Coralline algae and Jar reef

[NatureFish]

Typically I do a lot more research on things like these but there's not a lot on Xenia care itself. Most of the things just say water parameters and that's just about it. Not much on lighting or temp. I mean there could be more to be seen on google but I haven't found it yet...


NatureFish
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[Mebbid]

Typically I do a lot more research on things like these but there's not a lot on Xenia care itself. Most of the things just say water parameters and that's just about it. Not much on lighting or temp. I mean there could be more to be seen on google but I haven't found it yet...


NatureFish
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This website has care guidelines for pretty much every coral it has. It's a great site to refer to for coral care.

Silver Xenia Coral | Vivid Aquariums | Buy Online

From the site:

Care Level: Easy
Lighting Requirements: Low to moderate (PAR 80-250)
Water Flow: Moderate
Aggressiveness: Peaceful
Range: Indo-Pacific, Grown in California
Family: Xeniidae
Water Conditions: 75-80° F; sg 1.024-1.026 (1.025 is ideal); pH 8.1-8.4
Ca 420-440 ppm, Alk 8-9.5 dKH, Mg 1260-1350, Nitrates <10ppm, Phosphates, < .10ppm

 

[NatureFish]

Ok I looked at the link. Not so sure how good of Xenia person I'm going to be... At least of I make any mistakes I'll learn from them. What can I do to keep the water chemistry the way it should be?


NatureFish
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[NatureFish]

Heater it is then... My house is too cold during winter.


NatureFish
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[Dallascowboys16]

Ok I looked at the link. Not so sure how good of Xenia person I'm going to be... At least of I make any mistakes I'll learn from them. What can I do to keep the water chemistry the way it should be?


NatureFish
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25% water changes every 2 weeks should keep good stable params. Ive read through this whole thread and it seems like you aren't doing much research on your own. I highly recommend reading up a little before you jump into this. My friend next door as a 40 gallon reef and all he did was research for about 4 months. You can answer a lot of your questions on your own with a quick google search. I would recommend at least getting an aqua clear 30 for your tank for some filtration. Not super necessary before you get fish but after you do you'll need one for sure. A filter is a piece of equipment that you need for sure for some water movement and particle removal.

 

[Sillyfishies]

I researched for about 2 years before I met my soulmate (my 90g reef of course)

 

[NatureFish]

Oh wow.... I feel awkward now.....
I will admit I should have done more research its just that I'm super excited to get started!!!!

NatureFish
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[NatureFish]

I will do more research


NatureFish
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[Mebbid]

25% water changes every 2 weeks should keep good stable params. Ive read through this whole thread and it seems like you aren't doing much research on your own. I highly recommend reading up a little before you jump into this. My friend next door as a 40 gallon reef and all he did was research for about 4 months. You can answer a lot of your questions on your own with a quick google search. I would recommend at least getting an aqua clear 30 for your tank for some filtration. Not super necessary before you get fish but after you do you'll need one for sure. A filter is a piece of equipment that you need for sure for some water movement and particle removal.

Many many many people run a reef tank without a true filter, myself included.

 

[NatureFish]

What do I need to do more research on specifically


NatureFish
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[Sillyfishies]

What do I need to do more research on specifically


NatureFish
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Whatever your unsure on.

 

[NatureFish]

So then...water parameters. They confuse me a lot! Are water parameters as complicated as I think? That's pretty much the only thing I'm unsure about. Everything else is very clear to me. I just have To find high quality equipment for my tank and be properly educated on water parameters and I should be good to go. Does anyone disagree?
NatureFish
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[NatureFish]

Whatever your unsure on.

So then...water parameters. They confuse me a lot! Are water parameters as complicated as I think? That's pretty much the only thing I'm unsure about. Everything else is very clear to me. I just have To find high quality equipment for my tank and be properly educated on water parameters and I should be good to go. Does anyone disagree?
NatureFish
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[BigRedsReefs10]

Starting/cycling/running a basic sw setup would be where I'd start.

 

[Mebbid]

So then...water parameters. They confuse me a lot! Are water parameters as complicated as I think? That's pretty much the only thing I'm unsure about. Everything else is very clear to me. I just have To find high quality equipment for my tank and be properly educated on water parameters and I should be good to go. Does anyone disagree?
NatureFish
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To FULLY understand reef chemistry, it takes a chemistry degree. It's an obscenely complicated subject.

In short, Calcium and alkalinity are part of the salt water and is kept in check by magnesium. The magnesium keeps them from precipitating out of the water. Alkalinity plays a big part in maintaining a correct pH for your tank. It's a balancing act between calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium that most people can safely ignore.

What all this means to you is if your parameters are out of whack then do a water change. When you get a large coral load in your tank you might eventually need to add supplements but that's a year or two down the road for you after the tank gets set up.

Soft corals primarily consume alkalinity while stony corals use both. They use these minerals to grow and spread.

 

[NatureFish]

So that seems fairly simple. I'm not a chemist but I understand all of what you said. How does water changes help?


NatureFish
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[Mebbid]

So that seems fairly simple. I'm not a chemist but I understand all of what you said. How does water changes help?


NatureFish
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That's the beginner version. I struggle to comprehend more than half of what I read when it delves deeper into the parameters.

Water changes just replenish what has been taken out by the inhabitants. The salt contains everything the coral needs to thrive.

 

[NatureFish]

Ok so I guess I'll go ahead and go through what I'll do to maintain and set up my reef so that someone can catch a mistake before it happens. Assuming I ordered everything (which I never had a chance to do the other day) and read all the instructions these are the things I would do: first I'd place my live sand in the tank and set up all the equipment except the power head. Then once the sand settled I would add my live rock and power head as well. Then after that I would tape a pantyhose with unseasoned raw table shrimp to start the cycle. I would then leave it there for a month. After that I would take it out and add my first zoanthids and see how they do for a few months. If they do well ill add my first Xenia. If those do well ill add a cleaner shrimp and so on. I'll do weekly 25% water change. And test my water and salinity every week and I'll remember to use the drip acclimation method when ever I have a new addition to my reef. Sound good? Is that all there is to it?


NatureFish
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[Sillyfishies]

Ok so I guess I'll go ahead and go through what I'll do to maintain and set up my reef so that someone can catch a mistake before it happens. Assuming I ordered everything (which I never had a chance to do the other day) and read all the instructions these are the things I would do: first I'd place my live sand in the tank and set up all the equipment except the power head. Then once the sand settled I would add my live rock and power head as well. Then after that I would tape a pantyhose with unseasoned raw table shrimp to start the cycle. I would then leave it there for a month. After that I would take it out and add my first zoanthids and see how they do for a few months. If they do well ill add my first Xenia. If those do well ill add a cleaner shrimp and so on. I'll do weekly 25% water change. And test my water and salinity every week and I'll remember to use the drip acclimation method when ever I have a new addition to my reef. Sound good? Is that all there is to it?


NatureFish
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Sounds perfect. Except you leave the shrimp in for only a couple days. Just test ammonia every other day and once you have around 4 ppm of ammonia, you can take it out.

 

[NatureFish]

There soooo many things that could go wrong! I'm losing faith in myself!


NatureFish
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