Tank Progression - Aquarium Advice

EricL · 07-16-2008, 11:45 PM

Hi everyone. I am n new to reef but not to saltwater. man, this is a whole new ball game. I want to post my tank progression and let you know Whit you are helping me with. Right now I have a 50 gallon corner tank with a 20 gallon wet/dry sump. An in sump protein skimmer Just installed on 07/15. Man I thought my tank was clean. Then I saw the stuff in the protein skimmer WOW! For fish I have 2 blue damsels 2 dominoes, 1 perk and a dog face puffer that I am ready to extract if i need to. My last purchase is the light. I plan on getting a 24 inch 150 HQI Metal Halide, 24 Watt T5 HO, 15k Metal Halide bulb, 24 watt Super Actinic T5 HO bulbs. Unit cooled by Ice cool fans. Unit comes with 2 switches so you can independently control the metal halide and T5 bulb separately for the dawn and dusk effect. Here is Day one of reef process. Any Ideas?

Tank2379 · 07-17-2008, 10:02 AM

Man I can't wait to mine going... I'm new to the Community and i'm just looking for Ideas on how to present my tank so far i've seen alot of good set ups your looks great. How long did you wait til you added Fish inot your Reef?

Tank2379 · 07-17-2008, 10:02 AM

OOPS ...Can't wait to get mine going.....

cmor1701d · 07-17-2008, 03:04 PM

How long has the tank been set up?
What are your current readings for pH, nitrate, Calc, Alk and Magnesium?
How many pounds of LR do you have in the tank?
Do you have bioballs or ceramic rings in the wet/dry?
Any other filtration?
And....

EricL · 07-17-2008, 03:16 PM

I have had the tank foe 1 week with no coral or fish. Then I just got inpatient and purchased 25 pounds of live rock and 3 blue damsels. After my cycle, I purchased more fish and lost 90% of them due to a bad outbreak of ick from the local aquarium store. I then waited another 6 months after loading it up with copper to get more. That is where i am now. This site has helped me out substantially. Don't be afraid to ask. Good luck! I have a bioballs in my wet/dry. I have no other filtration. Test will be completed tonight.

ccCapt · 07-20-2008, 09:39 AM

Did you treat the tank with copper while the rock and substrate (sand or crushed coral) was still in the tank?

cmor1701d · 07-20-2008, 11:15 AM

Eric,

Please post a linear time line of your tank.

Got is when?
Set it up originaly, when and how?
Got Ich outbreak when?
Treated with copper when?
What was in the tank when you treated with copper?
Added LiveRock when? How much?
Added more LR when? how much?
Added fish when? How many, what type? etc.
Fish died? when?
Added more fish when?

Please lay out the above with a general timeline giving month/year for each item.

If you treated this tank with copper you can pretty much forget about adding any inverts to it.

EricL · 07-21-2008, 06:03 PM

Tank was set up December 25 2006. Ich was in May 2007 I had a powder blue tank, tomato clown, puffer and some damsels. Everything was lost but the damsels. I treated with copper, waited 1 week and did a 75% water change. The tank sat for 4 month with only damsels in it. I then felt more comfortable with getting more fish. I tested for copper and i was very low. In October of 2007 I purchased the dog face puffer and then in March 2008 I got a tomato clown and 2 domino damsels. Live rock at the time was about 20 lbs. That whole time I was running a hang on filter canister and a power head. I have only added 5 lbs of Coraline seeded live rock which was just done yesterday.

CaptainAhab · 07-21-2008, 06:29 PM

Lesson #1.. Never ever treat with copper in your main tank. I'd rather rip the whole thing down, store what I could and restart from the ground up. Just too many things that can't tolerate copper. Inverts being one. Assuming you want more than a FO tank, the rock probably has to go too.. I forget if the rock absorbs the copper and absorbs it and kills everything on it.

To late now but you could have gone fallow for 6 weeks to get rid of the ich

IMO, you're looking at a complete tear down. There are chems that will help get rid of the copper to some degree but you'll forever wonder everytime you lose something if it was the copper.

You might find out that your whole filtration this whole time was from the HOB can and the rock is dead

Might be over kill or you might be happy just having fish..

EricL · 07-21-2008, 07:34 PM

I am going to take a chance on the corals. I am going to start small and only a few to see if any problems do occur. I have tested my water and copper is not traced. I do appreciate your helpful information.

07-17-2008, 03:04 PM	#4
cmor1701d Aquarium Advice Addict Community Mentor Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Belle Mead, NJ Posts: 3,733 Images: 43	How long has the tank been set up? What are your current readings for pH, nitrate, Calc, Alk and Magnesium? How many pounds of LR do you have in the tank? Do you have bioballs or ceramic rings in the wet/dry? Any other filtration? And.... __________________ Click here to Vote for Aquarium Advice on AquaRank . Vote EVERY day! Click Here for a list of commonly used acronyms and abbreviations. ____ Cmor

07-20-2008, 09:39 AM	#6
ccCapt SW 10 & Over Community Mentor Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Northeast PA Posts: 1,466 Images: 2	Did you treat the tank with copper while the rock and substrate (sand or crushed coral) was still in the tank? __________________ 125g reef See My Tank Info Check out The build project

07-20-2008, 11:15 AM	#7
cmor1701d Aquarium Advice Addict Community Mentor Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Belle Mead, NJ Posts: 3,733 Images: 43	Eric, Please post a linear time line of your tank. Got is when? Set it up originaly, when and how? Got Ich outbreak when? Treated with copper when? What was in the tank when you treated with copper? Added LiveRock when? How much? Added more LR when? how much? Added fish when? How many, what type? etc. Fish died? when? Added more fish when? Please lay out the above with a general timeline giving month/year for each item. If you treated this tank with copper you can pretty much forget about adding any inverts to it. __________________ Click here to Vote for Aquarium Advice on AquaRank . Vote EVERY day! Click Here for a list of commonly used acronyms and abbreviations. ____ Cmor

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07-17-2008, 10:02 AM	#2
Tank2379 Aquarium Advice Activist Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Chicago,IL Posts: 146	Man I can't wait to mine going... I'm new to the Community and i'm just looking for Ideas on how to present my tank so far i've seen alot of good set ups your looks great. How long did you wait til you added Fish inot your Reef?

07-17-2008, 03:16 PM	#5
EricL Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 27	I have had the tank foe 1 week with no coral or fish. Then I just got inpatient and purchased 25 pounds of live rock and 3 blue damsels. After my cycle, I purchased more fish and lost 90% of them due to a bad outbreak of ick from the local aquarium store. I then waited another 6 months after loading it up with copper to get more. That is where i am now. This site has helped me out substantially. Don't be afraid to ask. Good luck! I have a bioballs in my wet/dry. I have no other filtration. Test will be completed tonight.

07-21-2008, 06:03 PM	#8
EricL Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 27	Tank was set up December 25 2006. Ich was in May 2007 I had a powder blue tank, tomato clown, puffer and some damsels. Everything was lost but the damsels. I treated with copper, waited 1 week and did a 75% water change. The tank sat for 4 month with only damsels in it. I then felt more comfortable with getting more fish. I tested for copper and i was very low. In October of 2007 I purchased the dog face puffer and then in March 2008 I got a tomato clown and 2 domino damsels. Live rock at the time was about 20 lbs. That whole time I was running a hang on filter canister and a power head. I have only added 5 lbs of Coraline seeded live rock which was just done yesterday.

07-21-2008, 06:29 PM	#9
CaptainAhab Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Southern NJ/Philadelphia Posts: 263	Lesson #1.. Never ever treat with copper in your main tank. I'd rather rip the whole thing down, store what I could and restart from the ground up. Just too many things that can't tolerate copper. Inverts being one. Assuming you want more than a FO tank, the rock probably has to go too.. I forget if the rock absorbs the copper and absorbs it and kills everything on it. To late now but you could have gone fallow for 6 weeks to get rid of the ich IMO, you're looking at a complete tear down. There are chems that will help get rid of the copper to some degree but you'll forever wonder everytime you lose something if it was the copper. You might find out that your whole filtration this whole time was from the HOB can and the rock is dead Might be over kill or you might be happy just having fish..

07-21-2008, 07:34 PM	#10
EricL Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 27	I am going to take a chance on the corals. I am going to start small and only a few to see if any problems do occur. I have tested my water and copper is not traced. I do appreciate your helpful information.