Starting my first 55G FOWLR tank

[borlaracing9]

The recommended amount of LR is ~1- 1 1/2#"s per tank gallons. So in your case it would be 55-82 1/2#'s of rock.
I would not buy live sand and I would only by 20#'s of live rock with the rest being Base rock or DIY rock.

Thanks for your advice! Is there a particular reason why i shouldn't use live sand? i wanted to use it mainly for the look and i thought it could help with natural filtration but i could be totally wrong hah.

 

[borlaracing9]

Try putting the sand in and putting a trash bag blown up in the aquarium. Then pour the water on top of the bag so it will minimize the sand storm. Also you can fill it up with SW and send the rinsed sand down a pvc pipe to where you want it. Both ways will have still a small dust storm but nowhere near what it could be.

Thanks for your help! I didn't think of the PVC pipe method, def going to try that out to minimize the sand storm

 

[austinsdad]

Call me the wimp, but I'd drive the 2 hours - and yes, 2 hours back to handpick my rocks if I was starting up. Then again, I've never done mail order rocks. It's just that I'd prefer to see the rocks and play with them at the store to see how they fit together. Also, I'd be afraid that in order to get, say 60 lbs, that I'd get 20 - 30 pieces sight unseen thru the mail. For 60 lbs, I'd look for maybe 10 pieces of rock - porous stuff. Just because it's big doesn't mean it has to weigh a ton. Surface area and nooks and crannies are the key to quality rock IMO.

Like a big ole, 15 lb rock with a 2" hole in the middle of it. Now that makes good SW LR to me.

 

[thincat]

IMO livesand that has been sitting on the shelf or a warehouse for a while can't be very live at all. You are paying alot of money for a product of questional ingredients. Dry aragonite sand with LR will become live very fast.
If you still want to go with LS then just do a small bag. Like the LR, split it.

 

[borlaracing9]

Call me the wimp, but I'd drive the 2 hours - and yes, 2 hours back to handpick my rocks if I was starting up. Then again, I've never done mail order rocks. It's just that I'd prefer to see the rocks and play with them at the store to see how they fit together. Also, I'd be afraid that in order to get, say 60 lbs, that I'd get 20 - 30 pieces sight unseen thru the mail. For 60 lbs, I'd look for maybe 10 pieces of rock - porous stuff. Just because it's big doesn't mean it has to weigh a ton. Surface area and nooks and crannies are the key to quality rock IMO.

Like a big ole, 15 lb rock with a 2" hole in the middle of it. Now that makes good SW LR to me.

Good point! After i spent a couple hours shopping around different online distributors, the shipping cost alone is making the 2 hour drive more sense able.. 40-50 dollars to ship rock haha, call me crazy, but i have a problem spending that much on rock.. I do like to pick out my own products too so i think i will take the 2 hour drive sometime soon to get my tank fully started.

 

[borlaracing9]

IMO livesand that has been sitting on the shelf or a warehouse for a while can't be very live at all. You are paying alot of money for a product of questional ingredients. Dry aragonite sand with LR will become live very fast.
If you still want to go with LS then just do a small bag. Like the LR, split it.

Very true! yeh i only bought 40lbs of live sand so i will just go for the rest dry aragonite and im sure it will be fine with my live rock in there as well.

 

[dhemp34]

i ditto that...i'll pay the price so i can get the peices i want to make sure i can make the structures i dream about and not what they want me to have to"work" with..i have about 60lbs now..i

 

[borlaracing9]

i ditto that...i'll pay the price so i can get the peices i want to make sure i can make the structures i dream about and not what they want me to have to"work" with..i have about 60lbs now..i

Awesome man! I should be short behind you after tonight.. setup everything in my tank.. had to build my stand last night, setup my fluval 305 canister and hang on back filter got my heater setup... now i just gotta get home mix my water.. turn my filters on and go purchase live rock by this weekend to start cycling my tank.

Just to double check i believe thats the correct order i should go... make my saltwater < fill my tank with that water< turn on my filters< than add my live rock to cycle< than add my live and dry sand mix once cycling is complete?

 

[mdaniel2882]

Just to double check i believe thats the correct order i should go... make my saltwater < fill my tank with that water< turn on my filters< than add my live rock to cycle< than add my live and dry sand mix once cycling is complete?

Good except for the sand. add it before during and after your live rock. put a very thin layer to "cushion" the bottom glass and add it as you build your rock. that way you can get it where you want it. you want the tank in the tank during the cycling process so it can become live.

 

[borlaracing9]

Good except for the sand. add it before during and after your live rock. put a very thin layer to "cushion" the bottom glass and add it as you build your rock. that way you can get it where you want it. you want the tank in the tank during the cycling process so it can become live.

yeh thats what i thought.. the reason i asked is because i read on in article on cycling that sand can hide harmful pests found in your live rock.. so they recommended you dont put the sand in til the rock cycles. But i do agree with the concept of the sand as a cushioning.. thanks for your advice!

 

[borlaracing9]

Tank is coming together now! I want to thank everyone for all your help and advice! I really appreciate you guys getting me on the right track for my first SW tank the 1st day i joined the forums .

Progress so far... both my canister (fluval 305) and hang on back filter are setup and running...
Tank has a very thin layer of live sand and i am waiting for that to clear before i go purchase some live rock to begin my cycling!

I will update you guys with my water conditions after all the sand settles and everything runs for 24 hours, but for now heres my numbers:

PH- 8.1
Alkalinity - 300 PPM
Nitrite - between .3 and .5 PPM
Nitrate - 20 PPM
Water Temp - 80.7 degrees F

 

[thincat]

yeh thats what i thought.. the reason i asked is because i read on in article on cycling that sand can hide harmful pests found in your live rock.. so they recommended you dont put the sand in til the rock cycles. But i do agree with the concept of the sand as a cushioning.. thanks for your advice!

You don't want to much sand under your rock because when you put in your CUC, some will dig under your rock and that could cause a "landslide" which could crack your glass. IMO I go all the way to the glass with the rock.

 

[borlaracing9]

Day 2: The sand is really starting to settle and my numbers are starting to make progress.. or atleast seems they are? Heres a pic of the tank settled down after 24 hours of running with the filters on.
PH - 8.3
Alkalinity - 300 PPM
Nitrite - 0 PPM
Nitrate - 18 PPM
Water Temp - Between 80.5-80.7 Degrees F.

 

[borlaracing9]

What is your guys take on a protien skimmer for a setup like mine? I was thinking about the "Sea Clone 100 protein skimmer as well as Coralife Super skimmer for tanks up 65 gallons, or the Seaclone 150.. Also just making sure its alright to run both my HOB filter and Canister filter with the sand in the water like it is.. 1 last question about my equiptment is.. Power heads. Should i get powerheads for a FOWL with my equiptment and if so how many GPH would i want on the powerheads..
-Thanks guys!

 

[thincat]

What is your Ammonia Reading?
300 ppm? that seems high do you mean mg/L or meg/L, DKH? What test brand are you using?

 

[borlaracing9]

What is your Ammonia Reading?
300 ppm? that seems high do you mean mg/L or meg/L, DKH? What test brand are you using?

I apologize still tryin to get the hang of all this stuff hah its 300 KH and that was for Alkalinity and i am using "sea and salt medical and scientific quality 5 in 1 quick dip tests." I dont believe i have test strips with Ammonia cause the 5 listed on my strips are PH, Nitrate, Nitrite, Alkalinity, and hardness of water.

 

[borlaracing9]

Day 4: Got my live rock and put it in my tank so just waiting for the sand to settle before i add my dead shrimp to begin my cycling! I am getting so pumped to finally see the light!

Current water conditions:
Ammonia: .50 mg/L
Nitrite: 0 mg/L
PH: 8.1
Nitrate: 10 mg/L

I'll post some pics later on today when the sand settles of the live rock in my tank.. Got a couple good potential caves made once i fill the back with my left over 30 or so lbs or lives sand.

 

[borlaracing9]

Here are some pics of the almost completed first week of my tank. Things are going pretty smooth for the most part. Got my live rock in there prob gonna add another piece on the far right side to even things out a bit. I again want to thank all of you for your help to keep it running as smooth as it has been (knock on wood lol). Here are my water conditions as of today 10/24/09: