Advice needed for new tank setup please!

[Gremlin86]

Hey everyone, I'm new to this forum and also new to the hobby so desperate for some advice/reassurance.

I am setting up a Marine Fish Only Aquarium and looking at culturing my own live sand in the 4ft aquarium before adding any fish etc. I realize this will involve a long wait however financially feel it is much better.

My intentions are to set up the tank with RO water, Salt, Heater, Protein Skimmer and Powerheads then add 80 lbs of silica free sand with 20 lbs of high quality Live Aragonite Sand to seed the sand.

Will this be enough or will i need to add anything to boost this process. I would eventually love to work up to FOWLR and eventually Reef however want to take it step by step at the moment. I am also looking at it financially and looking at spreading the cost.

Thanks

James

 

[Gboy66]

Hey everyone, I'm new to this forum and also new to the hobby so desperate for some advice/reassurance.

I am setting up a Marine Fish Only Aquarium and looking at culturing my own live sand in the 4ft aquarium before adding any fish etc. I realize this will involve a long wait however financially feel it is much better.

My intentions are to set up the tank with RO water, Salt, Heater, Protein Skimmer and Powerheads then add 80 lbs of silica free sand with 20 lbs of high quality Live Aragonite Sand to seed the sand.

Will this be enough or will i need to add anything to boost this process. I would eventually love to work up to FOWLR and eventually Reef however want to take it step by step at the moment. I am also looking at it financially and looking at spreading the cost.

Thanks

James

Hello James! We're happy to have you here. This sight is quite the family, and a valuable resource! I started here with my first little freshy system, and have worked my way up to having a mixed reef. I owe it all to the people here. Anyways...

Live sand, in my honest opinion, is a trick. You really dont need to seed it. Your live rock can do that, and with time sand will become live all on its own! Being a teenager, im always on a budget too. Therefore, just go for the regular dead sand and you'll save a lot.

To boost this process as you said, add rock from the start of the cycling process, James. The rock will harbor a lot of the beneficial bacteria, and is a main filtration source. Add mostly dead base rock (much cheaper) and only a bit of live rock. Idk your tank size, but you will only need several pounds of live rock to get the job done.

Well i think i answered all your questions. Make sure you dont hesitate to ask any other questions!!!

 

[ezy33]

Well stated Gboy66! Also the live rock will bring many interesting inhabitants with it and will start your clean up crew. Welcome aboard Gremlin86!