He He He He He <--- GITTY!!!!!

[Joe Fish]

Even though water is pretty cheap to get at the LFS it will add up. Investing in a RO unit is worth it. I just have other investments I need to do first. Like a PC light and another 45lbs of LR maybe some more fish, you get the idea.

 

[Milo]

Oh yeah, I get it. Thats the plan anyways. We were going to buy initially but with the cost of the tank and everything with it we decided to hold off on the RO Unit and purchase in the near future. (XMAS GIFT)


Come on water.... CYCLE!!!!!

 

[OCCFan023]

how much live rock is in the tank?

 

[Milo]

Hey OCC Fan,

there is roughly about 37lbs of live rock. Give or take a few lbs. Mostly Figi but with some Tonga.

 

[Joe Fish]

I take it the rock was already cured? It should still go through small spike even if it was.

 

[Milo]

Yeah, the guy that i got it from told me that it was cured and left in water. Because this guy seemed a little shady i went to the lfs and they told me that it smelled ok (?) but i should purchase some more live rock to kind of bring it back.

I Figured that the live rock would make the tank cycle thats why I don't want to add any fish untill this happens.

question.... How will I know that the tank is cycling (other than to test it) and also, how will I know when it is done cycling?

 

[Joe Fish]

You will need to test it. Weekly or twice a week would be good. I do not know of a way to check without testing.

 

[Milo]

Do you think that is enough LR? How much live rock is needed for a 55?

 

[YahooFishKeeper]

Do you think that is enough LR? How much live rock is needed for a 55?

its mostly prefference, but i have heard approximately 1 pound per gallon. it really depends on what you think looks good, and how you have it stacked.

 

[OCCFan023]

anywhere from 40-65 pounds depending on aquascaping needs.

 

[Milo]

Thanks, Now this will lead me to my next question... How can you tell if live rock is dead or alive?

The story is that I traded my ipod to this guy for his salt water tank set up and live rock came along with it. He told me that the Live Rock was kept in the tank with the skimmer running, but the people at my lfs told me that i would have to purchase some new live rock to bring the other live rock back. Anyways, I was looking at the live rock last night (cuz there isn't anything else to look at) and some parts of the live rock looks really white, (kinda dead i think) so how do you know?

Oh, P.S. .... Saw a small patch of algie starting to form on the LR.... (Thats a good thing?)

 

[Joe Fish]

The white stuff is dead stuff. In time it will come back. I have some white spots on mine too. If you buy new stuff that is very much living it will easily populate the dead rock over time. I'm talking months not weeks. I forgot who has it in the signiture, but nothing good ever happens quickly in a saltwater tank. I'm quickly realizing that myself. No point in rushing things. If the rock was kept in good water the whole time it should still be ok. What color was the algae? Green? Could just mean excess nutrients in the water. Most fish and snails will eat green aglae anyways so It's good to maintain a small patch, but not let it get out of hand.

 

[Milo]

Hey Joe Fish,

The alge was green. Very small patch. I thought that was a good sign? I guess I am just expecting that my tank pretty much get taken over by alge and then it will go away.

Not sure what to expect I guess.

I am testing my water and everything is still pretty low on the board. except i think my Nitrate (? or was it nitrite?) Well my tank was set up on Saturday so which ever comes first. (ha)

I figured that the rock would come back to life. There were a few good pieces that I got, but the one the I picked up at the LFS is the best (obviously, better maintained)

I know... patience is a virtue.... Just wish it would hurry up! Oh and I am probably gonna pick up another Power head over the weekend. I have pretty good water movement, but I think it could be a little better. Is it bad to have to much water movement?

 

[Joe Fish]

There is no such thing as too much flow in most situations. I have about 1200 ghp in my 55 and I would like to have a little more. Doesn't seem to bother the fishAlgae could very well take over the tank quicker than you think. I had a slight brown algae bloom about 2 weeks ago, but that has now went away. Nitrite should come first which will then be turned into nitrate as long as there is a means too. ie, Deep sand bed, live rock, etc. If not then the nitrite will build up.

 

[Milo]

Thanks Joe for ALL YOUR HELP!!!

I am gonna go and pick up another powerhead on the weekend. I have circulation in the tank with a 900 powerhead, but think i am gonna go and grab another 900 and put them on opposite sides of the tank. I am also going to clean up any debrie in the tank from the Live Rock and put in some Live sand. Its going to cloud up the tank, but hopefully will clear up in a short amount of time so i can look at my rocks again

 

[Joe Fish]

Most people on here agreee live sand is a waste of money. Regular sand will become live in time due to the live rock. But if you want to spend the extra money live sand won't hurt. I read that debrie is good to mix in with the sand bed. My tank was cloudy for about 48 hours. Then you will have a nice dirty film on the glass to clean off.

 

[Milo]

Where can I get regular sand from? All I saw at the fish store was live sand.

 

[Joe Fish]

Here is what I've used.

Aragalive Reef Sand - 1 bag

Aragamax Sand 30lb (Sugar-Sized) (Carib Sea) - 1 bag

Marine White sand - 5 bags

 

[Milo]

Not sure, this may be a stupid question. Does it matter what type of sand i use if I want Corals. I know that Corals are to be placed on the Live Rock, but maybe the sand would give something beneficial, or for arguments sake, something harmful, to the coral?


Thanks,

 

[Joe Fish]

aragonite sand will help maintain the water PH. I don't think it would be harmful at all, but I'm not into corals yet.