New tank questions

Hey everyone I have started a new tank and so far I have some of the packaged live sand and about 10 pounds of reel reef live rock in it so far. it is a 20 gallon tank and has had the rock in there for about a week. I was wondering if there is a big disadvantage to not putting 20 pounds of live rock in it. I'm not a fan of tanks that have too much rock in it I think it looks bad. My plans for the long run is to put some clown fish in it and eventually some corals for a cool little reef. Thanks for all the help

 

hey if you only like 10lbs then that is all you need. I agree to much just clutters the tank. No disadvantage.

 

Is there anything I should look out for right now so I don't have any problems in the future I want to make sure I have healthy fish when the time comes

 

well

1) where did you get the live sand and rock?
2) get your test kits in order (ph, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, calcium, alk, phosphate, and magnesium)
3) right now you will be testing ammonia, nitrite, nitrate about every week as it goes through the cylce(also check PH is in 8.0 to 8.2 range). You want to make sure that it does cycle through the stages (this is a critical step).
4) check salinity 1.024 (some people like it slightly lower or higher 1.023 to 1.026)
5) do not be adding any fish or inverts at this point.
6) if you tank does not seem to be cycling then some people will seed it with some flak food or a dead shrimp.
7) Be patient. do not rush things in the beginning
8) Plan on a protein skimmer being a purchase also.

Everyone here likes pictures and a little more detail on equipment you have.

Read the threads as there is a ton of info and most likely answers to any questions you may have.

 

There are a ton of threads here about starting new tanks. I read as much as i could and i think it helped to prevent at least a few mistakes. The ones i make are usually due to a lack of patience! Anyway, the 10 lbs may be ok, but i would think that it could reduce the bioload that your tank will be able to handle. The live rock contains the bacteria which breaks down ammonia etc, so the less rock you have the less bacteria will be available to reduce the ammonia, nitrates etc. I would think that continued testing and taking things slow will help you to judge what your tank can handle. Im sure that others with a bit more experience than me will chime in. Good luck with the tank!

 

+1 on the bio load. In a tank that small nutrients will be a tough battle and every bit could help. But if youre up for the diligant task go for it . Its your tank and nobody knows what you like but you just be careful. Take it slow and it will all fall into place

 

As for health of your fish start slow and monitor test kits between readings . If you can a wise choice is to use a quarentine for all new fish it is low cost to setup and can keep you from accidentally getting fish sick and dying . Also its no fun leaving your display tank fishless for 16 weeks to let ich run its course

 

Thanks for the replies so I put in more live rock and now have close to 20 lbs of rock when I get home tomorrow I'll post a pic of the tank and all the specific info about my water parameters. My tanks been running for about 2 weeks and my sand is starting to turn brown on top that's normal right?

 

Only thing to look out for is your water levels for everything. Clean live rock before putting in. And let tank cycle for a couple weeks before adding fish.
Good luck and post pictures when you can

 

The brown on your sand is diatoms forming....which Is a sign of the end of your tanks cycle.