10g fowlr help!!

[egrape]

that will probably be fine, just the first weeks be sure to monitor it. same with when you add fish and start feeding and such. you just wanna keep the nitrates down

 

[jhawk__]

that will probably be fine, just the first weeks be sure to monitor it. same with when you add fish and start feeding and such. you just wanna keep the nitrates down

Ok. I wanna do a fish less cycle but with seeded media to speed up the process. I don't do water changes during the cycle correct?

 

[egrape]

correct. no water changes until ammonia and nitrite are zero. cycling with live rock will also help to speed it up as well. same concept as seeded media

 

[jhawk__]

correct. no water changes until ammonia and nitrite are zero. cycling with live rock will also help to speed it up as well. same concept as seeded media

If I do both at the same time, how long do you think it would take?

 

[egrape]

it varies, but my tank cycled completely in less than a week. that doesn't necessarily mean it's ready for fish right at that point, but you can definitely start adding CUC when the levels are safe. my tank still doesn't have fish and it's been set up for two months.

 

[TheTodd]

Typically it will take about a month to cycle, but with live rock and/or sand it could be less. How much less will vary from tank to tank. Adding something like Dr Tim's one & only cycled my 75g in about a week.

 

[jhawk__]

i hope mine cycles in a week! thad be nice lol. i might be going to petco tonight, i might start buying a few things to get started! In what order should i buy everything? it will probably take me 2-3 trips before i have it all.

 

[dustinfeint]

i hope mine cycles in a week! thad be nice lol. i might be going to petco tonight, i might start buying a few things to get started! In what order should i buy everything? it will probably take me 2-3 trips before i have it all.

Get them like this:

Tank
Stand
Background
Sand
Ro water
Hydrometer
Salt mix
Heater
Filter
Powerhead
Live rock
Thermometer
Test kit

 

[egrape]

perfect. and then get everything up and running. fill tank with salt water three quarters of the way. let it run for twenty four hours. also get your ph raiser, treat tank with that. then after the 24 hours add live sand. I let mine sit with only live sand until the initial ammonia spike went down, then added live rock. and go from there!

 

[jhawk__]

Thanks so much! Ill make a list for next trip to the Lfs

 

[jhawk__]

In order for me to start this build, I need to rehome 4 beautiful female bettas. I just don't have the guts to return them to Petco. I rescued them and now I feel bad to have to give them up.

 

[jhawk__]

Need some advice, I want to do the swap tomorrow and just return the bettas.

Should I get a blue or black background?

Live sand or regular?

How many GPH should the power head have

What kind of salt mix should I get

Does Walmart sell Ro water

 

[cgthebeast]

Need some advice, I want to do the swap tomorrow and just return the bettas.

Should I get a blue or black background?

Live sand or regular?

How many GPH should the power head have

What kind of salt mix should I get

Does Walmart sell Ro water

Black IMO is better
Live sand is the best way to go
Instant ocean
And some do and some do not it matters at the store

 

[jhawk__]

I just can't decide on the color lol! I'd like more people's input and ill look up pics of the two colors on tanks and see which I like more

Live sand will probably be out of my price range, so I might just have to get regular, will it make a difference?

I'm looking at a 240 GPH powerhead, would that work?

I also saw on petco's website, pre mixed saltwater, is that a do or don't? It sounds like a good idea for a newbie like me.

 

[cgthebeast]

I just can't decide on the color lol! I'd like more people's input and ill look up pics of the two colors on tanks and see which I like more

Live sand will probably be out of my price range, so I might just have to get regular, will it make a difference?

I'm looking at a 240 GPH powerhead, would that work?

I also saw on petco's website, pre mixed saltwater, is that a do or don't? It sounds like a good idea for a newbie like me.

Live sand is around 20 bucks and that powerhead will be fine. I use the same one in my 25. Pre mixed saltwater is a do. It's better then using tap water

 

[jhawk__]

Live sand is around 20 bucks and that powerhead will be fine. I use the same one in my 25. Pre mixed saltwater is a do. It's better then using tap water

Oh that's all? For some reason I was thinking it was a lot more.

And maybe ill just do the pre mixed water cause then I wouldn't have to purchase salt mix.

This is currently setup as a FW tank so do u just need to rinse all the current equipment off thoroughly. (tank, filter, heater.)

 

[cgthebeast]

Oh that's all? For some reason I was thinking it was a lot more.

And maybe ill just do the pre mixed water cause then I wouldn't have to purchase salt mix.

This is currently setup as a FW tank so do u just need to rinse all the current equipment off thoroughly. (tank, filter, heater.)

Yep, it's not to bad. Yep no salt mix if its already pre mixed. I would clean everything just to be safe

 

[jhawk__]

Would cleaning it with tap water be okay?

 

[cgthebeast]

Would cleaning it with tap water be okay?

Yeah, I took my tank out side and blasted it with a water hose to clean it

 

[TangoTank]

Live Rock will seed the sand, not necessary to buy "Live Sand" unless you have another reason to do so. On the background, I like the blue look, personally, however it shows more imperfections/bubbles when you apply it if you don't do it perfectly or if you get a print that's blue based, it's cool like Seaview's "Seascape," looks like endless ocean.

As for cleaning the tank, I'd use vinegar & tap water 50/50. Just let it dry completely before you start setting it up--don't use towels to dry it that have been washed w/ laundry detergent (& fabric softeners)!

On saltwater... Petco pre-mixed is expensive. Shouldn't mix your own w/ tap water due to possibly toxic levels of TDS such as Copper which once in your tank even if you don't plan to keep inverts now, you might later. Copper hangs out even when the offending water is gone. My LFS sells RODI for $.69/gal & SW for $.99/gal. I just buy it mixed, easier & honestly won't be saving much money buying salt for all the trouble. Up to you though & what's available, you gotta do the math