I have a few saltwater projects, basically a tear-down tank that has been donated to me with no fish, no inverts unless I find the missing snails, serpent star and I doubt I will. It has a 29 gallon display tank, a 15 gallon sump and is very full of great pieces of live rock, including tonga rock and base rock that has been in the sump with NO FLOW AT ALL for months. So far I lowered the salinity from {off the charts} in the DT to 0.025, but that unfortunately seemed to kill off the cleaner shrimp and last fish alive, a blue chromis. Who knows if anyone else survived.. Tank has been untouched for 3-5 months
I also have a very purpled up with coraline rock in there that has some surviving coral, just polypts? (sp) but since I reduced the salinity they have reemerged! a few pulsing zenia (the greyish ones that pulse, I assume I have the name correct?) The LEDs have been off for months, so I wonder if these can be safely moved to the new 55 Gallon I am hoping to set up this week.
ABOUT SAND: the old tear-down tank has a good 40-50 lbs of sand, it looks awful, lots of green and red/rust growth deep into the sand bed. the 2 koralias are still providing water flow in the DT but the in-sump skimmer has been off due to evap preventing any flow through the overflow.
I have a 55G sitting empty, and a regular (T12? largest diameter bulbs I have seen) light as well as 2 sets of T-5 4-bulb lights that I could use in the corals would benefit..
I plan on having a simple FOWLR with a lower bioload school of chromis or perhaps a wrass or other small beginner fish.
The last bit of information: I have a 5 gallon bucket of small pebbles I got for free with this 55 off Craigslist, who had a typical "Nemo" tank for a short while.
I like keeping barebottom tanks when trying new set-ups to monitor the poop and to vacuum all the nooks and crannies by moving deco/rocks/wood around.
I am used to freshwater, although I have researched salt water quite a bit and I understand the substrate provides BB in both. I have a skimmer(2 actually), a un-used "Phosban reactor" (what is this for?), a 3-part RODI filter, and lots of pumps and chemicals and various supplies for SW and corals...
I also wanted to limit my purchases to livestock and an overflow box to hopefully re-use the Sump with my 55DT to host macroalgea and use the in-sump skimmer rather than my HOB.
Any advice for a newbie?
I also have a very purpled up with coraline rock in there that has some surviving coral, just polypts? (sp) but since I reduced the salinity they have reemerged! a few pulsing zenia (the greyish ones that pulse, I assume I have the name correct?) The LEDs have been off for months, so I wonder if these can be safely moved to the new 55 Gallon I am hoping to set up this week.
ABOUT SAND: the old tear-down tank has a good 40-50 lbs of sand, it looks awful, lots of green and red/rust growth deep into the sand bed. the 2 koralias are still providing water flow in the DT but the in-sump skimmer has been off due to evap preventing any flow through the overflow.
I have a 55G sitting empty, and a regular (T12? largest diameter bulbs I have seen) light as well as 2 sets of T-5 4-bulb lights that I could use in the corals would benefit..
I plan on having a simple FOWLR with a lower bioload school of chromis or perhaps a wrass or other small beginner fish.
The last bit of information: I have a 5 gallon bucket of small pebbles I got for free with this 55 off Craigslist, who had a typical "Nemo" tank for a short while.
I like keeping barebottom tanks when trying new set-ups to monitor the poop and to vacuum all the nooks and crannies by moving deco/rocks/wood around.
I am used to freshwater, although I have researched salt water quite a bit and I understand the substrate provides BB in both. I have a skimmer(2 actually), a un-used "Phosban reactor" (what is this for?), a 3-part RODI filter, and lots of pumps and chemicals and various supplies for SW and corals...
I also wanted to limit my purchases to livestock and an overflow box to hopefully re-use the Sump with my 55DT to host macroalgea and use the in-sump skimmer rather than my HOB.
Any advice for a newbie?