Almost ready to add water - advise please!

[gridley]

My wife and I are setting up our first SW tank - 90G with approx 23g in the sump. The plumbing is done and we have tested for leaks. We have purchased 70lbs of dry rock so far and have 60 lbs of dry sand. We are planning on buying 20-30 lbs of live rock.

Are we on the right track with this?

Our plan was to put in the dry rock and sand and start adding water directly from the RO/DI unit (yes, we realize that this will take a long time!). As I understand it, this will eliminate the sand storm that some people have told us about. Once the tank is full, I was going to turn on the pump and add salt to the sump. Once the salinity is right we plan to head to the LFS to get the 20-30 lbs of live rock and begin the let the tank cycle.

Are we on the right track with this?

Thanks in advance!

[monocus]

you are ,but you will still have a small sand storm which will leave your water cloudy for a few days.if you can,rinse your sand before using(waste a pail of r/o)

[Enigma]

An easy way to avoid a huge sandstorm from pouring water into the tank with sand in it, is to place a plate or a bowl on the sand. Pour the water onto the plate or into the bowl.

[dc4]

I wouldn't worry too much about any cloudy water from the sand. It will clear itself up within a day or so if you don't have any flow and depending on the size of the sand. By the time your cycle is done, the sand would have easily have cleared.

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[Rogue951]

you can always post here see if anyone is shutting down a tank and is trying to get rid of live rock. You can save almost 50% that way.

[gridley]

you can always post here see if anyone is shutting down a tank and is trying to get rid of live rock. You can save almost 50% that way.

Hey! I hadn't thought about that - thanks!!

[Madmak]

you can always post here see if anyone is shutting down a tank and is trying to get rid of live rock. You can save almost 50% that way.

Just be sure you trust that it hasn't seen any copper treatment, that could ruin everything. But I agree, used live rock can be cheaper and nicer that LFS stock.

[Aquattro]

Just be sure you trust that it hasn't seen any copper treatment, that could ruin everything. But I agree, used live rock can be cheaper and nicer that LFS stock.

Used rock is just that, used. It is likely plugged up with detritus, full of PO4 and just a problem waiting to happen. Unless you know the person and they're shutting down unexpectedly, and you know the rock is nearly new, I'd avoid buying somebody else's used rock. It's really not the area of a reef to scrimp on..

[gridley]

Thank you very much for the cautions re: the used rock. I really appreciate it.

[jostafew]

I started my system exactly the same way; I had all my aquascaping done with dry rock (BRS Reef Saver in my case) and the sand in the tank then filled with RODI over a couple days. Started the pumps, set the salinity (SG), then waited for the cloudiness to clear which took a few days for me. Once cleared up I seeded with a few choice pieces of live rock.

You didn't talk about cycling but I'll pass on a tip that you might not have heard; you don't need actual fish making poop to cycle a tank, just nutrients. Throw in some shrimp meat or fish food or whatever you have handy, let that break down and that will feed the ammonia cycle. Once the bacteria population gets this start the cycle with real fish will be reduced and not nearly as stressfull for them. I find the whole idea of buying hardy fish and subjecting them to poor conditions to cycle a tank to be somewhat cruel.

Happy reefing!

[gridley]

I started my system exactly the same way; I had all my aquascaping done with dry rock (BRS Reef Saver in my case) and the sand in the tank then filled with RODI over a couple days. Started the pumps, set the salinity (SG), then waited for the cloudiness to clear which took a few days for me. Once cleared up I seeded with a few choice pieces of live rock.

You didn't talk about cycling but I'll pass on a tip that you might not have heard; you don't need actual fish making poop to cycle a tank, just nutrients. Throw in some shrimp meat or fish food or whatever you have handy, let that break down and that will feed the ammonia cycle. Once the bacteria population gets this start the cycle with real fish will be reduced and not nearly as stressfull for them. I find the whole idea of buying hardy fish and subjecting them to poor conditions to cycle a tank to be somewhat cruel.

Happy reefing!

I appreciate this - I had thought through some aspects of cycling, but not the details of cycling - I had kind of thought that it would do that just by adding the live rock. Are there two cycles that the tank should go through? One once I add some live rock and another when I start adding some nutrients?

[dc4]

I appreciate this - I had thought through some aspects of cycling, but not the details of cycling - I had kind of thought that it would do that just by adding the live rock. Are there two cycles that the tank should go through? One once I add some live rock and another when I start adding some nutrients?

Adding rock causes minicycle from the die off of anything that was once living on the rock. For a true cycle, you can dose ammonia or add a piece of fresh shrimp and wait for the spike. Easier to remove if you put the shrimp in some pantyhose.

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[gridley]

When you say to add a pice of fresh shrimp, would this just be a shrimp that we buy from the grocery store?

[dc4]

Yes, a nice sized piece should do the trick. Even the frozen ones will do.

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[PurpleMonkey]

+1 to the shrimp... just thawed a frozen one and dropped it in.

[Enigma]

-1 to the shrimp. It will get gross, nasty, and could introduce bacteria into your tank that you don't want in there.

I would just add some pellet fish food to get it going, and keep ghost feeding the tank throughout the cycle. Otherwise, you can add ammonia (don't remember how much per gallon).

I've read that urine (which is quite antiseptic for the most part) is a good way to get a tank going too. I haven't tried that approach. ;)

[gridley]

-1 to the shrimp. It will get gross, nasty, and could introduce bacteria into your tank that you don't want in there.

I would just add some pellet fish food to get it going, and keep ghost feeding the tank throughout the cycle. Otherwise, you can add ammonia (don't remember how much per gallon).

I've read that urine (which is quite antiseptic for the most part) is a good way to get a tank going too. I haven't tried that approach. ;)

Wow! I sure appreciate the thoughts and advice - I will take all but the last under consideration! :lol: LOL

[molotov]

I recently got my tank wet. For washing my sand I had a bucket in the back yard and put my garden hose in the bottom of the bucket. Slowly I poured the sand into the bucket while the continuous water flow from the hose overflowed and took with it all the dust and washed it away. I found it very effective.

I then slowly diluted my salt in a seperate bucket before pouring it into my tank to avoid salt settling on the bottom. Once the salt was diluted I poured the mixture into my sump.

With all the pumps and powerheads running I placed some live rock I bought from a fellow canreefer who was tearing his tank down.

I'm currently cycling my tank. It's been cycling for a week now with no significant rise in amonia. I've been ghost feeding red flaked fish food. If I don't see any noticable rise in amonia I may add a raw shrimp to the setup to see if that speeds it along. Although I've heard that adding a dead shrimp creates quite the stench.

Hope that helps.