Tank Journal Archive

[daniel borja]

hey guys! just started up a basic 2 ft nano set up and cant go past the beauty of some montipora species out there. just wanting to know a little about the forest fire montipora as i am thinking of purchasing one off a friend. though only small, it looks a nice piece. my tank is fairly new and am wondering if you guys can give me some suggestions on how to look after montipora species; the forest fire species in general. thanks for your time guys :) much appreciated

 

[Priscacara]

I would hold off on any sps types of corals till your parameters have settled a bit more but thats just what I would do :-). I think monties will all be the same care wise, good flow, medium to strong lighting, good and steady water parameters .

Looking forward to seeing it all come together!

 

[daniel borja]

how would i test for parameters? the nitrogen cycle is pretty much perfect. no ammonia, nitrites or nitrates. how do i test for things such as magnesium, calcium and alkalinity? those would be the most important for lps/sps corals correct? i'm already dosing red sea reef foundation ABC+ and might upgrade to something called reefroids which everyone raves about

 

[daniel borja]

this is what my tank looks like now.

 

[Priscacara]

Those plus phosphates and salinity are what are usually tested, there is always a debate as to the best kits to use but Salifert are usually well thought of and a refractometer for the salinity. Most local fish shops (lfs) will do the tests for you but some do charge.

Unless you already have corals in there I wouldn't be dosing anything at all unless any of the parameters are wrong.

Are you mixing your own salt water using RO or using natural saltwater (ASW is abbreviation for the mix and NSW for natural)

 

[Priscacara]

Great looking aquascape and corals!

 

[aussieant32]

also a side tip. Dont dose anything you are not testing for.

 

[daniel borja]

yeh ive got a refractometer to test the salinity and its sitting at the norm at 1.025. i use ASW (thanks for the heads up) i only just started dosing because i just introduced two LPS corals in the past week. those are the torch coral and the blasto. i had a pulsing xenia in there with another type of mushroom polyp (they came on the same rock) but the pulsing xenia isnt doing too well in terms of acclimating into my tank. all the others are doing fine.

 

[daniel borja]

thanks for all the help! gow much would a basic test kit cost?

 

[Priscacara]

I have quite a mix of corals in my main tank and I don't dose at all as my weekly water changes keep everything where they are supposed to be. Unless you need to don't dose, a couple of small water changes a week should work well in the 2 footer to have everything the way you need it. The two lps you have won't be using up very much in the way of calcium, magnesium or other minerals.

 

[aussieant32]

in this size tank you should not need to dose at all, weekly water changes should be enough.

The problem with dosing is you can have too much of something, so for example your calcium, nothing in there is really going to be using calcium, so basically you are just contantly raising it. You need to either get some test kits or get your water tested.

A reading for
Nitrate
Phosphate
Calcium
Alk
Mag

will be a great starting point.

Mushroom and xenia are 2 of the toughest corals around, if they are struggling something is out of whack. It is likely an easy fix but without knowing what is going on in there it cant be fixed.

My advice is get test kits (you will have a problem at night and cant wait until the store opens)
Stop dosing until you know whats going on
keep water changes up.

If something isn't looking good, change some water.

 

[aussieant32]

if you go with something like salifert around $20-$50 per kit depending on what it is

 

[daniel borja]

okay thanks! ill stop dosing and get the water tested! cheers guys! also, stocking rules. in terms of corals, how many should i put in per week as a general rule of thumb? ive only got a occelaris clownfish in there, a scooter blenny and a trochus snail

 

[aussieant32]

well there isnt a really a rule for corals, but nothing good happens quickly.

If you really want the one your mate is selling, get it. But then get every settled down, parameters stable and then just add slowly.

 

[daniel borja]

thanks for all the advice! ill get my water tested and settle things down first before i buy it. i already told him i want it so ill get my tank in check first and get it. ill post another pic of the reef in a week or so :)

 

[aussieant32]

excellent. How old is the tank?

 

[daniel borja]

almost seven weeks old. quite new :)

 

[daveH]

I'd have to agree with @aussieant32, Xenia is almost bulletproof.
I'd certainly be checking parameters before adding more.
Salifert are really good test kits - accurate and easy to read.

 

[aussieant32]

yer, lost of cycling still to come. On average tanks are considered to be stable after 12 months or so. Not to say you cant add anything for 12 months, but that is a guideline on a tank that begins maturing.

Mine was filled in January and it still has diatoms etc, all part of the game :)

 

[daniel borja]

haha yeah not very good with the whole patience thing. but will definitely get my water tested :) im looking at getting a hammer coral and frog spawn. i heard that its okay for these two corals to be near eachother to the point where they almost touch. is this true?