40g finished cycle, now what?

[Francisco]

Finished with the cycling process, live sand and live rock covered with green filamentous and red algae, can someone be kind to tell me what comes next?

[glc]

What are your current water perameters and how long was your cycle?

G.L.C

[Francisco]

Thanks,
Water stats:
as of 3-4-03
Sal= 33(ppt), 1026 Sp. Grav.
PH= 8.3
Am= 0
No2= 0
No3= 15
Temp= around 85 F

Tank is been cycling since January 03

[VoodooChild]

You may want to take more current readings. Alot can happen in two weeks. Your specific gravity is a bit high, but I don't think it's too much to worry about. I'd definantly gradually lower your temp though, like about 2 degrees a day until you hit 79-81. I don't know how well organisms will thrive in a temperature that high.

[Francisco]

Unfortunately there is nothing that I can do to lower the temperature, room is warm all year long, and chillers too costly and way too large for this tank's capacity I don't even want to deal with more installations under the tank, I'm just wondering if I should just leave this as a Semi reef or fish only setup.

[BrianH]

The algae your are experiencing is a natural progression in the maturation of a SW tank. Keep feeding to a minimum and do frequent water changes with RO/DI water.

Brian

[glc]

Fransico a small fan will do wonders in dropping your water temp. Justa small breeze running across the surface of the water should drop the temp to the desired range. No chiller needed.:)

[Francisco]

glc, where do I get those?

[NanoMan]

you can get a small fan at rite-aid/cvs/wal-mart/etc...

[OrionGirl]

Actually, the computer fans (available at Radio Shack) are very popular, since they are smaller, and are designed to run for long hours. You could easily wire it in to a temp controlled switch (like a thermostat), so that it kicked on when the temp was high but went off at lower temps. Be aware that this will dramatically increase the evaporation rate--you'll need to monitor it closely and add FW top offs more often. However, there are critters that will survive the higher temp--you may have serious problems locating them.

[Francisco]

I got the idea thanks, but now how do I accommodate the small fan on to the top of the tank in order to direct the airflow towards the water surface? the cover is glass and the lamp sits right on top, there is only a small opening for filters and pumps wiring etc. It sounds like I may have to do major modifications if I go using the fan.

[Francisco]

:confused: :) :( :o

[OrionGirl]

You're right--if you have a glass cover, a small fan won't help. In our setup, the top of the tank is open, with the lights in the top of the canopy about 12 inches away from the surface. If you don't have a canopy, then a fan won't work. Do you have a sump? You could run the fan on the sump just as well as in the main tank. Other cooling options include a fan along the top off the lights--not as effective, but it will reduce the effect light's heat on the tank. A fan along the back of the tank, forcing air over the glass will help a bit, but not much. Keeping the lights on for only about 8-9 hours a day will help as well. If it's really bad--ie, going over 85--you can freeze a gallon of water (ie, a jug of some kind) and let that float in your tank, preferable in front of a powerhead or filter, so the water runs around it.

[Francisco]

A friend of mine just gave me yesterday this little fan assembled on a Plexiglas base and it fitted perfect on top of my AC 300 filter instead of the lid, temp is now around 80 F:) is this better? I’m also thinking to get a large fan for the room and put it near the tank. Thanks a lot for all you help.

Any suggestions on the critters I should get in order to start populating the rocks?

[OrionGirl]

Good plan! It's amazing what we come up with for our tanks! 80 is probably higher than the stores willl maintain, so be sure to acclimate any purchases slowly to the higher heat.

Hermit crabs, nassarius and cerith snails, maybe a few of the larger algae grazers. Shrimp (I prefer a large group of one kind, instead of a mixed bag, but as long as they won't kill each other off, your call). Maybe a few crabs?

What kind of fish do you plan on getting?

[Francisco]

Thanks for your advice,
I want to get the algae-eating and scavenging invertebrates first, also some sand sifters which ones are good? Later I'm planning on a couple of Royal Gammas and then I don't know I may have to look in a guide, some clowns OR yellow tangs maybe, what is better?

[VoodooChild]

For sand sifters in my tank I plan on picking up a herd of red legged hermits soon. I just bought some skunk cleaner shrimp for last night and I really like them. They seem to run all over my rockwork. Is the 40 a breeder size? Just curious. I'd recommend against the tang, as popular (and probably correct) opinion around here is a 6 ft. minimum length for a tang tank. Besides, clowns are THE classic SW fish. Everyone should own one sooner or later.

[Francisco]

Thanks for the recommendations, tank is not quite a 40, but an AGA 37 tall, and yes I just found out about the tangs, they are aggressive, and grow fast and large.