# Starting my first 30gal reef



## jessiesa (Apr 22, 2011)

Hello,

I have just acquired a 30 gallon tank, a cascade 300 filter, and a jager 100w heater, and 50 lbs of live sand (it a larger grain size). If I'm wanting to start a reef tank, are these acceptable? What else would I need to have a healthy tank? If the sand came from a SW tank someone took down, how long will it be ok if in a closed bucket? All tips/comments are appreciated!


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

I recommend using a refugium full of macro algae to balance out and stabilize the system.

But that's just my .02


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## jessiesa (Apr 22, 2011)

How do you set up a tank that requires such little maintenance? I'm very interested in doing so. Is it significantly more expensive to build that kind of setup? What exactly is a refugium? 

I'm a little mixed up by everything I read about saltwater tanks. If I have a HOB filter do I need powerheads? When should you use a sump? It's all so confusing to a newbie!


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

jessiesa said:


> How do you set up a tank that requires such little maintenance? I'm very interested in doing so. Is it significantly more expensive to build that kind of setup? What exactly is a refugium?
> 
> I'm a little mixed up by everything I read about saltwater tanks. If I have a HOB filter do I need powerheads? When should you use a sump? It's all so confusing to a newbie!


The low maintenance is by my use of plants (FW) or macro (and other) algae (marine). basically the plant life balanced out and stabilizes the tank, and recycle the fish wastes into fish food.l So the tank takes care of itself.

A refugium is simply a protected area. In this case an area free of fish so macro algae can grow and thrive. Fish and cleaner crews eat the macros. the simplist refugium is just an in tank partition. Most use an external container.


my .02


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## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

You'll need some live rock, this is one of the primary filtration methods for a reef tank. 1lb/gal is recommended. 
Addition to beaslbobs refugium post: The refugium can be a seperate tank with more sand, rock and a bunch of macro algae such as chaetomorpha. This helps to keep nitrates and phosphates down to be able to keep your tank clean. you probably wont even want to use the cascade filter. When you use filters that have thing to trap debris, it builds up and causes more nitrates and phosphates to be created. I personally have a clear plastic HOB filter full of live rock and chaetomorpha. This seems to be working with my current feeding to make my nitrates and phosphates close to zero. This is a possibility for you also if you dont have room for a second tank. 
You'll want to do at least once a week water changes and check the calcium and magensium levels.


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## Justonce94 (Apr 23, 2011)

I suggest it should be ok for about one week in a closed bucket.

As for the other questions, yes. It would be acceptable. Most of what you have or are planing to have seems fine. Some lighting and some machines work for other while others work well for other people.

Oh yeah, don't forget to not put any real rocks form the ocean inside of your tank since it's not so good. I have a blog written (below), talking more about different mistakes you should avoid when creating your first tank or aquarium.

i hope i helped...


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## jessiesa (Apr 22, 2011)

Well I finally got the tank up and running. I got a great deal on some live rock today. The rocks are colorful and have different corals covering them (I see a mushroom, a kenya tree, and maybe a cabbage leather so far). I've noticed a few hitchhikers too. Our LFS was charging 5.99/lb for some really low quality LR, so I called up a guy here in town who buys and sells fish supplies and got 35/lbs of LR, a new liquid test kit (our LFS was selling this kit for $50), a powerhead, a used Coralife double linear strip CF light fixture, some snails, a large gravel vac, and a new large net all for $170. I think I did pretty well.

I did notice a little creature on my glass a little while after I put the live rock in. It's about the diameter of a pencil eraser and has 7 points. Not too sure what it may be. I can't wait for my water to finally settle so I can see everything happening on the LR.


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## phys (Feb 4, 2011)

that is quite the deal! the little creature could be some form of star fish or brittle star, but its really hard to tell without a pic. Hitch hikers to watch out for are rock crabs, mantis shrimp, bristle worms, and aiptasia. Mushrooms and kenya trees can really multiply quickly, so be aware of this so they dont overtake your tank. Also, this is very important, always look up the risks of fish and coral... some of them can be poisonous or venomous. So handle with care!
Be sure to give your LR a few weeks to re-cure. the change in the ecosystem can cause a die-off and you may see cycle due to this. You'll also notice some of it brown and flake stuff off, this is part of the die-off. So be sure to look for this before you add your fish. 
Hope things continue to go well for you!


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## jessiesa (Apr 22, 2011)

Some questions... The 2 larger cabbage corals (about 3.5" dia) have closed up and folded over since I put them in the tank last night. They also have what looks like a film over the base of them. There are some smaller corals near the base of the bigger cabbage. I'm not sure if they are the same thing. They are the same tan color, but they have little tentacles that look like they're about 2mm long. I'll try to get pics tonight if the sand has settled a little more.

I tested the water this morning and my pH is 8.0. Ammonia and Nitrites were 0 and my nitrates were 20ppm. Will the pH go up on its own? What's a good way to decrease nitrates & increase pH? I also picked up a new hydrometer because my water seemed a little off. I got a reading of 1.027. Will this be ok? If not, what's the best way to go about lowering the salinity? (For all you refractometer nuts, there's nobody around here that sells them. I'll probably get one later, but for now I'll use what I have.)

I've been running the cascade HOB, but really don't like having the filter cartridge. Would it make any sense to ditch the cartridge and just fill the HOB with some sand and macro algae? Also, it there any way to set-up a refugium using my 10 gal w/o drilling my tank? I've gotten mixed answers, so I thought I'd pose the question to you all.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

plant life like algae will raise pH by lowering carbon dioxide.

also check pH just before lights out when it will be highest.

during cycle algae can maintain ammonia and nitrItes at 0 but nitrates can rise because the algae is getting its nitrogen from ammonia vrs nitrates. then as aerobic bacteria build up and consumer the amonia, the algae will consume nitrates and the nitrates will drop.

my .02


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## jessiesa (Apr 22, 2011)

I am almost certain I have several small aiptasias in my tank. Is it normal for colors on LR and coral to change when introduced to a new tank? When I picked up the rock yesterday it was bright purple and so colorful. Today everything looks so dark, almost a burgundy color and if it's not red, it's a light grey color. I'm new to this so please help me figure out what I have on the LR so I can figure out if it's something to keep or destroy. I've uploaded pics to my gallery, so if you don't mind, please take a look and let me know what you see.

I got home from work tonight and watched the tank for a little while. I see at least a dozen bristleworms that look like they're between 1 & 2 inches long. they're extremely thin and a reddish brown color. they don't look fuzzy, just have single points sticking out on the sides. Should I be concerned?

I also found a tiny shrimp crawling across the large flat rock. It had a white stripe down the back.

Any input you have is very much appreciated.


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## jessiesa (Apr 22, 2011)

Hey beaslbob, I still havent seen any spikes in ammonia or nitrites, and nitrites are now around 10 ppm. Diatoms are starting to appear, but my pH has jumped to 8.8. Is something wrong or is this normal?


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

jessiesa said:


> Hey beaslbob, I still havent seen any spikes in ammonia or nitrites, and nitrites are now around 10 ppm. Diatoms are starting to appear, but my pH has jumped to 8.8. Is something wrong or is this normal?


With sufficient algae that is almost classic.

I think *old dude

my .02


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