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chuckfu 
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 Topic: 46 Gallon BowFront
Posted: February 11 2012 at 12:20pm |
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chuckfu
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Posted: February 11 2012 at 12:32pm |
I wanted to show everyone our hardwork for the last couple of months. I started in this hobby with a 6 gallon fluval edge which is still doing fantastic. I needed more volume so I started a 20 gallon tall. After about 3 months of having it I realized I really disliked the shape of the tank. So after begging and a lot of searching and replying to a lot of ads I found this beauty. It's a 46 gallon bowfront, has no sump. For filtration I am using a HOB that I run fresh charcoal through every 2 weeks. I also have around 40lbs of live rock along with 60 lbs of base rock. I am running two powerheads that keep the water turned very well. Lighting is taken care of with 47, 1 watt LED's. I love the look and the color that these lights supply. The shimmer effect is amazing. The livestock include: 1. Flame Angel 2. Watchman Goby and Pistol Shrimp pair 3. Firefish 4. 3 different damsels: Yellow Tail, Black / White striped and a Domino 5. Black / White clown 6. Snowflake clown 7. Peppermint Shrimp 8. Snails, crabs Coral 1. Xenia 2. Hammer 3. Frogspawn 4.Purple Mushroom 5. Brown Polys 6. Different Zoa frags 7. Green Star Polyps I really wanted to post this because I am new and am just learning and visit this site often ( MANY times a day ). I respect and admire everyone on here and have just a thirst for knowledge. Please post away to any suggestions, thoughts. I also wanted to thank Bill Davis at Saltwater Paradise. Bill has been a HUGE help in getting this tank going and does a fantastic job and is really a devoted reef enthusiast!!!! THANKS BILL!!!
Edited by chuckfu - February 11 2012 at 12:35pm
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chuckfu
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Posted: February 11 2012 at 12:33pm |
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chuckfu
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Posted: February 11 2012 at 12:34pm |
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chuckfu
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Posted: February 12 2012 at 10:52am |
Adding a fathead anthias to the tank in a couple days!!! Pics to come.
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chuckfu
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Posted: February 13 2012 at 1:54pm |
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No ideas on what I could improve on??? Please feel free to comment with ideas and improvements!!!
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CapnMorgan
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Posted: February 13 2012 at 8:50pm |
I could be wrong on this, but I don't see much cleanup crew in there, and with that many fish you're sitting on a time bomb. I recommend 2 snails per gallon (a miture of cerith and astrea or trochus snails) and 1 hermit per gallon. A couple of the "novelty crabs" such as the Sally Lightfoot, arrow, etc. wouldn't hurt either.
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Steve My Old 180G Mixed ReefCurrently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8
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wickedsnowman
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Posted: February 13 2012 at 8:56pm |
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Looking good man! Keep up the good work
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chuckfu
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Posted: February 14 2012 at 6:34am |
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Capnmorgan - You are correct. There is not much of a cuc in there at the moment. There is roughly 5 blue legged hermits and about 10-15 mixture of snails. I was worried that with not much algae yet the snails and crabs would not have enough to live. Do you recommend adding everythig at once or a little at a time. Also what is a good debris cleaner off of the substrate? I have thought about a cucumber, what are your thoughts?
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badfinger
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Posted: February 14 2012 at 7:56am |
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problem is if you wait till you start seeing the algae that it is probably too far gone to just add a few snails and that will take care of it. for me i always will add maybe 10-15 snails at a time, ya some will die off if there isnt enough food, but at least the algae isnt getting out of hand. plus for me, its more my wrasse eats them. to each there own, but i believe in taking care of the problem before it starts
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CapnMorgan
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Posted: February 14 2012 at 9:12am |
 chuckfu wrote:
Capnmorgan - You are correct. There is not much of a cuc in there at the moment. There is roughly 5 blue legged hermits and about 10-15 mixture of snails. I was worried that with not much algae yet the snails and crabs would not have enough to live. Do you recommend adding everythig at once or a little at a time. Also what is a good debris cleaner off of the substrate? I have thought about a cucumber, what are your thoughts? |
If possible I would add 25 snails and about 20 hermits asap, and another 25 snails in 2 weeks. If you find you have a lot of algae on the substrate a fighting conch and a few (like 5) nassarius snails will do the trick. Cucumbers are great, but they can be difficult for the begginner, they require steady water chemistry and can release toxins if they get stressed out or die. Chad has the right idea here, it's alway better to take care of potential problems before they start. It's much easier and much cheaper in the long run.
Welcome to the addiction!
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Steve My Old 180G Mixed ReefCurrently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8
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rufessor
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Posted: February 14 2012 at 2:51pm |
I would consider painting the back of the aquarium. Its a personal preference thing... and its a bit problematic to do when up and running... but certainly possible if you just stop the pumps and cover it well for the 10 mins it takes to spray it...
That way you don't see anything behind like cords overflow etc et.
Also...
Where are your lights? It looks open so do you have a suspended canopy??
Curious.
Clean up crew eats more than just algae... extra food... fish waste... with that many fish I am almost certain you have enough in there to keep them all happy.
Only comment, since you asked...
Don't go to quick... without a sump/serious skimmer you will almost certainly run into nitrogen issues if you overfeed or even as your fish grow, thats a lot of biomass for a small volume. Almost to the point where I would say you need to pull back, but really seriously think hard before adding any more fish.
Give it a few months and see how the system is going. You have many more fish than I do, and my tank has over 2x the water volume, and a full sump/DSB Cheato Refugium and a serious skimmer....has been running in one form or another for over a year- and I am worrying about if I should add just ONE more fish (I have 5 total). I do however have a ton of coral... so my first priority is that and fish and coral sorta "fight" in terms of water quality but are also linked in one supplying nutrients for the other but its a balance. In my opinion your at or over the edge of that balance point especially for a new tank. Pick a seriously rigorous maintenance schedule and STICK TO IT. That will allow you to successfully keep this going stable.
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Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler -A.E.
57 Gallon RImless build in progress check the thread before if becomes boring and just full of nice pictures of colorful coral!
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chuckfu
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Posted: February 14 2012 at 7:04pm |
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Ruffesor, the lights are reef bright leds. I'll get a pic and post later. I do biweekly water changes at 10%. I also change charcoal every two weeks. I have a skimmer but not sure how to get it going. I also heard you shouldn't start skimming for a while until you get a good load going. One problem I have i's when I try to vacuum the sand, it wants to pull the sand through. I's there a easier way to do it. Like I said I want to learn and I appreciate all the help. I dont want to overstock the tank, but am afraid I may have already.
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rufessor
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Posted: February 14 2012 at 8:03pm |
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Skim NOW. There is really no problem. You can find people who skim on a schedule. I run 24/7 and supplement with Reef Fuel and then Ca/Mg by Kalk and additive. pH i dont touch it is what it is. Lots of ways to skin the cat. But just pick one to start and stick to it until your convinced its wrong or things are demomstratably wrong. Youll be fine if you keep up on your maintenance. Fish sell quickly if you do have too but you may be fine for a good while.
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Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler -A.E.
57 Gallon RImless build in progress check the thread before if becomes boring and just full of nice pictures of colorful coral!
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chuckfu
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Posted: February 14 2012 at 8:32pm |
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Any ideas on vacuuming the sand?
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: April 12 2012 at 6:36pm |
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Wow, quite a big question to go unanswered.
Simple answer > Don't do it. Deep vacuuming messes up the biofiltration. On an older tank of 2 years or more, vacuuming the top half inch will help it last another two years. Sand sifting cucumbers are far away the best answer to keeping the sand looking nice. Stay away from Sand Sifting Stars. They eat everything in the sand, destroying the biofiltration.
It's been two months, how is this tank doing?
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