New to Saltwater :)

[walzy444]

Hi! I have never had a saltwater tank. I ended up buying a saltwater set up 35 Gallon Hex tank off of craigslist a few weeks ago that came with a clown fish and 6 hermit crabs. So far I have canged out the crush coral/shells substrate to sand(not live) I was wondering if I could buy a smaller bag of live sand and mix it in with the regular sand? I also got a power-glo T8 bulb(not planning on adding any thing that requires 2 bulbs yet. Just want to get some snails, shrimp and 2 or 3 more fish gradually and get the hang of things. Anyways, I have also just got a bunch of live rock and set up a nice stack in the rear of the tank. So far so good. Nothing had died and my water is finally clear again after the sand change and arrangement of rocks

I live in Woonsocket, RI but am from Mass
Pics of my tank. Before...

and After...

 

[Briko03]

Welcome to saltwater! Caution, it is addicting.

Here is some good reading:
http://reefcentral.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=1

 

[walzy444]

More pics...

Left Side

Front

Right Side

 

[frank180reef]

you can mix the sand

 

[afboundguy]

Nice looking tank... Those hexes are pretty sweet...

Also on a side note did you buy those new rocks from an established tank? If it was live rock at a LFS there is still a decent chance you'll get a cycle so you should keep an eye out on the levels of the tank esp coupled with the new non live sand.

Fortunately that clown looks like an Ocellaris clown and they're hardy so if you do have a cycle it at least stands a chance of surviving. Hopefully I didn't freak you out too much

 

[walzy444]

I first changed the sand then waited till everything settled and the water was clear again(the crush coral/shells had a lot of crap it in, So I ran 2 filters to clear out the particles.. one 70 gal filter and a 40 gallon filter.) Now I am just using the 70 gal filter on low power. I need to get a protein skimmer.

I bought the rock from a guy who had washed/scrubbed them and soaked them all in a super salt concentrated water. I got them home and rinsed them with reg water.. then put them in the tank. So its just kinda rock right now. I guess I gotta go buy a bottle of coppapods(spelling?) so they can make the rocks live again.

 

[walzy444]

So far all the water levels are fine, the salt level right now is 1.026 which is a little high, so I've got to add some more reg water. The clown fish is digging lil holes in the sand with his body and the hermit crabs are having a blast on the rocks lol

How soon does the tank cycle? how often should I be testing the water right now? I tested it After i put the sand in and the water cleared. Then I just tested it after i put all the rocks in and everything cleared. Both times the levels were in the safe zones.

 

[afboundguy]

So its just kinda rock right now. I guess I gotta go buy a bottle of coppapods(spelling?) so they can make the rocks live again.

Having coepods on rock isn't what makes it "live" They are live when the surface area of the rock has benefitial bacteria that breaks down waste in the nitrogen cycle. What happens is fish poop and other debris turns into ammonia (fatal to fish) and then to nitrite (fatal) then to harmless nitrates when they're kept at a low level. When a tank cycles there is usually die off from the rocks or not enough bacteria to support the bioload so the ammonia skyrockets then falls, next is the nitrites to skyrocket and fall and then the nitrates skyrocket and then fall and stay low; that is when the cycle is complete. So don't waste your money on a bottle.

How soon does the tank cycle? how often should I be testing the water right now? I tested it After i put the sand in and the water cleared. Then I just tested it after i put all the rocks in and everything cleared. Both times the levels were in the safe zones.

Some cycles take only a few days while others take 2 months. There are too many variations to give a set time. Depending on how "live" the rock is helps shorten the cycle a lot. As for testing it wouldn't hurt to test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate daily for a few weeks to see if you get a cycle...

 

[Qwank]

welcome. looks like youre doing a better job then the guy you bought it from. like stated earlier, watch for the cycle

 

[Aquaman_68]

welcome...coming along!!

 

[reeferpj]

looking good and welcom to brs

 

[walzy444]

Having coepods on rock isn't what makes it "live" They are live when the surface area of the rock has benefitial bacteria that breaks down waste in the nitrogen cycle. What happens is fish poop and other debris turns into ammonia (fatal to fish) and then to nitrite (fatal) then to harmless nitrates when they're kept at a low level. When a tank cycles there is usually die off from the rocks or not enough bacteria to support the bioload so the ammonia skyrockets then falls, next is the nitrites to skyrocket and fall and then the nitrates skyrocket and then fall and stay low; that is when the cycle is complete. So don't waste your money on a bottle.

So the rock will become live once the all those levels skyrocket then fall and the tank has cycled? The bacteria will stay on the rocks?

The rocks were power washed, scrubbed and soaked in super concentrated salt water to kill everything. Then i rinsed them and placed them in my tank. So I am pretty much starting fresh until bacteria forms on the rocks...

If I got a small (10lb) bag of live sand, would that "liveness" multiply and make all of my sand "live"? Currently I have 1 30lb bag of reg sand in there.

 

[leemik]

welcome...

hmmm your username sounds familiar...

Is your name Sara and you used to drive a probe? hang out with E46 bimmer crowd..into the car scene?

--mike

 

[walzy444]

haha yep, did I ever meet you? The probe is finally goneeee!! woo hoo lol

 

[leemik]

yes, we've bumped into each other a few times.. I used to have the red 350z (well, I still have it) but I've gone over to the darkside and I have an E92 M3 now in the garage too. I know you love bimmers haha..

Hopefully your clown and crabs will survive the cycling.. they should as I find those clowns to be fairly hardy.. All new tanks must go through some kind of cycle.. sometimes it's more severe than others.. If you got some good live rock with very little die off you will probably have a light cycle... but your fish may still get stressed.

What will you be doing with the tank in the future? FOWLR? Fish Only With Live Rock? or will you be getting corals too?

This hobby gets pretty expensive just like cars

 

[leemik]

doh i just read it more carefully and you are using base, non live rock? It's the denutrifying bacteria and all the little small creatures in live rock that make it live.. cross your fingers that the clown survives the cycle.. it may be a hard one..

you can have someone with an established tank hold the fish for you or taking a scoop of sand from an established tank somes times helps speed up the denultrifying bacteria growth

--mike

 

[walzy444]

Maybe there is some of that bacteria in the tank... It had the crushed coral/shells in there, I changed it all to reg sand, but the water is the same.. and There were 3 peices of live rock that came with the tank.. I kept 2 of the 3 peices in there. There are also a ton of empty hermit crab shells, mybe stuff is in them?? I keep checking the water with Mardel Test strips (They Test Nitrate, Nitrite, Alkalinity and pH)and all the levels read normal or in the safe zones.

 

[leemik]

Those test strips are not the most accurate tests but if you are on a budget they will do.. If you were closer I would let you borrow all my test kits..

When you transported the rocks and sand did you keep them from drying out? left them a little moist? this keeps the bacteria alive..

BTW 1.026 for salinity is fine.. That's where I keep my levels.. I guess fo rfish only you could go lower but natural ocean saltwater is right around 1.026

You probably need to read a lot in the next month or so..There's a lot to learn about saltwater tanks.. You should check out my setup sometime.. If you and Mike are ever in the area (quincy) .. stop in by and it may give you and good idea of what craziness is involved..

 

[walzy444]

Yeah If im up there Ill let you know. I just lowered my salinity to 1.024 A guy who woked at this aquarium store told me the levels should be between 1.020 - 1.025. I have been doing a lot of reading There is just soo much.

 

[afboundguy]

So the rock will become live once the all those levels skyrocket then fall and the tank has cycled? The bacteria will stay on the rocks?

Yes as long as the rocks stay wet the bacteria will survive.

I have been doing a lot of reading There is just soo much.

It's good that you're researching; it'll help you from doing mistakes that a bunch of us have done