?s about my new tank setup

[headcheese]

hey everyone. i am brand new to the hobby. no experience with aquariums at all. so i have a big learning curve ahead of me but have done a lot of reading the last few days.

anyhow i filled my 21g tank yesterday. couple things i may have done wrong... i put the sand in first, should have put my live rock in first and then sand... oh well. i might put 5-10 more lbs of sand in there. 15 lb in there now. is adding sand pretty simple? i figured i would rinse it and just add a little at a time over the course of a couple days. or would adding it all at once be ok?

also there was a plastic screen/filter/grate thing on the floor of my tank. the guy at the shop said i could leave it in or take it out. i figured it would give the rock more support so i left it. after reading the instructions lol it says the grate is not suitable for saltwater?! do i need to dig this grate out??

looking for an opinion on my aquascaping too. i have 22lb live rock. i have been going nuts digging around in there rearranging them to find a way i like it... think i finally got it. wish i would have spent more time picking out the rock. the pieces are all pretty big and roundish. was gonna snap a pic but the water is all cloudy from me screwing around in there haha. tomorrow when it clears i can post a pic.

lastly (for now) is it ok to clean the inside glass while the tank is still cycling or should i just let it do its thing? should i get a magnetic brush or a handled one?

sorry if this is a dumb thread just obsessing over this stuff and need some input or reassurance. thanks

 

[itzonlithai]

For putting in sand, just put in there as gently as you can. Whatever dust you have not washed out will settle and the water will clear up. People tend to put rock first so it does not sift on the sand and cause a rock slide.

Some people put the grate on the bottom of the tank to protect the glass in case the rocks fall. It's mostly a detritus trap so I'd go without it.

 

[Kdadair]

I would let the tank cycle without cleaning the glass. As for the brush, it is just what you like best. If you get the magnetic one, you have to be careful not to get sand trapped inside. It could scratch your glass. The grate might be better coming out. You want to add the sand as gently as possible. Just to avoid sandstorms.

 

[headcheese]

Thanks. I guess I'll dig the grate out when I get home from work.

Pretty excited to get the ball rolling on this but kinda frustrated too. Guy at the shop said I could add corals and fish a few days after setting up the tank! After reading up on it I realize this isn't the best practice. Makes me wonder if I should even go back there!!

 

[headcheese]

anyone know what those guys in the picture are?

heres a pic of my tank couldnt figure out attaching the pic, too large. have some aiptasia i need to get rid of too https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/45076077/DSCN1448.JPG

 

[zeebies]

Green palythoas and a little bubble algae on the side.

 

[jay.fishman]

One way to keep the rock work from collapsing it to use plastic cable ties to lock the rocks together. You can pull the rocks out, drill a hole through areas that are near each other and tie them together. If you want something that can go under the rocks to spread the weight out, I have used plastic egg crate cut to size. The stuff used a light diffusers is easy to cut to size.