Just got 2nd Hand RSM

[t1n_2]

Hey all.

I just got myself a second hand RSM with the skimmer and the other equipments that come with it. Now all i need is to cycle the tank. Thing is, i understand that live sand is currently out of stock in Singapore which is why i'm having a bit of a dilemma right now. Got some questions which I hope you guys could help me out with

i)I was wondering if anyone could explain to me the difference between normal sand and live sand apart from the fact that live sand has bacteria?

ii) can the normal sand be used as a cycling agent like the live rocks?

hope you guys can help me out.

Thanks in advance.

Justin

[yikai]

Hey all.

I just got myself a second hand RSM with the skimmer and the other equipments that come with it. Now all i need is to cycle the tank. Thing is, i understand that live sand is currently out of stock in Singapore which is why i'm having a bit of a dilemma right now. Got some questions which I hope you guys could help me out with

i)I was wondering if anyone could explain to me the difference between normal sand and live sand apart from the fact that live sand has bacteria?

ii) can the normal sand be used as a cycling agent like the live rocks?

hope you guys can help me out.

Thanks in advance.

Justin

live sand contains bacteria, and other small microfauna like pods, and other stuff that improve the overall health of the sysmteim. these little critters in the sand aerate the sand also, making it less compact.

cannot use normal sand to cycle tank because they contain no bacteria. however, if u keep liverocks and normal sand together, after while, the normal sand will turn live too. bacteria will live there and other stuff will grow in it.

[TayHongSiang]

live sand contains bacteria, and other small microfauna like pods, and other stuff that improve the overall health of the sysmteim. these little critters in the sand aerate the sand also, making it less compact.

cannot use normal sand to cycle tank because they contain no bacteria. however, if u keep liverocks and normal sand together, after while, the normal sand will turn live too. bacteria will live there and other stuff will grow in it.

Agree with bro lemon, you can use normal sand and live rocks to cycle yr tank. Dose bacteria into your tank will also help.

[bellinayu]

Welcome to this "wonderful" hobby Justin!

Live sand supposingly contain bacteria in the packet of sand which will help you speed up the cycling process. The other advantage is that, you do not need to pre-wash the sand prior adding into the tank. For a big tank, this will save you a lot of work. As yours in a RSM, you can buy the normal sand and pre-wash it several times before adding in the sand. After that, you can buy bacteria (not a must) and add into the tank according to the dosage written on the bottle. Follow the instructions.

Do not be too impatient to add livestock. Try to cycle the tank with only sand and liverock for at least 1 month. During the cycling process, no need to turn on yr lights. After that, test your NO2 before adding livestock. Advisable to add livestock gradually and to watch out for algae bloom. While cycling, you can catch up on your reading and plan what you want to add in your tank

Enjoy reefing!

[onizukaa]

Bro,

Let me know if you want live sand

1) Bio-Activ Live® Aragonite Black Beach - 20 lb (9.07 kg) Bag

2) Bio-Activ Live® Aragonite Reef Sand - 20 lb (9.07 kg) Bag

3) Bio-Activ Live® Aragonite Reef Substrate - 16 lb (7.26 kg) Bag

4) Hawaiian Puka Shell #10 - 6.8kg

5) Hawaiian Puka Shell #5 - 6.8kg

6) Australian Gold Sand #5 - 6.8kg

Am consolidating orders to get more Discount % .

you can refer to this sponsor link from Aquarmarin for more info on the life sand

http://www.aquamarin.com.sg/aproducts.asp?...tname=Substrate

Hope this helps. but can only get the sand around may

[t1n_2]

Bellinayu, Lemon Lemon, Ah Siang: thanks so much for the responsive reply guys. I'm currently serving NS (still a lousy cadet) so won't have much time to think about adding livestocks yet. which is why i intend to cycle the tank as much as possible until i get out of the course due to my flat feet which is hopefully very soon.

In that case, which brand of sand would you guys recommend? I've visited several marine shops but mainly Aquamarin cause they seem to be rather popular.

Onizuka : thanks for the heads up regarding the sale of the live sand but i don't think i want to wait any further if normal sand is sufficient enough. AFter all, got this good friday to spend on washing up the sand. Thanks again for the heads up but if i do change my mind, i'll send you a PM.

[bellinayu]

If you want to save money, just go to PetMart or 328 at Clementi to get those "no brand" sand. They come in gunny bags. I think 1 big bag cost less than $10. I can't remember... may be wrong. You have to decide whether you want very fine sand, which is grade 0 or coaser sand which is abt grade 2-5. You may want to get abt grade 2-3 if you intend to add wavemakers cos your grade 0 sand will fly around.

[jyoon]

Since your tank is dry now, you may want to consider applying a coat of protection on the glass. This is supposedly to help in your future maintenance. This coat 'fills' up the micro-pores of glass, making it difficult for algae to cling onto the glass. Future maintenance is just a sponge and wiping clean the inside.

There are currently, to the best of my knowledge, 2 lfs that sells them. Check with Reef Depot, or Ah Beng (Pacific Reef).

Welcome, and happy reefing.

[onizukaa]

depend on what type of fishes or corals you like to keep.

If fishes only, coral life seems a good choice as i am using it.

if corals, alot of bros use marine enviroment / tropic marine (those more expensive brands)

hope this helps bro

[Fuzzy]

If you intend to keep coral, you want to get Aragonite sand, instead of normal lapis sand. It will be a little easier to maintain pH and Calcium levels later on.

But yeah as some bros have pointed out you can just use "dead" sand and let the live rock seed it with beneficial bacteria.

[t1n_2]

Hey all. There is no live sand available till May so i decided to just use normal sand. Anyways, my tank has been running for about 3 days now. Seems like there was quite a lot of die off from the live rocks that i bought from one of the pasir ris farmway LFS. I think it was pacific reef or somthin like that. I'm now just waiting for the tank to cycle while i am stuck in SAFTI camp.

ANyways, i tested the water using the API SALTWATER MASTER LIQUID test kit as recommended by Ah Heng from AquaMarin (bought quite a bit of stuff from him). the result are as follows (some results i'm not very sure because the guide isn't very accurate eg. i can't really differentiate between the colour cards)

pH : 7.4 - 7.8

Ammonia : 4.0

Nitrate : 5.0 - 10

Nitrite : 1.0 - 2.0

Any comments?

[Fuzzy]

Hey all. There is no live sand available till May so i decided to just use normal sand. Anyways, my tank has been running for about 3 days now. Seems like there was quite a lot of die off from the live rocks that i bought from one of the pasir ris farmway LFS. I think it was pacific reef or somthin like that. I'm now just waiting for the tank to cycle while i am stuck in SAFTI camp.

ANyways, i tested the water using the API SALTWATER MASTER LIQUID test kit as recommended by Ah Heng from AquaMarin (bought quite a bit of stuff from him). the result are as follows (some results i'm not very sure because the guide isn't very accurate eg. i can't really differentiate between the colour cards)

pH : 7.4 - 7.8

Ammonia : 4.0

Nitrate : 5.0 - 10

Nitrite : 1.0 - 2.0

Any comments?

Looks good. don't rush anything and don't run your skimmer for now.

Test again in 2 weeks and see if the Ammonia and Nitrite levels have dropped. How many Kilograms of live rock did you add to the tank, and what kind of normal sand did you use?

[pokmingsheng]

i saw Reef Depot at Sin Min selling Live Sand...

you can check it out if you want.. haha..

[t1n_2]

I'm currently using about 15kg of live rocks. As for the sand, i'm not very sure what type of sand they are but i think they are Grade 3 sand (size) and white in colour. i'm thinking about switching to live sand once stocks come in or when i can find some that are available. Do you think it is advisable to do so? will post some pictures of the set up once i get home from camp one of these days.

[RockyBoy]

I'm currently using about 15kg of live rocks. As for the sand, i'm not very sure what type of sand they are but i think they are Grade 3 sand (size) and white in colour. i'm thinking about switching to live sand once stocks come in or when i can find some that are available. Do you think it is advisable to do so? will post some pictures of the set up once i get home from camp one of these days.

Since your sand already in cycle, no need to add live sand, coz your dead sand will be live in no time. Just leave your setup for a few weeks to get the it fully cycled since you are still in NS, can afford to wait. Add kalkwasser when doing water top-up, to get the coraline algae growing.

[t1n_2]

Hey guys. Just a slight update. Today i turned the Hydor moonlights on and i found some fluorescent orange coraline growing on the live rocks. I'm not sure if they were there on the 1st place but they're there now. With the lights on, i can still see the orange coraline as well. Some of the live rocks also have some light green layers. Not sure if they're algae though. Apart from that, there's like some mucous on about 3 places of the rocks. They're black-greyish.

And last but not least, i finally see some life! There's small snails about 1 cm and some very small shellfish!

[t1n_2]

Here's some FTS that i took a few minutes ago. Gotta book in again in an hour's time.

any comments on the arrangement of live rocks are welcome. It's my 1st time arranging live rocks so if i have anything wrong, please feel free to just shout it out.