I had decided to setup a reef tank. Having made that decision, I figured the best way to go about it was to read the saltwater sections of my aquarium books, the stickies, and the saltwater forums for a bit- I thought maybe about six weeks or so would be good.
If you've heard the one about the best laid plans of mice and men, you know where I'm headed. I got the chance to purchase a "complete" setup for about what the tank and stand alone would cost after only a week. $500 for a 125 gallon tank, stand, 2 coralife lights, 2 cannister filters (Magnum 350 and a cascade), HOB Protein Skimmer, glass hood, 2 clownfish, a lionfish, various snails, anemoes, and other hitchhikers, a few hundred pounds of live rock, and shopping bags of assorted parts, media, and gadgets. Craigslist can be such a mixed blessing.
The problem is the complete setup included fish (And inverts... etc). I'd prefer not to kill them, and as of yet have been unable to find them a temporary home with a more experianced marine aquarist while I learn the ropes.
Because of my insufficent research, I made a couple of decisions that might come back to haunt me. The first one was that I didn't know if live rock was more sensitive to being dry, or cold fresh water. Since my books suggest adding the live rock before the water, I did so with about 2/3rds of it. And added water. As some of my experiance with freshwater suggests hot water has far too much copper, and my books agreed with me, it was cold- Very cold. I tried to adjust salinity as I filled, and at least didn't end up too salty! I added the remainder of the live rock at the proper salinity, and about 65 degrees. The live rock added to the cold water was moist but in the air about 3 hours, the rest maybe 8. Did I kill off my live rock?
Since I keep several freshwater planted tanks, I assume my knowledge of saltwater is absolutely zero. Even the nitrogen cycle, from what I've read, is more complicated- As I see saltwater often extends the cycle into converting nitrate into nitrogen gas. I've hit the stickies, but can anyone suggest any further places to look for basic step by step guidelines, or offer some of the mistakes you've made or heard about that a newbie might fall into?
I know this kind of thread must have been posted often in the past, and I am searching for similiar items.
If you've heard the one about the best laid plans of mice and men, you know where I'm headed. I got the chance to purchase a "complete" setup for about what the tank and stand alone would cost after only a week. $500 for a 125 gallon tank, stand, 2 coralife lights, 2 cannister filters (Magnum 350 and a cascade), HOB Protein Skimmer, glass hood, 2 clownfish, a lionfish, various snails, anemoes, and other hitchhikers, a few hundred pounds of live rock, and shopping bags of assorted parts, media, and gadgets. Craigslist can be such a mixed blessing.
The problem is the complete setup included fish (And inverts... etc). I'd prefer not to kill them, and as of yet have been unable to find them a temporary home with a more experianced marine aquarist while I learn the ropes.
Because of my insufficent research, I made a couple of decisions that might come back to haunt me. The first one was that I didn't know if live rock was more sensitive to being dry, or cold fresh water. Since my books suggest adding the live rock before the water, I did so with about 2/3rds of it. And added water. As some of my experiance with freshwater suggests hot water has far too much copper, and my books agreed with me, it was cold- Very cold. I tried to adjust salinity as I filled, and at least didn't end up too salty! I added the remainder of the live rock at the proper salinity, and about 65 degrees. The live rock added to the cold water was moist but in the air about 3 hours, the rest maybe 8. Did I kill off my live rock?
Since I keep several freshwater planted tanks, I assume my knowledge of saltwater is absolutely zero. Even the nitrogen cycle, from what I've read, is more complicated- As I see saltwater often extends the cycle into converting nitrate into nitrogen gas. I've hit the stickies, but can anyone suggest any further places to look for basic step by step guidelines, or offer some of the mistakes you've made or heard about that a newbie might fall into?
I know this kind of thread must have been posted often in the past, and I am searching for similiar items.