Opinions on Brand New Set-up...PLEASE HELP!
- Thread starter kleach
- Start date
Yea, I think what I'm going to do it set up the display tank with the base rock from BRS and live sand (although people say its a waste of money its really not that much different in price from regular sand). This way I can take my time and aquascape something out of the water to make sure I'm happy with it.
I'll probably add something to kickstart the tank like Dr Tim's and get bacteria growing.
In the meantime I am going to set up a biocube with man made live rock from LFS so it is pretty much free of problem hitch hikers and algae. Let that cure and cycle and then get some stuff to put in that tank. This way I can watch everything and treat any issues that arise.
By the time the quarantine period is over in the biocube the display tank (red sea max) should have enough bacteria to support a small bioload. I'll transfer the stuff from the biocube over and hopefully prevent any problem outbreaks- and then pray that everything goes according to plan which I know it wont!
I'll probably add something to kickstart the tank like Dr Tim's and get bacteria growing.
In the meantime I am going to set up a biocube with man made live rock from LFS so it is pretty much free of problem hitch hikers and algae. Let that cure and cycle and then get some stuff to put in that tank. This way I can watch everything and treat any issues that arise.
By the time the quarantine period is over in the biocube the display tank (red sea max) should have enough bacteria to support a small bioload. I'll transfer the stuff from the biocube over and hopefully prevent any problem outbreaks- and then pray that everything goes according to plan which I know it wont!
Long Island Andy
Andy
I really like the Pukani rock that BRS sells. It is very light and porous. If you can swing the extra cost I really think you will be happier than with their base rock. I would use live sand since the cost between live and dry is really not much. I would add some critters(crabs) to the biocube to let them eat and produce waste to add to your biological load and to give you something to watch.This is probably a no-no (no flames necessary) but I have used many snowflake eels to cycle a tank and have never had one suffer any ill effects from the cycle
I have to honestly say the only time I ever got pests from live rock was when it did come from someone's tank. Think about it, when a tank is broken down usually it's because the person who was running it was having a problem with hair algae, aiptasia, phosphates, nudibrach's, red bugs or a host of other pests. For me it will always be dead rock or new live rock that was not in anyone's tank.
Hope I haven't added to the confusion lol
Have fun
I have to honestly say the only time I ever got pests from live rock was when it did come from someone's tank. Think about it, when a tank is broken down usually it's because the person who was running it was having a problem with hair algae, aiptasia, phosphates, nudibrach's, red bugs or a host of other pests. For me it will always be dead rock or new live rock that was not in anyone's tank.
Hope I haven't added to the confusion lol
Have fun
Long Island Andy
Andy
Lol ,you know Chris, I never said I was conventional 
Well, as it turns out I have some time to wait till I even get the tank up. Some of the cabinet pieces were scratched (beyond what I would want to display) and now i have to wait for Red Sea to ship me some new pieces. Bought it online so I have to wait for everything to ship.
LI Andy:
The Pukani rock looks awesome and that was the first thought, but it has so much decaying matter on it that I dont want to have to wait forever for it to cure. I really like the look of the stuff dug up from the ground and that will have significantly less organic material on it - this way I dont have to really cure the rock, just cycle it...OR am I wrong about that?
I also figured that I'll pick up a quarantine tank and after I see that the display tank is almost done cycling I'll get some fish to QT. 2 weeks later the tank should be ready to get a CUC and a fish or 2 - not all at once though
LI Andy:
The Pukani rock looks awesome and that was the first thought, but it has so much decaying matter on it that I dont want to have to wait forever for it to cure. I really like the look of the stuff dug up from the ground and that will have significantly less organic material on it - this way I dont have to really cure the rock, just cycle it...OR am I wrong about that?
I also figured that I'll pick up a quarantine tank and after I see that the display tank is almost done cycling I'll get some fish to QT. 2 weeks later the tank should be ready to get a CUC and a fish or 2 - not all at once though
Long Island Andy
Andy
Regarding a QT: I believe this is a must.......if you add a fish to your newly cycled DT and the fish has ich...you have now introduced ich into your DT for all future fish....unless you remove that fish and go fallow for 6 weeks. Quarantine tanks allows you to keep an eye on the new fish for a period of time and determine if there are any problems prior to introduction to the DT. It also allows the fish to get used to your feeding regimen without competition. I purchased some pyramid butterflies and they had fluke....I didn't see it until 2 days later....thankfully they were in QT....otherwise I would have lost other livestock. Get as large a QT as you can fit.....I started with a 10 gal tank (which is small) but now how a 30 gal QT, (which is stll probably small but......). It's a good practice..............just my 2 cents.
Hey Guys,
So I have the tank set up and was able to take my time aquascaping. I ended up using 75 lbs of base rock from LFS. I think it is a good setup for corals, but I am brand new to this so I'd like your opinions. I will try to post a few pics later when I get off from work.
I added 60 lbs of live sand and salt water that I pre-mixed. Surprisingly the tank (65 gallon Red Sea Max) only took about 53 gallons to fill. I had no idea that the rocks would diplace so much water. Also, i forgot about buoyancy so a rock that I put on the top as a shelf which sat very nicely when dry seems a little too wobbly now that the tank is filled. Is it worth epoxying?
Lastly, the water is somewhat milky. To fill the tank I used a glass bowl with the pump hose in it so that the current form the water wouldn't stir up too much sediment. Is it better to leave the pumps off and let the seidiments settle? Thats what seems to be the right thing to do but I've also heard that if salt water just sits it starts to stagnate and smell. If I run the pumps I'll probably use the fine grained filter pad that the tank came with and wash it regularly.
Once I get the test kits I will put a shrimp in it to start my cycle. I might regret saying that I'm doing this...but...I am going to use Fritzyme turbo 900 to help add some bacteria to the tank. I am not in a huge rush so I still plan on taking my time and let the tank cycle before adding fish. I've seen really good reviews but a ton of skepticism and shunnery against those who use it. Even so I figured that it wasn't that much money so I'll give it a shot.
Thanks for all the help and if you are reading this please give me your opinion!!!
So I have the tank set up and was able to take my time aquascaping. I ended up using 75 lbs of base rock from LFS. I think it is a good setup for corals, but I am brand new to this so I'd like your opinions. I will try to post a few pics later when I get off from work.
I added 60 lbs of live sand and salt water that I pre-mixed. Surprisingly the tank (65 gallon Red Sea Max) only took about 53 gallons to fill. I had no idea that the rocks would diplace so much water. Also, i forgot about buoyancy so a rock that I put on the top as a shelf which sat very nicely when dry seems a little too wobbly now that the tank is filled. Is it worth epoxying?
Lastly, the water is somewhat milky. To fill the tank I used a glass bowl with the pump hose in it so that the current form the water wouldn't stir up too much sediment. Is it better to leave the pumps off and let the seidiments settle? Thats what seems to be the right thing to do but I've also heard that if salt water just sits it starts to stagnate and smell. If I run the pumps I'll probably use the fine grained filter pad that the tank came with and wash it regularly.
Once I get the test kits I will put a shrimp in it to start my cycle. I might regret saying that I'm doing this...but...I am going to use Fritzyme turbo 900 to help add some bacteria to the tank. I am not in a huge rush so I still plan on taking my time and let the tank cycle before adding fish. I've seen really good reviews but a ton of skepticism and shunnery against those who use it. Even so I figured that it wasn't that much money so I'll give it a shot.
Thanks for all the help and if you are reading this please give me your opinion!!!
GrimReefer555
Member
Depends on what's causing the milkiness... Chemical, microbubbles, or for sure sediment? Different fixes for different causes, making diagnosis crucial
My assumption is that it is just sediment seeing that I put it in last night. I dont have a sump. Instead the Red Sea Max has the "sump" on the back of the tank so I dont know if I could use the sock filter.
As far as leaving the pumps off to see if the sediment settles, will the water stagnate or anything? The Milkyness isn't that bad
As far as leaving the pumps off to see if the sediment settles, will the water stagnate or anything? The Milkyness isn't that bad
