I think I might get a HOB just to turn the water over more, don't think it will hurt. Also, I've heard not to let the rock touch the back of the glass but it seems pretty much impossible for me to do that cause of the narrowness of my tank, any suggestions on this.

Same deal with a 55. just make sure your rock is stable. a lot of mine touches the back of the tank. Just make sure it can't shift.

 

[thominil]

I would just grab another koralia that is the same size as the one you have. Better to have two of the same size power heads anyway. I would just use the filter to help clear the tank up, or stick it on the back of the tank in case you need it for emergency qt, and keep it cleaned about every week otherwise you will start to see nitrate problems after awhile.

 

[melosu58]

Also, I've heard not to let the rock touch the back of the glass but it seems pretty much impossible for me to do that cause of the narrowness of my tank,

I`ve had mine on the back glass for 11 yrs now. I like it there. Makes the fish swim out front. It`s personal preference really but they are wrong if they say you cant have it on the back glass.

 

[divedeep1689]

the back glass in my tank is basicaly the back bone of my rock work...... i have never had a problem with it.

 

[rodinwilmington]

Thanks guys, it seems like having the rock on the back of the glass really helps support the structure overall, the water is clearing up and I've changed the rock a little, heading out today to get my HOB, some live rock, testing supplies, and a couple of shrimp, wish me luck I'll probably take the advice on getting another PH too, what placement generally works best with 2 PH's my tank is kinda tall 36x12x24. I have the one place now so that it creates a ripple on the surface and the waves go all the way across the tank but it seems like I should have some flow near the bottom portion of the tank too?

 

[thominil]

A good starting point is having one in the back upper right corner aiming to the center and another in the back upper left corner aiming to the center as well. This will give you a "V" flow pattern. Might try aiming them up towards the surface a bit so you get surface aggitation which will help keep your PH stable. HTH.

 

[rodinwilmington]

Thanks, I bought the last koralia the LFS had the other day so I'm waiting for another to come in, today I decided to go with a Fluval 205 canister, then got me 4 nice little pieces of LR from the LFS, too expensive to get any more my connection didn't call me back yet so I figured these 4 1lb pieces would at least get me started, put in my 2 shrimp and topped off the water and now I'm waiting to see what happens. Here's another pic with my canopy on. Also, when is a good time to put in a CUC?

 

[thominil]

After your cycle finishes is about the earliest I would recommend. Start with small numbers like 2 snails for the rock and glass, and 3-4 nassarius snails for the sand.

 

[austinsdad]

Shrimp in now. You got an ammonia and nitrite test kit, right?

After the nitrite hits zero for the CUC, that of course happens after the ammonia hits zero.

Keep us posted on the readings.

My 2 cents on the rock...

You might consider leaving an area large enuf on the sides free of rock too. The sides can get pretty ugly after a while and you'll want to clean them. Just enuf room to fit a scraper down the sides will do.

 

[goisles1]

Good luck with the setup

I've got the same tank.. I love it but I already want a 4ft tank

It is narrow and the extra 6 inches of height does make it a chore to get you hands down to the bottom. But not terrible.

Your stand is VERY nice... Good work. I'm jealous. Mine is pretty ghetto.. LOL.. Check out my photo albums

 

[fishmonkey]

i guess the last thing you could now get, would be an RODI unit. but you dont really HAVE to, but it helps a lot.

 

[rodinwilmington]

Well my rock contact called me and I went and got another 16lbs of LR @ 7.50 a lb, it’s really good rock and these guys work out of their garage where they have 1200 gallons of water with livestock, rock, etc. They do really good work on residential and commercial jobs, their website is Aquarium Solutions, LLC - The solution for all your aquarium needs - Wilmington, NC - Design, Install, Maintenance, Custom Refugiums - Main, thought I’d share it for them. I’ve changed around my rock a little, thanks to some advice from the posts and my wife wanted the little fake plants in there for now so there’s some movement until we add the CUC then the fish.

 

[austinsdad]

Any way to stack them so that there are large swim thru holes in between the rocks? Use marine putty if needed.The fish will love it and the water movement thru them helps with the cleanliness and such too. Aesthetically, you'll like it I'll bet. Lean'm on the back glass and stack'm higher in order to get those large holes in between the rocks

Speaking of aesthetics, those fake plants will get real ugly soon.

 

[fishmonkey]

yeah, you just have to avoid just throwing them in there. stack them in different ways. expirement with them.