My GSP moved to FOWLR tank

[c333davis]

Cue the music "Pomp & Circumstance"...

My GSP graduated to full marine today!

So far, he's going with the flow, literally... he's riding the powerhead currents around the rock formation in the middle of the aquarium, mostly doing parameter checks. I'm looking forward to seeing him explore the rockwork caves and tunnels, and nibble on the live rock. His colors are brighter than they were in his brackish tank, and he's eaten a few bits of vitamin-soaked raw shrimp.

Here's the tank and equipment that I'm running:
- 36gUS Aqueon bowfront tank
- Reef Octopus BH-100 Protein Skimmer
- 2 x Korelia nano 240 for current around front & back of rockwork
- 1 x Korelia nano 425 for surface movement & current toward skimmer
- 8.5 lbs cured live rock
- 15 lbs lace rock + 20 lbs bleached coral from LFS
- 1.023sg

Thank you so much to Pufferpunk, RTR, J-P, Chris, & JMiller (and anyone I forgot!) for the guidance and input as I debated going from brackish water to FOWLR (see the evolution in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=25418&start=60&st=0&sk=t&sd=a)

And finally, photos!:

Full tank shot


Puff glamour shot


Left side tank shot


Right side tank shot


Rockwork

[Pufferpunk]

That's a fantastic-looking set up! But why no substrate?

[jus85411]

yeah i would have sand or crushed coral in there. mine used to dig for snails once he learned i had some in there when one ventured out and he saw go back in lol

[c333davis]

I thought I'd try a barebottom tank for a bit and see if I find it easier to maintain. I'll also monitor Puff's reaction to it; I've heard some folks say that their puffs think their reflection is another puff and it makes them aggressive and stressed...

[Pufferpunk]

Yep, also less surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow on.

[J-P]

I thought I'd try a barebottom tank for a bit and see if I find it easier to maintain. I'll also monitor Puff's reaction to it; I've heard some folks say that their puffs think their reflection is another puff and it makes them aggressive and stressed...

The tank looks great!!!
Reflection on the bottom?

I've never thought of that... but if you add the sand in there you are actually increasing your beneficial bacterial bed many fold. The bacteria love all those small nooks and carnies to grow in and on.

[RTR]

the new setup looks good, but I second all the comments for at least a light layer or aragonite sand on the bottom. Puffers puff at the substrate (looking for worms, snails, 'pods). I'd add some substrate for them to work on.

[c333davis]

Sounds like my next mission is shopping for substrate... LOL

[jmiller]

Sounds like my next mission is shopping for substrate... LOL

...and then you'll spend the next couple of weeks adjusting those powerheads so they don't blow bare spots on the bottom. It's a vicious cycle.

Tank looks great. I really like the rock work.

[RTR]

Fine tuning the current in any tank is the most time-consuming part of any setup for me. You fiddle a little, wait a day or three, repeat over and over. It doesn't requite that much real time in work, but in watching and waiting.

But it is a great excuse for sitting in front of or beside your new toy for hours...

[c333davis]

... a great excuse for sitting in front of or beside your new toy for hours...

Good... I needed a new excuse. The other night, we were in the living room with some tv show on, and I was facing the opposite direction, studying Puff. Jim said, "Hey, remember me? The non-puffer?' Though, later, I did find Jim sitting in front of the tank, looking at the LR with the flashlight and magnifying glass that I keep nearby. Score! LOL

I just added dry aragonite sand to the bottom of the tank. I do like the look of it... it looks like snow on the ground (a novelty for me, a native Floridian). The water is just the tiniest bit cloudy; I spent an almost-backbreaking hour rinsing the sand yesterday. Today, I scooped it out of the cleaning bucket into a Ziploc, then sealed the bag and snipped off a bottom corner just before holding the bag at the tank floor. Worked well to get the sand where I wanted it. Got the powerheads repositioned, too... though, I may need to study the setup closely for a few hours to be sure... LOL

Phosphate Question
So, here's another saltwater-newb question: What's the max level that I should allow my phosphates to reach before I need to do a water change? I finally got my API Reef Master Kit, and my first test of phosphates showed .25ppm. Keeping in mind that I have only Puff and LR (and no corals or inverts) in the tank, do I need to work on zeroing out the phosphates?

[Pufferpunk]

Just to warn you--there will be a breaking in period of algae takeover. I'm still fighting it. Totally normal for SW tanks. I am getting a big, black cucumber to keep the sand clean of algae (diatoms) & debris.

[Brent]

This is a gorgeous aquascape, fit for that gorgeous GSP.

As for phosphates, I'm not sure about a "maximum." The amount of phosphates will depend on a number of factors, such as PH, and the concentration in the food you're feeding. Natural seawater has a very low phosphate level and .1 ppm is considered the highest allowable level for a reef tank; this has something to do with coral growth and health, but I'm not fully familiar with the details. In a FOWLR, the levels don't appear to matter, and high levels don't seem to harm fish. One thing to think about, however, is that a high phosphate level will promote more algae growth.

[c333davis]

This is a gorgeous aquascape, fit for that gorgeous GSP. .

Thank you!

As for phosphates, I'm not sure about a "maximum." The amount of phosphates will depend on a number of factors, such as PH, and the concentration in the food you're feeding. Natural seawater has a very low phosphate level and .1 ppm is considered the highest allowable level for a reef tank; this has something to do with coral growth and health, but I'm not fully familiar with the details. In a FOWLR, the levels don't appear to matter, and high levels don't seem to harm fish. One thing to think about, however, is that a high phosphate level will promote more algae growth.

Yeah, I just wondered if there's a rule-of-thumb for phosphates & puffers in FOWLR like the general rule-of-thumb about puffers & nitrates (more specific than "the lower, the better"). I'll continue to keep an eye on the phosphates.

And now, more pictures!

Tank with sand added


The star!


Zooming around

[Pufferpunk]

Phosphate is only a concern if you hate algae. No concern to the puffer.