Rob's 47 Gallon Bow Front Tank

[robmcmichael]

Hey Guys,

So last night a really good family friend decided that since his youngest son has gone off to college he no longer wanted to maintain their salt water tank and asked me if I wanted it. Of course I said YES! I always wanted to get a marine tank up and running but didn't have the spare cash to shell out for all the equipment. I couldn't pass up FREE and so I now have a 47 gallon bow front aquarium in my back room.

Here is a list of what I got:

• Bow Front Aquarium
• Cultured Live Sand
• Around 75 pounds of live rock
• Fluval G6 Filter
• Two heaters (not sure on Wattage)
• Two Powerheads (not sure on brand)
• Marineland LED light
• RO System
• Tons of Extra Supplies (chemicals, food, containers, tools, etc)
• 6 Fish (Blue Tang, Yellow Tang, Black/White Clown, 2 Spotted Cardinalfish, a Six Line Wrasse, some type of Angel fish or Butterfly Fish (not sure), 2 Snapping Shrimp, and 1 large snail

So we successfully transported everything to my house last night and I began setting it back up. Because it was so quick I wasn't set up to make extra water ahead of time so we brought all the water from the tank (minus about 5-10 gallons). I spent last night vacuuming the debris that the move caused (lots of brown residue settled on top of the substrate). I got one half of the tank cleaned pretty good so I started to place some live rock in as well. All the fish/creatures are in the tank and survived the night. I started making more salt water to add to the tank as I believe the salinity is a bit low so I'll try to bring that up with the freshly made water I'll be adding in. The G6 filter is telling me the conductivity is around 44 mS/cm and from what I've read it should be closer to 53. Once I get home from work tonight I'll continue making water to add and test all other parameters to see where I'm at. The tank was set up at their house for many years so there should be a good amount of bacteria in the filter/sand/rocks.

Now for some pictures:

The first is right after we got everything to my house.
The second is after some cleaning and adding live rock.
The third is from this morning before I left for work.

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

I suggest you do some research, pretty much none of those fish belong in that tank. You should also keep a close eye on params for a few days, you probably stirred up some detritus in the sand. Tangs get stressed very easy and are known for ich infections (especially in small tanks) so IMHO the first thing your going to want to do is rehome them, I'd hate for your first tank to take a bad turn

 

[robmcmichael]

I suggest you do some research, pretty much none of those fish belong in that tank. You should also keep a close eye on params for a few days, you probably stirred up some detritus in the sand. Tangs get stressed very easy and are known for ich infections (especially in small tanks) so IMHO the first thing your going to want to do is rehome them, I'd hate for your first tank to take a bad turn

Thanks. I was just reading that Yellow Tangs and Blue Tangs shouldn't be kept together but they have been together in this tank for a few years now. Actually, all of the fish in this tank have been together for over a year at this point. I will probably wait to see what happens with the fish now and see how the parameters are tonight. Before doing much I want to get my water levels correct. I figure since I'm using mostly the same setup that has been running for years it shouldn't take too long to get things back to normal. That's the hope anyway.

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

It's not that they don't get along, it's that they are big fish that are incredibly active open water swimmers. You don't have enough room for them, they need a 6ft tank in the 100gal + range

 

[robmcmichael]

It's not that they don't get along, it's that they are big fish that are incredibly active open water swimmers. You don't have enough room for them, they need a 6ft tank in the 100gal + range

Ironically, I just read that too - especially the blue tang which liveaquaria suggests 180+ gallons. I will probably look to rehome them and look into smaller reef compatible fish (blennies, cardinals, damsel, dartfish, etc.)

Thanks for the heads up Big!

Once I know the water is stable and ideal I would like to start growing some coral. But that is probably a few months out still.

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

What lighting are you using, which salt mix, and are you using ro/di water? These are all essentials for a reef tank along with patience and research.

 

[robmcmichael]

What lighting are you using, which salt mix, and are you using ro/di water? These are all essentials for a reef tank along with patience and research.

I have a Marineland LED with Day and Lunar lighting settings, the tank came with a box of Crystal Sea which I've heard will need calcium dosing if I continue to use that in the future with a reef. Yes I am using RO/DI as I got a system with the tank and installed it under my laundry sink last night so I can hook up to the laundry faucet when I need to make water. My tank is in the same room as my laundry sink

 

[bribo12]

You'll need new lights . Those marineland lights are pretty bad lol. You seem to be doing your research which is the best thing you can do atm . Keep asking questions and researching! That's the greatest thing you can do


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[BigRedsReefs10]

You'll need new lights . Those marineland lights are pretty bad lol. You seem to be doing your research which is the best thing you can do atm . Keep asking questions and researching! That's the greatest thing you can do


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+1 to both of those

 

[robmcmichael]

Duly noted.

Another note:
I saw what I believe is a fire worm crawling around in the substrate last night as well. From researching, I've identified it as "Genus Pareurythoe." Should this be of a concern as I start this tank? From what I understand it is only the "Hermodice carunculata" that is the real concerning type.

Also, I have a lot more live rock - enough to build a wall straight across the tank (probably 8-9 more big rocks similar to what is in the tank now). How much rock should I put in the tank?

Thanks all!

 

[bribo12]

What you saw is probably a common harmless "bristle worm" and nothing to worry about. On the rock you want around 50 lbs in your tank. I'd add a bit more until you feel like you have enough.


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[Bectan01]

Use all the rock he gave you. Was it about 75 pounds? The more rock will help with your biological filtration and with those big fish in there for now you will need it all...


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[Cichlid-dude]

I agree, use all the rock you have, it definately wont hurt. Good luck with the tank and finding a home for those tangs.


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[robmcmichael]

Update as of Sunday...

The tank is clear, got some more water mixed up and in the tank. Salinity is looking good, I will be mixing some more water tonight and checking the parameters (also I'll be cleaning up the sand of debris and what not).

 

[Cichlid-dude]

I would close those window blinds. Sunlight will cause algae.


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