Pre-newbie second post

[fishlips12]

Okay here is my new strategy based on the great advice Please let me know what you think.

For the substrate (DSB) I will use the recommended "home depot " sand for the first 3 .5 inches and then top it off (1 inch) with live sand. The live rock goes in first and then the DSB .. right????

I am gravitating away from the RIO pump and will likely go with Mag Drive Supreme 7 (700gph). This will turnover our 55 gal corner tank 12 times per hour.

Once I get the sump in I will remove the bio balls.


Still undecided about ordering the live rock online or not . My fear being that I will have to cure much of it while the LFS will supply cured rock at 4.99 a pound. Either way I will use about 65 pounds of rock 100% of it to be live.

What do you think about usning the "pretreated" water from the LFS. I am a bit leary of this. But then again for a first timer like myself I will likely screw up conditioning the water.


My last question is lighting. The advice was that the compact light may be a bit too low(dual light/ 24" /65w). I can not afford the halides and the corner tank that I have may be too restrictive in it's shape. What other options do I have . We will eventually put low light inverts and soft corals in but nothing too fancy that would require these expensive and hot halides.

[Hara]

With a new tank, you can get uncured liverock and cure it in your tank. It will help you cycle the tank. There is no need to buy precured at exhorbitant prices at this stage of the game.

[reefrunner69]

For the substrate (DSB) I will use the recommended "home depot " sand for the first 3 .5 inches and then top it off (1 inch) with live sand. The live rock goes in first and then the DSB .. right????

Make sure your getting real LS, don't get the bagged stuff, it should have to come out of a tank. I don't think it is necessary to do an entire inch (although there is no harm) in LS, you could just get several cups (from as many different sources as possible) to jumpstart the dead sand.

With a DSB, if the LR is ontop of the sand, you increase the possibility of Hydrogen sulfide forming under the rock. It is also not recommended due to the possibility of a rock slide, ideally you want your base to be on the tank bottom, rather than on top of the sand.

I am gravitating away from the RIO pump and will likely go with Mag Drive Supreme 7 (700gph). This will turnover our 55 gal corner tank 12 times per hour.

After figuring your head pressure in, your probably getting closer to 8-9, but that is more than likely acceptable.

Once I get the sump in I will remove the bio balls.

Still undecided about ordering the live rock online or not . My fear being that I will have to cure much of it while the LFS will supply cured rock at 4.99 a pound. Either way I will use about 65 pounds of rock 100% of it to be live.

I'd bump up the amount and IMO, uncured rock is much better than cured. The curing process will also be your cycling process, the diversity of life on the rock is invariably better with uncured rock than with cured (all the cool critters end up staying in the LFS rock tank, rather than yours where it belongs ).

What do you think about usning the "pretreated" water from the LFS. I am a bit leary of this. But then again for a first timer like myself I will likely screw up conditioning the water.

I think it's a bad idea. The level of consitancy is probably very low, you have no control over the quality of the water.

My last question is lighting. The advice was that the compact light may be a bit too low(dual light/ 24" /65w). I can not afford the halides and the corner tank that I have may be too restrictive in it's shape. What other options do I have .

If you can add another 65W PC into the equation. This should bump your light up enough to keep lower to med light inverts.