New 100G SW Setup

[Spchampion2000]

Hello all i am a beginner when it comes to salt water tanks and i am currently in the process of setting up my 100g saltwater tank.....i currently have about 130 lbs of sand and i have the tank running with 2 jebo canister filters pumping about 400 GPH with no carbon in the filters.....also i have a jebo 100g protein skimmer with submersible pump running with it. I am running a wave system with 3 maxijet 900 power heads. My lighting situation is 34-36" florescent 50/50 4 pin bulbs also along with a moonlight i intend on having the florescent running about 5-10 PM and the moonlight from 10-6 the moonlight wattage is very low but gives a decent lighting.....i was looking for some suggestions as far as my setup and anything i should remove/change or add......also for my tank i intend on having somewhat a reef setup but i was wondering according to my setup what type of corals i could have medium corals im assuming but please correct me if i wrong. Also i was wondering when i should start cycling my tank before or after adding my rock....i am currently in the process of curing my rock......what would you advise....and i was wondering if someone could give me a link or some basics as far as readings go and what is normal starting and what my targets should be such as PH, Nitrates, Nitrites etc. any assistance would be great THANKS!

 

[melosu58]

I would cycle your tank and cure your LR at the same time. Many people do this. Here is an article on cycling the tank. Instead of a shrimp I would just do your uncured LR.


http://www.aquariumadvice.com/article_view.php?faq=2&fldAuto=15

Here is a good post from one of our people here on start up tips and equipment needed to start up. I think it`s a great article

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=76139

 

[roka64]

I agree, what is your total wattage, not including the LEDs?
What brand of lighting fixture do you have?
If you go with 1.5-2 Lbs of rock per gallon, you could even remove the filters because the rock and sand would provide all the bio-filtration you need.
I mix my cured LR with a LOT of base rock. I got the base rock from marcorocks.com, it's great stuff!

 

[Spchampion2000]

Ill have to check the wattage when i get home......the fixture is a coralife housing the model number im not exactly sure of ill also check that out.......as far as the LR i was intending on doing quite a bit but not alot......really not into those tanks crammed with rock.....looks nice at times but just not my style im sure i wouldnt surpass the 100lb mark on the rock.....so thats why im doing the canisters......also i read those dreaded stories of fungus and alge growing in tanks and that mysterious grass looking substance and i want to avoid that at all costs.....seems like a nightmare and a heck of a time to get rid of.....just figured id stop it before it started. Considering the amount of rock i intend on having would it be ok to keep the canisters? Also i read above on one of your posts that it takes about a year for non liverock to turn into live rock so long as it has live rock to feed off of right? Sorry for all the stupid questions im getting a grasp of this just very slowly. HAHA i do intend on having a thread on the complete cycling process of my tank once the rock is cured im looking at about 2 more weeks.

 

[roka64]

Considering the amount of rock i intend on having would it be ok to keep the canisters?

Sure, but they tend to be nitrAte factories (if not cleaned on a regular basis, in your old SW), that will fuel the nasty algae you were talking about.

Also i read above on one of your posts that it takes about a year for non liverock to turn into live rock so long as it has live rock to feed off of right?

No, not at all. Once your cycle is complete the nitrifying bacteria will reside in/on the rock, becoming "live". I think you might be thinking of the coraline growth (the pink, green or purple stuff).
I like questions, so keep asking them!

 

[Spchampion2000]

How often would you recommend cleaning a canister setup in salt water? also you recommend cleaining the canister in old saltwater is that what (old sw) means? some abbreviations i dont get on this site either....if there was a link that explained what some of the more common ones meant please link me haha! About the rock....basically if i have mostly non-live curing rock during the cycling along with live rock roughly how long do you think it would take for that non-live rock to actually become LR or be stable enough to actually plant corals?

*Added Later*

basically if i have mostly non-live curing rock during the cycling along with live rock roughly how long do you think it would take for that non-live rock to actually become LR or be stable enough to actually plant corals?

i wanted to note that this non-cured live rock is rock i have made myself from oyster shells and cement it was a recipe i found online....it worked quite well.....i was wondering if this would be ok to cycle with this non-cured live rock or should i cure it completely mind you im running those 2 canisters along with live sand in my current salt water setup.....would these rocks made from cement effect the sand or kill any bacteria i may already have in the tank.....at this point the tank is empty just sand water and equipment. THANKS!