Just got a new tank!

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So I took the Salty plunge, and acquired a 110g tank from a friend. I hadn't intended on it yet, b/c of obvious size issues, and the initial monetary expenditure, but what I got was too amazing to pass up. The tank had been up and running for 4 years before I moved it, and my friend had mostly been breeding coral frags. Although he sold almost all the corals, what I got was:

• 300lbs live rock
• 1 dottyback
• uncountable number of snails, 4 hermit crabs, and billions of tiny starfish
• 1 yellow tang
• 1 marine beta
• coralife hood, 1 acetic blub
• various random muchroom pollops and the like
• megaflow sump
• heater
• 3 fans
• protein skimmer
• pencil urchin ( lives in sump )
• 1200 gph return pump
• all necessary test kits (phosphate, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, ph, magnesium, carbonate, borate, 02, hydrometer)
• flake food, pellets, enriched daphnia, frozen brine shimp, frozen krill, nori
• strontium addative, marine c, garlic guard, essential elements, purple up, carbonate addative, reef plus
• huge box of activated carbon/phosguard/malawi victoria buffer
• 50lbs salt
• E-Z double compact flourescent ballast kit (not hooked up)
• extra filter floss, a few extra power heads, extra return pump, reef epoxy

And he spent about 2 hours helping me and 2 other guys + essential girlfriends move the tank and stand. Oh, and he came by later to deliver some magazines and books lying around that he had about reefs. So, all this cost me $700 (i think it was well worth it), and what I really want to know now, is what else, besides another compact fluorescent bulb and a light timer, do i need? I'm not going to lie, my freshwater experience of about 3 months has left me a bit overwhelmed atm. I'm leaving in about an hour to get some water tested by this awesome LFS i just discovered (Mountains to Sea in Asheville, NC), so I'll post the results they give me up later. Any advice would be appreciated!

[pat8you]

Off the top of my head i would say you need to pick up a RO/DI unit for mixing your water and a refractometer which is much more accurate then a hydrometer at measureing your SG.

[austinsdad]

Since you dissasembled and moved, keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrites now and daily to see if something got stirred up that can cause a problem during the move. And check for phosphates since he had Phosgaurd on hand. In a reef, you want to keep phosphates at 10 or below if possible.

Lights on only 8-10 hours daily in the tank.

Good luck, and read up as much as you can even thought your LFS is "awesome". You need to now what's going on for your self.

Pictures pleeeeze?

[Smitty]

As to the price you got a steal IMO!

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Updates inc. Figured its been long enough now, I'll give you all something to look at. Kinda wanted to wait till I had something nice enough to show off.





Before me

This is the picture the tank was listed with on craig's list. I didn't expect to get any corals, the previous owner had already told me he sold them all.

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Set up process


November 2011

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a pic of the new tank through my 29g

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Just finished getting all the rock in. 200 lbs or so, and way too cloudy to aquascape

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January 29, 2012. First few corals, and a little live rock arrangement. Lighting currently by a coralife cf 4 bulb fixture

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December 2011

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January 2012 building a canopy

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January 2012 canopy finished

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Two pillars look, plus a new coral or two. Gave some rock to a friend that helped me move the tank. Stil January

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February 12, 2012

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Now i've got a 2 bulb current t5ho and that coralife on the tank. Seems to be better, but the bulbs are way too old. April 1, 2012

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Added a purple bulb, really makes things pop. April 21, 2012

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June 18, 2012 before everything goes wrong

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* 2001 Space Oddyessy Theme*

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tanning July 2012

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Still using that diy hood i built, but with some cardboard to get a nice picture. Really blows me away, thinking this tank is awesome!