Want to double check before I set up new reef

[DCFix]

I will be setting up a new reef in a about a week, so I want to double check that my initial steps are correct.

I will be stocking a 75g plexi for future corals with about a 15g sump that will eventually house a tiny bit of LR and plants in LS for filtration. Lighting to include 2X 250W MH and 2X 65W PC actinics for main tank, and a 55W PC for sump plants.

I want to make sure I have everything in order:
-fill tank with sea water and run filtration set up with heater and skimmer
-add sand and wait to settle for a few days
-(how many inches/what type of sand for DSB recommended?)
-(waiting a few days for sand to settle, is it necessary?)
-add LR, either cured or brushed off uncured
-(after sand settles or at the same time as sand?)
-PATIENTLY wait for cycle to finish
-add sump plants, and cleaning crew and wait for next spike to drop before adding fish

Is this correct?

Other questions:
The lights will hang at 6" above water level, just right?
Are my lights off during the whole cycle and rock curing?
If the uncured rock has bad hitchhikers, will they eventually die if I don't add livestock? If not, I read on DrsFosterSmith.com to dip the LR in higher salinity for about a minute. Do you follow this, or have a better method? I don't want rock laying around fouling up my house with nastiness, so I want to put in the LR basically as soon as it arrives.

Thank you all for helping me NOT destroy any living creatures.

 

[bertoni]

That sounds reasonable. You can keep your lights off curing the cycle if you want. That might reduce pest algal growth. You could try running them if you want, and pull the algae if it grows.

Hitchhikers aren't going to die in any reasonable timeframe. The high-salinity dip might work, doesn't always, but it will kill an array of organisms on the rock. Trapping often works, but there's no sure solution.

I don't really recommend a DSB necessarily. They are a fair amount of work to set up. I don't know of a suitable substrate that can be bought from an aquarium supply store. This article might be worth reading:

http://ronshimek.com/Deep Sand Beds.htm

 

[Blown 346]

How many inches of sand is up to you, most will use about 4 to 6 inches. The type of sand is same principle but most use a fine grade grade of sand, maybe oolotic.

Waiting for the sand to settle could be necassary, but you could rinse the new sand before hand, and even use the garbage over the sand while you fill the tank. Then remove the bag, and you will have virtually no mess.

Sounds like the rest is good to go.

The height of the lights all determine if they have a splash guard, or heat build up of the tank. Most will hang their lights anywhere from 6 to 12 from the water.

I would have the lights off during the cycle and curing yes, only because this will help with algae builb up.

The hithhikers might and mght not survive, I found 7 crabs in my uncured rock and they survived.
I would either do the high salinity, low salinity, or fresh water method. The freshwater method works best since they will literally shoot out of the rock. Just take some fresh water and dump it into the holes of the liverock.

 

[SeanT]

I would fill with freshwater first and let it run for a few days to do a leak test.
No need wasting that precious salt to have to empty it all out and fix something.

hth,
Sean

 

[DCFix]

Is the LR something I can add a few days after adding sand? Or is it better to let them cycle together?

Also should I treat the tap water before dipping the LR, and is colder better?

Running freshwater first to test sounds like a great idea.

The tank also gomes with vacuum fit covers for splash protection, I guess they come with new TruVu tanks as a "bonus." I will also be using an inward and outward fan, one on each end at 51CFM, the Orion OA109AP-11-3TB.

 

[SeanT]

Lose the tank covers.
Keeps heat in prevents gas exchange and cuts down on your lamps intensity.
Not to mention the constant cleaning.

Sean

 

[bertoni]

You don't want to dip the live rock in tapwater. You could rinse it with some saltwater to help remove dead organisms, etc. Do you have an RO-DI unit?

In reality, you can add the sand first, the rock first, or both around the same time. It's a matter of preference, but I prefer not to bury rock.

 

[DCFix]

I don't have a RO/DI unit.

I prefer to get uncured, but might get pre-cured for risk reduction.
So I can just rinse the LR in sea water, no need to scrub it down? Scrubbing will probably destroy too much.
Can you elaborate on trapping?

 

[bertoni]

Scrubbing off dead animals, etc, is fine. They'll smell rotten, usually. I would just rinse it in saltwater.

Well, there are various sorts of traps that can be bought or made. A smooth glass, placed on an angle in the tank with the lip up againt rock, will trap crabs, often. A 2-liter soda bottle can be turned into a trap by cutting off the top and then inverting the top back onto the bottom. That can trap mantis, etc.

Both types of trap need a bit of food at the bottom.

 

[shag26272]

just a tip, pour your sand first then lay down some garbage bags over it fill tank half with water remove bags then fill tank rest of way

 

[DCFix]

Should I be adding anything to supplement sea water? Or is that only necessary when I start to add corals and fish?

 

[bertoni]

You'll probably want to add calcium and alkalinity eventually, but that can probably wait a few weeks. Get test kits for those parameters, and you'll be know when you need to start dosing.