Adding coral/frags

kasik64

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So I am definitely a newbie in the saltwater hobby, and I am dying to put some corals/frags in. I have had my tank up and cycling for about a solid month (longest month of my life, and much patience learned!). I started with a biocube 14, and I added live rock, live sand, sea pure, and bio spira. For those wonderful people who have been helping me, know that I had an ugly phase this past week, and I successfully had a WC yesterday, and tank is looking great. My nitrites seem so be in the stress levels, nitrates are also showing, no ammonia spike, and my pH is sitting at 7.8 (looking into a mini fan suggested by taint to get pH up naturally). My specific gravity is 1.028, but normally 1.026, the sea pure seems to be high so I mix it with RO water. Temp averages at 80. I have added a cuc, and a firefish. Just kind've wondering where I stand, and when it's recommended that I could start possibly adding corals. Also want to make sure I am headed in the right direction/order before I make any mistakes.

Also, shout out to everyone who has helped me, I wouldn't be this far without you guys!


Image1487554522.045760.jpg
 

saltyfilmfolks

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Acclimate them, by drip or adding water. Dip em,,,rinse em and set them in the bottom. Get some inexpensive corals that you like. And see how they do.
 

saltyfilmfolks

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Or is it a trial and error kinda thing?
yup. There may or may not be enough nutrints in the tank quite yet. Not sure if you test for alkalinity yet, but it should be low ish(7-8) with the natural seawater that'll help.
Your running a skimmer?
Def look into Kalk wasser in the ato for ph as well.
 
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kasik64

kasik64

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I don't have a skimmer, should I get one? And my alkalinity is in the 180-300 ppm range (according to strips, haven't got the other test yet)
 

saltyfilmfolks

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I have been using marine buffer by seachem for pH.
Yea, don use that Im afraid. It only doses the Alk component. Cal and alk should be dosed evenly. Kalk will do that for you. You can add the kalk solution to the ato (saturated lime water.)
A skimmer will add some amount of oxygen to the water as well.
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/

A skimmer isnt a Need if you watch feeding, but if its hard to get air in the water it may be something to look into.
 

saltyfilmfolks

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I have been using marine buffer by seachem for pH.
look into a chato reactor. Id recommend that or a hob fuge of some sort. Macros are good for ph if you run them opposite light sched if you have enough of them.
 

jlear3

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I think it's weird that your pH is so low with red Sea, when I mix it (2 cup to 5 gal) I always end up with 1.25 sal and 8.4-8.6 pH. To answer your skimmer question, plenty of people do it very well but it would help a lot to remove detrius and other proteins that'll eventually break down into ammonia. I say it depends on how often you're changing the water and how you do it. If you're cleaning up corners and able to get most of the turds n gunk you should be alright. But if you want something to automatically do it all day long think about a skimmer. It was a bit of work adding a sump to an established tank for me but not impossible.
 

TroutbumNV

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I think it's weird that your pH is so low with red Sea, when I mix it (2 cup to 5 gal) I always end up with 1.25 sal and 8.4-8.6 pH. To answer your skimmer question, plenty of people do it very well but it would help a lot to remove detrius and other proteins that'll eventually break down into ammonia. I say it depends on how often you're changing the water and how you do it. If you're cleaning up corners and able to get most of the turds n gunk you should be alright. But if you want something to automatically do it all day long think about a skimmer. It was a bit of work adding a sump to an established tank for me but not impossible.
Hes not using red sea salt mix, hes using sea pure pre-mixed salt water.
I would suggest ditching that and going to a good salt mix with RODI. You probably wouldnt need to dose anything that way, and would more control over things like salinity and ph.
 

jlear3

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Whoops that makes sense, I guess I saw Sea and just assumed lol. +1 to making ypur own water. I got a rodi unit from amazon for under 80 dollars, after months of getting water from a grocery store dispenser. Highly recommended
 
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kasik64

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Well I have 3 full jugs of sea pure to use (accidentally bought too many) and since I've started I have only done a water change once. How often do you guys recommend a wc for a 14 gal biocube? I was planning to get a skimmer for corals. Should I run my skimmer for a while before adding corals, or just do it at the same time?
 

Michael Llabona

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I have the biocube 29. I do a weekly WC. About 2.5 gallons every time. You might want to do a gallon or two weekly. I do recommend a skimmer if you plan on getting another fish or 2. Assuming you have the stock lighting temp will eventually get warmer especially in spring and summer. Look into adding a computer fan on top of back chamber and run it for a few hours a day. Evaporation will increase so make sure you are topping it off or get an ato. Corals really should be kept between 74-78. Also, take your algea magnet out of water if you didnt already do that. Pods will develop on the inside and you will scratch the glass. Welcome to the hobby. Biocubes are great. You'll love it.
 
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kasik64

kasik64

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I have the biocube 29. I do a weekly WC. About 2.5 gallons every time. You might want to do a gallon or two weekly. I do recommend a skimmer if you plan on getting another fish or 2. Assuming you have the stock lighting temp will eventually get warmer especially in spring and summer. Look into adding a computer fan on top of back chamber and run it for a few hours a day. Evaporation will increase so make sure you are topping it off or get an ato. Corals really should be kept between 74-78. Also, take your algea magnet out of water if you didnt already do that. Pods will develop on the inside and you will scratch the glass. Welcome to the hobby. Biocubes are great. You'll love it.

Do you have any skimmers that you recommend? And do you mean my mag float? I do not have an algae clip right now.
 

Scott.h

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It all depends on what you plan on adding to the tank. You may not need a skimmer, not yet anyway. Some corals are fast growers and would consume those rocks quickly if stable parameters are kept. The good news is a quick weekly water change would be cheap and easy. Probably eliminate the need for dosing calcium and Alk also. (In reguards to a previous post) ..I'm assuming your ph is on the lower side because you live in a northern state and the house is closed up with it being winter. Without a skimmer (or something) bubbling the co2 out that builds up inside this time of year that may be normal. So I'd put together a solid plan on what you want in there, both fish and corals, before moving forward. :)

Edit: and yeah, definitely ditch the buffer.
 

c.poindexter

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Agreed, the best thing that you can do is decide what you would like to keep and how much maintanence you would like to do. If you go the SPS route you have to think more about lighting and water conditions and would be more prone to needing a skimmer to help with the water quality and the lower nutrient environment. If you wanted to keep LPS then you could wait on the skimmer for sure as they tend to do a little better with nutrients in the water.
 
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kasik64

kasik64

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Well I know for sure I'd love to add a shrimp, and 2 clownfish, maybe a gobi or Boston bean (my dream/favorite fish) down the road. I want an anemone, and a few different corals for sure. Not sure which corals would be recommended. I was thinking a zoa and the purple one with grass looking growth (the name totally slipped my mind). So I think a skimmer would be worth while investment. I will continue to do weekly water changes and see how that does. Almost wondering if I need another turbo, or if I'm doing my lighting wrong. Seems that when I have the day white and blue on algae and diatoms seem to grow.

And sorry I haven't quite learned all the reef lingo...what is sps and lps? Or does anyone have that link to the abbreviation guide on here?
 

buckroe07

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Sps are the sticks or small polyp stony corals acropora and LPS are fleshy or large polyp stony corals like acanthastrea or blastomussa, etc.
 

Scott.h

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Well I know for sure I'd love to add a shrimp, and 2 clownfish, maybe a gobi or Boston bean (my dream/favorite fish) down the road. I want an anemone, and a few different corals for sure. Not sure which corals would be recommended. I was thinking a zoa and the purple one with grass looking growth (the name totally slipped my mind). So I think a skimmer would be worth while investment. I will continue to do weekly water changes and see how that does. Almost wondering if I need another turbo, or if I'm doing my lighting wrong. Seems that when I have the day white and blue on algae and diatoms seem to grow.

And sorry I haven't quite learned all the reef lingo...what is sps and lps? Or does anyone have that link to the abbreviation guide on here?
Thats a good simple combination that would work well together. Star polyps are the grassy stuff you are referring to, but that are very invasive and will grow over other corals so just make an island on one rock for those. Very hardy.

With that combination you would be fine not running a skimmer and just doing weekly water changes. Just don't over feed. But nothing wrong with a skimmer either if the budget allows.

Starting with dry rock especially, algae growth is perfectly normal and means the bacterial cycle is working. Just give it time and don't add more fish too fast. What's the amonia and nitrates currently?
 

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