Just starting my new SW tank and need any and all ideas

[jmelton327]

ok i have been in the fw tanks for alil while but have decided to go with a sw....just a spur of the moment thing, anyways i have many questions! and questions i dont ask just means idk about it and i will be more than happy to learn lol so far i have just alil rena 30 filter with the rena 50 watt heater..... i have a 26 gallon nano bow front, a 24 inch light with 21 inch actinic 65 watt, and a compact fluorescent 65 watt as well, also moonlight led's in the back, i have about 25-30 pounds of live rock with aalil over 28 ppt salinity and 1.021 specific gravity (this is with a hydrometer so not as accurate) also have 25 pounds of sand sitting at the bottom.....now what i have on the way is 2 100 watt heaters to put on each side since the original heater isnt doing what i need, a hob odessy skimmer ( ik your all thinking y in the world did you buy this but ima give it a shot if it doesnt work then on to the next but this has already been ordered) i have 2 370gph powerheads on the way as well, this is my setup and for now its all im going to have to work with.....not a bad start but im new so any support would be nice added photos for everyone to get an idea of what im working with, my next step after geting everything shipped and installed is going to be coral.....i was told that i have low lighting. im not sure if it makes a differnce to have the light on more or less either way you guys let me know, also what else is out there for me to look at getting to get this water perfect! i dont want to spend any amount of money on fish or coral till its fully read.
thx in advance for the help

 

[Bectan01]

Looking good so far! Sounds like you have researched a bit and you're on the right track. True about the lights tho, not a lot of coral is going to grow under what you have now. How deep is the tank? A lot of people would recommend LED because they don't give off much heat, consume less power and you don't need to replace globes like you would a T5 unit. T5's would be cheaper initially but having to replace globes every 6months or so. Either way you need something like 12000k for coral growth. Most people's lighting schedule (its different for many) is roughly 8 hours of 'daylight' with a couple of hours either side of 'night' (blue) excessive amounts of light can promote algae growth.
I am by no means a lighting expert so i am sure someone else can offer an opinion too.
I would recommend investing in a refractometer, it's far more accurate than a hydrometer. Also a salt water test kit is vital to check your water quality. Where do you get your water from? That's the most important life source in your tank!
Have you been monitoring the cycle? How far along are you? It is worth waiting before you add corals, just until you get your parameters stable and you get the hang of the maintenance.
You got a filter or just the live rocks? Either way you will need to get use to weekly water changes. Beware tho, saltwater is addictive!!!!
Any other questions just ask

 

[jmelton327]

thx for the advice and yes i have done alil research but i dont think enough to have the sw tank ready.

 

[shady3210]

Looks good so far! Although you wont be putting SPS in this tank that lighting is fine for soft corals. Look into mushrooms, ricordea, Zoanthids, and leather coral. Some of the easier LPS would probably be fine too like frogspawn.

 

[jmelton327]

awesome tyvm that was another question i had what kinda corals well that clears it lol ty once agian

 

[oyf709]

peronally I think your light is fine for keep even up to LPS at higher water column.
The only real issue I think would be the light bulb change. You will need to be on top of your light bulb change which can get expensive real quick especially for the PC.

 

[jmelton327]

well i have one extra bulb for each that came with the tank

 

[oyf709]

T5 and PC require bulb change every 8 to 12 months

 

[jmelton327]

ok guys its getting there and im about to put in fish....but before i make one lil move i need alil more advice here.......the plan is a pair of clownfish, a watchman goby with a shrimp, and maby somthing to run around the rocks and corals once i get some.....to go on to the coral side of things like above i have the coarlife lighting with coralife lights, the daytime they run for a good part of the day at 65 watts 10,000k this is only one bulb......and then beside it is a nice acintic light that runs with the daytime bulb ofc not sure what the k is on that one but ik its 65watts as well....these are single bulbs? im just thinking to myself here is this really going to be enough for a nice lil coral setup? me having no exp and trying to really research google you get amillion anwser;s from ppl i dont trust so......plz let me know what all thoughts come to mind with this setup, and should i take the acintic out? and throw a second daytime in? i do have extra bulbs right now

 

[Ingy]

Don't throw out the actinic. Actinic bulbs are frequency (or wavelength) specific designed for the bacteria that corals house. Bulbs with a K value are wide spectrum bulbs that can give a variety of light. The K value only specifies what a black body (or inert object) would have to be at temperature wise to radiate the same color (in degrees Kelvin). But all 10,000K bulbs do not have to be the same as not all fluorescent bulbs are made the same and therefor will radiate different light spectrums. A significant part of the light from a K rated bulb does nothing for your corals. Other than make them look nicer which is why we include at least 1.

 

[jmelton327]

Gotcha well I ordered a new light with 2 12k flouresent bulbbs and two acintic it will be here monday