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Am I on the right track? (Suggestions/Pointers appreciated) (1 Viewer)

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Mr_Robot

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First time reefer here.
I inherited a 90gal glass tank from my dad, and I'm just now getting it started (4 years later!)

Details:
90 Gallon Glass Display, with self-installed overflow box from Glass-Holes
55 Gallon DIY Sump/refugium
Precision Marine "Redline" RL150 skimmer
Eheim 1262 return pump
LEDZeal Malibu S300 full spectrum LED display tank light

150 Lbs DEAD rock
50 lbs crushed coral substrate


Now that all that is out of the way - I've been slowly collecting parts for my setup for four years now. Two weeks ago I finally built the stand so that the 55 gallon can fit underneath with plenty of room to get to stuff.

I've finally got everything built, everything installed, and full of water.

From the research I've done, I need to start getting a nitrogen cycle going - that means adding BioSpira, throwing in a few dead shrimp, and watching levels for a few weeks..
I'm sure I'll also need a bit of Chaeto for the refugium, as I'm not running any mechanical filtration, only biological.

What do I need to plan for and expect to happen over the next couple of months?

PS: I'm in Baytown, and from what I can tell, not much reef activity over on my side of town. If you're nearby, I'd love to hear from you!
 

TooSalty

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I wouldn't use the crushed coral substrate. I prefer live sand. Just my opinion. Just add BioSpira, wait a day or two then throw in a few damsels. Watch them for a month. If they do good, remove them and add fish you like. You wont need Chaeto right now. Over the next few months you will have different types of algae problems. Don't freak out. Just let it run its cycle.

You should buy a heater.
 

Luman01

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I would get live sand cause If u plan to buy wrasse the crushed corals will hurt it! And I a fish cycle is pretty cruel if u wanna do it right do a fish less cycle and I don't like bio spria it diddnt work for me so I use seachem stability. And u can either throw in a shrimp for a few days then remove! And u will see the cycle kick off or u can use ace hardware ammonia which is how I cycle my tanks! It 2-3 drops per 10 gallons of water. And u will see an anmonia spike then a nitrite spike, then a nitrate spike. Wait till the ammonia and nitrite is zero then do a large water change. Leave the lights off during cycle! After the cycle is done turn them one u will see a very large bloom of brown algae Aka diatoms! Its normal now u can add fish and do weekly 10-20% water changes! And go to a lfs buy a pound of live rock add it to the sump and it will make cycling faster!
good luck! hope this helps!

Lucas Happy reefing!
 
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The single most important thing here is patience.

Take your time and let the tank cycle properly BEFORE you add livestock to it. Wait for the cycle to properly complete. This can take up to 4-5 weeks. Even with adding bacterial starter the tank will go through all the stages of the cycle. The first and most dangerous is Ammonia that will spike will hit after 1-3 days and adding fish right away is just cruel. If you rush it you will be fighting it for months trying to get the tank to stabilize. Luman put up some great information as far as the cycle. about the only thing I would do differently is not worry about adding the ammonia as it will develop on it's own. Also remember to ghost feed during the cycle to keep your bacteria colonies alive until the tank is to a point where it will support life.

Look up videos on properly cycling your tank. There are a ton of them out there and most all have similar guidelines.
 

steveb

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First time reefer here.
I inherited a 90gal glass tank from my dad, and I'm just now getting it started (4 years later!)

Details:
90 Gallon Glass Display, with self-installed overflow box from Glass-Holes
55 Gallon DIY Sump/refugium
Precision Marine "Redline" RL150 skimmer
Eheim 1262 return pump
LEDZeal Malibu S300 full spectrum LED display tank light

150 Lbs DEAD rock
50 lbs crushed coral substrate


Now that all that is out of the way - I've been slowly collecting parts for my setup for four years now. Two weeks ago I finally built the stand so that the 55 gallon can fit underneath with plenty of room to get to stuff.

I've finally got everything built, everything installed, and full of water.

From the research I've done, I need to start getting a nitrogen cycle going - that means adding BioSpira, throwing in a few dead shrimp, and watching levels for a few weeks..
I'm sure I'll also need a bit of Chaeto for the refugium, as I'm not running any mechanical filtration, only biological.

What do I need to plan for and expect to happen over the next couple of months?

PS: I'm in Baytown, and from what I can tell, not much reef activity over on my side of town. If you're nearby, I'd love to hear from you!

your going to essentially have two cycles...

1 - nitgrogen.. you added biospira but you can also look at products from seachem/fritz aquatics and Dr. Tims to add additional bacteria to speed that along.

from: BioLINCS | Nitrogen Cycling in the Open Ocean
nitrogen_cycle_462px.jpg


from:https://www.theaquariumwiki.com/images/thumb/1/1f/Cycling_graph.png/350px-Cycling_graph.png
350px-Cycling_graph.png


2 - algae - expect diatom bloom, some hair algae depending on how much phosphorus is trapped in the CaCO3 matrix of the rock your using, maybe even some red slime and/or dinoflagellate algae

Probably good idea to keep lights out for a while to minimize some of the algae issues. It sounds like you have already started the tank, if not there are threads on "cooking" the rock - not on the stove... to reduce bound up phosphates in the rock. Keep skimmer running wet to export crud out of the water.

after your nitrogen cycle is complete you can start doing water changes to reduce (not zero out) nitrate and phosphates in the water column to aid in controlling algae growth.

There are also things like biopellets, VSV dosing, GFO, waste-away etc. that can be used to lower/maintain nitrate/phosphates in addition to the macro algae that you mentioned.



What type of corals/fish are you interested in?
 
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