Finally got my 40G...got some questions

[bobajum]

I finally got a 40G setup.

I bought a Used setup from a guy but the acrylic tank i got from him was in terrible condition so I went and bought a new 40G glass tank.

Here is what I got from him...

He had a Tang of some sort and a Maroon clown ( pretty big) with about 50-60 lbs of live rock ( im not sure if they are live or not anymore) and about 3" of crushed coral/sand mixture. I also got the Tank/Stand/Canopy from him, a CPR BakPak skimmer, a Magnum 350, a heater, JBJ PC light fixture, and an assortment of chemicals and such.

I will be selling the old beat up tank and the 2 fish to someone so I hope they will end up in good hands.

Now...here are some questions I have.

Well...let me give u guys the run down first... The guy I got the the setup from said he had it for about 5 years....he said he couldnt take care of it anymore so he was getting rid of it....from the looks of it...it looks like he hadnt cleaned the tank in about 2 years as most of the tank was covered in some sort of algae and other crud. While we were taking all the stuff out of his tank...he tried to clean the sand a bit and it looked like he hadnt cleaned the sand in about 3-4 years...water was black and foul smelling!!! When I say the water was black...I mean like muddy black water...no exaggeration!!!

Anyway...after I cleaned up everything...its looking pretty good...especially with my new tank. So back to the questions...

1. I threw out most of the rock as they had some white slimy things on them like they were dead coral or something. I have about 15lbs worth I kept. I am not sure if the rocks are live anymore but I've kept them in SW since I got them yesterday.

2. The sand he had was full of gravel and small pieces of coral and crushed sea shells. Will this type of sand be suitable for LS or will I need to go buy a whole new batch of sand? I really dont want to buy a whole 50lbs or so of sand as I can't find the play sand anywhere in my area. Not only that...I spend like 3 hours cleaning the sand via hand!!! I got all the gunk out and its nice and clean now and I'd hate to see all that work go to waste.

3. Do I have to go through and cycle the tank completely for 4-6 weeks before I can stock with with fish and stuff?? The rocks are from his tank and it seems like there is still some algae on them. I want to try to get my Sebae and Goby from my 6g into my new setup as soon as I can.

4. I plan on getting some more LR from this place http://www.oceanproaquatics.com/shop/index.php/cPath/30_88 . Anyone have any experience with them?? I will be out of town for about a week, so do I start my cycle after I add the new rocks?

Any and all info would be great.

BTW...you guys are awesome with all the great info and help

 

[quarryshark]

1. I threw out most of the rock as they had some white slimy things on them like they were dead coral or something. I have about 15lbs worth I kept. I am not sure if the rocks are live anymore but I've kept them in SW since I got them yesterday.

It still should be alive, you may want to put a powerhead in the container where you are storing it for some circulation.

The sand he had was full of gravel and small pieces of coral and crushed sea shells. Will this type of sand be suitable for LS or will I need to go buy a whole new batch of sand? I really dont want to buy a whole 50lbs or so of sand as I can't find the play sand anywhere in my area. Not only that...I spend like 3 hours cleaning the sand via hand!!! I got all the gunk out and its nice and clean now and I'd hate to see all that work go to waste.

You need fine sand if you want a LS bed. Critters have a hard time thriving in substrate such as you describe. Also this type of substrate will become a nitrate factory unless you clean it routinely.

Do I have to go through and cycle the tank completely for 4-6 weeks before I can stock with with fish and stuff?? The rocks are from his tank and it seems like there is still some algae on them. I want to try to get my Sebae and Goby from my 6g into my new setup as soon as I can.

I would throw a piece of cocktail shrimp in there and 'kick start" the cycle, monitoring the water parameter for a couple of weeks. . Especially if you are using new salt mix and are planning to add more LR. If you purchase new LR, that will throw you into a cycle, if its uncured. Test the water routinely and see what happens.

 

[bobajum]

quarryshark,

Thank you for the info.

I guess I better take out the sand out of my tank and go get some new sand. I read the article on how to cycle without fish so I will definitely do the fishless cycle and hope to get my tank up and running soon.

 

[quarryshark]

Cool!! Have fun with it.