Woody5465
Aquarium Advice Regular
For years I've had a desire to start a saltwater aquarium but was always sceptical about how much time and money it would take. Last weekend I visited the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher and the fever started again. Last night I stopped at a pet and hobby store to pick up some hamster food for my grandson's hamster and they were having a sale on aquarium start up kits. Long story short, after spending about an hour and a half talkng to the salesperson I walked out with a 29 gal saltwater setup. Some expensive hamster food to say the least. So last night was spent setting up the tank to start the cycle. I put in the salt water which is at about 1.020 (i figured low was better cause I can add more salt if needed). Also put in live sand and about 2 lbs of live rock that the store had already begun curing. I know I need more rock and will add more as finances allow. I'll probably be sticking to a fish only live rock tank for a while. I would eventually like to have a reef tank but because of expense and experinace I'm going to work into that much later than sooner. Now is when I start needing advice.
- What steps should I take to cycle the tank properly?
- When and what should I start with regarding livestock?
- This morning I noticed a white sediment on the live rocks. Do they need to be cleaned or will it take care of itself?
- The kit came with a pump/filter that has been running since set up. What other equipment do I need and/or is necessary?