Please Advise On My New Tank.

[Dr. Dai Phan]

Hi all,

Is it possible that the tank can be ready in "seconds" and not having to go through the normal cycling? Is that an advertisement gimmick? BTW, I added some Calcium as I was told that the corals will die if I don't. How often should I do this as I really hate the fact that the aquarium turns so cloudy for a few hours when I add the CA. Dai

[CaptainAhab]

Short answer is NO. The bacteria is aerobic and needs oxygen to survive which is highly unlikely packed in a plastic bag and thrown on a self. If you bought/got the sand from an established setup maybe. If you also added fully cured LR at the same time then even more likely.

In this hobby, fast anything is typically a red flag. Except for fish dying.

[dskidmore]

Originally Posted by Dr. Dai Phan

After three weeks I noticed that the plants have grown to a big bush so do I just clip them and throw away the yellowing plants? I am afraid I will take away the nitrate absorbing power from these plants. Dai

If they're yellowing, they may be dying and start breaking down. That would return the nutrients to the water.

Trimming is a bit of an art. You don't want your plants so thick that they shade each other and reduce growth. You don't want any old growth that may die soon. You do want to leave enough mass behind to keep absorbing nutrients.

[Ziggy953]

Originally Posted by Dr. Dai Phan

Hi all,

Is it possible that the tank can be ready in "seconds" and not having to go through the normal cycling? Is that an advertisement gimmick? BTW, I added some Calcium as I was told that the corals will die if I don't. How often should I do this as I really hate the fact that the aquarium turns so cloudy for a few hours when I add the CA. Dai

If you are dosing CA then you better be testing your water to see how much CA you have. With a new system and very few corals I don't expect you need to be dosing. I only dose my tank 3 times a week and I have large mature SPS colonies and a frag tank on my system. I would stop dosing now and get some test kits.

[Dr. Dai Phan]

Hi all,

I have conflicting advices on skimmers. Some people told me that skimmer is not needed in the sump but I know many have this installed along on their sumps. I look at the Marineland Seaclone that I can hang in the pump are but it is only rated for 100 gallon. Do I need a skimmer and if yes, when would I put it in and at what rating? Another question, do I need UV sterilizer also? All of you have been so helpful and I thank you with all my heart. DP

[dskidmore]

Skimmers do aid in water quality. If you're keeping sensitive invertabrates you need one. For a mostly fish tank, it's something you could get by without. A high quality salt mix and pure water for water changes and topoffs are worth more.

UV: Most people get by without one, but if you have re-occuring problems with ick, it could be worth it.

[Kurt_Nelson]

Originally Posted by dskidmore

...
UV: Most people get by without one, but if you have re-occuring problems with ick, it could be worth it.

I'm gonna have to express a different opinion here... if you end up having reoccuring issues with ick, then you need to look at your quarantine procedures or how you're treating it once the outbreak happens to start with. UV only kills what goes through it, and will not rid a tank of ich.

Dai... my suggestion is to slow down and start doing a fair amount of research. Dosing Ca just because someone said so isn't really putting YOU in charge of your own tank. It concerns me that the tank turns "cloudy" when you do it... properly done, it should be clear. What exactly are you dosing it with? If you're using kalkwasser (which is cloudy) it should NOT be added all at once and should be dripped slowly. The only other "cloudy" think associated with Ca would be the alkalinity portion of a 2-part calcium/alkalinity additive. Dosing your tank with anything and not having test kits to measure what you're putting in, is a recipe for frustration down the road - and potentially major problems.

A couple great books to start with are Michael Paletta's "The New Marine Aquarium" and Robert Fenner's "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist". They're both "must reads" in my book if you want to be in charge of your own tank.

And welcome to AquariumAdvice!

[dskidmore]

Originally Posted by Kurt_Nelson

I'm gonna have to express a different opinion here... if you end up having reoccuring issues with ick, then you need to look at your quarantine procedures or how you're treating it once the outbreak happens to start with. UV only kills what goes through it, and will not rid a tank of ich.

Don't worry, I'm not trying to promote the UV, that's just the only reason I've ever heard for installing one that made sense. Most folks get by quite well without one.

[Ziggy953]

My suggestion to you is to read through the article section of this site and pick up the books that Kurt talked about. There is a lot of information that will help you in those sources.

Take a step back from your tank and do some research. Most of the questions you have asked are basic starting out questions. Reading some of the articles here will answer those questions and point you in the right direction.

As for dosing CA because someone told you to, that worries me. Was it your LFS??? Anytime someone tells you you need to do something with your tank. Search for what ever that suggestions was on google and do some reading on it. After you have read about what suggestion has been made then decide if you should do it or not.

[Dr. Dai Phan]

Hi all,

First, let me say that stumbling on this Web is the best thing that has ever happened to me. No more conflicting LFS advices. My questions are:

1. I bought some finger corals after getting the approval from my LFS. I noticed that they do not open all the way but is getting a little bit more inflated as time goes by. Is that normal?

2. I bought an in sump skimmer and when I adjusted the air intake dial to get the "storm" in the chamber, the fine bubbles appeared in the tank through the return pumps. That makes the tank ugly and how do I prevent this?

3. I was advised to dose the CA 3 times a week for coral health as well as using the "Fuel" bottle to accelerate its growth. Is that advisable?

4. I bought a feather duster and the worm is trying to extend its body out of the tube (1 inch) but then it went back. It is still doing it. Is it trying to catch the food or does it want out of the tube?

4. Most of my snails huddle together in a corner of the tank. Is that normal?

My LFS tested the water and was advised that my tank is ready for any kind of corals and fish. I checked my water last night (Nitrite/ate=0, Ammonia=0, Ph is 8.0 and Salinity is 1.025). DP