New Tank Setup. Need assistance.

[Aceshigh]

Hey folks, how are you all doing?

I am in need of some assistance and I have already purchased that "Conscientious Marine Aquarist" guide someone suggested but.....personally I didn't find it helpful. It's just a basic overview in my opinion.
I'm attempting to restart my tank.

By the way, this tank was alive and well with fish until I moved it from my old house to new house and ditched the sand. 3 days later everything died on me. So I'm not very happy at the moment but I'm not truly ready to quit just yet. So far it's been sitting idle for a week now. Not sure how to restart this whole process. I've heard it has to cycle.

Here's my dilemma. I have a 46 Gallon bowfront tank. I have 45lbs + of live rock in it. I just followed some peoples suggestions about the Old Castle playsand @ HD and put 25lbs, in there plus 20lbs of live sand on top. I just put 25 gallons of the pre-existing tank saltwater back in it. Now how to I get it prepped and ready for fish again?? I may throw in a few corals once I get it running for a few months but not right away.

What exactly should I do next??? Should I leave a light on for the live rock ?? Should I skim? Should I do any water changes?? How often should I check the levels before I can add fish again? So many questions.....I know....I appreciate any help though folks.

 

[fishfreek]

personally I didn't find it helpful. It's just a basic overview in my opinion.

The first half contains much of the information you will find in just about any how to setup book but what I like about it is the back half has the profiles of the fish and inverts making it one of the better all around refernce books.

What was your purpose behind ditcheing the sand? Just curious. Did the fish die due to high ammonia levels? The live rock should populate the sand bed with bactera fairly quickly so I would not bother with cycling. Readd fish slowly 1 or so a week and you should be fine.

If your fish died due to ammonia and nitirite levels then I would nto add any fish till those levels are back down to near zero. As long as the rock is in good condition this should be fairly quick.

 

[Aceshigh]

Yeah it just looked like a total beginners guide with no real tips on how to start or maintain a tank. The specifics. It just looked like a reference manual to identify fish and other inverts.

Okay, so I will check my ammonia and nitrates daily to find out how they are doing.

Another thing that made me cautious was when I added the Old Castle playsand and then the live sand it seemed ok. But once I poured the water in I had milky water for 3 days. It's still not quite completely clear, but pretty close.

Why did I ditch the sand?? Because I did numerous water changes to no avail. My ammonia levels were still high as well as my nitrate or nitrites.....still can't remember which is which. So I tossed the sand to start over. Figured it was the best to do....obviously I was wrong.

 

[Aceshigh]

I'm going to add a few percula clowns to see how they do. But I will check my levels to ensure it to be ok.

How long does it take to cycle a tank , if my levels are too high ??