just wanted to say hi

[rikbar]

Hi, everyone. I am new to saltwater, I have had 5 freshwater tanks up for a couple of years now. Just switched one 55 over to salt, so far so good. I have a magnum 350 for a filter, about 25 lbs. of LR, looking to get more, and crushed coral for a substrate. Thanks

 

[cmor1701d]

Welcom to AA

Spend some time reading the articles here and asking questions. This is a very freindly place to get advice.

Cmor

 

[snapcrackler]

Welcome to AA

Be sure to post a pic of your setup if you get the chance we would like to see your tank(s)!

 

[steve-s]

Welcome aboard!!

Moved to the Welcome Wagon forum

Cheers
Steve

 

[rikbar]

Thanks for the welcome, here is a quick pic of what i have so far.

(I hope this works)

Let me know if you guys see anything out of wack.
Thanks again.

 

[cmor1701d]

Welcome to AA

Read the articles on this forum here
especially the 2nd article on fishless cycling.

SW takes more time to set up than fw. The axiom is 'nothing good ever happens quickly in sw", so take your time.

Decide now if you want to keep the cc substrate or switch to a DSB and if you want to add enough LR to eliminate the need for the Magnum. Also, start putting together a shopping list of the items you need e.g powerheads, salt, marine testing supplies, a refractometer to check salinity levels, etc.

It's also time to start thinking about whether this is going to be a FOwLR or reef tank.

Spend lot's of time planning now. Come here often to read the articles, postings and to post your questions, thoughts and your plan. The advisors and members will point out the good and bad points in your plan and help you adjust it for success.


Good luck and Happy New Year!

Cmor

 

[rikbar]

I have had the tank w/ substrate up and running for about 3 months now, I have recently added the LR, about a week ago. I plan on doing a FOWLR for now. Maybe in the future I will set a RO tank up, but not for now. I plan on staying with the crushed coral, again in a later tank I will use the DSB, once I get alittle more experienced. I have added a protein skimmer, a cheap one, and two power heads to the tank. I have a device that checks the specific gravity, and a marine test kit, checks o2, alkalinity, ammonia, total ammonia, nitrate & nitrites. Am I missing anything?

 

[cmor1701d]

Have you started testing your water parameters yet?
How long have you had the LR in the tank?
Make sure ammonia, & nitrites are 0 and nitrate is very low before adding any livestock. Nitrates will always be up a bit due to the filtration but that's ok for FO.
Have you thought about what livestock you want to keep?
Consider setting up a QT tank to house your new additions for about a month before adding them to the main tank.

Sounds like you are on the road to a successful set up. Keep taking it slow.

Good luck,

Cmor

 

[reefrunner69]

to AquariumAdvice.com!!!

 

[oscarbreeder]

Welcome.

 

[rikbar]

I have tested the water, the test results were,
Specific Gravity-1.021
PH-7.8
Alkalinity-3.5
ammonia-0
Total ammonia-0.3
Temp is at 80 degrees.
I think everything is going well, the LR has been in there for about 2 weeks now. I have seen what I think are isopods?, little white things along the back glass. My plan is to keep some kind of puffer, maybe dogface or porcupine, haven't really decided just yet.
Sorry for the long post, thanks
r