My new 29 gallon SW tank.

dcparker1432

dcparker1432

I'm Old Gregg!
Apr 25, 2008
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I just started up a new SW tank and would like for people to take a look at the base of what ive started... one, to tell me about some of what i may have on or in my live rock ive started with. and two, to give some insight and ideas of where else to go with my tank setup. here are some pics:

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Some Little purple pods or something growing on this guy... sense i have yet to learn a lot about how to identify corals or what may or may not be corals, i have to ask what these guys are. also... on the same rock i have these little almost microscopic clear/white guys that kinda look like a mix of a worm and lice bouncing around and chasing eachother.

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I think i have a type of coral or something on this rock too... its white with little craters all over it. And i also have some little strings that keep popping out of one of the holes that moves very much live-like, especially when anything goes near it. any knowledge of what i have on this rock?

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now on this rock.... i have green coloration... pink and red coloration.. and a bunch of other kinds of growth that you really cant see in the pic for some reason but can see in person really well. When i first put this rock in my tank i had a worm pop out.. hes kinda reddish purple and looks like a centipede. i got one good look at him and then he darted back in the rock.

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also... as far as lighting goes, i have replaced my cheap old stock bulb that came with my tank hood with a light i bought which SAYS is good for plant growth of freshwater and CORAL growth in saltwater... its only 20 watts though.... the brand is Aqua Rays aquarium lighting Fresh and Salt Water. specs say: Lumens= 950 Watts=20 Life=9000 hrs CRI/IRC=67 Kelvin=9325 Length=24"

Is this really good enough for corals? so yeah... thats all of my questioning... would be a great help if anyone could answer them. thanks.
 
It's hard to say what anything is from those photos, as they aren't really good enough close-ups to identify much.

Coralline algae is hard, encrusts, plates, or otherwise grows on the rock and glass and comes in a variety of colors from purple (most common), red, green, and I've seen sort of a pastel orange a few times.

Amphipods are small shrimp-like critters that curl up into a "C" shape. They are large enough to be visible and scurry around more than swim.

Copepods are much smaller, but still visible if you look very closely and could be likened to fleas in appearance.

The stringy arms coming out of the rock are likely some sort of worm, which are harmless and a good thing to have.

The centipede looking worm is probably a bristleworm. They are mostly detrivores and normally aren't an issue.

Any way you look at it, your current lighting, even with the bulb upgrade, is not enough to grow corals. Even if it was, you should seriously consider a drastic increase in your amount of live rock and allow your tank to mature before attempting any corals.

You may want to consider getting rid of the air stone. A powerhead is a much more effective piece of equipment in a saltwater tank for creating flow and surface agitation (for aeration). The bubbles breaking the surface of the water will only create a bunch of crustiness on your lid or light fixture, which you'll find yourself constantly cleaning off.
 
yep sounds like you are seeing pods and other good creepy crawlies :)
as far as your tank goes, what are your plans for the tank? right now it looks like pretty much a FO tank as you have such a small amnt of LR in there. to get it going as a nice FOWLR you really need (IMO) about 40# of rock (at least). like fsn77 said you should ditch the airstone (not needed) and invest in a good powerhead (maxi-jet's or koralia's are nice) to get your turnover at at least 10x's. so for your tank that'd be 29x10=290gph turnover. i'd probably put at least a koralia 2 in there personally. as far as lighting goes like fsn77 says that lighting is fine for the fish but won't cut it for any sort of corals, you'll need a major upgrade even for soft corals im afraid... if that's the route you'd like to go in the future you'll need even more flow in the tank (at least 25x) so think ahead, might as well buy for the future as far as powerheads go.
 
HEre is my evaluation so far. TOO SMALL! Now before you think I am being mean, listen to my reasoning. I started off with a 10g SW. That lasted all of three weeks!. I went out and then got a 55g. I am stocked to the brim now after only three months and trying to save for a 90g. S/W is like the crack of aquariums! It is SOOOOO addictive. You start going into the LFS and wanting every awesome fish they have. You start off with a firm promise to your self that you are going FOWLR and before you know it you are buying a skimmer and corals!. Seriously though you r tank looks nice. It's a great start. Just be warned, you going to get addicted... fast. :)
 
29g is fine. You can make it work. I would save up for some more rock before you adding more fish. Read the cycle thread for newbies. Damsels are agressive, you might want to make it a 'damesl tank'.
 
take your time and gradually build your set up.....lose the airstone and that skull thing...just keep adding one or two pieces of live rock every couple of weeks and your tank will soon start taking shape.....like the others said invest in a couple of power heads to generate a good flow rate which is very important in the SW aquarium....move slowly and in a few months your tank will be well on its way to stabilizing....good luck...:)
 
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