20L setup

[Crush]

I don't suggest everyone try this but it's good sometimes to be a licensed electrician...lol

[mredman]

May at the surge be with you...

I don't suggest everyone try this but it's good sometimes to be a licensed electrician...lol

[Crush]

It didn't work very well, you can only turn it down just a hair before it cackles and stops

[Crush]

I was worried that it might not work on such a small motor. Nothing ventured nothing gained

[mredman]

No go

It didn't work very well, you can only turn it down just a hair before it cackles and stops

Had you not been a gifted and talented electrician, you would have just purchased a smaller power head.

However, it was a worthwhile experiment.

Mike

[Crush]

It's a bit early but my daughter and I added an ocellaris clownfish, two blue leg hermit crabs and 2 margarita snails...idk why I got the snails cause I have virtually no algae but I hope the live rock will have something for them to munch on if the leftover food doesn't do it for them. Anyways they have been doing good so far. Last night I had to add some Rodi to the tank as salinity was getting a touch over 1.026, I managed to bring it back down to a touch under 1.025. There wasn't much evaporation as I have a glass lid on the tank. I wondered if the sand had some salt in it that was dissolving that's making the salinity rise. I mixed the salt in the tank without sand or rock in it and let the power head do its thing so I don't think the rise in salinity was my doing. The clownfish is happy but isn't eating very well, he will chase a flake down and nip at it but not really go for it. Prolly just take some time to get used to things. I acclimated them using the drip method, rigged up a tube with a small valve at the end with a paper clamp to hold it in the bucket. Perameters look ok though no large spikes in ammonia. I maybe slowing the cycling down cause when I setup the tank I put a mix of carbon and zeolite in a media bag and placed it into the ac50. Wonder if I shouldn't have done that. Also put a bag of phosguard in. My filtration media goes sponge, carbon, carbon&zeolite mix, then phosguard. Might be overkill. Really need to get the reef test kit so I can see my calcium levels. Ph is steady at 7.8, I'd like it at a solid 8.0 but I assume softies and zoas will be happy enough with 7.8. Havnt gotten any coral yet, I don't want to till I can figure out what perameters are needed for what ever I plan to keep and a steady dosing regiment. Iv heard people using only water changes with Red Sea coral pro as the only means of providing minerals for their coral. My daughter wants brain coral prolly cause the name has "brain" in it but I kinda like the maze coral myself. So that might be an option along with zoas. People will tell me not to do it but I'd like a pulsing Xenia in there too, just on its own little island in the corner of the tank though. Also would be nice to have a candy cane and frog spawn. Anyways that's my thoughts on possible coral, yall have any advice for those?

[mredman]

Snails can be useful but will quickly die if there is no suitable food, which is common in new tanks with little algae.

I don't like to see any marine tank with a pH below 8. Why do you need the carbon?

Mike

[Crush]

Water clarity and smell. I have both tanks in my bed room and it doesn't smell like a fish store..lol
now that I think of it I do have some dried seaweed sheets. I'll see how the snails like it

[Crush]

so im a bit of a shrimp lover, not so much eating them(gasp...I know) but they are great to watch in a tank. Im telling my daughter we have to get a shrimp for her tank, ill figure out a good reason later...lol. I cant make up my mind on what to get. I like all of them, cleaner, fire, pistol, peppermint, coral banded. those are my favorite but iv never kept saltwater shrimp. of these shrimp which ones play well with each other. for example if I were to get a coral banded and a peppermint am I gonna have a fight on my hands?

[mredman]

In a smaller aquarium, there may be issues. I had several species of shrimp in a 600-gallon aquarium and did not have any issues.

Mike

[Crush]

I wondered that cause it is a small tank. Just want to make sure it stays a happy tank. Perameters were good last night, ph is still at 7.8 but solid. Ammonia dropped from .25 to zero. Nitrates dropped to zero as well. I know I should have had a higher ammonia spike....maybe I should knock on wood.

[mredman]

Did you test for nitrites? Nitrates in reef tanks normally do not go down unless you make a water change or have an algae-laden refrugium. Proteins will also increase even with water changes unless you have a protein skimmer.

I may be a bit old school but I prefer natural cycling.

Mike

[Crush]

Yep I use the whole saltwater master test kit. I have done small water changes sorta, my salinity has gone over 1.026 by a hair and I removed roughly a half gallon and added Rodi. Iv done that twice so far, last time was today. I tried bringing my ph up by using instant ocean sea buffer and it raised my salinity so I removed 3/4 gallon and added about a gallon. Salinity is back to 1.025 and ph is at a solid 8. Ammonia is 0, nitrite is 0, and nitrate is 0. Zeolite or phosban may be affecting tests. Also got a ca2 test kit and calcium is at 420-440

[Crush]

Oh and Iv cleaned the sponge filter twice so far in less than a month

[Crush]

Your just old period...you know I had to say it