water questions

[crage34]

i just got my 30gal full of sw today and the sg 4 hours later is 1.023 im gonna check it again in the morning...what is the ideal sg? i have my 2 pumps running and a heater (water is at 82 F good?) i also have 35lbs of sand (15base 20live) the water was very cloudy at first now (4hourslater) i can see the back of the tank but it is still very cloudy and unclear...is this because i dont have my rock in yet to filter the water? and will this clear up? is this normal? i have 30lbs of rock on its way from hirocks right now...when i get that in i will add 10lbs of live rock and start my cycle off...is there anything else i need to do to the water before i cycle? and after the cycle is complete is there anything i need to do before my first fish(chemicals? or stress coat like fw or anything of the sort)

[revhtree]

NO CHEMICALS!!! Yes the things you are mentioning are normal, and no there is nothing else you should do until your rock gets there.

As far as the sg it will vary a little depending on what you want in your tank as far as corals, and fish. I keep my at around 1.022-1.023.

[crage34]

i will have my base rock mid week (30#) then im planning on 10# of live rock will this be enough to kick off the cycle? do i need a shrimpy? and is my temp good?(82F) this is a fowlr tank...i really hope im doin everything right...i feel like i am

[crage34]

i will have my base rock mid week (30#) then im planning on 10# of live rock will this be enough to kick off the cycle? do i need a shrimpy? and is my temp good?(82F) this is a fowlr tank...i really hope im doin everything right...i feel like i am

[revhtree]

I try to keep my temp around 80, but many others like 82, and then many others like 78. I think your ok at 82 for the max temp. Some fish and corals you may want in the future may not like the water that warm. I try to find a medium for the fish and coral that I keep. Most fish will adjust to the tank conditions, what hurts them is drastic changes in temp and water quality.

Also I think that your lr will be enough to start the cycle, but what I would do is go ahead with the shrimp, and get the cycle going. The sooner the better.

[crage34]

so u are saying to go ahead and put the shrimp in now before my base and live rocks get here? i didnt know it this was healthy for my lr....if this is ok them im gonna get a shrimp tom. also exactly what kinda shrimp do u use and where do u get it

[revhtree]

Is your LR cured? Are you going to cure it in a seperate container?

For a 30 gallon, I would use about 1/2 of a large fresh shrimp from the grocery store.

[crage34]

im gonna get the lr from lr.com 10#...so start the cycle before i get any rock in the tank? i planned on curing the base rock in the tank since it is all new

[crage34]

plz explain the exact order u recommend 2 start my cycle....sorry im a newbie and need explaining thank u so much rev

[revhtree]

To be completely honest with you, that was a good question in which I am not totally sure of. I don't want to tell you something that will not be good for your tank. I didnt realize you already ordered the lr, and I dont know if you should add the shrimp, since your putting the lr in next week. Sorry, I am still learning as I go. Great question though. Go to bed, and when you wake up, you'll have the answer you want, when the other smarter people check this thread out. Again sorry no def. answer right now, I just want to be sure. Also you are more than welcome to ask as many questions as you like. Ask me as many as you want, and I'll answer them to the best of my knowledge.

[crage34]

thanks rev, u have been very helpful...actually i havnt ordered the live rock...i have ordered the base...i was gonna wait till the base got here till i ordered the live and added it...i just wanted to know if i could put the shrimp in now and then add the base in a couple of days when it gets here and then add the live when it gets here...or is this all wrong and should i just wait and put all the rock in at the same time then cycle

[revhtree]

If I am not mistaken the base will have no die off since there is nothing living on it in the first place. Makes since.

[revhtree]

I may be mistaken, but this is what I would do. I would put the shrimp in as soon as possible. The when the base gets here throw that in there so the bacteria can start building on that. Then depending on how the water levels are doing I would either add the LR straight to the tank, or cure it in a container.

[NightSpirit]

Wait, did you already order the LR ?

Here is my suggestion, although it will take twice as long.

Cycle the tank with the shrimp before you get the LR. Make sure all the levels are good (should take 4-6 weeks). Then order LR from liverock.com
The rock from liverock.com is so good that you will likely kill a lot of good stuff by cycling the tank with it.

[darb2]

go ahead and add the shrimp. It will get the cycle started. don't worry about the milky water, it is normal, the bacteria will begin to grow and stick to the small particles of sand and settle out. I would then add base rock. Wait for a week or two and add some lr.

[crage34]

ok thanks a lot guys! im glad to hear i can go ahead and kick it off....should i check my parameter before i add the shrimp and how long after the shrimp is added should i start testing and how often to monitor the cycle?

[crage34]

also do i need to rinse the rock from hirocks.com?

[revhtree]

I would check the parameters before you start, and make a note of them in a book or something, and write it down everytime you check it so you know how the cycly is coming.

If you can afford it, I would just buy about 40-60# of lr, and put it in the tank. The cycle will be a whole lot faster.

[crage34]

i cant afford it.....how often should i test the waters during the cycle? i just added the half shrimp!