My first saltwater tank.... (1 Viewer)

[Jay-Hawks]

For a long time I have wanted to do a saltwater tank but I just didn't think I was going to be in the same place long enough or have enough money to undertake the project. For years I had a freshwater tank but in the past year I decided that I wanted to make the switch, little did I know how much time and money it was going to take but I do like the results.

I have a 135 gallon Oceanic RR aquarium with a Oceanic pine stand. The stand had seen better days and I really wanted the tank to look good so with the help of a friend of mine I built a new stand which I think turned out pretty good. The stand as it turns out was made out of 4x4's which was overkill but I guess I don't have to worry about it not holding up to the weight. Before I made the stand I bought a used 55 gallon aquarium that I converted to my sump.

Next I have to build a canopy but I think I have a good start.

 

[MarkieB]

Looks great and nice work.
Very neat and organized.

Is the light over the sump secured some way other than the standard clamp? It looks like it could easily fall in.

 

[Jay-Hawks]

Right now it's just clipped on but I was going to hang it by the cord. I also think that the metal clip isn't going to take very long before it starts to rust out. I just ordered a ronco temperature controller to help me out with my temperature fluctuations that I just can't seem to get under control. Hopefully that will solve that problem.

 

[MarkieB]

I would secure it better.
Wire around the cord simply secured to the stand will work.
Do something because you are scarying me with that light hanging over the water just clamped.

What are you going to run with the Ronco? Fans?

 

[Jay-Hawks]

Yeah I'm currently running three fans. My old heaters that I had left over don't seem to be working very well anymore so I bought two Visotherm 250 watt heaters. I hope I wont have to get a chiller and so far the fans have really seemed to help so I'm hopeful.

 

[MarkieB]

We use a lot of pump and poweheads in our tanks.

Very unlikely you will need any heaters in Houston.

 

[Jay-Hawks]

What temp should I try and keep this thing at? I was thinking that 78 would be pretty good.

I have a programable thermostat in my house so the temp goes up and down a lot since I'm not around a whole lot and the tank temps are really impacted by this. I would assume in the winter when the temp drops to about 65 in my house that I will probably have to heat it a little. Like you said though for the most part I wont need them.

 

[AquaNerd]

78 degrees is good...you could go higher if you want...mine stays around 80 and i've read that clams flourish in the 80.1-80.6 degree range...just make sure your temps don't fluctuate too much.

 

[Wildfire]

Yes, the MOST important water parameter is stability. I had high temps (created by 3 400W MHs) of around 82 and everything did fine. In some instances, I got what was termed as "phenomonal" growth of my leathers and zoas.

Keep things stable. Kepp things stable. Repeat.

 

[MarkieB]

I'm am 80 guy!

 

[Guest]

Nice build!

Wanna build me a stand?

 

[Jay-Hawks]

Thanks. Yeah I think the stand turned out pretty good but to be honest is was far more because of my friends wood working skills then mine. I'm sure if I would have built it by myself then it would have looked like crap and probably wouldn't have held up to all the weight.

 

[crvz]

Yes, the MOST important water parameter is stability. I had high temps (created by 3 400W MHs) of around 82 and everything did fine. In some instances, I got what was termed as "phenomonal" growth of my leathers and zoas.

Keep things stable. Kepp things stable. Repeat.

I don't always agree with this, and thought I'd share another opnion. A lot of folks throw around the term "stable", but that implies unchanging water parameters, which is nearly impossible. A temperature swing of 3-4 degrees can be fine (though maybe a little excessive), pH is going to move anywhere from .2-.4 on a daily basis, an even alkalinity and calcium concentrations can have daily swings as much as 2dkh and 20ppm respectively. Salinty is less likely to move in a day, as evaporation would have to be quite intense to get a measurable difference, but many tidal corals that are exposed to water run-off often enjoy a rapid/dramatic specific gravity change of .002-.004 during heavy rains.

Point being, stability isnt quite the right idea; consistency would be better. This may be just a matter of semantics, but whatever you do with your tank, make it consistent. If you don't force the tank inhabitants to constantly adjust to different patterns, you'll have success. If you do decide to make changes, do it slowly, not over days but over weeks.

Anyways, this is merely my opinion formed over experience. The longer I keep my hands out/off of the tank, the quicker the growth I find. Hope this helps! And a great tank to be starting out with, keep the pictures coming!

 

[crvz]

What temp should I try and keep this thing at? I was thinking that 78 would be pretty good.

78 can be a little tricky without a chiller, especially in the summer. BUT, it can be done. If you've not yet built the canopy (and I don't think you have) consider leaving it open topped and put some fans in there. I keep my tank at 77-79 degrees, even when the house get's up to 80, by using two 6" clip on fans in my canopy. There are a bunch of pictures of my hood in the link below.