Live rock and sand

[nealio]

So I’m starting to price out and get an estimate what it would cost me to set up a saltwater tank. I ran into a couple of websites selling live rock and I stumbled upon THIS one.

There are a couple different types of sand, Is there a big difference in the type of sand you use? I want start with a couple clowns and an eel if it will work in the tank I have a (50G hex) and I would like to make it as much of a biotope I could for them.

If you guys have a good source for live rock and sand please advise.

Thanks again!

 

[James From Cali]

I dont know too much about SW fish but I think maybe a couple of Clowns and maybe a few Firefish. I dont think an eel would be too happy.

 

[nealio]

yeah that’s what I thought...

Its going to take me at least 3 months to finish the tank stand and come up with the money for a skimmer, more power heads, live rock.. well you know the drill, so I'm not set on a fish selection yet, but my daughter loves Nemo so I think she will appreciate it.

 

[James From Cali]

LOL, well Im glad I gave some insight on the subject. Oh and remember that Hex Tanks dont have as much surface area.

 

[nealio]

LOL, well Im glad I gave some insight on the subject. Oh and remember that Hex Tanks dont have as much surface area.

I'm assuming that’s bad... why? (excuse my noobishness)

 

[JWright]

I ordered from this site: Live Rock/Sand and was quite pleased.

 

[James From Cali]

I'm assuming that’s bad... why? (excuse my noobishness)

You cant stock to the inch per gallon rule. I say with the stocking I gave plus maybe a few cleaner shrimp or emerald crab you should be fine. It also doesnt allow the fish to swim vertically.

 

[JWright]

With a 50G (even a hex) you have a little more flexibility than a couple clowns and a couple firefish. That sounds more like a stocking for a 20g...

What little relevance the "inch per gallon" rule has in freshwater is completely thrown out the window in saltwater.

 

[James From Cali]

Well I said that I didnt know too much about SW

 

[nealio]

With a 50G (even a hex) you have a little more flexibility than a couple clowns and a couple firefish. That sounds more like a stocking for a 20g...

What little relevance the "inch per gallon" rule has in freshwater is completely thrown out the window in saltwater.

Would I be able to stock some type of eel with the clowns in a hex?

 

[aresgod]

for a while anyways yes you could, a small snowflake eel would work fine in there, but would probably out grow the tank eventually. The down side to a hex is the lack of surface area, which equals less gas exchange.

 

[Joe Fish]

Would the snowflake cause a isse with the firefish and/or clowns?

 

[fish outa wata]

hey nealio where are you abouts? It's nice to be able to check out the lr that you want to buy. lr over the web can be tricky, I've heard of cases of bait and switch. The pics that they post will be awesome but what you get in the mail is completely different. JWright gave you reputable dealer but there are a lot of lr dealers out there that will try to screw you.

 

[nealio]

I’m right outside of San Francisco...

I think I'm going to go thru the link that JW posted. Seems like it’s a competitive price and word of mouth is always good in my book. If he had a good experience, then there is a good chance I will too. The problem with my experience is I have no idea what I'm doing yet LOL. All of the LFS’s around here seem way more expensive than the online dealers.

I want to do this right, so I'm sure I will be asking a million more questions *twirlysmi Thanks for putting up with me *PEACE!*

 

[Lorna]

Joe the issue that the eels have with the clownfish is that once the eels get big the clownfish become food sources.


Nealio the issue with the 55 hex is also that you would need to stack live rock vertically more or less and there by limiting your aquascape options. Also the eel would like a tunnel or cave to hide in....many put pvc piping under the rock to give them some place to hang out.

My suggestion would be do some research by reading some books on the subject such as "The New Marine Aquarium" etc. and all the stickies on the forum pages.

 

[nealio]

Joe the issue that the eels have with the clownfish is that once the eels get big the clownfish become food sources.


Nealio the issue with the 55 hex is also that you would need to stack live rock vertically more or less and there by limiting your aquascape options. Also the eel would like a tunnel or cave to hide in....many put pvc piping under the rock to give them some place to hang out.

My suggestion would be do some research by reading some books on the subject such as "The New Marine Aquarium" etc. and all the stickies on the forum pages.

I saw the PVC plan and I was going to use it. I wouldn't want to add an eel if it was going to eat my other fish, I just think there freaking awesome!*thumbsups

I saw a lot of recommendations on the book called, the conservative aquarist or something of the sort. I plan on buying this book for the car ride I have to take this weekend.

Again, thanks for all your help..

OH and is there a difference between the sand types?

 

[kevin4052002]

Actually, you could do an eel, but only if it was something similar to the Golden Dwarf Moray (http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?ddid=9834&siteid=20) . Many people overlook this beautiful fish because of the price. I've actually thought of doing one myself, but the price is difficult to justify. They are actually good options, if you can afford them. This particular one is the cheapest I've ever seen, next lowest was $450.

There are significant differences in sand types, but this only pertains to what you will be keeping. If it is just your basic fish, then no, there isn't much of a difference, and it becomes more personal preference. I personally like the sugar-sized sand. I've heard many ups and downs about crushed coral, but some people get it to work. If you are asking between live/dead sand, then the live sand is not worth it IMO. The dead sand becomes seeded relatively quickly, and if your tank is tall, you could have a very deep sand bed (DSB, VERY beneficial in creating your "biotope").

 

[nealio]

I would need a very good xmas bonus to bring that home or my wife would kill me..... unless she thought it was a lot cheaper

So the sugar sized sand is a +
So far I have only heard about live sand, not dead sand.

On that link that was on the OP what type of sand would you recommend?


Thanks again! *PEACE!*

 

[Joe Fish]

I also like sugar sized sand, that's what I have now. I read that 1mm to 2mm is the best though.

 

[kevin4052002]

Dead sand is just dry aragonite (or whatever the sand is made from) in a bag.

On your link from the other page, I like the Bahama Oolite, which is an EXTRA FINE grain, but would also go with the Indo Pacific. Just go with what you like.