New Tank

[TX_Paratrooper]

I've been out of the hobby for almost 20 years and I know things have changed a lot. I'm buying a beautiful little 90g tank with sump / protein skimmer/wave maker, T5 lights and live rock. I got such a good deal on this setup because the previous owner had 2 cases of ick that wiped his tank. I've got a few questions.

1. Will a 100% water change and dumping the current substrate, and letting it sit for a month/plus before adding fish, prevent the ick from returning? Could I give a freshwater dip to the rock, or would that cause more harm than good?

2. When I was in the hobby lighting consisted of compact fluorescents and metal halide pendants. How are these T5 bulbs? Should I replace them with LEDs for corals or will these bulbs suffice?

3. Substrate: I'm not planning on buying live sand, but are people still using 4" deep live sand beds? Is it worth the $ and lost space? Also, what type of sand at the bottom. From what I've read people have gotten away from the Home Depot play sand that was once popular.

 

[mcgyvr]

1-A 72 day fallow period is all thats required to ensure that ich isn't still active in the tank.
If there hasn't been any life in that tank for a few months then you are good to go and can utilize the existing live rock without having to resort to anything that may kill the beneficial bacteria/life on it..

2-T5 bulbs are great for corals but require replacement every 8-16 months or so as they have spectral/power shifts as they age. Over the life of a tank an LED fixture will cost you far less as you do not need to incur frequent bulb replacement costs.

3-I would highly suggest replacing the current substrate with brand new "dry" sand that is aragonite/calcium carbonate based.. Some sands from HD,etc... may be silica based and can potentially cause life long diatom problems,etc... Caribsea Special Grade Reef sand is commonly recommended.

A "deep sand bed" can be beneficial BUT requires sufficient "living janitors",etc... and often goes "bad" after time due to lack of that constant stirring,etc... and the buildup of hydrogen sulfide,etc...etc.... A 1-2" sandbed is usually sufficient and functional.

 

[TX_Paratrooper]

Thanks! It's a little frustrating to have to relearn almost everything, but I'm looking forward to having a tank again. I'll go with the 1"-2" sand bed, leave the T5's for now, especially since I have no corals anyway at the moment, and make sure the tank has gone 72 days without fish.

I'm sure once it's up and running I'll have few more hunted questions. Thanks again for your help!

 

[Uncle99]

Thanks! It's a little frustrating to have to relearn almost everything, but I'm looking forward to having a tank again. I'll go with the 1"-2" sand bed, leave the T5's for now, especially since I have no corals anyway at the moment, and make sure the tank has gone 72 days without fish.

I'm sure once it's up and running I'll have few more hunted questions. Thanks again for your help!

I don't know how old your T5s are but when they age they shift colour to more of the red spectrum and hair Algae may start to take hold.

 

[speedo2wet]

From my experience being able to stir the sand bed is crucial. Now that all depends on the tank and critters and your plans but I ran a 220 gallon with a shark, grouper and lion fish with T-12's that I ran till they stopped working. I over feed with bait food and live shrimp. Filtration was a nitrate factory and live rock with slimmer. All I can come up with is the constant stirr from the shark of the sand bed but every rock I put in the tank with HA would vanish the next day.
Just my 2-cents but I believe the main culprit is the sand bed. I'll really find out when I start my 150 tall her shortly but like they said above calcium substrate is well worth it and you only need 1-2 at best.


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