THIS IS PART ONE OF A NEW SECTION THAT WILL HELP YOU SET UP A LOW COST STABLE REEF AQUARIUM. WE HOPE YOU ENJOY WATCHING AS WE SET UP TWO NEW REEFS. WE WILL SET UP A 40 GALLON AND A 120 GALLON REEF IN SALLY JO'S OFFICE. WE WILL BE POSTING PAGES SHOWING EACH STEP WE USE TO CREATE OUR BULLET PROOF REEFS.LeRoy 10/16/02
The foundation is the most important part
Eddies sculptures do NOT introduce algae, fire worms, or any other pests to your reef. ![]() Do not use any metal because this will cause the death of any reef tank. Keep away from metal screws, metal hoods, copper or anything metal that could leach into the tank. Make certain your new tank does not leak. Fill the tank with tap water and allow it to sit for a 24-hour period. If the new tank leaks you can return it or you can fix it, but since you paid for a new one you should get it.
Location of tank is very important I would also pick a place that you won't mind getting some salt spills, you will probably drip some glue and who knows that else. I say this because no matter how careful one promises to be it is often difficult to care for fish, rock, and corals without making a mess at some time. Keep it in a location that is close to some type of water source. You will have to add makeup water, and water changes become more important the older ones tank becomes.
This is a great family project. ![]() Set up a little quarantine tank at the same time, this little unit can be used to treat fish or house them to make certain they are healthy before you add them to the main tank. I would also do some real serious soul searching. You need to be certain how much income you are willing to invest, not only for the initial setup but there are costs continuously. These expenses include, replacing lights, ballast, salt, supplements, fish, coral, powerheads, Uvsterlizer (these lights need to be changed) fish food, heaters, magnets, janitors, if using a RO unit membranes will need to be changed and when traveling you will have to find a baby sitter you can trust. The other self-evaluation that needs to be done is how much time you truly have to commit to this life changing experience. Remember you should be planning for years not weeks or months. Another pointer is to make certain that you do not add water to your tank from any pet store that is treating their water or using copper in their units. Water parameters: Salinity 1.023-1.025. Temperature is best if you keep it as stable as possible, (I will spend time in this article sharing ways to try and keep this controlled), it should be at 78 degrees and no higher than 82. All other parameters that we strive for are shared within the Bullet Proof reef tank articles.
The more stable you keep your tank the better
|
|
FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS WE HAVE WORKED VERY HARD TO PURCHASE, TRADE, AND SAVE AS MANY TYPES OF CORALS AS WE CAN.
We are having a special on all of the coral cuttings. WHEN YOU PURCHASE 5 AT THE REGULAR PRICE OF $100 WE WILL GIVE YOU TWO FREE CORALS!. We will continue to provide the most current data on reef farming for both education and profit. Sometimes I forget how fun it can be to watch the Reef Janitorstm as they go about their duties. It is important to have the mixture of crabs and snails custom picked for your reef aquarium. Both Leonel and Brian are experts in algae control. You can be sure that they will choose the right mixture from GARF's extensive collection of algae eaters. The GARF staff knows that each aquarium is different and they will ask about the size, lighting, and age of your reef. Summer is the most important time to add extra janitorstm because there is more light and the reef will be a bit warmer. When you order any Reef Janitor pactm you can pick a free coral or two pounds of GARF's FAMOUS GRUNGE LIVE SAND ACTIVATOR Reef Janitors tm or call toll free 800-600-6163.
|
Use this site to solve your reef aquarium algae problems, and help support our research!!!
| Many of the rare corals are offered to our members for 2 years before they are put on sale. We will soon have an E-mail list that will list the rarest color forms of sps corals and soft corals such as Xenia and Mushrooms. |