The Puffer Forum

Alright for those of you who don't know. I have a marineland 37 gallon tank with LED hood that I set up with salt water about 3 weeks ago. I had a gsp in there, but a day ago he lost his battle with IP's and now i'm ready to set this tank up the right way before putting anymore living critters in harms way.

Current hardware:

Stock LED lighting
CPR bak-pak 2 skimmer
200w heater in skimmer
Hydor Koralia evo 750gph powerhead

Current Decor:

40lbs sand (half live sand, half aquarium aragonite sand)
Head sized chunk of Live rock
Some decorative rock.
*I have ordered 50lbs of marco rocks key largo to create a nice scape for the tank, in hopes that my current live rock will seed the dry rock and eventually all will become live.
*I have also ordered a bottle of Dr. Tim's in order to speed up the seeding process for the new rock.

Current SG is between 1.023 and 1.024 and I'm slowly raising it up. Going to do a very large water change before all the new rock and bacteria go in to bring the water to 1.025.

As far as future livestock goes. The owner of the LFS has talked me into getting a dwarf lion for the tank. He is also trying to talk me into some low light, beginner corals (i believe he recommended zoanthids), though I'm a little timid to try corals.

Does my setup sound ok for a decent marine setup? Do I have enough circulation with the return from my skimmer and the 750gph powerhead for a 37g? Where should a single powerhead be placed in the aquarium and what direction should it point?

I'm also wondering how soon I need to get another living thing in this tank before my current cycle/bacteria bed starts to die off. Will my chunk of LR keep my cycle relatively stable? I'm not too worried about it since I will be adding the Dr. Tim's, but I don't want anything bad to happen to my live rock.

I appreciate any and all advice.

this is what the tank currently looks like.

I'd get another powerhead for counterflow.

same size? or a smaller one. I'm no expert, but 1500gph flow in a 37g seems like a lot to me.

Its for counter flow so faces opposite way somewhat relieving the hard flow from the other

alright i'll just order another evo 750 on amazon.

O have 1 in each back upper corner of my 40g & 2 smaller powerheads on the bottom.

gotcha. I think one more of the ones I have ought to do it. I'm going to be placing an order on amazon for another powerhead, saltwater test kit, and algae magnet on monday

I went to the LFS today and put in an order for my dwarf lion. He will be in on friday. He's bringing a few of them in so I have a couple to pick from. I hope my rock and Dr. Tim's will be in by then, otherwise he will be hanging out at the store until the tank is set up. Until then I'm going to be doing lots of testing and a large water change. I want the tank to be perfect when my fish gets here.

For those of you who are still using tap water, what is a good tap water conditioner? I think i read something about Seachem Prime being highly regarded.

I was also wondering, once I have 50-55lb of dry and live rock in the tank with dr. Tim's will I be able to remove the biobale from my filter immediately? or should I leave it in for safe measure for the first few weeks. I know everyone seems to not be a fan of the stuff, but I don't want to take it out too early.

I really do appreciate all the help.

Yea prime is the future lol. Damn I love that stuff

looks like I'll be picking up a bottle of that as well.

I would leave the bio bale until you are totally stable, just to be safe

Can u not get a cheap r o off flea bay i only paid about £50 for a 4stage unit

I posted a similar question to Steven Pro. I too was going to go the zoa route, but he mentioned mushrooms would be better off as a starter going from FOWLR to developing a coral tank.

Now... the lionfish ... what are you planning on feeding it? I hope you have done your research because most of what people "do" is incorrect (ie: feeder goldfish).
Q:

J-P:
Hello Steven,
Thanks for the PM... now I know where to post

I am setting up an aquarium and am about to make my initial purchase. It is a big one at that. I am just wondering if zoas and similar polyps require the same pristine conditions as SPS corals?

I was thinking of going FOWLR ... but would like to add some "wow" to that if I could. Zoas seem the way to go for us beginners.

Thanks in advance,
J-P

A:

If you are looking for a simple invert for color in a FOWLR display, I would recommend mushrooms. Very simple to care for, don't require tons of light, not picky about water conditions, and come in a variety of colors.

Steven Pro, yeah that is my real name.

+1 to J-P's feeding comment. It is very difficult to get dwarf lions off live foods. NO GOLDFISH!!! You'll either be buying baby damselfish, gut-loaded live ghost shrimp or work your butt off, getting the fella onto dead foods.

Be sure your tank is completely stable, before adding any livestock!

I don't like the look of most mushrooms but I just got some ricordea in the tank on friday, they look amazing. Just make sure you get the florida, the yuma type are not as hardy.