first fowlr setup

  • Get the NEW AquariaCentral iOS app --> http://itunes.apple.com/app/id1227181058 // Android version will be out soon!

jbnebres

AC Members
Jul 25, 2008
8
0
0
39
Jersey
So I picked up a 29 gal. It came with a fluorescent light fixture, marineland c-220 canister, glass top, cleaning supplies, black stand, hydor koralia, and salinity hydrometer.

It also had live sand in the tank. And while there is barely any water in it, the sand is moist and wet.

So I have a couple questions.

If I want to make use of the live sand, what steps should i follow to quickly get it cycled?

Or, should I just start all over?

Not having yet invested in a skimmer, is it something i need to grab immediately or wait until it's cycled and fish are added?

BTW I hope to start off as a fowlr (maybe a dwarf lionfish) and eventually upgrade the lights for reef.

So more than a couple questions... any help would be much appreciated.

-Jeffri

Saltwater
:newbie:


 

Jstdv8

AC Members
Feb 22, 2010
356
0
0
47
few questions for you first... where did you get the tank? was it allready established when you bought it? IF so were you able to keep the filter medium wet for the entire move? same with the sand? is there any live rock?

No you do not need a skimmer right away (or at all for that matter allthough they do help if you're not great about a constant 10% water change each and every week)

This is not FW so you really need to take your time. these fish come from a very stable enviornment (the ocean) with lots of water volume so you need to have a stable tank to keep them healthy, they don't tollerate changes as much as FW does. Just take your time on the cycle and adding fish and anything else in moderation and the end result will be far more rewarding.

If you don't have it yet purchase and RO/DI unit. This is nearly a must and at the top of the list right behind water, salt and test kits. get a test kit that tests for at least ammonia, nitirite, PH and nitrate and if you are going reef eventually get a phosphate, and alkalinity as well (possibly magnesium and iodine depending on what you keep)


What size is the koralia?

The lighting will be fine for fish only, but you will have a large investment coming when you decide to go reef. Do not skimp on lighting.

just keep in mind that even a dwarf lion will eat anything that is 3/4 it's size or smaller. lions are wonderful and very peacefull fish (not territorial) but they are predators in nature and will eat ANYTHING in the form or a fish or shrimp. So your livestock will be slightly limited after the lion.
I had a 10" volitian and he was wonderful. just didnt really go with my reef fishes i wanted to keep.

Shoot us any other questions you may have.
 

jbnebres

AC Members
Jul 25, 2008
8
0
0
39
Jersey
thanks for the feedback.

yes, there was live rock- but that was sold to someone else before i got to the tank.
Would it be wise to get the tank with the live sand up to appropriate levels before or during introduction of new live rock?

BTW the filter media was intact and wet in the canister as well.

is it a must and/or would it be easier to cycle with r/o water?
is a tap water/tropic marin solution acceptable?

i've been reading up on lionfish for a while now and i do understand my limitations with them. it would def be the main attraction until i go reef(not in a rush one bit)

also, ive been looking at t5s when the time comes, just tricky to find 30" ones.

the koralia is a nano btw.

thanks for replying.
 

Jstdv8

AC Members
Feb 22, 2010
356
0
0
47
the nano may be a little small for a reef but will be fine for your fish only.
IMO RO water is a must. if you can't get a RO/DI right away buy your water from the LFS, most of them sell RO water by the gallon. pain in the butt, but its worth it.

I know the Nova extreme pro has a 30 version. Thats the light I have but in a 48" and I like it. Very good bang for the buck light. make sure if you go t5HO that you get a fixture with individual refelectors you will be happy you did and so will your corals.

yes, the live rock should go in right away.
If you managed to keep the filters wet and got them up and running quickly you likley won't get much of a cycle if any. the beneficial bacteria doesnt live in the water it lives in your LS, LR and filter media, If you didnt get much die off you should go about bussiness as usuall as if you only had a power outage or soemthing and the tank was never moved. Keep testing for ammonia every other day or so. if ammonia is present you will have a cycle of some sort. maybe short if only .25 or less. if it goes up above .5 you will have a full 4-6 week (or longer) cycle. either way just watch the parameters.

get your LR allready to go from a LFS and you can add as much as you want as long as you keep it alive ( bring a tote 1/2 full of saltwater to the LFS to buy it) they usually just wet newspapers but I prefer to keep them fully submerged. The less die off you have te less chance of ammonia happening.
If you manage to get everything in and you don't see any ammonia after a week of tests you are probably good to go.
Since you don't have any fish you can test it by adding ammonia yourself and seeing if you have any in a few days or if it got turned into nitrites and then nitrates.
when ammonia is 0 nitrites are 0 and nitrates are 40 or less (preferably 0) you are ready for a clean up crew (snails and shrimp) and a fish or 2
 

Fishfriend1

Fishlover Extraordinaire
Dec 11, 2009
3,958
3
38
Southeastern PA
Real Name
Mr. Palmer
are u planning on ever putting fish in the tank other then the lionfish, if so then u will prob need to re-home the lionfish. Ive heard they will eat anything that fits in their mouths lol. As for the sand/filter/other... you will want to wait a little b4 u put fish in but after the CUC to be on the look out for hichhikers. You can get anything from small starfish (harmless sand sifters) to large mantis shrimp (which can and will eat your fish) to things like crabs and anemones. You may even get some corals/sponges with ur live rock. Hitchhikers are good, they almost always tell u about the quality of ur live rock. More hitchhikers=better Live rock. And if u dont want them ill take them :)

I just looked up more on the lion, they can go with fish as big, or bigger then themselvs so yea it would be the only one in the tank, maybe a large goby/blennie. Other then that u will need to rehome the lion.

Fish will always come last for ur tank so dont expect it to be ready for a couple months, it took me 2 months to put fish in mine and its still in progress.
 

FinFanatic

AC Members
Feb 26, 2010
153
0
16
54
Livermore, CA
If you're planning to get a dwarf lionfish, it should open up options for other fish. They tend to stay smaller than, say, a full-grown volatin lionfish.
 

Jstdv8

AC Members
Feb 22, 2010
356
0
0
47
yeah a dwarf will be fine with lots of species. larger clowns, any tangs, large gobies like an engineer, angels. The guy I bought my sand from had a dwarf and had two maroon clowns, a 14" engineer goby and a big checkered goby in the tank with it and they were all happy.
some of the fis I listed above need a large tank.
 

greech

AC Moderators
May 13, 2009
4,193
1
38
52
Tallahassee, FL
Real Name
Graham
Keep in mind lions make a mess when they eat so you will need to account for excess food and water quality concerns. A 29 gallon will not take long to become polluted. I hear all the time about not recommending smaller tanks to newbs because they are harder to keep up. This is a true statement but if you can fight the urge to stock fish that are too big or too many fish, you will have a much better go of it.
 

Jstdv8

AC Members
Feb 22, 2010
356
0
0
47
good point, my lion made a huge mess and i had to suck it out with a turkey baster all the time. forgot about that part :(
 

jbnebres

AC Members
Jul 25, 2008
8
0
0
39
Jersey
Day 03 - 29G FOWLR

Wow thank you all for the feedback.

Okay, so I made my first mistake- it may prove worse in the future.


I used aged tap water with API tap water conditioner and tropic marin salt. I figured I can gradually replace and flush out the tap water with lfs ro water through the next two water changes. Please advise if I should start over =/ or go about differently.


BTW I dont think I will be upgrading to reef until 4-6 months.

When I upgrade the lighting I don't want to be cheap and grab some bs, so it can wait.

I'm also fairly sure about the dwarf lionfish. Hopefully I get a fu man chu, but I'll probably end up with a fuzzy lion. Although I wont be packing the tank with much fish, I'm sure I'll be testing out some of the ones ya'll suggested- with a healthy dose of curiosity and research.


I have access to a hobbyist in n jersey who has quality live rock for me. I'm thinking of using his lr to seed some base rock. But until then I'm just waiting to see if the parameters are cycling.


Day 03 reading: NO3=0.5, NO2<10, NH3=0, Salinity=1.022-1.024, PH-8+, Still gotta get the rest of the test kit =)

So my questions now are:

1. Should I add lr while cycling or wait til it's cycled?
2. Should I do a massive w/c with ro water immediately or can it be a gradual switch with multiple w/c?

Any more advice/criticism is welcome.


This is an exciting image of the tank when it had not settled yet.

 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store