SereneAquatic
New member
My husband and I have been researching, watching videos and lurking on the forums for a bit and finally decided to take the plunge into reef keeping. Over the last couple of days we purchased most of our equipment with Black Friday sales to help reduce some of the start up cost (Estimate we saved about 400.00?).
We decided to buy the Red Sea Reefer 425 XL Deluxe tank, even though we're a little intimidated by the sump setups. (Considered the Max series for a good long while)
Yesterday we purchased rock at the local saltwater aquarium store, and while there is a tiny bit of Fiji (I think), most of the main structure is not typical saltwater rock. Unfortunately I can't remember its name... It does have some holes... but it's very heavy so presumably, dense. I tried to upload pictures but it isn't working. :hmm2: I'll try to figure it out in edit.
My Questions
1. Since we are not sure that the surface area is not super high on the new rocks, we purchased a big bag of Bio Balls to place in the sump. How do you know when you have 'enough' surface area for bacteria to grow well? and will the Bio Balls be enough?
2. If we upgrade to Marine Pure blocks later, do we leave the bio balls? Swap them slowly? Is there any negative impact to doing this swap out later?
3. Once we build and pin the rock structure, I've read that you should epoxy the structure to the glass. Do you use actual epoxy, or silicone? What if you ever want to remove or move the structure in the future? How do you remove the epoxy holding the rock to the glass?
4. Do we HAVE to have a small piece of actual wet live rock with our dry rock for curing process? We purchased the RED SEA REEF MATURE PRO KIT for bacteria growth starter.
5. What is the proper salinity for curing the rock?
6. Do you have to use RO/DI water for curing the rock? We have ordered an RO/DI unit but it isn't here yet, and we're going to need to figure out how to hook the thing up lol. We'd like to get the rock curing as soon as possible, but if we need to wait or go get proper water, we can.
7. If you dont have a refugium, do you need a light on in the sump for any reason (other than when you're working on things)?
Geez... I have more questions than I thought. One just led to another. Thank you for your help on these. We're nervous and excited all at once!
We decided to buy the Red Sea Reefer 425 XL Deluxe tank, even though we're a little intimidated by the sump setups. (Considered the Max series for a good long while)
Yesterday we purchased rock at the local saltwater aquarium store, and while there is a tiny bit of Fiji (I think), most of the main structure is not typical saltwater rock. Unfortunately I can't remember its name... It does have some holes... but it's very heavy so presumably, dense. I tried to upload pictures but it isn't working. :hmm2: I'll try to figure it out in edit.
My Questions
1. Since we are not sure that the surface area is not super high on the new rocks, we purchased a big bag of Bio Balls to place in the sump. How do you know when you have 'enough' surface area for bacteria to grow well? and will the Bio Balls be enough?
2. If we upgrade to Marine Pure blocks later, do we leave the bio balls? Swap them slowly? Is there any negative impact to doing this swap out later?
3. Once we build and pin the rock structure, I've read that you should epoxy the structure to the glass. Do you use actual epoxy, or silicone? What if you ever want to remove or move the structure in the future? How do you remove the epoxy holding the rock to the glass?
4. Do we HAVE to have a small piece of actual wet live rock with our dry rock for curing process? We purchased the RED SEA REEF MATURE PRO KIT for bacteria growth starter.
5. What is the proper salinity for curing the rock?
6. Do you have to use RO/DI water for curing the rock? We have ordered an RO/DI unit but it isn't here yet, and we're going to need to figure out how to hook the thing up lol. We'd like to get the rock curing as soon as possible, but if we need to wait or go get proper water, we can.
7. If you dont have a refugium, do you need a light on in the sump for any reason (other than when you're working on things)?
Geez... I have more questions than I thought. One just led to another. Thank you for your help on these. We're nervous and excited all at once!