The newest "new guy"

[Ron69]

Hi, I'm Ron. I just recently got into this hobby. I had a 30g tank about 18 years ago but things have really changed. I thought I was starting the easy way- I bought an already established setup. But I'm not sure if that was best. Because now I'm a newb with a bunch of stuff to learn about lol. If I had done it all 1 piece at a time I would have known exactly what i have . Anyway I did save some cash-- and thats always nice. Now I just have to do a lot of learning, and change my setup I bought to "my" setup.
I bought a seaclear system2 50g setup-I thought it would be the way to go with all the filtration built in. I was wrong--just makes it harder to upgrade. Then the day after I bought it a guy called me back about a 110g setup he had for sale. But I had already bought a tank . Well, anyhow he was moving and really needed to get rid of it, so I tried my best but the wife said no lol. I did decide to buy a ro-di from him though. So we go to get it and his tank was really nice. The wife says "I wish we had saw this one first" lol my thinking exactly. Then he started offering it to us at lower prices....but wife still said no. Then he offers to sell us everything in his tank for less than I was fixing to pay for my live rock. Wife says" for everything inside?" He said yes. She said ok. lol. I didnt even have to beg.
Then while I was looking over the tank, it hit me--all this wont fit in my 50g tank. So, he says well, I have a complete 30g setup you can have for Free. I couldnt say no to that.
Saturday morning I leave my house at 530am with an empty 50g tank. Sunday morning around 430 I finnaly go to bed with a fully stocked 50g tank, and a decently stocked 30g tank. Sunday evening I get up and stare at my new tanks for hours--like a kid at Christmas. Later that night I think "oh chit , what have I gotten myself into.

Sorry for the long post but I had to explain how I started with this assortment of gear. Now, I'll post some pics. And eagerly await yall's advice, comments, or laughter lol
Ron

[hng]

So...what kind of equipment do you have in those tanks? They both look pretty good BTW. What are happy with and unhappy with?

[jenajet]

Yes looks great. Also wondering what equipment you have. My only suggestion is watch the gsp, it will spread and can cover and kill other corals if you aren't careful. Oh yeah welcome to TRT!

[ChilisREasy]

welcome to TRT

[Ron69]

I guess I should have detailed my gear if I expect advice hugh? lol To much on my mind right now. Well here goes:
My 30g:
Lights: 2x 24inch 65 watt pc 10,000k
2x 22 inch 65 watt pc actinic 03
berlin airlift 60 protein skimmer (I was told these arent great but it sure is working better than my custom seaclear in my 50g tank)

Rio 90 powerhead-85gph
rio mini 150 powerhead-40 gph
(I think I need more flow, and yes I know the Rio's are cheap but they were in one of the boxes of free stuff I got)
marineland penguin biowheel 350 otb 350gph (filter material and carbon in it)
I have a 4 inch deep living sand bed, and around 35 pounds of living rock
a porcupine puffer--currently not eating, and inflating daily I have tried all kinds of diffrent food and cant find anything irritating him-I'm at a loss

a blue devil damsel doing great
a serpent seastar-doing great
I have green seapolyps
toadstool
xenia
cabbage
porites
bogodacup
pipe organ
button polyps
caulstra
and finger snap leather??
I also have some bubble algae and green algae
There are lots of other little stuff in there that I have no clue, and I'm finding new stuff daily


My 50g
50gal seaclear system 2 integrated filtration consisting of prefilter, protein skimmer, bio balls, 350 gph pump
1 70 gph power head
corallife aqualight 24inch 130 watt 65 watt 10000k, and 65w actinic 03

I know I need more light Im currently looking at t5's but since I have my filtration built into the back my actual tank is 36" by10.5" I dont think I can fit enough t5 bulbs in that space to do what I want but I'm still looking

I have a 4" dsb around 80 pounds of lr
A yellow tang doing great
2 maroon yellow striped clown fish-doing great and yes they get along
1 yellow watchman gobe
1 lawnmower blenny
1 fighting conch
a few snails
small starfish
worms ??? thats all I know lol

I'm forgeting some stuff I know but.....

I think I need more flow and lots more lights

I'll probably have to add more here later lol

Ron

[Doug1]

Welcome to TRT

[jenajet]

First thought is the 30 is too small for the puffer so maybe he is stressed, might want to do a search on their care for detailed info. filter media is good for clearing the water but I wouldn't run for more than a few days because nitrate will build up in it. The carbon is fine. bio balls also store nitrate I would slowly remove them a little at a time. Is the sand new or did it come with the system? If it came with the system how old is it and was it distubed during the move? There could be a huge issue there. Oh and on the puffer might try feeders, tho not great to feed them often. One suggestion is to feed them with some high nutrient fish food and then immediatly try feeding the puffer so he gets the nutrients they ingested. I am sure I am missing something but at the moment I am tired and irritated (nothing with TRT, just venting) Hopefully I can come up with more when I calm down or someone thinking rationally will chime in.

[Ron69]

The puffer isnt that big, heck he can hide pretty good in that little tank.I have read about there care--enough to know hes bad for a reef tank, will eat my clean up crew ,chew on corals etc etc. But he was part of the deal so... and after getting him, well he is cool lol lots of personality--meets you at the tank, brushes up against your arm if you are working in the tank, he actually apears happy to see you. My lfs doesnt sell "feeder fish" , I've trid freeze dried krill, frozen krill, marine land bio blend, lots more lol. The sand bed was over 2 years old. We tried to disturb it as little as we could. I change the filter media twice a week. The bio balls--well half say keep em half say get rid of em lol. Thats one of my biggest problems so far, ask 5 ppl and you get 6 diffrent opinions--and nothing wrong with that--just trying to figure out what is best for me lol. Thanks for the comments.
O yeah everything checks fine except ph is a little low and calc. is high. Im using pro buffer dkh for this.

[hng]

I had a puffer tank a while back and he loved to eat raw shrimp and squid. Try picking up a few shrimp on your next trip to the grocery store, cut it up into bite size pieces and offer the puffer a few bits. I bet he'll love it. You can add a few drops of garlic juice to stimulate his appetite as well.

Regarding your equipment, I would dump a quarter of the bioballs weekly until they were all gone. The sand and live rock provide infinitely more bacteria for denitrification than the nonporous bioballs. The skimmer you have is not really that great so there's another area for improvement. Lighting is probably OK for what you are keeping. Do you have an ro'di filter for making water?

[Scruffys Catch]

Welcome to TRT!

[Ron69]

Yes I have an ro-di. And I just ordered a TDS meter yesterday. What skimmer? lol the berlin airlift 60 in the 30g or the seaclear in the 50g? The berlin is pulling out a bunck of nasty stuff, the seaclear ...well either I cant get it adjusted right or it stinks. Because it hasnt pulled out anything
You really think the lighting is ok? lol I have 2x as much on my 30g as I do the 50g! I just checked my water ph is 7.8 calc is off the chart..same as last week. I have been using pro buffer dkh, but no improvement yet. Thanks

[Loverotties]

Welcome to TRT!They look good.I'd get two better skimmers,get rid of bioballs and bio wheel.they just add nitrates.Get your self some good test kits.Most people and so do I recomend Sailfert testkits.The yellow tang is to big for either tank(needs 100 + gallons) to live ok.