New love new tank

Hello everyone,
Always loved them, always wanted one, never knew anything about them
except they were cool.
My lovely wife and I went on honeymoon in the Tahitian islands for 3
weeks and snorkeled everyday. When we got back to Atlanta we missed
the underwater views we saw everyday. So much that we had to get a
marine mini reef set up. The tank is my first, but I think after
reading most of the book I bought along with everything I needed minus
fish, the dealer hooked me up with the right stuff. Live rocks, live
sand, protien skimmer ect. The water has been in the tank for one week.
The specific gravity is perfect, the temp is 73 f and Im starting to
get a layer of brown splotches on everything? The book didn't mention
the brown algae? whatever it is doesn't look great. How long do I have
to wait to introduce specimens? When do I know it has cycled? Please
help.......

I know what you mean about the snorkelling sucking you in. I went
snorkelling for the first time a few months ago in Vanuatu. Luckily for
me the Great Barrier Reef is within driving distance (a long drive) and
my son now lives near Mackay so I will have a bed and chauffer when I
get round to getting there.

You are going to need some test kits to check your water. You want at
least Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate but probably will also need Phosphate
and KH (Carbonate Hardness also known as alkalinity in the US). If you
want to keep coral you will also need a Calcium test.

Tank cycling invlolves provision of Ammonia, in this case by your live
rock and live sand. Gradually bacteria will build up to "consume" the
ammonia and convert it into Nitrites. Different bacteria will then build
up that convert the Nitrites into the less toxic Nitrates. Your tank is
cycled after you see a rise in Ammonia followed by a rise in Nitrites
while the Ammonia level falls and then a rise in Nitrates while the
Nitrite level falls. Ammonia and Nitrites should be 0, Nitrates should
be less than about 5 in a sal****er tank I think (someone correct me if
I'm wrong here anywhere).

This whole process generally takes about 4-8 weeks and you can get mini
cycles when you start adding fish. Never add all your fish at once -
allow all the good bacteria to build up.

Good luck with the tank and spend ages reading everything you can on the
net.

Cheers
miskairal (complete novice at sal****er but have had freshwater fish for
a while)

Ishmael wrote:
Hello everyone,
Always loved them, always wanted one, never knew anything about them
except they were cool.
My lovely wife and I went on honeymoon in the Tahitian islands for 3
weeks and snorkeled everyday. When we got back to Atlanta we missed
the underwater views we saw everyday. So much that we had to get a
marine mini reef set up. The tank is my first, but I think after
reading most of the book I bought along with everything I needed minus
fish, the dealer hooked me up with the right stuff. Live rocks, live
sand, protien skimmer ect. The water has been in the tank for one week.
The specific gravity is perfect, the temp is 73 f and Im starting to
get a layer of brown splotches on everything? The book didn't mention
the brown algae? whatever it is doesn't look great. How long do I have
to wait to introduce specimens? When do I know it has cycled? Please
help.......

The brown you are seeing is diatoms. It will disapear, and
as it does, in will probably come cyanobacteria (slimy
stringy dark red or dark green) It's a little more
resiliant. The tank will go throug cycling. You will reach
prime in about 1 year. You can add fish after having your
tank set up for one week. Add only a small amount on a
weekly basis, testing your water to make sure its safe to
add more. I like to start out with the least agressive
damels, like the green chromis damsel. They are schooling
fish, so I like to add 2 or 3 of them. Then the other
damsels, a one of each. By the time you get to the most
agressive damsels you will have a nice looking tank with a
nice mix of prity fish without having spent a lot of
money. After you have had your fish for a month, or better
yet 3 months, you can start adding the more expensive
fish. Keep it slow. Don't go too fast.

What size tank do you have, and what kind of lighting do
you have? What's your watts per gallon?

For corals and stuff, mushrooms are the best start, moving
on to polyps, like star pollyps, and buttom polyps, then
moving on to corals.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Ishmael wrote on 12/9/2005 10:20 PM:
Hello everyone,
Always loved them, always wanted one, never knew anything about them
except they were cool.
My lovely wife and I went on honeymoon in the Tahitian islands for 3
weeks and snorkeled everyday. When we got back to Atlanta we missed
the underwater views we saw everyday. So much that we had to get a
marine mini reef set up. The tank is my first, but I think after
reading most of the book I bought along with everything I needed minus
fish, the dealer hooked me up with the right stuff. Live rocks, live
sand, protien skimmer ect. The water has been in the tank for one week.
The specific gravity is perfect, the temp is 73 f and Im starting to
get a layer of brown splotches on everything? The book didn't mention
the brown algae? whatever it is doesn't look great. How long do I have
to wait to introduce specimens? When do I know it has cycled? Please
help.......

thanks Wayne,
I went to the store I bought my tank from today and had my water tested
along with buying test strips and a dozen hermit crabs, and a dozen
snails. The guy at the shop said to wait on the damsels because I
might not want them in the tank, because they are agressive. So,
anyway, I started with the others to start really cleaning up the
diatoms and keep cycling. I took my wife and daughter to the new
Atlanta Aquarium today - we bought season passes. It is the largest
aquarium in the world now. It just opened a couple of weeks ago. I
live a mile from it so it made sense to get the annual pass. It was
amazing. The main tank is so big it has two whale sharks in it!
Amazing specimens I've never seen anywhere. You should go if you can.
Thanks for the advice. The wattage I have is for a reef system he
said, it's not metal halide but 300 bucks and will do the same.
Have a good one,
FrankWayne Sallee wrote:
The brown you are seeing is diatoms. It will disapear, and
as it does, in will probably come cyanobacteria (slimy
stringy dark red or dark green) It's a little more
resiliant. The tank will go throug cycling. You will reach
prime in about 1 year. You can add fish after having your
tank set up for one week. Add only a small amount on a
weekly basis, testing your water to make sure its safe to
add more. I like to start out with the least agressive
damels, like the green chromis damsel. They are schooling
fish, so I like to add 2 or 3 of them. Then the other
damsels, a one of each. By the time you get to the most
agressive damsels you will have a nice looking tank with a
nice mix of prity fish without having spent a lot of
money. After you have had your fish for a month, or better
yet 3 months, you can start adding the more expensive
fish. Keep it slow. Don't go too fast.

What size tank do you have, and what kind of lighting do
you have? What's your watts per gallon?

For corals and stuff, mushrooms are the best start, moving
on to polyps, like star pollyps, and buttom polyps, then
moving on to corals.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Ishmael wrote on 12/9/2005 10:20 PM:
Hello everyone,
Always loved them, always wanted one, never knew anything about them
except they were cool.
My lovely wife and I went on honeymoon in the Tahitian islands for 3
weeks and snorkeled everyday. When we got back to Atlanta we missed
the underwater views we saw everyday. So much that we had to get a
marine mini reef set up. The tank is my first, but I think after
reading most of the book I bought along with everything I needed minus
fish, the dealer hooked me up with the right stuff. Live rocks, live
sand, protien skimmer ect. The water has been in the tank for one week.
The specific gravity is perfect, the temp is 73 f and Im starting to
get a layer of brown splotches on everything? The book didn't mention
the brown algae? whatever it is doesn't look great. How long do I have
to wait to introduce specimens? When do I know it has cycled? Please
help.......

Those hermit crabs are going to need new shells, by the way, when they
get too big for their existing ones.

I hear some people have success with snails in new tanks; I never did.
I couldn't get snails to survive until my tank had stabilized and been
running for about a year.

Pet stores are always trying to sell low light lighting
for people to set up reef tanks, and telling them that it
is enouph for a reef tank. That way the customer thinks
that they are gettting a good deal on reef lighting when
the honest stores are trying to sell them more expensive
lighing.

Look and see what your wattage is on the lights, and then
figure your wats per gallon. Don't just go by the fact
that the pet store said it's enouph.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Ishmael wrote on 12/11/2005 9:23 PM:
thanks Wayne,
I went to the store I bought my tank from today and had my water tested
along with buying test strips and a dozen hermit crabs, and a dozen
snails. The guy at the shop said to wait on the damsels because I
might not want them in the tank, because they are agressive. So,
anyway, I started with the others to start really cleaning up the
diatoms and keep cycling. I took my wife and daughter to the new
Atlanta Aquarium today - we bought season passes. It is the largest
aquarium in the world now. It just opened a couple of weeks ago. I
live a mile from it so it made sense to get the annual pass. It was
amazing. The main tank is so big it has two whale sharks in it!
Amazing specimens I've never seen anywhere. You should go if you can.
Thanks for the advice. The wattage I have is for a reef system he
said, it's not metal halide but 300 bucks and will do the same.
Have a good one,
FrankWayne Sallee wrote:

The brown you are seeing is diatoms. It will disapear, and
as it does, in will probably come cyanobacteria (slimy
stringy dark red or dark green) It's a little more
resiliant. The tank will go throug cycling. You will reach
prime in about 1 year. You can add fish after having your
tank set up for one week. Add only a small amount on a
weekly basis, testing your water to make sure its safe to
add more. I like to start out with the least agressive
damels, like the green chromis damsel. They are schooling
fish, so I like to add 2 or 3 of them. Then the other
damsels, a one of each. By the time you get to the most
agressive damsels you will have a nice looking tank with a
nice mix of prity fish without having spent a lot of
money. After you have had your fish for a month, or better
yet 3 months, you can start adding the more expensive
fish. Keep it slow. Don't go too fast.

What size tank do you have, and what kind of lighting do
you have? What's your watts per gallon?

For corals and stuff, mushrooms are the best start, moving
on to polyps, like star pollyps, and buttom polyps, then
moving on to corals.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Ishmael wrote on 12/9/2005 10:20 PM:

Hello everyone,
Always loved them, always wanted one, never knew anything about them
except they were cool.
My lovely wife and I went on honeymoon in the Tahitian islands for 3
weeks and snorkeled everyday. When we got back to Atlanta we missed
the underwater views we saw everyday. So much that we had to get a
marine mini reef set up. The tank is my first, but I think after
reading most of the book I bought along with everything I needed minus
fish, the dealer hooked me up with the right stuff. Live rocks, live
sand, protien skimmer ect. The water has been in the tank for one week.
The specific gravity is perfect, the temp is 73 f and Im starting to
get a layer of brown splotches on everything? The book didn't mention
the brown algae? whatever it is doesn't look great. How long do I have
to wait to introduce specimens? When do I know it has cycled? Please
help.......

On Sat, 10 Dec 2005 15:38:56 GMT, Wayne Sallee
wrote:

The brown you are seeing is diatoms. It will disapear, and
as it does, in will probably come cyanobacteria (slimy
stringy dark red or dark green) It's a little more
resiliant. The tank will go throug cycling. You will reach
prime in about 1 year. You can add fish after having your
tank set up for one week. Add only a small amount on a
weekly basis, testing your water to make sure its safe to
add more.

Hello Wayne,

I must take issue with you here. To be adding fishes like this is a
recipe for a complete disaster. All additions should be quarantined
for at least a month, and the quarantine period recommences from the
latest date of any addition to the Q-tank.

Regards, Fishnut.

I like to start out with the least agressive
damels, like the green chromis damsel. They are schooling
fish, so I like to add 2 or 3 of them. Then the other
damsels, a one of each. By the time you get to the most
agressive damsels you will have a nice looking tank with a
nice mix of prity fish without having spent a lot of
money. After you have had your fish for a month, or better
yet 3 months, you can start adding the more expensive
fish. Keep it slow. Don't go too fast.

What size tank do you have, and what kind of lighting do
you have? What's your watts per gallon?

For corals and stuff, mushrooms are the best start, moving
on to polyps, like star pollyps, and buttom polyps, then
moving on to corals.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Ishmael wrote on 12/9/2005 10:20 PM:
Hello everyone,
Always loved them, always wanted one, never knew anything about them
except they were cool.
My lovely wife and I went on honeymoon in the Tahitian islands for 3
weeks and snorkeled everyday. When we got back to Atlanta we missed
the underwater views we saw everyday. So much that we had to get a
marine mini reef set up. The tank is my first, but I think after
reading most of the book I bought along with everything I needed minus
fish, the dealer hooked me up with the right stuff. Live rocks, live
sand, protien skimmer ect. The water has been in the tank for one week.
The specific gravity is perfect, the temp is 73 f and Im starting to
get a layer of brown splotches on everything? The book didn't mention
the brown algae? whatever it is doesn't look great. How long do I have
to wait to introduce specimens? When do I know it has cycled? Please
help.......

Yea, if you add damsels to the the new tank, and they get
sick, then the whole world will come to an end. And pitty
the poor cleaner shrimp that has to clean them :-)

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



wrote on 12/12/2005 3:01 PM:
On Sat, 10 Dec 2005 15:38:56 GMT, Wayne Sallee
wrote:


The brown you are seeing is diatoms. It will disapear, and
as it does, in will probably come cyanobacteria (slimy
stringy dark red or dark green) It's a little more
resiliant. The tank will go throug cycling. You will reach
prime in about 1 year. You can add fish after having your
tank set up for one week. Add only a small amount on a
weekly basis, testing your water to make sure its safe to
add more.


Hello Wayne,

I must take issue with you here. To be adding fishes like this is a
recipe for a complete disaster. All additions should be quarantined
for at least a month, and the quarantine period recommences from the
latest date of any addition to the Q-tank.

Regards, Fishnut.

I like to start out with the least agressive

damels, like the green chromis damsel. They are schooling
fish, so I like to add 2 or 3 of them. Then the other
damsels, a one of each. By the time you get to the most
agressive damsels you will have a nice looking tank with a
nice mix of prity fish without having spent a lot of
money. After you have had your fish for a month, or better
yet 3 months, you can start adding the more expensive
fish. Keep it slow. Don't go too fast.

What size tank do you have, and what kind of lighting do
you have? What's your watts per gallon?

For corals and stuff, mushrooms are the best start, moving
on to polyps, like star pollyps, and buttom polyps, then
moving on to corals.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Ishmael wrote on 12/9/2005 10:20 PM:

Hello everyone,
Always loved them, always wanted one, never knew anything about them
except they were cool.
My lovely wife and I went on honeymoon in the Tahitian islands for 3
weeks and snorkeled everyday. When we got back to Atlanta we missed
the underwater views we saw everyday. So much that we had to get a
marine mini reef set up. The tank is my first, but I think after
reading most of the book I bought along with everything I needed minus
fish, the dealer hooked me up with the right stuff. Live rocks, live
sand, protien skimmer ect. The water has been in the tank for one week.
The specific gravity is perfect, the temp is 73 f and Im starting to
get a layer of brown splotches on everything? The book didn't mention
the brown algae? whatever it is doesn't look great. How long do I have
to wait to introduce specimens? When do I know it has cycled? Please
help.......