Just started!

Egh, I just started this tank and i'm kinda... confused by it. I am trying to get something in there other than sand, so i started with some live rock. I heard this somewhere else... Would i be able to get some pieces of limestone and put that in there, then put the live rock and coral over it? I don't have enough money to afford all this stuff so if i could get a base and then build over it, that would be great. Also what are these powerflow (not sure about the name) or whatever. Something about water circulation... how important is that? Basically, i've just set up the sand, water, and 3 pieces of rock... does anyone have suggestions from here?

 

i wouldnt suggest using limestone it can affect the ph of your salt water to much. a cheap rock you can use is tufa or lace rock. these are sold at a lot of landscaping businesses. another option is making your own lr check the topic under this section called Homemade live rock/bedrock it has links on how to make your rock and pics of rock that is being made and can be done really cheaply. if you have a few pieces of real lr that will be enough to seed any other rock u put in your tank and all will eventually become live. since you have your sand in the tank you can put your lr on top of the sand make sure it is stable but be careful of any fish that burrow. if this is how you place your rock burrowing fish can topple over the rock making there burrows and caves. if you decide on these type of fish you may want to push your rock down and sit it directly on the glass and work your sand around it. make sure your rock is in place and tank is going before considering corals for a stable base.

powerflows u probably mean power heads. circulation is very important. 2 good types of pheads r maxi jets and hagen types. ive had luck with both types ive tried others and havent had the luck with them.

some questions for you

how long is the tank going?
what size is the tank?
is the tank cycling or already cycled?
what are u planning on fowlr or reef?
do u have the right test kits?
what kind of fish are u thinking about?

also check out the 2 sticky post at the top of the newbie forum also has the Glossary of terms and For the newbies to salt water there are some very good links for beginners there to read

 

It looks like crap. Someone told me that putting play sand in it is the same thing, so i decided to give that a try and now its got weird stuff on the sand. Here are some pics, but i think it looks better w/ just crushed coral. [link] [link] [link] [link]
That last one is what the tank looked like before it had sand in it. For some god unknown reason i put that sand in there and i'm regretting it so bad. *sigh* The pains of being a newbie.

Is there anyway i can pump the sand and everything out of the tank with minimal water loss or do i just have to take it all out? And how would i do that? :-\

how long is the tank going?
- Since Sunday October 13, 2002

what size is the tank?
- I think it's about 30-45 gallons. We got it a very long time ago.

is the tank cycling or already cycled?
- If by cycling you mean has it been running for a while, yes. It's been running with the filter going since sunday.

what are u planning on fowlr or reef?
- Not really sure what fowlr is. But i want to have a fairly even balance of reef and fish.

do u have the right test kits?
- yes

what kind of fish are u thinking about?
- Ones that look good I'd like to have a lion fish of some kind and a manderin (spelling?)

 

Ugh. I am with you Myth - that sand looks kinda crappy. A little too yellow for me.

When they said play sand, they may have been refering to Southdown which homedepot sells as play sand. Southdown is a lot whiter than the stuff you have.

Check out the pic of it in the sand forum. You can get the #'s for it there too.

HOwever, Southdown is not available nationwide. If you can't get it, I would suggest getting CaribSea sand (see pic in the sand section of the site (not the forum) or some sand from purearagonite.com  - may be mispelled.

Crushed coral works, but it traps debris more than sand. This means that you will have to stay on top of keeping it clean by siphoning it when you do water changes or it will cause algae blooms.

To remove your sand I would make a bail. You ever sail? Just take a milk jug and cut the top off leaving some of the handle. Give it a pretty big mouth so you can scoop a lot of sand in it.

GOod luck!!

matt

 

Well, It started to grow on me, but in the long run, i would rather have a different kind of sand. I will take your advice and scoop it out. I'll check out the sand forum. Being a newbie suck. :-[ Thanks.

 

Heh. Oh well. At least you are finding this out while the tank is new and you only have a few rocks in the tank. Your call, but it is better to figure this stuff out now. Good luck! :thumbsup1:

 

Leaving right now to get some CaribSea Live Sand from my pet shop. I've got some work to do tonight :-D Thanks for the help.

 

the southdown and carib sea is both aragonite sands. they will help your water with ph levels, is whiter in color, and finer grain sand. the finer the grain the better your denitrification will work. since you dont have anything in the tank as far as fish or inverts you could take the sand out w/o to much problem.

what i meant by is the tank cycled is there is a process the tank has to go through before adding fish. ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. fresh water tanks go through this but is much less time than saltwater. it is not safe to add any livestock until this cycle is over. check this out http://www.reefcorner.com/Manual/nitrogen_cycle.htm
this should explain this furthur. one of the best ways to do the nitrogen cycle is with a piece or 2 of table shrimp. using damsels or chromis used to be a popular way but not so much anymore since it can be very harmful or stressful to the fish. also using lr and or ls can cycle your tank just as well.

what i meant by fowlr is fish only with live rock. it sounds like you are planning on a reef set up.

if you are planning on some type of lion with your size tank a dwarf lion would work. a bigger type like the volation lions need much larger tanks to live. i would not suggest putting a mandarin with the lion your mandarin would become lunch. lions are predators and will eat anything that will fit in its mouth. fish, shrimp, crabs it would look at as food. they have very large mouths.