Mixing Instant Ocean

[Jeff5225]

#1. I am am mixing Instant Ocean salt water for the 1st. time. I have 2 options for mixing, 1500 GPH powerhead or 251 GPH Syncra 1.0 pump by SICCE. Which would be best to mix the salt / water ?


#2. After I have the salinity at .0125 and the temp. @ 78, in a new garbage can,I am curing 55 lbs. of Dry Live Rock ( BRS Pukani) for 6 weeks. Which should I use for circulation? Powerhead or pump ?

Thank You Very Much, Jeff Davis

 

[Sniperhank]

For mixing and circulation during curing, it really doesn't matter.

 

[Redwolf91]

Whichever you find easier really, there isn't a best in this case

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[Jeff5225]

Mixing Salt Water

oops I haven't mentioned I am curing the rock in a 32 gal Rubbermaid can.

I'm going to put the pump in with the rock, is salinity & temp. critical?

 

[Redwolf91]

Should be in approximate range, yes

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[aadair22]

It's not a big deal at all at this point.. Just keep the salinity and temp in a reasonable range and throw whichever power head or pump is closest to you in it. Do you have an ammonia source to start the BB growing on the rock?

 

[Jeff5225]

I don't follow, when you ask "Do you have an ammonia source to start the BB growing on the rock? " what do you mean ? Beneficial Bacteria, I got that part, but tell me more about the ammonia. Thanks.

 

[Redwolf91]

Basically, some form of dead thing, usually a piece of shrimp, to start the cycle off.

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[aadair22]

The BB Need an ammonia source as 'food' to multiply and colonize your tank. Like when you start up a new tank and cycle it, some people use fish food, pure ammonia, the 'shrimp method' (throwing a raw shrimp in and letting it decay), or just throw some damsel fish in their tank and let them suffer in there own waste while th BB begins to colonize and break down the ammonia. I suppose some bacteria would slowly colonize the rocks but I would definitely add an ammonia source to speed things up.

 

[Redwolf91]

That's pretty much it in a nut shell lol

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[Jeff5225]

I plan on doing that when I cycle the tank. Brand new 75 long. Do I need to do the ammonia thing while curing the rock?

 

[aadair22]

The method behind the madness. Lol. When I had a 20g tank cycling and my parents came over and saw it they couldn't understand why I just had a dead shrimp in it..

 

[aadair22]

Yes do it now with the rock. It will speed things up with your tank sooo much. As long as you cure this rock well, you probably won't have much of a cycle when you put it in your tank

 

[Jeff5225]

Just toss a dead shrimp in the curing trash can (new) ?

 

[aadair22]

Yup. Go to a grocery store nearest to you and ask for one raw, uncooked shrimp. They will look at you a little crazy and then wrap it up and give it to you for free (unless they are jerks and charge you 21 cents for it lol). I will say it's best to put it In a media bag.. When the time comes to remove it, it will smell worse than death and trust me (speaking from experience) you don't want to have to grab it out with your hand

 

[Jeff5225]

Alright, I'll do that. Now I plan on curing the rock, 55 lbs of BRS Pukani for 6 weeks, how often and how much, if ever do I do water changes, and do I wanna test for any thing?

 

[Redwolf91]

Death might be a bit understated, more like a homeless guy died with a pocket full of scallops, in the dead of summer, and yes, we do this willingly lol

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[aadair22]

You don't really need to test anything. You can check the ammonia to keep up with where your cycle is at.. When it's at zero it is most likely done. For 6 weeks, I may change out a few gallons here and there just to keep things fresh but I wouldn't say it's an absolute must..

 

[aadair22]

Death might be a bit understated, more like a homeless guy died with a pocket full of scallops, in the dead of summer, and yes, we do this willingly lol

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Honestly, I still feel like this is an understatement.. The only thing I've smelled comparable to this was when I pulled a dead turbo snail out and while
Holding it, flicked my hand into the sink (you know, to get the excess water off my hand) and the dead snail flew out of his shell and right in the strainer.. One of the few smells that has made me almost lose my cookies

 

[Jeff5225]

OK, I really appreciate you dropping these pearls of wisdom on me. I'm like a sponge, I've been absorbing this intel since Christmas when I bought the tank. 2G's later I'm making water and starting my cycle etc. Getting closer. I like your style ^5