Diving in head first: some questions...

[ozreef88]

Hi, I'm a long time reader first time poster.

I am in the early stages of setting up a marine tank for my home, I have been reading/watching/researching a lot. Mostly from this forum and other Youtube channels.

I've hit a few brick walls. I'm trying to find answers or advice about some questions I have however they may be pretty specific.

Question #1:

I read a lot about the need to "cure" live rock before putting it in your tank. That's no problem but the reason seems to be because a lot of the fauna will die in transit. Living where I do in southern Queensland Australia we actually have a lot of LFS that can provide matured live rock straight from an established tank. My intention would be to buy live rock at the LFS, transport it home by bucket (a round trip of no less than 30mins) and placing it in my tank.

Should I be expecting any die off at all with these transit times? I would be transferring the rock into a bucket of salt water and then into my tank (maybe an hour between tanks at the most).

Questions #2:

I'm lucky enough to have easy access to the ocean from my home and intend on using NSW for my tank. What sort of differences could I expect with the cycling process compared to someone who mixes their own salt water?


Thanks for reading!

 

[pyithar]

Hello. Welcome to the forum! :wave:

If you're buying established liverocks and you don't let the rocks out of the saltwater for long, die offs would be minimal. there should not be ammonia spike.

I have no experience using NSW but i've read you need to collect the water offshore away from oils and chemicals. water might also contain unwanted algae spores so it'd be better to pass the water through a couple of filters and socks before using it. just my .02.

 

[ozreef88]

I have no experience using NSW

Thanks for the reply!

Your quote is something that I have run into a lot, trying to find information about using NSW is difficult because I'm now starting to recognize that most people don't have the ability to collect NSW for themselves.

I definitely intend to siphon the water through a filter sock first, better safe than sorry.

Good to hear your thoughts on the live rock, I can totally see why die off would be a problem if you're buying online and shipping it cross country.

 

[gone fishin]

I agree with pyithar. I have not used NSW either. What I know about using it is from listening to some of our coastal members discuss it and it echoes what pyithar posted. I have seen some post of other members in other countries that seem to be fine using NSW. I would speculate it would be determined by how much boat traffic and runoff etc. the area gets. Good luck

 

[Ron Reefman]

I could easily collect NSW where I live in SW Florida. But it's such a giant PITA compared to having an RO/DI system for pure water to do top offs of evaporation. It's also easier to mix my own saltwater that doesn't require getting my boat away from shore and hauling water from the boat to the aquarium, not to mention filtering. And no concerns about the chance that something harmful comes in with the NSW.

IMHO, it has virtually no upside and lots of downside (hard work and extra time plus the possible risk).

 

[tzylak]

From your description, cure not needed.
I live 10 km from the Pacific and never bothered getting water from there. If in doubt, try doing it once and experience the PITA. Then move on to RODI and mixing salt . .
Have fun!

 

[kmbyrnes]

Welcome to the addiction!
For a new tank, I'd just seed with 10% live and 90% dry rock and dry sand. Add ammonia and let it cycle.
As for NSW, unless it's is in your backyard and you trust the pollutant level and you only need small quantities, having your own RO/DI and mixing station will make your life easier in terms of keeping your parameters in line and not throwing out your back.

 

[ozreef88]

Thanks for all the helpful replies. I've filled the tank with my NSW over the weekend, introduced some live rock and added an extra power head to get thinga flowing around the rock. Things are looking good so far.

*EDIT*

For those wondering, it was a PITA to get my own sea water but I actually liked the process. I feel a lot more confident in the water than if I had premixed it myself.

 

[ozreef88]

So I have been thinking about what fish to go for once things are cycled. My girlfriend will want a clown fish, I've made my peace with that. I'm wondering what else will compliment a 35G tank? I probably don't want more than 4 fish. Any suggestions for interesting/easy going tank mates?

 

[farfromsea]

Fish that occupy different areas of the tank are a good thing. You could look into getting a goby since they will be at the bottom of the tank. There are many different types...