NEW TO CLUB AND REEFER! NEED HELP!

[Nekajaye]

Hello!!! I am a new reefer that just started this hobby last year in March. I have a 20 gallon reef tank that has been doing amazing. I have gone through my new reefer challenges in the beginning with ich and things link that but I have learned new strategies if you will on how to handle things .

I have just learned to make my own water RODI and salt as of end of Oct 2020. I cycled (since Nov 1st) 3- 32gallon trash cans for a 90 gallon I just put up two weeks ago.

I have tons of questions and am a little shy in starting out with asking questions or needing help in such a large forum. So if you do not mind I have a couple.

1- I started with a current marine light, Tidal 35, and hydor koralia 425GPH. I have various corals in my tank (pictures attached). The one that is blue tinted picture is back in November. The others are within a week. I winded up getting a Kessil 160 and stopped with the current because I wanted SPS coral as well and I was being told by many aquarium stores my light was not strong enough. Well I have had this Kessil since (around September 2020) and its burning up everything at the top and some at the bottom. its on all blues and lowest intensity. I have a red sea testing kit and have taken water to various aquarium stores and my water is perfect (haven't been an issue in at least 8 months).
Assuming its the lights...I want to sell this light (I have controller too...Never used) and replace with AI prime.
Thoughts?

I will ask other questions after we start with this

 

[Adam]

Small nano tanks can be very difficult to master things swing so fast in them. Moving up to the 90 will help, with more water volume comes more stability. How soon do you plan on transferring the livestock to it, and do you plan on keeping the 20 up and running?

Without knowing all of the other parameters it's more difficult to give advice. Water temp and salinity are the biggest to start with. When you start SPS there's a lot more to consider. Alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, trace elements and organics nitrate & phosphate. Marine aquariums are quite rewarding but there's a steep learning curve.

With the lights. Kessil's are very good and the AI Prime would be a step down in quality. If you plan on keeping the 20 up and running the AI light might be a better choice for it. For the 90, a single Kessil 160 will not be enough light for it. You'd need two or three of them.

 

[Adam]

Oh, and welcome to ARC glad to have you here!

 

[fishyfishy]

Agree it might be better to change the light when you upgrade to the 90. I don’t know much about the strength of the Kessil you have but it’s probably very strong on the 20.

when you say cycle water in the brutes... do you have more live rock in the cans as well? Water alone won’t cycle and you probably will need more rock when you transfer to the 90

 

[Nekajaye]

Oh, and welcome to ARC glad to have you

Small nano tanks can be very difficult to master things swing so fast in them. Moving up to the 90 will help, with more water volume comes more stability. How soon do you plan on transferring the livestock to it, and do you plan on keeping the 20 up and running?

Without knowing all of the other parameters it's more difficult to give advice. Water temp and salinity are the biggest to start with. When you start SPS there's a lot more to consider. Alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, trace elements and organics nitrate & phosphate. Marine aquariums are quite rewarding but there's a steep learning curve.

With the lights. Kessil's are very good and the AI Prime would be a step down in quality. If you plan on keeping the 20 up and running the AI light might be a better choice for it. For the 90, a single Kessil 160 will not be enough light for it. You'd need two or three of them.

Ok...now we can start talking about everything because you just asked about the 90 gallon. Let me try to answer everything

20 Gallon
So I have no where for the Kessil to go once I decide on getting the AI because it looks like everyone here is saying it may be too much light for the 20 and I already have lights on the 90 gallon. Its a Kessil A160WE less than 6 months old so I would sell it and get the AI prime for the 20 gallon. I intend on keeping 20 gallon and maybe using it as a quick hospital tank. I do not plan on moving coral over until maybe April. I want to put an anemone in the tank first and then put coral in after. I am also not 100% sure I will move this coral over either... still debating because this 20 gallon is in my office where I work daily and it does grow the coral well and looks great other than when I started using the Kessil. But for sure keeping it up because I do not have a hospital at all.

I know that Shawn is supposed to come by this evening and do a test on the lighting so we will see about that.

90 Gallon
The 90 gallon is up. I did 3- 32 gallon trash cans, made my own RODI water with a RODI unit. I used Red Sea Coral Pro Salt because that is what I have always used since I started my tank back last year. I added live rock and sand from my 20 gallon, I added more live sand I purchased, and I added some stability. I purchased all my rock and also added that to all the trash cans as well. I had pumps and heater running in all since Nov 1st. I just transferred everything into the 90 gallon two weeks ago. My water parameters are spot on. I take my water to 3 aquariums stores for them to check it along with my own Red Sea test kits checks as well every 4 days or so. My salinity is 1.025, PH 8.4, Nitrates 0, Ammonia 0. One the 90 gallon I have 2 AI Hydra 32s, 2 - AI Nero 5s, older sump, protein skimmer (Bubble Magnus Curve 5), and Syncra 4.0 (3500 l/h-951GPH).

I am having a issue where the water is raging in the sump and super loud. I have made modifications and its still raging water. This is a new issue on top of the lighting in the 20 gallon. I hope I do not have to wind up buying a new sump but I have uploaded pics send pics. I have changed out accordion hoses to smooth pond hoses and still raging and loud. I have put the newer overflow pieces from Aqueon in https://www.amazon.com/Aqueon-AAG29251-Overflow-Accessory-New/dp/B0002DJAZQ. Still loud.

 

[ZapataInc]

Ok...now we can start talking about everything because you just asked about the 90 gallon. Let me try to answer everything

20 Gallon
So I have no where for the Kessil to go once I decide on getting the AI because it looks like everyone here is saying it may be too much light for the 20 and I already have lights on the 90 gallon. Its a Kessil A160WE less than 6 months old so I would sell it and get the AI prime for the 20 gallon. I intend on keeping 20 gallon and maybe using it as a quick hospital tank. I do not plan on moving coral over until maybe April. I want to put an anemone in the tank first and then put coral in after. I am also not 100% sure I will move this coral over either... still debating because this 20 gallon is in my office where I work daily and it does grow the coral well and looks great other than when I started using the Kessil. But for sure keeping it up because I do not have a hospital at all.

I know that Shawn is supposed to come by this evening and do a test on the lighting so we will see about that.

90 Gallon
The 90 gallon is up. I did 3- 32 gallon trash cans, made my own RODI water with a RODI unit. I used Red Sea Coral Pro Salt because that is what I have always used since I started my tank back last year. I added live rock and sand from my 20 gallon, I added more live sand I purchased, and I added some stability. I purchased all my rock and also added that to all the trash cans as well. I had pumps and heater running in all since Nov 1st. I just transferred everything into the 90 gallon two weeks ago. My water parameters are spot on. I take my water to 3 aquariums stores for them to check it along with my own Red Sea test kits checks as well every 4 days or so. My salinity is 1.025, PH 8.4, Nitrates 0, Ammonia 0. One the 90 gallon I have 2 AI Hydra 32s, 2 - AI Nero 5s, older sump, protein skimmer (Bubble Magnus Curve 5), and Syncra 4.0 (3500 l/h-951GPH).

I am having a issue where the water is raging in the sump and super loud. I have made modifications and its still raging water. This is a new issue on top of the lighting in the 20 gallon. I hope I do not have to wind up buying a new sump but I have uploaded pics send pics. I have changed out accordion hoses to smooth pond hoses and still raging and loud. I have put the newer overflow pieces from Aqueon in https://www.amazon.com/Aqueon-AAG29251-Overflow-Accessory-New/dp/B0002DJAZQ. Still loud.

So for the raging water into the sump....Do you have a gate valve or a ball valve on the plumbing from the overflow to the sump? And how is the overflow plumbed?

 

[ZapataInc]

Here is a good article...

https://blog.marinedepot.com/education-center/charts-diagrams/durso-herbie-bean-animal-overflow

 

[Adam]

Short handed at work today, so I can't go into great detail. With the noise on the 90. Is it coming from the drain on the tank or in the sump? The flow could be just a little too high from the return pump based on the foam above the socks.

The A160 light is probably is too much for the shallow 20. It would need to be fairly high above the tank to get the spread needed to cover it completely and lower the intensity at the same time.

Keeping the 20 as a QT and/or hospital tank is a great idea. Keeping a nem in the 90 this early not so much. Hopefully others will help you with more info on keeping nems.

 

[Nekajaye]

So for the raging water into the sump....Do you have a gate valve or a ball valve on the plumbing from the overflow to the sump? And how is the overflow plumbed?

Mine looks like the Dorso overflow from the article you sent. I have turned down the pump four notches. I can continue to go all the way down to its lowest but I thought its best to keep it fully open.