Setting up my first saltwater tank!!!!! Few specific questions

[ggNoRe]

You can put live rock in right from the start. Some of the life will die off but that is what will start the cycle and there are thousands if not millions of microscopic life that will remain alive and begin to seed your new tank.

 

[reeffreak]

Welcome to the site!

You can put the live rock in right away.

 

[jakeottoson8]

Sweet. Sounds good. I ordered an 8lb live rock, it's gonna come "partially cured". Do I just leave it in the tank and maintain the tank for the next few weeks or do I need to brush it? I read something about needing to scrub it ...

Also how do I know when my fish tank has completed a "full cycle"? Do I need to get a starter kit that measures nitrates/phosphates/calcium etc and wait for it to reach a certain point?

 

[andysgirl8800]

you'll need a test kit that will show you nitrate, ammonia, and nitrite. when your nitrite and ammonia read 0, and nitrate is as low as possible (usually below 10) for at least 3 days in a row, your cycle should be complete. don't use dip strips as they are notoriously inaccurate.

 

[jakeottoson8]

Awesome alrighty. Sorry for all the questions, just don't want this to be a trial and error type thing too much...

Protein skimmers? For now I plan on a small live rock, snails, and a fish or two. Is this something I'll need to get immediately or is it something used for "reefs"?

 

[andysgirl8800]

Questions are more than welcome, even if you've asked it twice already. There are always so many things to try to figure out when you're just getting started, and we want to help you start it off right. A protien skimmer helps to remove solid wastes in your tank, such as fish poo, uneaten food, etc. It is always helpful to have on your tank, regardless of your tank type or inhabitants.

 

[ggNoRe]

What andysgirl said is true but I will go out on a limb and say most people with that small of a tank don't even use a protein skimmer. If you do regular water changes, something like 15% once a week, and don't overfeed your tank you should be fine w/o one IMO. As far as the testkits I would recommend the API Saltwater Master Kit for starting out. It comes with Nitrate, Nitrite, PH, and Ammonia tests in liquid form. I have had good results with them and they are cheap. You can get Calcium, Alkalinity, and Magnesium tests from better, more expensive, company's like Salifert later on when you have corals.

 

[jakeottoson8]

Alright. Awesome. I've got a book on the way too so I should be set. I'll shoot questions to ya'll as needed.

Last question for down the road... After the nitrogen cycle has completed I will have live rock, snails(3)/blueleg hermit crab(3, the really small ones)....

What else can I have? The LFS has small starfish, anemone, coral, shrimp and then the clownfish which are 2-3" full grown.

Can I have 1-2 small clownfish/damsels, an anemone, coral, a shrimp, AND a starfish? Or will I need to pick and chose? I'm pretty sure I'll have to pick n' chose as that sounds like overload for 10g. Just wanted to make sure.

Thanks for the help guys. I've learned so much in the past 48 hrs and can't wait to learn more.

 

[ggNoRe]

I would say that there is room for all of those BUT I'm not sure if your lights are strong enough for an anemone plus most would suggest you wait at the very least 6 months before adding one to your tank. Anemone's are one of the hardest things to keep alive and demand a very established tank. Also you will be limited to serpeant or brittle stars as the other starfish need a much bigger tank.

 

[Bifferwine]

If you ordered a 25 watt fluorescent light, that won't be strong enough to keep any corals and especially not an anemone. On a 10 gallon tank, that comes out to be 2.5 watts per gallon. To keep low light corals, you need at least 4 watts per gallon, and to keep an anemone, you need upwards of 10 watts per gallon. You really need a reef light to keep reef animals. It sounds like the light you bought is just a generic aquarium light -- not sufficient for a reef tank.

For a 10 gallon tank, I recommend this light:

70W Metal Halide Pendant Lights

It's a 70 watt metal halide pendant, and is the light I used over my 10 gallon tank.