getting ready to fill tank, please tell me if this is ok?

[AnnnetteM]

I have a 110 gal tank and I put black tahitian moon sand (dry) 130 lbs, a bunch of really cool dry bleached coral branches and some smaller sitting in the sand, wet/dry with bioballs under, protein skimmer, uv ster, chiller, and PC lighting. It will obviously be a fish only and I want to know if putting Weiss organics bacter boost to cycle my tank is ok? Everyone I talk to besides a few online forums never recommend using the raw shrimp method. It's in my daughter's room also and I can't afford to have it smell for weeks on end either. So hence my thought to use this product to cycle. Anyway, opinion on this would be appr. and also I am planning on adding the following livestock to the tank at the rate of about one fish per three weeks-1 a month in the following order.
1. 2 false percula
2. bumble bee snails ? how many with no lR
3. nassarius snails ? how many w/no LR
4. queen conch ? how many
5. Yellow tang
6. pink square anthias
7. 2 cleaner shrimp
8. orange linkia starfish
9. blue tang
10. electric blue hermit crabs? how many?
11. long- fin bannerfish
12. helfrich's firefish

I also have in my tank some bleached coral plate pieces that are large for hiding and a giant conch shell that even the smaller fish could swim into for hiding.
Any reccomendations that I should change? Besides the fact of the LR. I don't even want to think of having it. I am starting a 280 gal in about six months that will be cusom built with the plug in plastic rock systems also. Big al's opened a giant store near me with no LR in any tank display or otherwise and his fish are the most beautiful I have seen! I have to mention that anyone living in S FL should really visit this place as I believe he will put out of business all of the smaller places we have that sell sick or unhealthy fish, but charge a small fortune for them. This place has over 20,000 gal of tanks with fish for sale. It is like the size of a grocery store! And the most beautiful fish I have seen out of the ocean!

 

[zacdl]

Wow you spent some money for this tank. Depending on your lighting you can have that be a reef tank.


I wouldnt get a starfish, they eat urchins, and snails.


On my 30 gal I got 2 hermits and 2 snails, in one day they cleaned it top to bottom.

I am thinking for your tank something like 10-20 of each.
Go with red-leg hermits, they say blue hermits arent as good (Dont remember the reason why)


Sounds like you have a good plan going, but that chemical doesnt do anything at all.
You need to use fish or a shrimp. Fish are easier to kill, the shrimp is already dead so it wont matter.


You dont have to have live rock. Its up to you. I would get some because fish like to go in and out of it. Since you are doing a fish only, you dont have to worry about your lighting at all now, as you wont have live rock or corals.

Good luck, sorry I cant be of more help maybe someone else can jump in.

 

[AnnnetteM]

yeah, I did spend some money for the tank. It was in my bedroom before as a reef system, but I moved and now am setting it up in my daughter's room for fish only. I do have some other decor in the tank for the fish to hide, (little kid stuff she likes). Everyone here in every place I go and even at the maine tank convention I went to told me not to use the raw shrimp method. That's why I am asking for other advice. Did anyone start cycling their tank with anything besides the shrimp or live fish? Also how do I seed the sand bed that is dry? I won't be having LR or corals, but doesn't the sand bed need pods, micro and macro, and the like? I am still a little confused on the whole FOWOLR system since I learned this hobby by reef keeping. And how does my livestock look? Too many or ok?

 

[AnnnetteM]

sorry I meant marine tank convention.....

 

[AnnnetteM]

I also know the plants and the like should be in my sump...I will be doing that or maybe a small fuge to help with nitrate export.

 

[zacdl]

I use shrimp.
IMO its the best, cheapest, most sure way to cycle your tank.

I got my shrimp I used free at walmart (one shrimp doesnt weigh so they just give it to me free)

You may want 2-3 for a 55 though.

Use shrimp. Cheap, it wont die (Already dead), much cheaper than fish, and you dont have to worry about it.


You seed a sand bed with some live sand from your LFS, or a friends established tank... This will also help your cycle get done quicker.

I dont think you need pods anyway looking at your fish list.

As far as the bioload, it looks to be OK. The only things that contribute to it are the fish, inverts dont contribute to the bioload much at alll (if not at all). You just have 7 fish total there, I think they will be fine.

 

[AnnnetteM]

I can't seed the sandbed from another tank because of the black sand. I don't want white sand in my black sand and I don't think it will work in my sump since there is where I have skimmer and uv ster. Also the dead shrimp thing, I don't want my 7 year old's room smelling like rot for 4 weeks. I don't think she will hack this smell and I don't think it's very healthy for her for 4 weeks like this in a confined room to have to smell this bacteria rotting. Any more ideas anyone? :?