just introducing myself

[emurray]

I have been maintaining a heavily planted freshwater tank for awhile... then I stumbled upon Nano-reef.com and became really excited. I have wanted to get into reef keeping for awhile, but was always afraid too/waiting till I moved on from apartment life. Seeing all of those successful nano's really inspired me.

Anyway, my name is Eric and I just thought that I would introduce myself. My tank has had rock, sand, and water in it since tuesday.

specs:

10 gallon standard
aquaclear 150 (empty now, to be made into a mini-refugium)
aquaclear 101 powerhead
50 watt heater
10 lbs. live rock (from abyss)
15 lbs. live sand
1 current USA 40 watt PC 50/50
1 coralife 18 watt mini PC 50/50
(total of 58 watts)

I think that I will start nice and slow. Just some soft corals. I really like the really colorful zooanthids and the Green Star polyp. I also like the Xenia. As I understand, these are pretty easy to keep. I also intend to have the standard clean-up crew and maybe on false percula and/or a firefish, but I am still open to all of the options.

Thinking of adding one of those cheap coralife skimmers, the really small one. I have read mixed reviews on nano-reef.com

Anyway, I plan on going to Premium Aquatics for the first time tomorrow, it's a shame that it is going to be the last saturday. Probably won't buy anything, as my tank is still so new... but plan on just hangin' out and browsing. Maybe I can meet some of you there.

If anyone has any general advice or comments on my set-up, they would all be greatly appreciative by this eager to learn newbie. A second note... about a month from now, if any experienced reefers would be interested in giving/selling me some of their easier, less expensive frags to start my tank, I wouldn't turn it down!

Thanks for having me!

[danieljames]

cool..welcome to the addiction murray. Thanks for sharing.....lol. Good luck with your new setup

[overflowin]

welcome to the wonderful world of reef keeping... there's no turning back now, you're one of us!!

donnie

[reeftechie]

I know a lot of the IMAS people, you are in good hands, come to the next swap, and I will bring you some free xenia..

RT

[BigReef]

Welcome emurray

This is a wonderful hobby that you have chosen! I think you'll find the members of INMAS to be a very knowledgable group, always willing to give advice and even frags.

We are still in the early stages of our club but have picked up steam and hope to continue that growth. If theres ever anything you need, don't hesitate to ask.

Look forward to meeting you at one of our frag swaps.

Oh, my names BigReef, and I'm a reefaholic........

:beer:

[matt the fiddler]

"big reef" "reefaholic," what are those guys in your sig drinking?

[BigReef]

Matt the fiddler,

Since I'm a reefaholic, its got to be skimmate. (can't you tell by the head on it):)

BigReef

[matt the fiddler]

well. ha ha .. i have some brewing now- selling it for $3 a pint. we can tost together and i will pretend to drink it...

[emurray]

Hey, thanks for all of the well wishes. I went to Premium Aquatics today, just to check it out. I really wish I could have picked up some livestock instead of the test kit I got.

I have noticed some interesting things while looking at my rock. I have seen a couple of starfish that were white and had long, flowing arms... kinda like an octopus. Maybe they were serpent stars. I also noticed this really were critter that kinda looked looked like a "roly-poly" bug. I noticed it on top of a rock as soon as I turned the lights on, then just when I went to take another look, It darted back behind the rock really quickly.

You know you have found yourself a good hobby if you sit staring at a box of rocks and water all day.

[castor]

Really don't mean to highjack your thread at all but I am in just about the same position as you, having just setup a 10g that's going to be a reef.

I'm also new here and wanted to say hi to all and a hi to you emurray, these guys/gals from just on here seem like a nice group and I hope to get to know some of them.

I've been in the aquaria hobby for about three years now (I am actually only 20 so that's a while for me :D ) and have only recently with the 10g gotten into SW but already have a feeling that SW is going to take over....

My tanks include a 75g with 20g sump and DIY W/D filter that is home to a breeding colony of 18 wild caught tropheus moorii 'Muzi' cherry rainbow. A 55g that has yet to be setup (still building the stand and hood), it was going to be a lake tang. setup, but now I'm thinking about the possibility of a FOWLR that would soon to be a reef tank also. A 33g breeder used as a growout tank for the fry of my tropheus colony. A 29g heavily planted south american apisto tank. A 20g simple comunity tank. A 10g occellatus shelldweller (lake tang.) pair. A 7g lightly planted betta tank.

Finally, my 10g reef tank with 10g refuguim (with 50lbs southdown DSB) and also 5g sump. Only have ~12lbs of LR right now, but adding more soon. I might be posting picks of the setup later today.

All that and I'm only 20......yeah, I think addiction is the correct term, not hobby. :spin2:

[emurray]

castor,

no need to feel sorry. If anything, between the two of us, we can get some more questions answered.

I too started in Freshwater as well and I currently maintain a 29g heavily planted tank with d.i.y. co2 injection. It's got south american fish in it... a pair of angels, a pair of blue rams, a small school of neons, and a rather large clean-up crew. My rams spawned within a few days after bringing them home!


Sounds like your first marine tank is going to be pretty cool. I look forward to seeing some images of it.

[matt the fiddler]

helping first timers out is one of the main goals of the club. that way beginners can get where they enjoy it.. and don't kill stuff needlessly- therefore minimizing the impact on the reefs... ask away. we are all learning- all of us at one point in time had to ask what seem to be now stupid common questions. also- try to get around town and see others tanks.. listen to what they do- and ask q's and advice. [buying coral from people is a great excuse to go visit]

[emurray]

Definitely, I was thinking that I would either get my first coral from the Abyss or by trying to talk a local reef keeper into selling me something easy, like zoos or xenia, and let me hang out for a few minutes and ask some questions/gawk at their tank.

Abdul and Paul at the Abyss are always super nice and I really like their store. It just "feels" better. The place is always spotless, and for some reason, the fish and coral just look to be of a higher quality. I don't quite understand it, but so many fish stores around here just look so bad... as if a broom or a papertowel and bottle of windex never existed.

[gwrulzmylife]

welcome to the addiction murray

[matt the fiddler]

how are the new corals doin? man, now that i am moving my tank... i realized i have so much macro in my fuge- i should have given you a lot more.. lol- man. bags and bags full of macro.

[emurray]

Hey matt,

Thanks again for having me over, your tank is really something that I aspire to. I will have you know that I made it over to premium today and picked up the 80w Orbit hood, I know effectively have 8 watts per gallon... Might have a chance for some SPS in a few months.

The Zoos opened up within a few hours, and look beautiful... the GPS opened this morning is doing very well too. The Xenia opened up immediately when I put it in the tank, however, today it isn't extending itself fully and the base stalk has shriveled just a bit as well. I think it is because I have a margarita snail that is/has been on the side of the stalk all day.

I also noticed that there was a small Aiptasia anemone on the xenia frag... I plucked it off with some tweezers, just to find it back again an hour later... how the hell did that happen?

I noticed a couple of pods in the sand you gave me, as well as a small worm, black with a red tip... about an inch long. Is this a bristle worm?

Man, thanks again for all of your help. I am forever indebted to you. I might try and see some other reefers tanks here soon.

[castor]

Good to hear your tank is doing well for you. I'm happy myself as things in my tank seem to be doing well also. To me, it seems to be maturing a little and getting a bit settled. Something that surprised me is that my nitrates seem to be already exported/ing somehow. Right after it was done cycling they were up to about 20ppm, but a few days ago I took a reading again and got close to 0. I didn't think anerobic pockets in the sand would get going that fast as it's only been just under a month I think - ???

I put in an order with Premium this past Monday and am a tiny frustrated. I ordered 8 pounds of their marshal Island nano rock, 6 pounds of rubble rock, and 2 pounds of the 'sludge'. Seems they had only gotten in the Marshal island rock a few days before and didn't have any cured, so it won't be until next Friday when I get it. Ahh, the waiting.

I guess it wasn't a great thing to do, but I already added a fish a few days ago. All inverts I had gotten have been doing well and the tank seems to be pretty much settled and all so I did. I really hope I'm not jumping the gun on things, but I'm thinking it will be fine. Anyway, it's only a tiny neon goby of about 1.25". Cute little guy and he's been eating very well and hopping around the tank all the time and seems happy. Do you think 3 and a half weeks is way too soon to add a fish???

I'm now wondering when I would be able to add in a couple small frags myself like xenia and a zoo. Should I wait another month or could I in a few weeks?

Hey, I just noticed in my FW planted tank I have two algae eating shrimp carrying. One is loaded with like 150 eggs, the other only has like 30-50. Cool. :D

[emurray]

From what I understand, Xenia and zoo are fairly hardy... as you know I already have them. I would also recommend Green Star Polyps (GSP). Matt claimed, "you could run over them with a car and they would still live."

Funny you say it, because I have two algae eating shrimp (cardinia japonica) in my 29g FW planted tank that were carrying as well. From what I have read, they have no chance of hatching in your tank. I guess that the shrimp release the eggs into the ocean (saltwater) where they hatch. Without salt, the eggs fungus over and die. My two gravid females carried around green eggs for a couple of weeks.

I have heard that you can drop them in a saltwater environment and they have a chance...

My pair of German Blue Rams also spawned in the same tank about a month ago... Pretty neat.

[matt the fiddler]

technically, your tank will recycle when you put in the new rock- [uncycled rock more dangerous to fish than FW stuff] with that goby, do 5% water changes like mad- or find some one to keep it for you....

i have a heck of a lot of macro algae- if you can swing by before the end of the month i can get some to you- broadripple area] though my tank won't have corals after sunday.... if you do water changes and watch your levels- you could probably keep some GSP alive.. though i would wait till your rock cycles to add any thing else except hermits and some astrea snails. you are risking killing it off of nitrates and nitrites......

remember watts per gallon and inches per gallon does not really apply. It would also be good for the new people starting out to ask the guys at premium [premium rocks] or local keepers on these boards if you want something in your tank, to make sure you can keep it/ tank can sustain it.....- they will give you the straight answer, might save you money and the death of an unsuited animal- no one wants anything to die or live sickly in the club here [for the most part- some unnamed LFSs in town make me wonder..]

oh yea- dose this http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=281425

[castor]

Oh sorry, slight misunderstanding though it makes a big difference.

I am not getting uncured rock, but rather am waiting until they have had the uncured for two weeks so by then will be more of cured. That would almost be mean to put in uncured rock into a tank with a fish.

I already have about 12 pounds of rock and rubble in the tank and fuge and have cheato under 60w of light in my fuge. I'm thinking that even is a little ammonia was given off from the new rock the mass of cheato would help suck it up.

I like the look of GSP though I guess some people won't keep it in their tanks because of how it spreads. With the difference of cured rock, should GSP be fine? Oh, also have ~110w over the tank, also a 10g.

I'm trying my best to pace myself and give things the time they need, but I guess when I get into something I really like and want, I want to do it all and do it now. Then the rational part of my mind has to beat up the other part and make me do one thing at a time.... ;)

[matt the fiddler]

cured is different than cycled.. you still need to be carefull- though with water changes and watching your levels of nitrates and nitrites, you can keep hardy corals and inverts and some fish alive... if you know FW- you know how to watch these..