candy Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 Tip Toes in to the salty forum... hello I mean Hello ! So i have crossed over to the dark side and i need a kick in the right direction please and no not back to the freshwater section plz I have been happly reading referance sites and other posts you have all made but i feel i need some one on one guidance and help because sadly as much as i like to think i know it all. Idont. So where to start. Well to tell you the truth some one has allready started it for me so i just need to learn everything! Simple as that. tell me everything.. lol jokes But realy could some one inform me on what are the best test kits to get. I allready have Ammonia, nitrite ,nitrate and ph for salt so i will be needing phosphate and magnesium? ( only soft corals mind you) and i will be needing a good salinity meter and also Ca and Kh? Also do i need one for Iodine? Now the hard question. When i move the tank ( corals, no fish) I will be atempting to move as much of the water as possible so will be doing the big food grade tub thing and then i read a helpfull hint about puting a wet (tank water) towel over the live rock ( that has no corals on it i take it?) and the rest will be move in the big chilly bin. But what do i do when i get it all home? Tank on stand.. full tank with old water... ( make new to top it up? )...add rock... add equitment.. hey presto? Now since the water is coming from the other side of auckland it will prob be diffrent.. so i need guidance on how to make it all nice .. * takes a deep breath* Im sorry i'm gonna have lots of questions and brain teasers for you all. Can any one recomend me a good book? Then I have something to turn back to you see.. *Jumps about* Im so excited Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilknieval69 Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 Candy its good to hear that your turning to the dark side! Have fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie extreme Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 Oh and Candy its good to hear that your turning to the dark side you mean the light? but why is good to hear she is turning to the dark side? don't we want newbees here ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candy Posted August 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 cookie.. Drop it! Can anyone help answer my questions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie extreme Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 hey for us, fresh water is the dark site! salt water / reefers have seen the light! (normally the debt collector knocking on the door in the middle of the night wanting repayment for all those loans spend on our tanks :oops: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilknieval69 Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 im confused.... i call it the dark side, the dark side costs too much :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolliolli Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 Hey candy, i'm looking at probably doing the exact same thing as you in the next couple of weeks (fingers crossed). Ive been having a read of transporting tanks and found this good article about how to make a move go with the least amount of problems http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/sal ... ving1.html http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/sal ... ving2.html Does anyone have any suggestions for where to get 'fish-safe' large foodgrade containers from that won't cost a bomb? Also some of your questions may be answered in my thread http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/newbie ... 23185.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie extreme Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 well your right, salt water its actually the light that leads to the abbyss and one step further. PM'ed you candy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 welcome From the freshwater side to the reef side Not far to travel to find the best Marine site. Here are some links that might help, also read thru all the posts as their are many. http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/1-vt23038.html?start=0 http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/newbie ... 23185.html http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/1-vt22916.html?start=0 The main test kits you will need is. Calcium nitrate Kh phostphate magnesium ammonium nitrite iodine test is nice to have but not important at this stage, get a refractometer to measure salinity. Most reefers use Salifert test kits. Hollywood fish farm over the shore should be able to help with your set up. When moving the rocks i would just put them in newspaper and place in new tank with new salt water. Let the tank settle for a few weeks and test to make sure you have no ammonium and nitrite. Any questions just ask as all the expert reefers pop in most of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candy Posted August 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 Thank you for the warm welcome everyone. Have started making my shopping list! Reef you say make new water when i get to my place. But will the coral, shrimp and snails be ok in brand new water? Jolliolli iv had a read of your thread. Very helpfull info in there. Also the refractometer. Now i know there is a realy expensive but reliable brand .. what is it and also what is an ok cheepy? that i can use in the mean time? Is there anything elce i need to add to my shopping list? oh salt ? redsea? And to all the people close to me who collect their own water is there any way i can come along for the ride one day.. just to see what it intails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 But realy could some one inform me on what are the best test kits to get. Salifert are most common in NZ for marine. I allready have Ammonia, nitrite ,nitrate and ph for salt so i will be needing phosphate and magnesium? ( only soft corals mind you) and i will be needing a good salinity meter and also Ca and Kh? Also do i need one for Iodine? PO4, NO3, Ca, Kh and Mg are the ones you'll need ongoing if you're interested in corals. Iodine is unnecessary. Now the hard question. When i move the tank ( corals, no fish) I will be atempting to move as much of the water as possible so will be doing the big food grade tub thing and then i read a helpfull hint about puting a wet (tank water) towel over the live rock ( that has no corals on it i take it?) and the rest will be move in the big chilly bin. But what do i do when i get it all home? Tank on stand.. full tank with old water... ( make new to top it up? )...add rock... add equitment.. hey presto? That's it more or less. Lucky there are no fish, Corals are quite hardy, and can take ammonia spikes, which can happen when you move tanks, unlike fish, you would have to be more careful. Now since the water is coming from the other side of auckland it will prob be diffrent.. so i need guidance on how to make it all nice .. Don't know what you mean there. Im sorry i'm gonna have lots of questions and brain teasers for you all. Can any one recomend me a good book? Hmm, depends what you're looking for out of the book. If you're looking for a reference for fish, then Scott Michaels Pocket Guide to Marine Fishes is good. Coral wise, there's Eric Bornemans book "Aquarium Corals", which covers most corals available in the hobby. As far as a general guide on how to setup and run a reef tank, I haven't come across one which I would really recommend. Maybe the recent one from Julian Sprung and Charles Delbeek might be worth a look, "The Reef Aquarium: Science, Art, and Technology, Vol. 3". I haven't seen or read it. But if I were buying, it would be one I'd take a look at. Have fun and ask questions, ignore the shenanigans above, same old suspects again. ;-) Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candy Posted August 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 I personaly love the shenanigans and i know its all in good fun just dont want any one getting in trouble... ( Im one of them sad people that never got a detention in school cause I knew how to cause trouble the right way). Will see if i can get my hands on the books... more intresting to read then harry potter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 Thank you for the warm welcome everyone. Have started making my shopping list! Reef you say make new water when i get to my place. But will the coral, shrimp and snails be ok in brand new water? I usually leave ASW over night to settle after mixing. Needs a bit of time for the chemistry to stabilise. But i'd only keep about 50% of the old tank water. Make sure the new water is lower or equal temp, and match the salinity to the old tank water and you'll be right. oh salt ? redsea? Yeah, or Instant Ocean. Personally I just get the regular red sea salt, not the pro version (I think it's unnecessarily high in calcium) Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candy Posted August 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 Thank you So if i mix some up in a big tub the night before and heat it then match the salinity we should be ok using half old and half new. how do i package rocks with corals on them for the move? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 Reef you say make new water when i get to my place. But will the coral, shrimp and snails be ok in brand new water? Good idea is to pre mix salt and let it settle for a few days before using it. heat it up. Best to use 1/2 old water and 1/2 new. redsea salt is fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 Reef you say make new water when i get to my place. But will the coral, shrimp and snails be ok in brand new water? Good idea is to pre mix salt and let it settle for a few days before using it. heat it up. Best to use 1/2 old water and 1/2 new. redsea salt is fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candy Posted August 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 will do that then... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jettin Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 Candy your stressing me out :lol: Main thing is that you probably need to have some new saltwater ready for the transfer. Mix up or get some Natural salt water from takapuna - about 40 - 60L and have this ready a ONE DAY in advance just incase. If you mix up salt, mix it a day or 2 in advance and make sure the salinity is correct. If you get NSW then you need to get it 2 hours before the high tide, and on a good day where it hasnt rained within the 2 days prior of collection. Most auckland reefers get theirs from the Takapuna boat ramp. As for the coral, if you have a poly box, put the coral rock in there, and some possibly need to be baged. Some can be transported in the poly box if the trip isnt too long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candy Posted August 1, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 sorry Jettin Just want to do everything right... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drifty Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 I moved my corals in 20l buckets with a sealed lids. I shook the rocks before putting them in the tank to get most of the crap off them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
candy Posted August 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 Well im just about to go mix some water up.. This is all pretty daunting to tell you the truth. Im a silly woman and like to make sure everything is perfect. Jetting at least you know its going to a good home!!! I managed to get some water containers for the trip home so i can bring back at least 40 L, maybe more. Bf is no help lol he has gone out to a concert and drinking... ( but he did clean the discus tank lol) All your sugestion and help has been wonderful, muchly appreciated! 2 more sleeps to go! Ya i realy am like a little kid. Did not get to do this as a kid so im making up for lost time. Bring on the sharp learning curve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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