new 125 gallon reef set up

[thetonyage]

so after a few months of research ive got everything all set up and running. i started with 50 pounds of base rock and 50 pounds of live rock and about 75 pounds of aragonite sand. i followed the directions in the article http://www.aquariumadvice.com/articles/articles/13/1/Curing-live-rock--I-didnt-even-know-it-was-sick/Page1.html

its been in the tank with 50% water changes every other day and 2 koralia 4 powerheads for 2 weeks now. yesterday i got my skimmer (reef octopus extreme 160) and return pump (eheim 1262) set up in my sump and the eshopps overflow. it took me about an hour to even out my water levels in the tank and sump with the overflow and return pump but everything seems to be in working order. ill be posting pics soon, and i had a question about a heater, how could i heat my whole tank from the sump? if its a 25 gallon sump and a 125 gallon main tank, could i just use a heater rated for 25 gallons of water in the sump?

 

[Fireworks]

I think your going to need a heater good for 125 gal. I'd go so far as to suggest two heaters in case one fails. I am hopefully setting up my new 72" 125 gal this weekend. If all goes well, pics will follow.

 

[thetonyage]

heres a few pics of my sump and the skimmer doin its thing and also my return pump.

 

[thetonyage]

heres a few shots of the tank with the ceiling lights on, and also a cool lookin tubey thing thats on a piece of my LR. what do you guys think of the rock arrangement?

 

[thetonyage]

heres a couple shots with the tanks lights on in the dark i have a nova extreme pro t5ho light system with 3 10k daylight bulbs and 3 460nm actinic bulbs, the first shot is with both on and the last 2 are just the actinic

 

[thetonyage]

water parameters:
nitrate-0 ppm
nitrite-0.75 ppm
KH-over 300 ppm what should i do about this?
Ph-7.8

 

[ccCapt]

Is your tank 4'? It doesn't look like a standard 6' 125 but more like a standard 4' 120. But anyway, your alk is extremely high. 300 ppm = 16.8 dKH. I would suggest just letting it ride as is for a few more weeks and as the tank cycles and starts to stabilize the alk should drop on it's own. What brand salt are you using?
I would also cut back on the water changes. 20% every week is fine.

 

[thetonyage]

Im using coralife for now, when stocking time comes im gonna switch to reef crystals

 

[thincat]

Is that a live coral I see in this picture or just rock?

 

[Mitchell0605]

Looks like dead coral to me TC.

 

[thetonyage]

I would really like to kno what it is/was if anyone can ID

 

[Mitchell0605]

I'd like a closer photo but at the moment my guess goes to either:
A Duncan Coral
A Candy Cane Coral

 

[thetonyage]

Is your tank 4'? It doesn't look like a standard 6' 125 but more like a standard 4' 120.

yea its 48 inches long 18 and a half inches wide and 33 inches deep, i think it comes to like 126 gallons actually.

 

[thincat]

I would really like to kno what it is/was if anyone can ID

That is what I am talking about. If it is a coral it's chances of survival is slim to none if you tank has not cycled yet.

 

[thetonyage]

CUC

so im thinking of a clean up crew and how does this list sound?

39 Nassarius Vibex
38 Juvenile Florida Cerith
18 Blue Leg Hermit Crab
10 Nerite Snails (Large)
10 Nerite Snails (Small - Medium)
100 Dwarf Cerith

 

[thetonyage]

i got my master test kits in the mail today, now i can finally stop using those darn test strips. heres what the parameters are as of today:

Ph- 8.3
Ammonia- 0 ppm
Nitrite- 5 ppm
Nitrate- 40

ill be testing for calcium, KH, and phosphates later on today when i get back home.

 

[thetonyage]

i got a heater last night and ive been keepin my temp at 79, it used to be between 70 and 72 without the heater. i tested my SG today and it came back 1.020. how can this be? ive been keeping it at 1.025 the whole time, does temperature affect SG?

also heres what else i tested:
Ph - 8.4
Ammonia - between 0.25 and 0 ppm
Nitrate - 20 ppm
Nitrite 2.0 ppm
Calcium - 420 ppm
KH - 161.1 ppm = 9 dkh
Phosphates - 0.5 ppm

so its day 24 everything seems to be doin ok, no problems with the skimmer anymore. what do you guys think of the water parameters so far?

 

[ccCapt]

If you are using a hydrometer, then yes, temp will affect the SG reading. You really should have a refractometer. When you raise your SG, your calcium and alk levels will probably rise too. What brand salt are you using?

Cycle looks to be almost done. I would do a 25-30% water change and see what your levels look like then.

 

[thetonyage]

so today i only had enough time to either do a pwc or test my water, i decided to test the parameters and heres what came back:

temp- 79
SG- 1.020
Ph- 8.4
Ammonia- 0.50
Nitrite- 0.75
Nitrate- 5.0
Calcium- 360 (i may have miscounted on this one)
KH- 8 dkh/143.2 ppm
Phosphates- 0.25

ill do a water change tomorrow and see what it looks like then. hopefully this cycle is almost complete.

 

[thetonyage]

i found this guy growing on a piece of my rock, anyone know what it is?