Hi, Im very new to saltwater fish keeping. I bought a used 75 gallon tank that was set up for saltwater, and was going to go fresh water. I was going to do that because i always had freshwater fish growing up and i am familiar with that. Now I am 26 and married with 2 kids. I want to try saltwater. I went to the library to get some books and have been reading up. My intrest in saltwater is now very high. Now i shall get to my point on this thread. They guy i bought the tank off of just took his live rock and the water that was in the tank at the time and put them into 2 big rubbermaid buckets and left them in his unheated basement. I figure all the stuff in there has to be dead. SO, i went to my lfs and he said i could use 1/3 bleach and 2/3 water soak the rock then wash them off with tap water and sundry them. I would then be able to use that as just rock then. Another lfs said that all i had to do was sundry them because most likely everything is dead and then they could be used as decoritve rock but not live rock because, " it took millions of years for mother nature to create that live rock and it wont happen in my aquarium" . So now i need more peoples opinions. What do i do. Can this rock everyagain be used as live rock, or should i let them go down the drain and just get new live rock. I know this hobby can be expensive but i value my little income and need to save as much as possible. Any help would be great. Thanks
Living Rock, first post on forum
- Thread starter Fastlight
- Start date
I am a newb as well, but you can in fact use the rock you have now as base rock... By some new rock and use it to SEED your current rock... It will take some time, but at least you can save some money there... There are a lot of very knowledgable people on this site, so take their advice and continue with your research... What kind of tank are you planning to set up... That will also make a difference on what you can do with your rock... If you are going to do a FO " Fish only" tank then you can use a mechanical filter to filter your tank. If you plan on doing a FOWLR " Fish Only With Live Rock" then you will need at least a pound of live rock in your tank. So plan on 75 to 100 lbs of LR. That could run you as much as 500.00. Also the kind of tank will judge how much you will have to spend on lights... If you want corals in your tank, then you are looking at Metal Halide lights, which with the "little income" you say you have might be kinda rough on your pocketbook... Looking at at least 400.00 for Metal Halides if not much more... Do some research on what you want, then post your ideas on here and I guarentee that the awesome people on this site will point you in the right direction... By the way, I have been on so many SW forums and I can tell you that you won't find a better one than this one... They are some of the nicest and most knowledgable people I have come across... Take care and good luck...
Okay if i use it as a base rock, how do i clean the rock to prepare it for the tank? I am thinking of having a reef aquarium with fish. If that at all makes sense. This is totaly different than freshwater, but the results look a million times more rewarding. I will be back on with all the equipment i have, and will report back later.
joeman
MorphingSquid
Quick Q: how long were they in the basement & what temp is it down there?
What do you mean by reef tank? Are you talking about corals... From my understanding, as far as corals go Hard corals and anemones require intense lighting i.e. Metal Halides... I believe, but I hope people like Bifferwine and the others will correct me if I am wrong, things like mushrooms can be fine under intense compact lights... I currently own a Current PC system, with dual lights and antic lights. I was told I could grow things like mushrooms... If you plan on doing a reef tank with corals, you are looking at a lot more money up front for things like the metal halides, protein skimmer, chiller, calcium and phosban reactors, which in turn add upto a lot of money... However, if you want to grow corals, then I would suggest not buying anything in the mean time until you can afford all the right equipment for the setup you want... Just buy some live rock and start cycling your tank and seeding your other rock... Don't buy things now only to have to upgrade in 6 months... Hopefully, other members will chime in and tell me if they agree or if I am wrong...
hibye
Reef enthusiast
you shouldnt get new stuff now first you should get all the suppliesthat you dont have already and then get some live rock first what kind of filteration do you hav
hibye
Reef enthusiast
and when i mean new stuff i meen live rock and fish
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Ctimpson is right -- you can use this rock as base rock and just use live rock for the rest of it. Cleaning it with a dilute bleach solution will work. You can also boil it, but that's more time consuming. If you use bleach, be sure to rinse well, and preferably let it dry in the sun (sunlight will break down bleach).
yote
In Memoriam
I'd check to see just how long that rock was in the basement before I did anything to it.If its only been in there a day or 2 soaking in salt water,then put it i9n the tank and let it cycle.If its been there a week or more,then bleach it.
If you want to go reef,you can do that WITHOUT the halides.A good set of T-5s are hard to beat.specially on a 75 gallon tank.You dont no where near the heat with T-5s,you dont have to replace a 100 dollar bulb every 6 months,And with the right fixture you can keep any type of coral or anemone you want.
Just remember to take it slow and do your research.Post any questions you have,some body will have the right answer.
You might want to check out the helpfull articles at the top of the page too.
Good luck and welcome to the reef.
If you want to go reef,you can do that WITHOUT the halides.A good set of T-5s are hard to beat.specially on a 75 gallon tank.You dont no where near the heat with T-5s,you dont have to replace a 100 dollar bulb every 6 months,And with the right fixture you can keep any type of coral or anemone you want.
Just remember to take it slow and do your research.Post any questions you have,some body will have the right answer.
You might want to check out the helpfull articles at the top of the page too.
Good luck and welcome to the reef.
hibye
Reef enthusiast
few but not like lps or sps
yote
In Memoriam
Whats the wattage on it?
yote
In Memoriam
Im guessing that it got a 10k and actinic,which will give you 192 watts total.That breaks down to roughly 3.2 watts per gallon.
So you can keep mushrooms,xenias,kenya trees,most soft corals.Maybe a few LPS corals placed up high.
So you can keep mushrooms,xenias,kenya trees,most soft corals.Maybe a few LPS corals placed up high.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Yeah I don't think you'll be able to keep much with those lights... Sorry.
yote
In Memoriam
I think you could keep mushrooms with no problems at all.
Well i see you guys are very helpful. Yes i do understand everything has to be taken slow. I did get with the tank a pro clear wet/dry filter and a protein skimmer. It also came with a coralife flouresent system that can take four straight pin 21in bulbs and it also has 4 blue moon led, one which is burnt out. So hopefully that can get me started. At least with the live rock and seeding the others. BTW those live rock have been in the basement for months....gonna bleach em. Then use them as a base. I am also an electrician, so maybe i can do something about having metal halides. :) So what do you all think?
reeffreak
Reef pro
Welcome to site Fastlight!
Earlier,you mentioned the rocks the guy had in his basement.Honestly,I would drop them in your new system.Any die-off on the rocks will start the cycle.Its still a good idea to add some good live rock to seed the system with.Not much is needed,maybe 10lbs or so.The decision is really up to you.
Those lights is a PC fixture/265 watts total.Definitely good enough for all soft corals and many,many LPS.If you looking more at SPS,clams, and anemones,it would be better to upgrade to T5 or Medal Halides or a combination of the two.
Good luck and welcome again!
Earlier,you mentioned the rocks the guy had in his basement.Honestly,I would drop them in your new system.Any die-off on the rocks will start the cycle.Its still a good idea to add some good live rock to seed the system with.Not much is needed,maybe 10lbs or so.The decision is really up to you.
Those lights is a PC fixture/265 watts total.Definitely good enough for all soft corals and many,many LPS.If you looking more at SPS,clams, and anemones,it would be better to upgrade to T5 or Medal Halides or a combination of the two.
Good luck and welcome again!
