Tank start up

[arkansasboy]

I havent got my tank up and running yet and money is a little tight right now but I have a tank(20), a heater and an Aquatech 5-15 pump. I am thinking about getting my live sand and placing it in the tank then filling with saltwater. This way I can get my filter going. I know I need to get a powerhead(any suggestions?) I was then going to get some live rock placed in the tank and and let things run for a month or so, doing weekly water changes. Will this plan work? And will it hurt anything if It takes longer than a month to get some coral in my tank? I didnt mention lighting and I dont know for sure when I can buy a light. I found the T5HO(30") on ebay so I am thinking of going that route. Will it hurt the tank to run without any lighting for a while if I dont have any corals in it?

 

[little_fish]

Actually you would be far better served to get your dry rock first and just a little piece of live rock to start your tank. Dry rock is pretty cheap, so you will save a bunch of money that way. Also no need to spend the money on live sand, it will become live anyways. Plus, i cant see how that stuff is still live after being in a bag and exposed to various temps and not much water for who knows how long. Just get plain, dry sand. You also want the rock sitting on the glass to prevent rockslides from the sand shifting over time.

Also, dont do water changes while your tank is cycling, and if you dont have any livestock in there, you wont need to do water changes either.

Also, no tank needs corals. There are many people who only have fish, so dont sweat the coral thing. And the tank doesnt need light either if there is no corals

 

[arkansasboy]

Actually you would be far better served to get your dry rock first and just a little piece of live rock to start your tank. Dry rock is pretty cheap, so you will save a bunch of money that way. Also no need to spend the money on live sand, it will become live anyways. Plus, i cant see how that stuff is still live after being in a bag and exposed to various temps and not much water for who knows how long. Just get plain, dry sand. You also want the rock sitting on the glass to prevent rockslides from the sand shifting over time.

Also, dont do water changes while your tank is cycling, and if you dont have any livestock in there, you wont need to do water changes either.

Also, no tank needs corals. There are many people who only have fish, so dont sweat the coral thing. And the tank doesnt need light either if there is no corals

So what is the difference between dry and live rock?

 

[BL1]

Live rock is rock either from the ocean or from an established tank. Dry rock is just that, dry. It's either been sitting out of a tank for a while or been harvested from a place on land and it's missing the bacteria that makes it "live" and breaks down the fish waste and ammonia into less toxic compounds.

 

[marcah]

if you do need to buy some dry rock here is a great place to get it.. just would want to get one small piece of live rock from an LFS to seed it.. save you alot over getting all liverock..
Dry Rock

 

[little_fish]

But dry rock will turn into live rock just by being in your tank

 

[marcah]

yeah it definately will. when I spoke to mark about that he said he always reccomends seeding it with a small piece of liverock to speed it all up... he told me that he found that it shortens the process dramatically..

 

[Smitty]

+1 to all the above.

 

[x19]

Be sure to read about the Nitrogen Cycle, if there is one that you need to fully understand before starting a reef tank its this. This will also help explain the role of live rock.

I thought there was an article on the site about it, but I can't seem to find it.

 

[little_fish]

https://www.livingreefs.com/cycling-tank-adding-fish-and-corals-t26452.html

https://www.livingreefs.com/water-chemistry-t31270.html

 

[arkansasboy]

So how much dry rock would I need for a 20 gallon tank?

 

[cms722]

The rule is 1-2 lbs of rock per gallon. But more never hurt anyone =)

 

[arkansasboy]

I was reading a thread on making your own rock with Aragocrete. Have any of you tried this method before? If so, how did it turn out and how has it worked in the long run? It seems like this would be a much less expensive way to get some rock in the tank.

 

[little_fish]

Wontonflip has made her own rock, you can pm her about it. But one thing i do know is that it takes several months for it to cure and be usable, so you wont be able to set up your tank right away.