My new 29 gallon Reef

I always used 10,000K and 420 nm actinics and LOVED the look it gave.
and already advised about koralia blowing sand

 

I see and read this more and more. TWPG AND WPG. It is a good idea to use them as reference but not as the main reason to select your lighting. Different lighting penetrates the water differently. MH lighting produces far more PAR than VHOS, PC, T5 ect, at depth and the light penetration varies according to water density (TDS), temperature and others. If you have 3wpg but this is of MH's they will be more "reaching" than VHOS or other fluorescent techs. Why not more than 8wpg? Though NOT necessary, and most likely a waste of money, if properly used it is NOT detrimental depending on the type of corals AND fish you have. First look into what type of corals will you house, and the type of fish, then pick your lighting to match their needs.

 

I was trying to keep it simple, I know lighting goes much further than that..but for most it's quite overwhelming and most just want to know if light fixture A will be better than light fixture B for there purposes.

and from what I got the poster wanted something that wouldn't cost a ton of cash to run (electric wise), remained fairly cool to touch, wouldn't cost an arm and a leg when it came time to replace the bulbs, and would do the job for soft corals and LPS in addition to not costing a fortune for the fixture itself.

Metal Halides were given as the first option but moreso dismissed due to high heat output and "spot" lighting
T5's were the next option given being it pretty much met all the posters wants/needs
Power Compacts would come under the T5's...but were dismissed due to the high cost of bulb replacement
Blah Blah Blah

And it was already suggested that they choose the corals/fish and THEN pick the lighting but the response that kept coming back was Soft Corals and LPS (not exactly which ones) so simply assuming they want a good light fixture now and will be adding things into the tank in the future (but still possibly unsure as to exactly which type of what will be added).

 

lol! and the learning curve begins.... Yes. Most likely they are popullations of copepods, amphipods and other small zooplankton creatures. They are more than desirable in a reef system. $14 pds is expensive. Do you know what type of LR it was?

 

from the description of colors I'm betting it's Fiji Rock.
Any pictures of these creatures?

ps. not sure what you're paying for your stock, but I've dealt with this company in the past for Livestock and their prices shipped to my door were much cheaper than my local fish store wanted.

 

Very good observation about the light by the way. Pods do not really like much light, and shy away from it. if you wanna see them in full swing use a red light at nightime.

 

you will get some die off of the rock whilst their isnt a bio in the tank it is wise to leave the tank running for 2-4weeks let it mature the water a little and once all params are good then you cant start to stock by the loks of it you have just started to cycle

the worm will be a bristle worm or fireworm
the grey bugs will either be amphipods or good isopods depending if they are long or short and can curl up
right the star white thing you have is most likly a aiptaisia and is an unwated pest as they grow rapidly heat a screwdriver or use a soldering iron if you have one take the rock out of the water and burn the aiptaisia off then put the rock back in after a rince with a cup of tank water

 

I don't know that much about cycling a saltwater tank, but while cycling a freshwater one, it's useful to "feed" it. Simply put a few flakes or some other form of food in the tank to encourage the beneficial bacteria to start working/multiplying. Since there's absolutely no Nitrite or nitrate, I do believe that your tank is barely starting to cycle. And as soon as you have some sort of stable water quality, you could start adding your first fish I heard that damsels are a great choice for first fish in a saltwater tank! As they are hardier than most other kinds. This was your first marine tank, right?

 

The suggestion given about adding food to the tank is one of the best. The reason you add a "seeder fish" is just for the fish to create waste thru the feeding and it's feces, and this in turn spark ammonia and the following bacteria that starts the nytrogen cycle. I always believed adding food rather than fish, is one of the best ways to cycle an aquarium. This way you do not have to potentially sacrifice the live of a fish(es), or end up with a fish you might not want later on. Add food, let it decompose, let it cycle out, and presto! Is like the commercial that says: "... set it, and forget it..."

You will need to add enough food to create a decent spark of ammonia. The more bacteria you create now, the more "immune system" your system has later on. DO yourself a favor and buy a marine test kit and learn how to use it. Interpretation of basic aquaria quemistry is key to a succesful aquarium.

 

The lighting you picked should suffice. Do learn about the corals you will buy BEFORE you do. Placement is key for correct light exposure. Most SPS are very light demanding, so if you DO buy some, they will be placed towards the top 3rds of your tank.

 

bit of a hit and miss same as joe's juice and aptasiax

thing is you have to feed the aip this stuff and then it dies so not always that easy

 

Wow.... burn aiptasia with a soldering Iron or a hot screwdriver? lol! I will work... sure.... but it is like fishing with dynamite... it will work... but it is unnecesary.... well... perhaps granted if you are hungry.

You can just get a syringe and Kalkwasser. you make an almost paste like solution with plain RO water and the kalkwasser. Fill the syringe, and then "inject" the solution into the mouth (center part of the anemone). The shock kills the anemone instantly and dissolves it. This way you do not have to move the rock, you also bring some extra calcium hydroxide to your system and kill the hitchhiker.... kills 2 birds with one stone... lol