Who to trust? LFS giving different methods

[ckpeh]

Hi all,

I have approached a few LFS for advice to start on my new hobby, to start a marine(reef) tank.

Some LFS, Reborn, mentioned to buy coral 1st after setting up the tank for 2-3 days, b4 buying any fish. The guy mentioned that coral will produce lots of nitrite too. Some LFS, Keong Song, advise to keep the tank on cycle for 3-4 weeks. So how the break-in cycle work? Any way to speed up the process. Any way to lower nitrite level. My tank's reading is around 0.1 ppm.

Currently I own a 2ft tank with UGF and external canister filter. Intially I used only mixed salt and tap water. The nitrite level was way up (1 ppm) after 5 days so I mixed 50% of sea water (50/50 combination). After 11 days, he new reading is 0.1 ppm now (any way to lower it). I have added live rock (cost me $10 a kg, double the usual mkt rates) and 3 fish to start the cycle. So any advise on when I can add coral?

I have read a few books on marine fish but is there any website or advise on the type of corals that I can start with easily?

How are the corals feed?

Thanks for the help.

Rgds,

[derf]

erm... i wld remove the UGF if i were u...

[ckpeh]

Any reason to do that? I though the UGF is ok. Please advise. Thanks!

[derf]

i'm not sure abt the details but some of the xperts here can definitely help u....

[Tanzy]

UGF is only suitable for keeping goldfish! Maybe Luohan if they don't dig around.

You can use UGF for a small marine tank, but it will be back breaking work to keep it running. There must be regular large weekly water changes with cleaning of the gravel. For a 2 feet tank that's ok as long as your spine holds out, but I don't know how much the live stock will appreciate it though. Problem with UGF is instead of trying to remove the detritus and fish poo, it traps it in the sand. This is counter -productive as we want to have a nutrient export system, not a sink.

Biological filtration can be acheived with the sand even without forced water movement. Liverock will be more than sufficient biological filtration for a reasonably stocked tank. My tank has no bioballs, no UGF or trickle filter or refugium, just deep sand bed(DSB), LR and skimmer. When my friends see my system they will rave about how good bioballs are and that they will provide 1000x for surface area for bacteria and advise me to get it, but I don't need the 1000x more surface area when the surface area in my system is more than sufficient! It's not shortage of real estate but shortage of tenants! Thankfully, the tenants multiply quite fast too. That's the myth of bioballs and wet dry filters. It's just like bacteria in a bottle and cycling tanks with live fish, it only seems to work because it is redundant. I would recommend that you disconnect the UGF since you already have a canister which is much easier to keep clean.

I would recommend a DSB, but that's too much sand for a 2 foot. I used a UGF initially in a 2 footer but got so tired of it so I converted to DSB with 5" of sand. Not too bad, works but not much space left for anything else. It looks like you are keeping sand and not fish. Is it possible to add a sump or refugium? I would most definitely recommend that you get a protein skimmer.

Hold on a bit about the corals until you know more about them. Most corals are fed by light and plankton, but some can't utilise light at all. There's too much to say about them here, it will take a whole book!

Reefkeeping 101 is a good place to start. If you are still unclear about anything, just ask!

[Achilles Tang]

Hear hear!

Well said, Tanzy ol chap!

By golly!

*trying to sound British*

How's the weather now in London? Cold?

[Tanzy]

I hate it when everyone says 'Hear, hear.' during meetings! <_<

Weather is real bad. Low clouds and lower temperature. Typical.

Odd thing is that London doesn't sound English anymore because it is so cosmopolitan now. You get all sorts of accent. Did you watch the "Ali G" movie? They sound a bit like him.

[Achilles Tang]

I love ALI G!!!

i dig da way my fish tank checks! it goin to speed garage whun it's completed!

whun will yous be back to check my aminal, bitch and tank? i think yous should be on your way westside now!

care to share a bit of erbal remedy? or yous don't evun smoke at all? actually i don't eitha but i just dig to check tough!

lucky yous, yous get to watch all da ali g tv programmes on da telly but i ave to download it off da internet!

check yous lata, bro!

Peace geeza!

[kelstorm]

if english is like Ali G.. my goodness.. he have problems talking.. but i like the scene where the bullets shot out a silhouette of him.. that is so hilarious.. hahaha

[Tanzy]

I don't dig Ali G! He is ridiculous. Can't evun natta properly! Can't believe dat he is from Oxford wiv a degree in english.

Is it because I is black?

-Ali G

BTW, he is a Jew, not Pakistani.