a cup of sand?

[mikenegue]

I wanted to thank everyone for the wonderful advice and help in getting prepared for our first fish tank -- this really is a great community. If you hadn't seen my other post, I just bought a used 60 gallon acrylic tank & stand that I'm giving to my wife as a gift. We just cleaned it out and it's sitting empty in our living room at the moment. We want to set it up as a FOWLR saltwater tank with a clownfish, several tangs and a few other low-maintenance fish and critters.One of the pieces of advice (quite appropriate for a tight graduate student budget) is to buy mostly "dead" sand and rock and to seed it with "live" sand and rock that local aquarists would be willing to share with me.

*First of all, will this really work?

*Secondly, do you have a cup of live sand/rock that I could borrow (I'd be willing to return to cup of sand/rock back to you after I've seeded my sand/rock)?


If you've got some live sand or rock that you could part with, I'm in Hollywood, so the closer you are the better. Of course I'd be willing to drive a reasonable distance to get to where you are. Thanks again for helping us get started.

mikenegue@yahoo.com

 

[fishfreek]

*First of all, will this really work?

Sure it will work. The more live sand you can add to the dead/dry sand once the tank is up and running will increase the time frame of getting your entire system up and running with a quality live sand bed. Swapping sand is a great way for local hobbists to add some diversity to their sand beds.

I cant help but also comment on

saltwater tank with a clownfish, several tangs and a few other low-maintenance fish and critters

For a 60 gal tank I would avocate no more than 2 tangs and they would need to be small and will probably outgrow the tank.

 

[mikenegue]

thanks for that information. i really am new to all of this, so my ignorance is pretty flagrant, especially about bioloads and tank sizes. i really like the idea of me being able to give something back -- the cup of sand I return to their original owners will have the cummulative biodiversity of all the different cups of sand that were given to me.

please email me if you're interested: mikenegue@yahoo.com

 

[tkos]

A 60 gallon tank may seem big but be very wary of the habbits of the fish you choose. Many tangs can get to be 12 inches long and very territoial. Clown fish are cute a fuzzy but they are also mean and like lots of space. Do a lot of research into fish choices first while the tank is getting cycled and you will be far more happy in the long run as your fish thrive.

 

[BillyZ]

You might want to check out our regional forums section. There is one devoted to California.