Gravel, Sand or crushed coral?

[nicolea]

Brand new saltwater tank, trying to get set up. I want black flooring and I can only find it in gravel. Will that be okay to start with?

 

[Sniperhank]

No. Gravel and crushed coral are very bad in saltwater setups. They trap food and poop and create nitrate issues. Here is a link for black substrate below. Just remember, you want roughly 1 lbs of substrate and one lbs of live rock per gallon of water in your tank. Aquarium Substrate for Marine Aquariums: CaribSea Instant Aquarium Substrate Tahitian Moon

 

[nicolea]

Oh thank you that makes perfect sense! Another question or two ... Can I start with just tap water and put in conditioner and dechlorinater? Or should I buy filtered or distilled water?

Also I have one filter system that hangs at the back of the tank, waterfall type filter... Is that going to do the job or will I need two?

I bought the tank used to I have no clue what kind of filter it is. Or the heater either

 

[Sniperhank]

Distilled or ro/di water is what should be used in saltwater setups. Tap water is normally high in TDS readings, especially phosphates, that will cause algae issues.

You can run the HOB filter, though once you get enough rock in the system that is what filtration is normally used in saltwater. Some still use them, but I don't. There are other forms of filtration that are used if problems arise, such as canisters and protein skimmers. But that is a topic for further down the road. Just hook it up, fill it up, and cycle it!

PS just toss an uncooked shrimp into the tank to cycle it. Get an API test kit so you can monitor the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings and you'll be golden.

 

[nicolea]

Lol ok after I look up all those abbreviations ill have a better understanding lol hahaha

So I can put like a blood shrimp in right away even if I only have a few rocks ?

 

[Criptix]

Lol ok after I look up all those abbreviations ill have a better understanding lol hahaha

So I can put like a blood shrimp in right away even if I only have a few rocks ?

This will help with abbreviations:Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community - FAQ: vBulletin FAQ

If you are set on black live sand check amazon.com they have it and it will give you a place to start.I can't wait to see pics!

 

[54seaweed]

Lol ok after I look up all those abbreviations ill have a better understanding lol hahaha

just run your mouse over underlined abbreviation
it will tell you what it is

 

[nicolea]

I'm on an iPad so I don't have that option the link above helped tho!