New 30 gallon reef build!

[BigRedsReefs10]

Originally Posted by bduni50

Is there a down side to having glass lids on a SW tank? Will it affect the reef?

It'll steal a little of the lights "power" too

[bduni50]

Ok, it's in the sump, that ok. I'm wanting to cover sump. Worried about splash

[Sniperhank]

I use panty hose as filters and stopping water splash and salt creep.

[bduni50]

Ok, no glass on the display. I may put one on the sump. I will try to cut down on the return noise. Update is two raw shrimp were placed in the sump today at 12 to kick start the cycle.

Live stock options?

A clown (small)
Fire fish
Dwarf wrass
Goby
Benny??????
Two shrimp
Two crabs (Pom Pom for sure)

Coral,

Will start with some nice Zoe's and recordia. Then work I. My way up. Will like to try some color sticks down the road! Super happy. Can't wait to get some life in this tank

[bduni50]

Lots of bubbles out of return. Think I may need to hard plumb with a valve?? Or is it just dust from sand? I put sand in yesterday.

[NanoNewb]

Hard to tell from the pic. Is your return pump fully submerged??

[bduni50]

Guess it was sand...

[bduni50]

Think I'm getting close

[BigRedsReefs10]

Looks like your just starting. Your nitrates should be very high at the end of the cycle

[bduni50]

Ok, thanks, didn't know that. Will continue to test.

[bduni50]

Add more rock and sand! 30 pounds of sand and about 55 pounds of rock in it now. So ready for life in the tank! All 0's on test with nitrates rising. Think I'm about ready for a CC! Have feather busters growing on rock now.

[bduni50]

Nitrates still not budging. Everything is 0???? Suggestions??

[Sniperhank]

If you are still cycling, when was the last time you added an ammonia source?

[bduni50]

It's been 2 weeks, I need to add more shrimp?

[Sniperhank]

2 weeks since the shrimp fully decomposed and there is no livestock in the tank? With no source of ammonia, be it poop, food, a shrimp, whatever, the bacteria can't survive. If there hasn't been anything in the tank for 2 weeks you basically have an unicycled tank.

[bduni50]

We'll shoot!! Ok, guess I need to recycle it.

[bduni50]

ammonia .5 ppm nitrites 0ppm and nitrates at 5 ppm. What next a water change? Salinity is 1.024, isn't that a little low?


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[Sniperhank]

1.024 is just fine, you just don't want to go lower than that. I keep my reef tank around 24-25.
In terms of your cycle, you want to make sure you are consuming the ammonia in a 24 hour period. So, once that ammonia is gone dose it again. That is, unless you are using a cocktail shrimp to cycle then you are getting pretty close to done.

[bduni50]

Looking for a light for my sump, is a bulb with 5000 k enough for the sump?


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[Sniperhank]

Originally Posted by bduni50

Looking for a light for my sump, is a bulb with 5000 k enough for the sump?


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Yes. I use a cheap clip on work light and an energy saver bulb I had laying around.