New Tank---My Particular Situation

[jawfishjunky]

OK---
this place is great. People are experienced,patient and courteous enough to cut right to the chase.
Now that Ive buttered you up

I received a 65 gallon tank as a gift. I plan on using Live-Rock, skimmer,power heads for current, and some kind of self contained wet/dry filter.(Eheim 2227? 2229?) I have too tight a space for "Hang On" type filters.

Along with the gift I received:
20 lbs of crushed coral,
40 lbs of Aqua-agra sand 3 packets of Bio-Spira. None of this stuff is returnable.

I have enough Dead Rock from an old tank to raise the new Live-Rock off the bottom of the tank when curing.

Is it OK to put ALL these ingredients together to cycle, then make appropriate tests and water changes over the 6 weeks?

If its not OK---then what is the proper order of Tank introduction for my stated items when I`m cycling?

The REMORA Skimmer has been highly reccomended to me, but the Prizm skimmers look more streamlined and are thin enough for my space. Are they acceptable?

thanks a million! Hopefully about 2 months to those Jawfish!

 

[Devilishturtles]

Hi jawfishjunky. Welcome to AA.

Your plan sounds good to me. The dead rock will become live over time. With no actual live rock, it may tank a while longer, but that's okay. You may want to consider getting a little bit of liverock to add, just to speed up the process and start growing some coraline (if you want it!).

Can't comment on the skimmer. From what I've heard, both the Prizm and the Remora are good brands, with the Remora being the better of the two.

How old is the Bio-Spira. I do believe that stuff has a shelf-life date on it. You may want to check it out, just to make sure it's still good.

HTH

 

[jawfishjunky]

Thanks for reply.

Yeah---I def. plan on putting in about 60 lbs of Live-Rock. I gotta check the The Bio-Spira label,
but it was bought a week ago and has been refridgerated ever since.

 

[melosu58]

I would go with the sand only. Just because you cant return it doesn`t mean you have to add it to your tank. CC will aid in nitrate production and hinder the clean up process that your clean up crew would do.

 

[Charlie]

Jawfishjunky,

I just removed my Eheim 2227 wet/dry and replaced it with a conventional wet/dry. If you're interested I can offer you a very good deal. I have plenty of Ehfi-bio media for it too. Just a thought.

charlie - sellitto45@yahoo.com

 

[roka64]

I would go with the sand only. Just because you cant return it doesn`t mean you have to add it to your tank. CC will aid in nitrate production and hinder the clean up process that your clean up crew would do.

I agree with the rest, especially melosu58. Speaking from experience, CC looks nice at first, as soon as the tank starts aging, it gets dirty and a pain to clean. Make the decision now, because it is not fun switching from CC to sand, especailly if you have sand and critters in there also, like I did.

WELCOME TO AA!!!

 

[jawfishjunky]

I has been suggested, and I have read that with enough L ROCK + P Skimmer ,no man-made filter is really needed.
I understand the concept---but as a beginner I`m a bit leary of totally depending on the Rock for filtration.
I have decided to get about 60 lbs of live rock to start with and a quality Remora Protein skimmer.
Should I get some kind of HOB Filter to help things along, or will this only make me feel better and not do anything for the tank?

Also ---what kind of Lighting is suggested for FOWLR? I`m planning on Tonga Lalo Rock and maybe some Marshall Island rock.
THANKS!

 

[roka64]

If you go with 1.5-2 LBs of LR per gallon, you should be good to go, for bio filtration. If you don't feel comfortable, go ahead and get a filter (if you have the money).

Should I get some kind of HOB Filter to help things along, or will this only make me feel better and not do anything for the tank?

IMO 60LBs of LR will not be enough for biofiltration.

This is the lighting I have:
https://www.thatpetplace.com/Produc...es/T1/F38EX+0434+0111/EDP/47986/Itemdy00.aspx


If you are trying to decide between a skimmer and a filter, since you are going FOWLR, I would skip the skimmer, for now. I don't run one, but there are plenty of folks that swear by them.

 

[ntswift]

If you are just going with a FOWLR, you could just use NO flour. The lighting on FOWLR is for your personal preference. If you want to get corals down the line then you can upgrade lighting at that time. Or if you have the money you could do it now, but its not necessary. You won't need a HOB filter either. Your rocks will be enough as Roka said. Will a HOB filter do anything? Sure, it will help remove some of the big pieces floating around in the water. IMHO you really dont need one though.HTH

 

[jawfishjunky]

If you are just going with a FOWLR, you could just use NO flour. The lighting on FOWLR is for your personal preference.

Would higher-grade lighting increase the Rock`s efficiency as a bio-filter?

If so---is it enough of an improvement to warrant the investment?

I`m totally for keeping the cost down---I just want to make sure the filtering is sufficient.

Would there be pre-existing organisms on the purchased Live Rock that would be brought out more (or simply survive!) if I used higher-grade lighting?


thanks for your reply.

 

[dorian965]

lights would help your rock but is not necessary for bio-filtration, bacteria doesnt really need light. personally, if i were going to spend the money for premium rock and had a little extra money i would go with some power compacts at least. some people are converting to t-5 lighting and ive heard its pretty affordable.

 

[roka64]

Would higher-grade lighting increase the Rock`s efficiency as a bio-filter?

Not that I know of. One case I can think of is if you happen to get a coral, by accident that would need higher lighting requirements.

If so---is it enough of an improvement to warrant the investment?

Not really, if you are looking to save some money. It might be better to save up and upgrade when you can.

Would there be pre-existing organisms on the purchased Live Rock that would be brought out more (or simply survive!) if I used higher-grade lighting?

Possibly, as I said before, but I would tend to think that would be a lucky and rare find. I am sure there are some critters that would like it, but I don't think it is critical.

 

[jawfishjunky]

.......... if i were going to spend the money for premium rock......

Can you give me some places to find that "premium rock"?

I am most interested in the Tonga Lalo and Deep-Water. I`d probably get some Cheaper Fiji for the base-rock.

Thanks for your input.

 

[roka64]

How about these:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=393
https://www.thatpetplace.com/
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_1...h_in_description=1&parent_category=0&x=5&y=14
http://www.marinecenter.com/rocks/liverock/

 

[jawfishjunky]

How about these:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=393
https://www.thatpetplace.com/
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_1...h_in_description=1&parent_category=0&x=5&y=14
http://www.marinecenter.com/rocks/liverock/

Beautiful,

thanks!