live rock show

[dog-faced]

hey got some Q's

1. If i only put 25lbs of live rock in a 75 gallon tank will the rock survive or what? is it bad to not have enough b/c i know u can not have anyat all i just want a little bit is this ok, Im going to have a protein skimmer and a biowheel filter so that should be good, also sand and crushed coral...

2. can i out the live rock in with the sand then put water in my tank then mix the salt or can live rock not touch non-salt water?

[Mikebaker]

1. The rock won't die if you only have a little, but 25 pounds isn't going to be enough for a 75 gallon tank. You should shoot for around 1-1.5 lbs per gallon. If you use your bio wheel filter, i would take the bio wheels out of it, as they can often cause excessive ammounts of nitrate.

2. I would have your salt water mixed before you add it to the tank with the sand and rock in it, as adding fresh water will most certainley kill all of your denitrifying bacteria in your live rock, thus making it dead rock.

Hope this helps. Mike Baker

[dog-faced]

hum good advice can anyone second the biowheel thing???? any recomendations for another filter method round 50bucks?

Also i heard it was bad to add sand after water due to cloudes is this true????

[roka64]

1. The rock won't die if you only have a little, but 25 pounds isn't going to be enough for a 75 gallon tank. You should shoot for around 1-1.5 lbs per gallon. If you use your bio wheel filter, i would take the bio wheels out of it, as they can often cause excessive ammounts of nitrate.

Some of this can be done. Mike is correct, that is not enough LR for natural bio filtration. It is suggested that you get 1.5-2LBs per gallon of water (you don't have to get this all at once). LR is good for hiding places and safety for your critters. You can use some base rock and it will, eventually become live.
About the biowheel, Mike is correct, eventually it could cause huge nitrate build up. While you are starting, I would leave it in there, especially if you are using a small amount of LR. This will help in the bio filtration, as well. After your tank has matured, you may want to remove the wheel, if it is causing problems.
The CC will limit your clean up crew and needs to be vacuumed often, in order to keep it looking nice. I had CC, but decided to switch to sand. If I had it all over to do again, I would go with the sand.

2. I would have your salt water mixed before you add it to the tank with the sand and rock in it, as adding fresh water will most certainley kill all of your denitrifying bacteria in your live rock, thus making it dead rock.

Excellent point, Mike! I premix my salt for at least 12-48 hours. This has helped me learn to mix the SW, get the pH/temp stable or as close to my tank's parameters as possible. All you will need for this is a large enough bucket, PH thermometer and heater.
Since you are starting out, I wouldn't worry about the "sand storm", since you won't have any critters in there.

Please do not cycle your tank with live critters.

Back to the CC/sand. I did this and ended up having to sift out the sand, with LR and critters in my tanks, a VERY big pain in the rear.

[Mikebaker]

Originally Posted by dog-faced

hum good advice can anyone second the biowheel thing???? any recomendations for another filter method round 50bucks?

Also i heard it was bad to add sand after water due to cloudes is this true????

A better alternative to the Penguin (i assume that's what your bio wheel filter is) would be an aquaclear from hagen, they do a good job of removing particulate waste, i use a sponge prefilter on the intake of mine, which i clean once a week in tank water, and then i clean the rest of the media about once a month in tank water. As far as sand clouding the water, just rinse it well in a five gallon bucket in your bathtub, and that should take care of most of it. A good inexpensive skimmer is the coralife. And also, i second what roka said: don't cycle your tank with live fish- would you like to live in sewage for a month? Just toss in a piece of raw, unseasoned shrimp from your local fish market, and that will provide you with the ammonia to establish a nice, stable biofilter.

[dog-faced]

why was there a problem with crushed coral and sand.. will just sand and live rock be good? live rock takes care of fish poo? also should the power heads be pointing at the live rock or twards the surface? or just in the middle, where should the powerheads flow water to?

edit** would never cycle with live fish, i can cycle with just live rock correct?

thanks for the fast n helpful replys

[roka64]

why was there a problem with crushed coral and sand

the CC got dirty and looked bad. The sand shifted to under the CC, when I cleaned it. That was just my own personal experience, I'm sur there are others that will agree and others that like the CC look.

will just sand and live rock be good?

That's what I have.

any recomendations for another filter method round 50bucks?

LR and sand can replace a filter (1.5-2LBs per gallon of water will work). I have a filter, but only use it for extra water movement and carbon, if needed.

also should the power heads be pointing at the live rock or twards the surface?

I have the pionting toward each other, on opposites ends of the tank and the filter's output at the surface for good gas exchange, for a stable pH.

[melosu58]

I agree with LR and sand. Better looking and better for your clean up crew to sift through. Also Clouds will go away