Brent's Super Awesome 12g Reef Tank

[Smorgousford]

Okay, so maybe it's not "super awesome" yet but hopefully it'll get there soon!

This is my first shot at a saltwater tank and I'm looking forward to the adventure. I've had freshwater tanks of various sizes for over a decade now. I usually focused on the fish in the tank (piranhas, cichlids, etc) but now I'm looking forward to animal life of a different sort, corals.

My tank setup is:
- Eclipse 12 system
- 65W PC 50/50 light from Custom Sea Life (part of a retrofit)
- 13W PC 50/50 light from CoraLife that's a direct replacement for the original light
- External ATI Thermometer
- Azoo Powerhead Model 600 - 158gph (installing another one shortly)
- Marineland Stealth 100W Heater
- Nature's Ocean Reef Sand and Reef Substrate (20lbs)
- Refractometer with calibration fluid
- LiveAquaria Select Nano Live Rock (16lbs)

My plan for the tank is to stock it with an assortment of soft corals and a couple fish and a few invertebrates. I want to develop a very colorful and diverse tank.

I plan on updating this thread as my tank progresses and to also post questions that I may have as the tank matures.

Just click on the "Images: 10" link under my avatar to see my other tank pictures since my post count isn't high enough yet to include them in the thread.

Thanks!

[Hop]

Good start Where abouts in Colorado are you? Probably the front range?

[OneDummHikk]

Hi Brent! Congrats on the new tank. I have an Eclipse 12 as well that I did a TON of mods for but haven't set it back up yet. I think you will like it as a starter setup, its pretty easy to do. One thing I would watch for is nitrate levels. If yours is the same as mine (and I believe they are) then it has the biowheel in it and they tend to become nitrate factories much like bioballs do. Keep an eye on them and know that if they start going up, it could be the biowheel causing it.

Where did you find the retro fit kit or was it one you made yourself? I built a new stand and canopy for mine and the originally canopy won't fit in the stand so all the lights fit in the canopy itself but I have been trying to find a decent light system for it without having to put a MH fixture on it.

[Smorgousford]

Hop, I'm actually pretty far up in the mountains of Colorado (Fairplay). The real South Park Elementary school is just down the road. My house elevation is about 11,400 feet and unfortunately the nearest fish store (even a PetSmart) is about 2 hours away.

ODH, I ended up going with the CustomSeaLife retrofit kit from MarineDepot. It was only $40 and it included the ballast, reflector and 24" 50/50 bulb. I say it's a heck of a deal. You can see my installation in my member gallery photos. My only concern with it though is that the heat from the light keeps my tank temperature at a steady 79* to 80* even with the heater unplugged.

Is it okay to have a tank temp of 80* with soft corals and a clown fish and a goby?

Also, thanks for the heads up on the biowheel. I probably wouldn't have thought of that.

[Hop]

I feel your pain! I live in Rifle and have to drive to Grand Junction to the mediocre LFS...

[Loverotties]

I'd take the wheel off!

[OneDummHikk]

Originally Posted by Smorgousford

Is it okay to have a tank temp of 80* with soft corals and a clown fish and a goby?

Yes, 80 is fine. I ran a heater in my 90 to get it up to 80.

[Smorgousford]

Originally Posted by Loverotties

I'd take the wheel off!

So, take the wheel off, huh? I guess you just get the biological filtration from the live sand and live rock then?

[OneDummHikk]

Pretty much. If you take the biowheel out, it will still run across the filter pad thats in the filter but you lose the biowheel and the nitrates it produces. But for now, I would leave it as it is until it causes a problem. Give the rest of the tank time to get cycled and caught up, then if its a problem you remove it.

[Smorgousford]

Sounds good, I'll leave it in for now. Any guess for how long my tank will take to get cycled before I can start adding soft corals?

[OneDummHikk]

Originally Posted by Smorgousford

Sounds good, I'll leave it in for now. Any guess for how long my tank will take to get cycled before I can start adding soft corals?

It will take exactly ~21.39485 Klingon days There is no set amount of time it takes. Just keep an eye on the ammonia, nitrite and then nitrate levels. When you see nitrite go away and nitrate start rising, watch for the diatom bloom, then you can start adding critters.

[Smorgousford]

So I just received my refractometer this morning. I let it settle out to ambient temperature and then calibrated it with the calibration fluid. I tested my water and it has a specific gravity of 1.0235.

I also have a CoraLife Deep Six Hydrometer. I bought it brand new and have used it about a dozen times. I treated it very nicely (no throwing it around) and cleaned it with freshwater every time. Any guesses to what it read the specific gravity of the tank as immediately after I read it with the refractometer?

[OneDummHikk]

1.027? Mine (hydro) always read high until I threw it away.

[Smorgousford]

1.0195. I had been reading reviews on various websites that most of them had been reading low so I adjusted accordingly before I got the refractometer. Looks like I guessed right! It's interesting that yours was reversed.

[Hop]

But.... How did you calibrate your refractometer