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ilostnemo

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First off do i need to rinse my live sand off before i put into my tank?
And i have a 30 gallon tank and a HOB filter that pushes 350 GPH is that enough? and It has activated charchol and a biowheel is there any other chemical i need to put in there? it has space for two extra inserts
 
also what lighting would i need for anemoes and leathers? i have a t10 and if thats not enough can i upgrade the guts of my lighting to hold a t5
 
I am doing the same kind of research as you are right now, and what I am finding is most recommend metal halide and t5 actinic lights for anemones.

As for you filter, I think it is more important to ensure you have flow throughout you entire aquarium. Most people with smaller tanks put a powerhead on either side of their tank, but maybe for you, since you have an HOB filter already pushing a lot of water, you could get away with only one powerhead to ensure you have different levels of movement throughout the tank. Remember that different corals require different amounts of flow so you have to experiment with what works best.
 
I am doing the same kind of research as you are right now, and what I am finding is most recommend metal halide and t5 actinic lights for anemones.

As for you filter, I think it is more important to ensure you have flow throughout you entire aquarium. Most people with smaller tanks put a powerhead on either side of their tank, but maybe for you, since you have an HOB filter already pushing a lot of water, you could get away with only one powerhead to ensure you have different levels of movement throughout the tank. Remember that different corals require different amounts of flow so you have to experiment with what works best.
the hob dumps directly in the middle so where would be the best place for the power head?
 
The anenome needs to be in a mature tank of at least one yr old. Yes you need to rinse off your sand. I would maybe think about rinsing it out with SW to keep whatever bacteria is in there even though I personally dont think there is much there. Just cant go along with that "live" part.
 
the hob dumps directly in the middle so where would be the best place for the power head?

Just as long as you have flow throughout the entire tank you will be ok, you don't want to have dead spots, but you also don't want to blow your corals off of the rocks.
 
The anenome needs to be in a mature tank of at least one yr old. Yes you need to rinse off your sand. I would maybe think about rinsing it out with SW to keep whatever bacteria is in there even though I personally dont think there is much there. Just cant go along with that "live" part.
how could i exactly rinse it out without losing alot of it?
 
You will loose some, but what I usually do is put the sand in a bucket, about 5 pounds at a time, then put the bucket under a tap and let it run until it is clearer water coming out. Then empty the bucket and get another five pounds, and repeat. Not very fast, but I think you don't loose too much of it. As for the live part, I agree with melosu in that I am not sure how "live" it actually is so I woudn't worry too mcuh.
 
how could i exactly rinse it out without losing alot of it?
Dump it into a 5 gallon pale until its about 2/3 full of sand. Then slowly fill the 5 gal with some fresh SW until full. Then gently shake the bucket to release the junk in the sand, it will float to the surface. After about 5-10 mins of shaking it, just dump the water out slowly so you don't lose sand and your done, place sand in the tank and repeat as necessary for the rest of your sand.
 
You will loose some, but what I usually do is put the sand in a bucket, about 5 pounds at a time, then put the bucket under a tap and let it run until it is clearer water coming out. Then empty the bucket and get another five pounds, and repeat. Not very fast, but I think you don't loose too much of it. As for the live part, I agree with melosu in that I am not sure how "live" it actually is so I woudn't worry too mcuh.
If your rinsing with tap water then any remaining "live" bacteria that may have been there will be gone. Hopefully you have a RO/DI unit inline with your tap to filter the water as well. If not that could expose the sand to whatever is in your tap water and it could leach into your tank over time (heavy metals, nitrates, ammonia,etc.).
 
If your rinsing with tap water then any remaining "live" bacteria that may have been there will be gone. Hopefully you have a RO/DI unit inline with your tap to filter the water as well. If not that could expose the sand to whatever is in your tap water and it could leach into your tank over time (heavy metals, nitrates, ammonia,etc.).
alright thanks for the info.

Anyone got answers to my other questions? lol
 
First off do i need to rinse my live sand off before i put into my tank?

Yes, you should rinse it to get whatever junk may be in there out.

And i have a 30 gallon tank and a HOB filter that pushes 350 GPH is that enough?

For your size tank that will be ok for now, but as you get corals and other livestock that need higher flow, you'll probably need 1-2 more PH's.

and It has activated charchol and a biowheel is there any other chemical i need to put in there? it has space for two extra inserts

My suggestion would be to consider getting rid of the HOB altogether, getting 2 powerheads rated at 350-450 gph pointed at each other from opposite sides of the tank, and getting about 40lbs of live rock to use as your biofilter. Also getting a protien skimmer is a must have if your getting corals. They need very clean and steady water parameters to flourish.
 
My suggestion would be to consider getting rid of the HOB altogether, getting 2 powerheads rated at 350-450 gph pointed at each other from opposite sides of the tank, and getting about 40lbs of live rock to use as your biofilter. Also getting a protien skimmer is a must have if your getting corals. They need very clean and steady water parameters to flourish.
thanks for more answers!! and for the hob its the only choice i have as of now. so thats why i was asking about the media
 
Rinse with Sw and you wont lose much. FW will kill the nitrifying bacteria supposedly if there is any there.
I dont think there will be any left, it says to take it off the shelf in may so, i its probably all dead.. With the dead shrimp to jump start the cycle could i put it in the filter and it decompose even quicker?
 
I dont think there will be any left, it says to take it off the shelf in may so, i its probably all dead.. With the dead shrimp to jump start the cycle could i put it in the filter and it decompose even quicker?

I wouldn't put it in the filter. Could break apart, maybe get caught in the props, or just get shredded and shot into the tank in tiny bits. All those would be bad.
 
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