Diary of my first saltwater tank...Awesome.

[roka64]

Really? No filter?

I have a filter, but only use it for extra water movement and to run carbon, if needed. I haven't had carbon in it for almost 2 months.

How are you supposed to cycle the tank?

You will need an ammonia source, like a raw cocktail shrimp , from your grocery store.

Do I need to put live rock in the tank while it is cycling?

You can, it should help the cycle. You should have 1.5-2LBs of LR per gallon for proper filtration.

So if I do use a filter, will it take away the nutrients that feed the live rock?

No, it shouldn't.

Also where is a good place to buy live rock, there is some at petco but they are little peices...I want BIG ones...lol

Bigger is not always better. You want to shoot for more surface area. I have found the larger pieces are great for the base of a "tower/wall/pile". If you get a bunch of big pieces, they tend to be a pain, if you need to move stuff around, IMO.
As for retailers, people like these two:
liveaquaria.com and tampabaysaltwater.com

And how do you get the corals and other organisms to grow off the rock?

Sometimes this is just luck of the draw. Some folks get cool stuff and others don't. There will, more than likely, be some cool stuff on most LR, it just might not make it through shipping or the tank's cycle.

do they come "pre-planted" on the rock when you buy it?

If you are buying actual corals, then yes.

[Sparkie]

Originally Posted by Speakerman

Does this skimmer look like it will work? do I need a powerhead for it?

http://www.petsmart.com/global/produ...mmer&N=2023693

That skimmer should work. It is rated for up to a 100gal. It is the one that I am getting for my 75gal. Also, print up the price off www.petsmart.com and take it in with you. They will price match anything off of petsmart.com.

[Devilishturtles]

I don't use a filter on my tank either, and when I did run one, it caused more headache than anything else. I would reccomend as well to save your money and not get a filter, that way you can invest it on a better skimmer. The Seaclones are pretty much bottom of the line, not really bad, but there are much better out there. ( I have a Seaclone now, and it's not very efficient...it does do its job though) I'd go with:

http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS...ehangonskimmer

or

http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS...ewheel65gallon

Are you going to have a sump, or no?

Get plenty of liverock and water flow via powerheads, and that's all you need.

You can cycle your tank either with raw shimp, or uncured liverock, or both.

[SCFatz]

Ive never used the prizm,but it gets good reads.

The coralife is what I went with and I like it lot.

I looked around for about a month before deciding on a skimmer and the one thing that seemed clear early on was NOT to by the sea clone,but research it yourself before deciding.

[SassyAngel111]

I have to agree with SCFatz I have a 29gl tank with about 30lbs of lr tow penguins ph and a coralife super 65 skimmer it took almost two months for me to get it to opperate correctly but now I am getting about a 1/4 cup of gunk everyday with it, just a little bit of a pain to get it adjusted right but once adjusted it works great.

[Speakerman]

Well I got some pool filter sand. The other stuff was around 5-6 times more expensive. So I went with what I got. I got the sand in the tank and the water is running into it. And I am syphoning the dirty water off the sand out the window, I'll do this for a long time until the water is almost perfectly clear, then I am going to run the Diatom filter on it.

After I get the water clear like I want it, I am going to mix in about 11.5 lbs of instant ocean. Thats what I figured a 37 gallon tank needs.

After that I will hook up the skimmer that I got. I went ahead and just got the Seaclone from Petsmart.

I'll get back on in a little while and update my progress.

[angelscrx]

I use a sea clone on my ten gallon QT tank. I would not use it on any of the regular tanks I have had and personally wouldn't recommend it. The tank you have looks tall what are the dimensions? Lighting is a personal preference type deal as everyone has their own opinion. If you want corals then you want VHOs or Metal Halides. Then you also have to consider heat issues amongst other things. My tank was cycled with live rock, a skimmer, and a sump/refugium. No live fish in it until ready for fish. I have never had a filter on my tanks except for the skilter back when I first started and didn't know any better. Don't get me wrong the Skilter worked great but it goes back to personal preference. You mentioned that you weren't planning on putting fish in it for another month but my suggestion is no fish for a few months. Do some research before you even put water in the tank becasue I would hate for you to go through lots of fish and coral loss because your tank wasn't completely ready.

[Speakerman]

Okay well I got the sand, and put it in the tank, and cleaned the sand...got the water nice and clear...Got the skimmer up and running, turned on the heater...and put the hood back on...

Now...Am I ready to add salt to the water? Tomorrow I am going to go buy 2 powerheads and put them in the tank for current.

I'd like to add the salt now and then put my shrimp in to start the cycle.

What do you think?

------------

As for the do the research thing...I've been reading up on this for a long time. Ever since I got my first tank. I've talked to about 50 people either in person or online...

Thanks a lot for all the help guys, I love this forum. I'd be lost without it.

Here are a few pics of my progression of cleaning the gravel...I put them up backwards...but you get the idea.

[Devilishturtles]

Hey Speaker. Tank looks good so far. Go ahead and put the salt in. For anyone reading this thread however, its much easier to put water in the tank, then salt, then sand. Much easier to mix that way. IMO anyways. As soon as you get SG fine, I'd add in the shrimp and start the cycle kickin.

[roka64]

I agree with Devilishturtles. Salt, measure the SG and when it is just right, add the shrimp.
For future PWCs, I would suggest you premix your water, to get the temp/salinity/pH as close to your tank's as possible. This will also keep out any "extras" that are present in any salt mix....