New to sw, have a question about my sand..

[gottafindnemo]

Originally Posted by Dearth

Your diatom bloom once it appears will happen over the course of a few days starting off small then gradually cover almost the entire tank it will be brown in colour then you can add your CuC which will start eating the bloom and then start another diatom bloom that will start another cycle. This is common to almost all new tank setups.

Diatom blooms basically start the seeding process if you will of bacteria in the tank which the inhabitants of the tank require

So, the blooms happen during cycle, my cuc wont die if i add them during cycle? Sorry if these questions are stupid lol

[Madreefer]

Originally Posted by gottafindnemo

So, the blooms happen during cycle, my cuc wont die if i add them during cycle? Sorry if these questions are stupid lol

Sometimes yes and sometimes no. I've setup several tanks over the years and have never seen any diatom blooms. But months later I've had red cyano pop up. Some people have had all different kinds of blooms suddenly appear years in. That all depends on several factors. You might want to add some test kits to your order and learn to use them. A tip when adding your sand is to fill up your tank and add sand last. Don't just dump it in but fill up a large bowl and reach in and slowly distribute it along the bottom. Way less cloud action happens. Your gonna get a wet arm but get used to it if you stick it out in the hobby.

[gottafindnemo]

Originally Posted by Madreefer

Sometimes yes and sometimes no. I've setup several tanks over the years and have never seen any diatom blooms. But months later I've had red cyano pop up. Some people have had all different kinds of blooms suddenly appear years in. That all depends on several factors. You might want to add some test kits to your order and learn to use them. A tip when adding your sand is to fill up your tank and add sand last. Don't just dump it in but fill up a large bowl and reach in and slowly distribute it along the bottom. Way less cloud action happens. Your gonna get a wet arm but get used to it if you stick it out in the hobby.

Oh im well used to the wet arms haha i cant even reach the bottom my 240, i have an api sw master test kit. Inuse the api master trst kit for my fw that ive found is the best

[tlhood]

If you plan on getting any gobies (like YWG) or anythign that tunnels, I would suggest putting the rock in first, then lay the sand. That way if someone digs a tunnel, it doesn't risk shifting your rocks.

[gottafindnemo]

Originally Posted by tlhood

If you plan on getting any gobies (like YWG) or anythign that tunnels, I would suggest putting the rock in first, then lay the sand. That way if someone digs a tunnel, it doesn't risk shifting your rocks.

I heard that you can super glue rocks together? Is that true??

[asylumdown]

True if you have the patience of Job and don't mind your glue job looking like garbage until coralline covers it (many months on a new tank). Also, glue tends to get brittle over time and will more than likely crack at some point.

If your'e working with any of the typical reef type rocks, you'll need a ton of glue to properly hold them together. You'll also make a huge mess and probably glue bits of yourself to your rocks, your fingers, and large quantities of paper towel.

Epoxy is much nicer to work with. There are some epoxies specifically designed to hold rock structures together. A sponsor here used to sell one called Fijicrete but I can't find reference to it on their site anymore so they might have stopped carrying it.

[Dearth]

Originally Posted by gottafindnemo

Sorry if these questions are stupid lol

The only stupid question is the one that doesn't get asked

[gottafindnemo]

Originally Posted by Dearth

The only stupid question is the one that doesn't get asked

Touché haha

[intarsiabox]

Originally Posted by gottafindnemo

I heard that you can super glue rocks together? Is that true??

It would take a ton of super glue but you can use it. I prefer to use a masonary bit to drill holes for clear acrylic rods and black zip ties in non-visible places.