New Reef Tank Help

Hi,

I have been reading into Garf's bullet proof reef (http://www.garf.org/BulletProofReef/bullet04/bullet.html) Is it possible to have results in such a little time? Their systems looks great but the question is will it work? Has anyone every tried this? They say claim upon introduction of rock to the tank they have there antinic light on for 24 hous for a month and the white light on for 12 hours a day after the first week. However everywhere else I hear that it is not good to have any light on for a month because of algae blooms. Then they also state that there should be no skimmer for 4 month .
I am in the final process of actually starting to build my reef. The equipment I have is whisper 1 filter, Eheim 2213 Filter, Orbit 36'' 192 watt lighitng, 30 gallon long tank, Rio 600 powerheads. Right now I have 60 Lbs of Hawiian rocks (which I bought at http://www.hirocks.com/) sitting in my tank filled with fresh water with the whisper filter on. Now what would be the best way to start. ( I wanted a 1'' SB but i have heard of bad things about sand, would it be a good idea?) Also I have seens many of my LFS with little air stones in their sw tanks, however I have seen no actual people use air in their sw tanks. Well anyways Please guide me to what I should do first. ( I was thinking adding instand ocean to my tank, as right now it is filled with fresh water and my 60Lbs of Base rock. Once I add instand ocean I put in 10-20 Lbs of sand, once that clears I turn on my filters then add some of garf's grunge to make my sand live... and well I dunno where to proceed from there in terms of adding coral, breaking up live rock and putting it on top of the rock etc

 

I personally do not know any one who has tried the bullet proof reef from garf. You could search the forums to see if anyone has. They appear to be a reputable outfit and I have gathered some useful knowledge from their site. It looks like you have the basics ready to add your salt and start your cycle. IMO theres nothing wrong with sand. It performs many functions in your tank. (no sand wars here!!) Most of the people who talk bad about sand refer to the DEEP sand bed 4" or more. It adds contrast and provides a place for bacteria and small beneficial animals to grow.
I would drain the tank, save the water if it is good. Make sure the rocks are on the bottom of the tank so critters can not dig under them and make them collapse. add the sand then mix the salt with your water and then finally add the salt water to your tank, SLowly so not to stir up everything. The sand should be rinsed heavily before use depending upon the type ( silt maker or not). Then start the tank cycling with a piece of raw shrimp wrapped in a panty hose for easy removal.

A skimmer is a necessary evil especially after you add fish. I went for 3 months without one but after my wife had her way (5 fish later) I could no longer keep the nitrates down even with a 20 gal refugium. The stuff it skims is so vile it would make you puke if it gets close to your nose ;D
As far as the lighting goes I'm not sure but if you turn it on during the day for 4 or 5 hours you can't go wrong while it's cycling. If you can get a small dose of live sand to seed yours with. It helps speed the process up.
Be prepared for ALgae Blooms, the brown, the red the Oh my goodness hairy stuff. It's part of the natural cycle. Just keep a large toothbrush handy to scrub it loose and vacuum it out. You may be one of the lucky ones, who have very little of this, I wasn't. Sorry for the long post but you asked a lot of questions. Keep reading the forums, most of what I posted here is covered in detail within their respective sections. Good Luck Have Fun!
Jim

 

thanks alot very helpful, should I add tank janitors while it cycles to counter the alge or do I have to wait untill after it cycles for that, and as far as water is concerned, you use tap water right? I have been told not too because it contains so many minerals and other inpurities

 

I use filtered and deionized water, not exactly tap but not exactly ro either. Plus I drip Kalc occasionally which helps with the phosphates. But, to answer your question... Tap water is generally not a good idea.

I would wait a week or two after the ammonia spike comes down before I added any Snails or Hermits.
Jim

 

Don't add an air stone , its not necassary. I would have added the sand first then mix the salt with the water in 5-10 gallon buckets fron your local hardware store and then add it to the tank. Wait till the tank is cycled and growing algae before adding tank janitors. As far as corals go start slowly with 1 coral like some mushrooms after the tank is cycled and very slowly. Make sure you have a good skimmer, its probably the most important part of the reef along with the lighting.