My experience and new tank

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Reidwan

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OK here it comes fellows, I will attach photos at the end as always asked and i have a few questions for the experts at the end.
I done quite a bit of reading on this since hobby since last year June and like anyone new took advice and jump into it .As always experts are always to proud to say out loud to the new guys starting out by advising them that this is a expensive hobby out right. and also the famous advice bigger is better. I went out and bought a 2m tank that had built in filters on the side again experts and LFS told me to take it out and get a sump. after pricing glass to build a sump i was dumb founded, then Paid a visit to Peterb LFS and he sold me a sump 1200x400x400 with the front glass cracked for R200 bucks I then went to a glass shop and bought a new glass 1200x400 and paid R580 bucks.ok so now I had the basics, you guys must be joking then I had to drill a hole in the tank and create a outlet for the sump which cost me another R275 for a glass cutter to come to my house and drill this hole for me.OK now I thought I could start and then was shocked on the prices of salt instant Ocean, gravel ,heaters, lights ,LR etc and boom I took a step back and relooked this. By accident I walked into a LFS and bought my current tank below which came with everything to start and paid R5000.00 for the lot.Thats a brief history of how I got suckered or started. Below is what I have currently and it has been running now for close to 3 months now.


Tank Size
888 x 778 x 730
LxDxW



Sump
700 x 570 x450
LxDxW



4 Compartments
Cotton filter fibre
Media/Bio Rings
DSB 15 CM Sea sand with piece LR
Cotton filter fibre
Media/Bio Rings

3 x Power heads





2 x 300watt Heaters

Inside sump



1x small Jebo Protein Skimmer
Outside sump



1 x SA 2013 Weipro Venturi Driven Protein Skimmer








01-Feb-08​





Tank Contents
4cm Crushed Corel sand





15kg Live rock





2 dead white coral










Lights
1x Jebo Luxline Plus F25w T8 10 000K




1 x Marine Glow 24 x 58.98cm 20 w




1 x F17 50/50 T8 Reef Sun/200 med 24/610mm















Date
20 February 2008

Tetra Test Kit



PH
8.3
Hipo Angel Test SG/Salinity



SG
1023
API Test Kit No3



Nitrate
5/10 ppm (mg/l
API Test Kit No2



Nitrite
0 ppm (MG/L




Temp
25




Hydrometer
In middle of green









Added Fish
1 x Blue Damsel





2 x Bana Damsel





1 x YellowTale damsel





2 x black widows





6 Hermit crabs










24/02/2008
Added the 2 Protein skimmers









09-Mar-08​
Removed 4 Hermit crabs to sump









09-Mar-08​
Tested second time




09-Mar-08​
PH
8.6




SG
1.025




Nitrate
0 ppm (MG/L




Nitrite
0 ppm (MG/L




Temp
25




Hydrometer
In middle of green









Added 9/03/2008
1 x Green Yoostone





2 tube worms





1 x Copperband Angel










30/03/2008
1x green zoo





2x rasse cleaners






1x anemone brown





Then on the 10 April added 2 x 250 MH that i bought from Rob vd in CT.

here is my concern and questions?
1.I have my air bubbles in th back of my tank and have been told to take it out.
is this advisable or not as the bubles created a nice flow at the top of my tank.
2.I bought few mushroom rocks -1x brown,1x green and 1 x red and these dont seem to be growing much- what can/is the problem
3.I bought a rock from Andreas with zoos on and it has been almost 3 weeks and they still have not opened- what can/is the problem.








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tank going through it cycle


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cycle done – hopefully

clip_image006.jpg


my Sump

clip_image008.jpg




clip_image010.jpg


clip_image012.jpg

clip_image014.jpg

my green Yoostone I added

clip_image016.jpg

My Anemone from Andreas with my new clown
clip_image018.jpg

My overall look but just added 2 MH on top
 
Riedwan this is an expensive hobby,but it is also a pasion for me,im sorry to here that you feel like uve been suckered into it,but im sure some of the gurus on this site will help you out with the right knowledge and in turn you will start loving this hobby,the best way to go about this hobby is take it slooow so that your pocket doesnt feel it to much.now where are those PICS
 
Well for starters I would remove the T8's - they are not powerful enough for a reef aquarium. I know you mentioned that you got some metal halides - just make sure that you have enough lighting.

I would remove the biomedia (ceramic noodles, bioballs etc) - they are all considered outdated technology and a cause for nitrate buildup.

Zap the airstone - that is for tropical tanks. In marine tanks we have good flow in the tank by using wavemakers/powerheads/dedicated flow pumps inside the tank to move the water. Note that airstones do not oxygenate the water by means of the bubbles - it does so by creating turbulence in the water, hence improving surface oxygen exchange.

You mentioned you have 3 powerheads. I assume one is used to return water to the main display. That means you have two in the display tank for water movement? If coral does not show polyp extension two of the most important factors (apart from water quality) is light and flow. Ensure that you have good flow - not highly directional but more random.

I do not know your brand of skimmer(s), but make sure they are working properly.

PS: You have to *upload* photos to some image hosting service - you tried to reference them from your local machine.
 
Oh another thing - if I understand correctly your tank has been filled with water for 3 months now? I assume then you have had your livestock for about 2 months? Coral does not always grow so quickly that you will see growth in 2 months time. For the first couple of weeks the coral tries to adjust to your water parameters. Thereafter - provided sufficient environment - will they start to grow.

Another thing - 15kg LR will not help you a bit in a 500L tank. You need at least 70kg.
 
Spot on advice from Likesfish, check out our uploader, very simple to use (well i can use it - and i'm not by any means a computer expert);)
 
Hi Reidwan - Yeah - well - you right. Keeping marines seriously does end up costing a LOT of money. No jokes there. BUT - you can always start off small/cheap. And then as you GET money, upgrade. It's like the saying "Rome is not built in one day", and ANYTHING done TOO quickly in this hobby is BAD BAD BAD! (except for taking your lifestock home quickly - between the LFS and your home)....

I started off in 2005 with my 300 litre fresh water tank, where I chucked in some sea sand, and using my standard T8 lighting, AND internal filtration system. Kept my first fish (of which died last year December - in my new 2 metre tank - which has a LOT of bell's and whistles already)....

I did not buy any skimmer, did not have a sump, and only had +-15kg's of live rock, with a LOT of rock I collected from the beach!
I did not really have algae problems either. I kept soft-corals, an anemone, and about 10 fish with ANY real problems. EXCEPT my nitrates were FAR too high.

I then found SARK, and then later on MASA. I then got a 2 metre tank, 1.2 metre sump, MANY power-heads, 2 x metal halides, T5 lighting, 2 skimmers, phosphate reactor, etc etc - AND ENDED UP WITH NUISANCE HAIR ALGAE PROBLEMS AND BRYOPSIS PROBLEMS THAT PLAGUED ME FOR 2 YEARS!

That's how it goes - sorry man....

BUT - we learn - we keep on learning. And unfortunately, every time we learn something, we change something, and every time we change something, it costs us money!

BTW: THERE'S NO HOBBY OUT THERE THAT DOES NOT COST A HUGE HUGE HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY! Think of golfers, think of PC's, think of cars and car engines! EVERYTHING COSTS A HELL OF A LOT OF MONEY!
 
photos as promissed and thanks guys for your comments I will respond in time
562480dc08dbd976.jpg
 
hi Reidwan, thanks for telling us about your experience. things are not cheap in this game! but you cant deny that feeling you get the night before you buy new equipment!that's about all I talk about!my mind is always trying to think of new ways to improve things.LOVE THIS HOBBY!



BTW jacques your story seems so true to me. I started off pretty much the same as you and it seems that i'm heading in the same direction.
 
Hi Reidwan - I feel you pain dude!
Things are extremely expencive in the hobby, alot of issues/problems/irrations will gross your path, BUT it's all part of the hobby!
Just think how borring our hobby would have been if it was just a case of buying a tank and adding some fish to it....

This is one hobby that i would not exchange for any other hobby.
Another thing - check out all the DIY stuff - you can safe alot of money and it works just as good.
 
Thanks guys for all your comments, please dont get me wrong I have kept tropical fish for the last 15 years and always wanted to go to marines, now that im in it ,its all that i do i have even discarded my old tropical 4ft tank and I am currently changing it too to a marine tank.The issue i have is lots of new people get mislead and i think its appropriate to just be open and upfront so at least you know where you heading and if you prepared to go that route.but I sit every morning and night without fail staring at my tank and the first few weeks were very interistink when the plant life on the rock started growing.I have posted more pictures but will find out what happened and repost them
 
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