New Member trying out Saltwater again

[Abraxos]

Hello,
I've just upgraded from a 55 Gallon Cichlid tank I've had for about five years to a 90 gallon saltwater. I decided to go Fish and live rock only and posted some of the setup in the fish only section of the forums. I tried a Saltwater tank about 10 years ago but ran into the common newbie problems of trying out soft corals without enough light, putting too many fish in to soon etc etc. Eventually I gave up.
The saltwater "bug" bit me again though after a trip last September to the beach. Our hotel had two massive tanks with Lion fish, Tangs and Clowns. I finally found a local fish store that had a large salt water selection. Mostly we just have Petco and Petsmart and I they seem mostly freshwater. I am sitting today waiting on the LFS to make water and I have the tank set up. I did run into a few questions relatated to this area that I wanted to ask.
1. My Sump has a max fill line and the 300 watt heater the guy at the store sold me is too long to completely submerge. Can I put two 150 watt heaters instead?
2. The LFS is saying that by using their pre-made water, some live sand and at least one piece of live rock that I can be ready for a fish in five days? Is this possible? Everything I read goes against this. I bought test kits and don't plan to rush but was wondering if anyone has ever seen a tank complete it's cycle that quickly?
3. I've hooked the sump up and have done a water test to make sure the tank holes do not leak. I haven't ran the pump yet to see if some of it's attachments will leak? Do most people glue or tape these off? The LFS guy told me to glue them but I wasn't sure what would be safe to use with a salt water tank?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Fish_wiz2]

1. Yes two is actually better because now one of them is a backup heater.
2. Some say it is possible but i don't recommend it because there is a high chance it will fail also yes i have seen tanks cycle that quickly but most of them have failed.
3. Teflon tape them it is safe and really cheap.

 

[qfrisco]

1. Agree with Fish-wiz2 - two at half the capacity is better. You can also lay the heaters sideways, if they fit that way. I have two in my sump, and one broke because the water got a bit too low one time when I was doing a water change :-/, and I was able to limp along with just one until I was able to get another heater.

2. It's definitely possible as long as the LR you are getting has been pre-cured at the LFS, and that you go from their tank to yours as quickly as possible. This will reduce the die-off on the LR, and minimize your cycle. When setting up my 90, and got LR from a local reefer that was breaking his tank down. The LR had been established for about 1.5 years, so it was definitely cured. I went from his house to mine in about 45 minutes, and directly into rubbermaid tubs with saltwater, heaters, and powerheads.

I barely saw an ammonia spike (0.25, at the most), and my ammonia and nitrites were zero after the 5th day.

3. Do you have PVC, or flexible tubing? If PVC, you should be OK with just teflon, especially on the drain side. You might have to watch it on the return side, since these lines will have more pressure going through them. It would be best not to have to glue things so you can take things apart to either reconfigure or clean things. But PVC cement is safe to use.

 

[Abraxos]

Well
I got the Live sand, some live rock and the water added today. The water splashed alot more than I would've liked and the sand made the water cloudy.
I have one small leak coming from the pump to the tank where some flexible tubing is dripping. I think I can just put a brace around it and it should be fine. Other than that I had no problems except a four year old poking around while I tried to get everything done.
I should get the light fixture Thursday and then sit back for a long wait. I will definitely test well before blindly throwing a fish in after five days like the LFS suggested.
Should I run the Protein Skimmer now or wait till it cycles?

 

[bertoni]

I would start the protein skimmer now. Fish are safe to add after a few weeks of zero ammonia, for sure. Guaranteeing 5 days is rather bold. A large sponge in a live rock can nuke a tank rapidly if it gets exposed to air, for example, but I've set up tanks that never showed any ammonia.

 

[Abraxos]

Everything has cleared up today although still a little foggy. The filter seems to be putting out a fine mist of bubbles though? I can't tell if this is sand that it is spitting back out or bubbles for some other reasons? I've seen fish stores have this occasionally also?
I think the LFS here is saying five days if you use their water. I imagine it is already aged to aid with the process but I will still probably give it some more time to be safe. I added live rock from the other LFS that I traded my cichlids in for and want to be sure it is fully cured.