New guy and New tank

[jim_geib]

Hi,

Well I think I now have a real Saltwater tank. The Live rock, Reef sand and saltwater went in this weekend. It has been 30-35 years since I have tried this. Man have things changed in all those years.

My tank is 20 gal. with thru the back overflow going down to a 10 gal. refugium. About 2" sand and 20 lb live rock, small amount of live rock in sump. I am getting about 400-500 gph flow thru sump and have a 190 gph powerhead in display tank. I used RO/DI water and Instant Ocean salt, mixed overnight with powerhead, and checked with a refractometer. It has been running for 24 hr. and is clear as a bell. I plan on adding the shrimp to start the cycle tomorrow night. I checked the water parameters tonight using a RedSea test kit. It has taken me about 3 months to get to this point.

Here are my parameters:

Temp. 79 deg. F
SG 1.026
Alk 2.9
Ph. 8.6
Amm. 0.25
Nitrate 2.5
Nitrite 0.1

Now the wait begins Thank You for letting this new guy rattle on.
Oh forgot the live rock was from Salty Critter, nice place and a lot of help-Thanks

[3mrhythm]

best of luck.. looks like you are well on your way!

[teena]

so what made you decide to get wet again?

[Victor1046]

Welcome and have fun!!!!!!

[itsthesong]

[welcome]

Looks like a great start. Look around, ask questions, but most importantly....HAVE FUN!!!

[jim_geib]

Originally posted by teena
so what made you decide to get wet again?

My daughter droped of the tank and stand and said she didn't want it any more. I walked past it for about 2 mo. on my way to the shop. Than one night I went to google and found that there is tons of info on how to do it the right way. Now I have no money between paydays

[seapug]

welcome! sounds like you are off to a good start!

Go ahead and start planning what furniture will need to be rearranged and walls knocked down for that 180 gallon you're going to want in another year.

Get used to having a hobby that drains your bank account. There's so many directions to go in nowadays-- all are fascinating and attainable with just one more piece of equipment...hehehe...

[omacphe]

"Get used to having a hobby that drains your bank account."

Amen to that.

Cheers,

Owen

[JoeMomma]

That 20 won't last you very long. I started with a 33 and 5 months later I'm building a 120. Credit card debt is new to me but I am getting use to it...