Tank setup procedure

[chtan23]

Hi,

Need expert advise here. Question regarding putting in LR & water.

1. Put in sand and LR, then fill tank with water

or

2. Put in sand, fill up water and follow by LR

What are the pro & con for the 2 method above? I'm using salt mix.

Thanks!

[flying carpet]

Go for option 2. If you put live rock before water then in the event that the rock fall it will hit your tank and break it. Usually when you fill your tank with water it gives you time to re act to falling object. Hope you get what I mean.

Regards and happy reefing.

[xersion]

i'm using options 2.. more safer

[jervismun]

You need to fill water first (option 2)... adjust your water to the desired condition (especially Sg and pH)... then only you add in LR. I hope you are not confused by the word LR... coz we all use it quite loosely here. Even LR have different types... if you need to know more, I can still help. Just ask more questions.

Lighting not needed for the first few days. Don't throw in a Damsel... it's very cruel

[chtan23]

Thanks for your advise. Will go for option 2 then.

LR= live rock, any other defination?

[chtan23]

You need to fill water first (option 2)... adjust your water to the desired condition (especially Sg and pH)... then only you add in LR. I hope you are not confused by the word LR... coz we all use it quite loosely here. Even LR have different types... if you need to know more, I can still help. Just ask more questions.

Lighting not needed for the first few days. Don't throw in a Damsel... it's very cruel

Hi Jervismun,

Since you have a 3ft tank, may I know how roughly much live rock is needed? I'm keeping fish only.

[jervismun]

Thanks for your advise. Will go for option 2 then.

LR= live rock, any other defination?

Live Rock...got a few variants.

1. Uncured - Buy from LFS, mainly in their tank, you see a lot of creatures and algaes (like they are freshly from the sea)... if you take out, may smell a bit too.

2. Cured - Very expensive if buy from LFS. Normally clean and no smell. Already contains beneficial bacterias, very good for jump starting the tank.

3. Matured/Cured - Best option IMO, get from fellow reefers who are giving up on the hobby. These rocks been in their tank for a very long time, hence full of beneficial bacteria and most probably free of pests and hitch-hikers. Some even contains red/purple coralline algae (shiok!) Normally not very expensive, as they need you to help remove it from their tank as much as you need them.

Only go for (1) if you can't find (3). No point paying so much for (2). If you are going for (3), make sure the LR is not out of water (not even in pails with bad water circulation). Best is go to a reefers home, pick piece by piece from the main tank. Once collected, go home as quick as possible, make sure the water in your tank is ready beforehand. As a general guide, the reefer should not charge more than $3/kg. But of course, depending of what kinda rocks they have. If they have Tonga (looks like branches), then be ready to pay a bit more.

Once you reach home, there are 2 methods to go:

i. Start scaping your tank immediately.

ii. Rinse the rock (with saltwater in a bucket), dip them in a very high Sg water (say 1.028 to 1.029) to get rid of any crabs, worms that may still inhibit the rocks. Dip for 1 to 2 minutes will do.

Don't expose the LR to too much air... IMO 1 hour max. You MUST make sure your water is in optimum quality (esp. Sg, pH, KH, Temperature) before collecting the LR. The objective is to preserve as much beneficial bacteria as possible in the process. In other words, do not let them die-off and culture all over again... may take 1 to 2 months!!!

If you go for 20 to 30kg of (3) LR, your tank will be up and running within 2 weeks!!! Remember, because you are not using uncured LR (1), you may not experience the typical so-called Ammonia Nitrite Nitrate cycle. Meaning, you may not even have an Ammonia spike to start with. Go to my thread and read the first few pages, it's not that hard

IMO, don't create crisis in your tank, no need for that if you are going for LR (3). Don't try to introduce some dead market prawn to rot inside the tank... it's horrible and unnecessary. You may want to invest in a good bottle of Nitrifying Bacteria to speed things up.

Run your skimmer from the start (if you are going for LR 3). Remember... top quality water is your aim... no compromise.

If the LR contains Red/Purple Coralline, you may want to switch on your light for 3 to 4 hours daily. If not, don't bother as it will culture unwanted algae.

Patience is important... but if you do it right at the beginning... your tank is already half way there