Newbie

[Madmike]

Hi all!

I am new to the hobby and just finished reading Natural Reef Aquariums and I believe that I am ready to start my first tank.
specs- 35 gallon acrylic hex
110 watt dual VHO lights under hood (tight fit)
5" cooling fan on hood
Remora backpack skimmer with Max Jet 1200 pump
Power head 402
won pro II 150 watt digital heater
standard SW test kit

Things I think I still need
Grounding plug
timers for the lights
electronic ph meter (pinpoint?)
good hydrometer

Ok, I am now going to purchase live rock and sand from a LFS here. The dealer seems to be very knowledgble and takes the time to educate as much as possible. I plan on purchasing about 30 lbs of live rock and 50 lbs of sand, not live, the dealer says that organisms in the rock will "seed" the bed, as does the literature. The dealer explaines that the tank will go through some algea cycles before putting in the "cleaner" organisms, taking about 3 weeks.

My main question is- Am I doing anything extremely wrong, or is the dealer being especially truthful? Am i missing any important steps? My system does not have a sump, but will a small tank such as mine be ok without one?

Sorry for the long post, just making sure that I'm not screwing up too bad at this point, although I expect I will at sometime!

Thanks again
Madmike

[Alice]

Hi madMike and welcome to The Reef Tank!

It looks to me like you have the situation pretty much under control. Your LFS seems to be giving pretty good advice although what you'll most likely see in about three weeks is the end of the nitrate cycle, at which time you can add your "clean up crew." Then you'll get a start on the algae cycle which can take a while longer. How long? Hard to say, each tank is different but don't be too suprised if you're still battling some type of algae or other for the next several months. Keeping your bioload low by not introducing many animals that need to eat (and poop), regular water changes and good circulation in the tank can help keep the algae outbreaks to a minimum though.

A sump isn't neccessary but they sure are convenient. I know there's not much room under a hex cabinet but you'll be fine without one.

This hobby can be a blast but it can also make you pull your hair out in frustration. Go slow, asks lots of questions, read a bunch and you'll get along with the least amount of problems.

Have fun and welcome to the madness

Alice

[Dad]

I can't add anything to what Alice said...I just wanted to say welcome and How did you get VHO lights under the hood...I have a 30 gal hex and have 18 inches to deal with ...went with a 250 mh but no room for any actnics..

best of luck and I hope you handle addictions well
sounds like you are there...

bob and drew

[Rick O]

Hi Madmike.

... to The Reef Tank.

[Mrs Smith]

Hi and welcome! And yes, your LFS sounds better than most at first glance. Still, asking questions is the key to success, and we wish you luck.

Dad is right on about addictions!
Danielle

[Doug1]

Welcome Mike, always good to see more PNW reefers

[Harpo]

WELCOME ABOARD MIKE

Always glad to see new people. The people on this board look forward to help you make this an enjoyable hobby. Once again welcome.
Harpo

[uurt]

WELCOME Mad mike
This is definetly the answer place for your new addiction. Plus you have a lot of good support REAL close to you in the other members in your area.
Enjoy!!!!
Lee

[MsReeReee]

To The Reef tank...................Maria

[ShirleyM]

Welcome to TRT!

Sounds like you have a good LFS to visit!

You'll like it here at TRT-land! Post pics of your progress and share your ups and downs...

Oh, and I use a Pinpoint pH meter, since you asked. Got it from Premium Aquatics for about $70 on sale, I think.
http://premiumaquatics.com Best online Reef Source imo!

~Shirley

[Reef-Dood]

-Reef-Dood

[Madmike]

thank you all for the kind welcome and words

Dad- the 35 gallon hex is 24 inches front to back, i had to do away with the swing open hood, now solid mounted. the two lights run front to back, i had to add about 4" of wood to the back of the hood to mount the endcaps, the lights are spaced just far enough apart to mount the remora in the middle on the back, tight fit though. I am really worried about the clearance from the lights to the surface, so that is why i mounted the 5" fan in between the two lights towards the front of the cabinet. I hope this will be enough light, i was just looking at adding a 175MH in between the two lights, overkill???

Again thank you all, and i won't hesitate to ask questions.

Madmike

[Dad]

Madmike,
when you say 110w dual vho's...do you mean 2x110 or 110w
total...first time I read it, I read 110w total, then I reread it....??I'm confused, but then that's not hard to do...
did you square off your hood over the points?
I don't think 275w (or 385) is overkill on 35gal....I have 250 on 30 and (about 8" from the surface) and have corals with another 6" of the surace and no one has acted sunburned or fried yet (fingers xxx)...there are people on the board who have a bunch more than us and have beautiful tanks (there are lots of them on here)
keep posting...this is the best bunch of People I have run across...happy to share their knowledge and help you be a success...
I'm fairly new at this too (8 months)....I do a heck of a lot of lurking and learning...

best of luck...

bob

[Madmike]

To tell you the truth, im confused now too! I bought a used setup. It is a PFO 2 24" bulb retro kit identical to the one sold at premium aquatics. The dealer said it is 110watts, now is that 110 per bulb, or combined?

no i didn't square the hood off around the points, do you think a significant amount of light will be lost?

Does your 30 gallon hex have an almost fully enclosed acrylic top? Mine only has a hole about 18" by 8". My recent concern is heating up the tank too much. the hole has a cover which I am considering using to stop evap. I rarely had to top off my fish only setup. BUT, evap is a very efficient means of heat exchange, am i right? Any insight on this situation would be appreciated. I think im going to leave the cover on under the hood while the tank cycles and keep a constant eye on the temp. A slight fluctuation in temp during the rock only cycle wont hurt will it?

thanks again for answering my "first setup" plethora of questions!!!

Madmike

[Alice]

Hey Mike;

With PC's it's usually 2x55; 2 bulbs at 55 watts each.