Newbie in Far East county

[JayRandall]

Hi everyone,

I'm Jay. I bought a 90 gallon tank setup off craigslist about 10 days ago. It was set up with 2 CPR bak pak 2r+ skimmers, a fluval 405, a power head and water pump, and thermometer, and an 8 bulb t5ho Current USA lighting system.

Inside the tank was maybe 50 lbs of sand(not sure if it's LIVE sand, or just aquarium sand), and around 40ish lbs of live rock. For livestock it had a snowflake eel, scopas tang, three stripe damsel, pj cardinal, a lemon peel angel, and a bunch of striped mushroom coral, a bunch of hairy mushroom coral, some generic looking purple zoas, and a pencil urchin. Everything cost $100, but the tank looked so neglected and dirty that there was a ton of work ahead for me.

The eel was first to go. Didn't fit my long term plan and it was too difficult to catch in the first place to put it in again. The PJ Cardinal didn't survive assuming due to the shock of the move. I didn't hook the fluval back up since I know they are a nitrite(nitrate? Can never remember which) factory for saltwater tanks.

One of the first things I bought were some nerite snails, 10 to be exact. I wanted nassarius, but fountains in la mesa was out when I went. I think I need about 20-30 more snails to keep up with the film algae build up.

I noticed my scopas tang has some significant dorsal and pectoral(bottom right?) fin damage presumably from the eel.

Next thing I bought were a couple chocolate chip starfish then some clove and brain coral the same day. Got home, got everything acclimated, then later that night realized that the chocolate chip starfish are carnivorous. Fortunately the place I bought them let me return them the next day.

Just today, I got a small zoa frag and a small frag of Red Sea xenia. The lemonpeel angel is on it's way out the door tomorrow because it's picking on some of my new coral.

I really want a rbta and a pair of clownfish, but I'm concerns about the anemone's compatibility in my tank. At some point, I'd like to add a yellow watchman goby and a pistol shrimp. Before adding more fish though, id like to double how much LR I have.

The last 10 days has been a crash course so far in saltwater tanks, but overall it's been going well. I'm also considering a yellow tang, but I'm concerned about aggression with my current scopas tang.

I haven't tested my water parameters yet, but it is very high on my to do list. I've been getting my water from scripps which I know isn't perfect.

So that's my tank, about me. I'm a married father of 3, ages 3, 2, and 1 with a fourth on the way. Two girls, one boy. I'm a phlebotomist, my wife is a nursing assistant, my 2 daughters have cerebral palsy. Life for us is pretty busy, but I still find time for cooking and baking and being able to just relax and watch my tank.

I'm looking forward to getting more acquainted with these forums and expanding my reef keeping experience.

[Livinlocal]

Welcome to sdreefs! Sounds like you got a really good deal on the setup. I would recommend shopping at vets pets because Chris and mike are very knowledgable and not to mention their prices are the best in sd IMO. Good call on not hooking up the fluval, and you're right about adding more rock. I would put at least 100lbs in there and your sand I'm sure is alive because the tank has been up and running. As for scripps; it's great water you just have to add additives to it in order to support hard corals. Everyone here is pretty cool once you get settled in. Post up some pictures !

[Livinlocal]

Also check out liveaquaria.com to learn about any fish or coral that you may want. A lot of things aren't comparable so make sure to do research before you buy, and have to return something like the starfish.

[ReEfErAdDiCt]

Hello Jay, my name is Vince. I live in East County as well. Glad you made the decision to get on SD reefs. There is a wealth of knowledge here.

I'll try to go in order of your questions...

That fluval cartridge filter that came with the tank isn't such a great idea because they are a NITRATE factory. There's just too much detritus(crud) that can build up inside of a cartridge filter that you don't want. Having said that, what are you using for filtration? Does the tank have a sump?

See if you can contact the person that you bought the set up from and ask how old the T5 bulbs are. Depending on their age, they might need to be replaced. Although the bulbs might still look bright, over time they will lose their intensity(A lot more goes into this but I won't explain it now) and will need to be replaced. A good rule of thumb with T5 bulbs is that they will last 9 - 12 months, possibly longer depending on the efficiency of the fixture being used.

Great purchase on the snails as they are a great addition to any cleanup crew. As you progress you can get more snails, hermits, and other cleanup crew members. But you do not have to purchase them all at once.

The Scopas Tang's fin damage could be from the move or maybe another fish could have been picking on him but his fins will eventually heal and he should be fine. It could also be what is called "fin rot" which is definitely not a good thing. Keep an eye on him and if he doesn't heal within a couple of weeks look into fin rot treatment.

Definitely not the best decision to put chocolate chip stars in a reef tank. They will for sure chow down on your coral. Also, if your Lemonpeel Angel is picking at your coral it might be a good idea to get him out as well.

As far as clowns and an anemone go, I would hold off on the anemone, but you'll most likely be safe adding clown fish. The reason you don't want to add an anemone yet is that they require pretty consistent and stable water parameters to survive. Get a little more connected with your water parameters to be sure the anemone has the stable conditions that it needs before you add one into your tank.

It's hard to say about the compatibility of a Scopas and Yellow Tang. It can depend on several things if they will be okay with each other. Depending on the size of the fish, how your aquascape is set up etc... The first thing you can try to do is to acclimate the new fish before actually releasing it into your tank. I use a little critter keeper reptile type of cage put in my main display tank to acclimate all of my new fish. This allows the other fish to be introduced to your new fish without being able to harm it. It has worked well for me and I have been successful in introducing several tangs into my display. If they end up being too aggressive with each other you can always take one out.

On to Scripps water... I have used nothing but Scripps water. There is actually an entire thread about scripps water on this forum. It's basically everybody's own opinion and personal experience. Like I said I have used nothing but Scripps and I have never had a problem. Depending on what you're keeping, it is pretty much already at good to go levels. If you're keeping a fully stocked hard coral tank then yes you obviously have to dose, but I think Scripps will be fine for you just how it is. Like with any salt mix, you must keep up on your water changes.

Hope I answered some of your questions. Like I said, I am in East County as well so if you have any other questions feel free to ask and maybe I could come by and chat reef or if you'd like to come by we can do that sometime as well.

Post some pictures of your current set up so we can all get a better look and hopefully answer some of your questions better. Once you get your water parameters tested, also post those up.

Welcome to SD reefs and good luck!

Vince

[jkennedy1007]

nice to have you bud =}

plenty of us east county reefers on here to help

[seareef]

Welcome to SDR Jay!

[JayRandall]

I have a question: I am having a ton of algae starting to build up on the glass. I have 10 nerite and 10 margarita snails, but other than putting in more cleaners, what can be done to reduce the algae growth? Would more live rock help?


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[jessegarcia28]

Reduce your light schedule/feedings/


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[Livinlocal]

Sounds like your phosphates are high. Do you have any time of filtration now?

[JayRandall]

Just 2 CPR bak pak skimmers


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