New 150g setup

[wun68]

Started my build about 3 weeks ago so this is still a work in progress to clean things up. Purchased about 200lbs of seeded LR from a person that was switching to Freshwater. Most of the life on the rocks were added into the tank a couple of days ago. All my tests are perfect except for Nitrate, but I've added some Chaeto and doing daily 5% PWC to keep up with the Nitrate build up.

Enjoy!

Week 1 - First batch of seeded LR appx. 50lbs ( Day1-Live bacteria and raw shrimp added, Day4-Decomposed Shrimp taken out, Day4-Damsels added, Around Day5 or 6-Ammonia level near 0, Nitrite near 0, Nitrate starting to rise )

Week 2 - Second batch of seeded LR appx 50lbs ( - Around day 7 ammonia was 0, nitrite was 0 and nitrate slowly rising so I've been doing daily 4-5% water changes every evening. I had a crazy Diatom attack so my CUC rated for 60g tank was add around day 9-10 )

Week 3 - Last batch of rocks appx 100lbs and more fish ( All this was added nearing the end of week 3 when my readings were consistent. Calc levels around 400)

 

[wun68]

Here's a list of what I'm running:

150g Tank
Coralife 72" Aqualight 4x96w and 5x3/4w Blue LED lamps
Eheim 2028 - Active Carbon and Bio-Media (Have a spare in the garage)
CPR Dual Bakpak Protein Skimmer (Handful of Chaeto and Bio-Bale in the Fuge section)
SeaClone 150 Protein Skimmer (Might not need to run this one anymore, but keeping it for now)
200lbs LR
100lbs CC (Will siphon out slowly and replace with Argonite Sand)
Currently on Tap Water since my RO system was for Drinking purposes and takes forever to fill 3 gallons.
2 Koralia 3 Powerheads
2 175w heaters

 

[Drewbie]

looks great to me but I am a rookie

Seems like you set this up real fast.

 

[wun68]

I'm new to Saltwater as well, but I have found so much information on this site, Experienced members of AA and Google and have been reading a ton of articles about Reef setups. The LR was from a well established tank that was up for around 3 years so his LR dramatically promoted my cycling process. If I started with uncured LR this would have easily taken 2 months. Best thing was, he sold me all the LR, 3 Urchins, 4 large Brittle Stars and an very nice looking Bi-color Angel fish for around $3.50/lb. I also bought the CPR Dual for $100, and getting a New 1/4hp Chiller for $350. Craigslist is great if you're patient and cautious on who you deal with.

 

[melosu58]

Your tank looks real nice. What kind of lighting do you have there?

 

[wun68]

Your tank looks real nice. What kind of lighting do you have there?

Thanks! I plan on using the Coralife unless I notice negative reactions on my Frog Spawns, Mushrooms and Zoas. If I have to upgrade I may move towards a T5 around the 200w range since my tank is around 2ft deep.

Coralife 72 Inch Aqualight W/ 4-96W Sq. Pin Base And 5-3/4W Lunar Blue-Moon-Glow LED Lamps

 

[wun68]

About a week after adding the Clowns and Anemone it looks like the bigger clown has found a new home!

 

[mr86mister]

Is that a Sebae Anemone? Nice shot, btw. The tank looks awesome!

 

[wun68]

Is that a Sebae Anemone? Nice shot, btw. The tank looks awesome!

Yes that is a Sebae.. Thx! Camera phone at it's finest =)

 

[ccCapt]

It looks good...and I hope it stays that way. If/when you upgrade your lights, you may end up with some algae issues from the tap water. Your low on flow too if there are just 2 K-3's in there. As a comparison, I have 4 K-4's and 1 K-3 in my 125. Not alot of research went into that anemone purchase I see.

Heteractis crispa; Sebae Anemones in Captive Systems
from the article...
"Color is important... Though there naturally tan to light brown (as well as purple, grey, blue...) specimens, there are no naturally-occurring white ones..."
"Many newly arrived specimens are bright white, with pinkish tentacular tips... owing to having been kept in low to no light, poor water quality et al. stressful conditions. I would not say that being bleached dooms an animal, but it does not help..."​

"Age of the system... the tank needs to be well-established... Better to wait six months to a year... and to place the anemone AFTER all other cnidarians have become established if you're mixing them. Changeable systems chemically, physically, biologically are not for anemones."​

"Lighting. Sebae anemones like/need bright light! Metal halides are best, with boosted formats of fluorescents (T-5's, PC's) being okay if the animal is in shallow water (15" or less let's say). As rules of thumb go, maybe we're talking some four watts per gallon minimum in terms of gauging "intensity"... but six or more watts (as long as the other livestock, your energy bill and sunglass darkness can handle it...) is not too much light for this species."​

 

[wun68]

Thanks for the advice ccCapt..

I did tons of research and even though I don't meet all the requirements to the fullest extent, I do meet all requirements. The pet shop had a few of these anemones and they didn't even know what types of lighting they were using (looked like low watt pc lighting to me). My tank is getting just over 3 watts per gallon at the moment and now that summer is coming around the sun hits a small portion of the tank for about 2 hours. The tank is in a well lit room which does give me algae blooms once in a while but I clean them before it gets out of control (about every other week). The Sebae live just about 10" directly below my PC lights so I think its fine. I'm no scientist but I believe having my lights on for 9-10hrs a day plus the added natural light, I have minimum requirements met.

I have a water softener system installed in my house so the tap water that comes out is much better than the normal tap. The salt pellets I buy are pretty decent and does remove majority of the harsh metals and chemicals before they even come out of my faucets.

As for flow, I also have the Eheim 2028 in the center of the tank pushing some water around so the K3's aren't working alone. I'm learning as I go and to me the flow seems adequate for the tank. Advice like this is much appreciated and I do practice everything I learn and record my results.

The anemone definitely looks a lot happier in my tank because when I bought it at the lfs it was pale white and almost transparent. There has been a nice improvement in its color the past 2 weeks. It is no longer pale white as shades of tan is coming back.

I'm content with my lighting at the moment and do not intend to add anything that would require more until I'm ready to purchase a better lighting system. The placement of this tank in my house gets plenty of light, so the most I would upgrade to is a T5 system around 5 watts per gallon.

 

[ccCapt]

OK then. Good Luck

FWIW, a water softener removes calcium and magnesium (which your tank needs) and replaces it with sodium (which your tank does not need). It does not purify the water.

 

[wun68]

Thanks.

I test frequently and everything has been consistent since week 3. I am guilty of using calcium additives, but not everyone is perfect. RO/DI system will be setup once I make room for the reservoir tank.

FWIW, I never said a water softener purified water, you did that on our own =) and an RO system removes the same elements.