I got the tank as a Christmas gift and finally ordered the stand, a heater, live sand, hydrometer, reef salt and heater from Dr Fosters & Smith. They should be here Thursday; ice storm permitting..
Talked with someone at the LFS the other day and she suggested the live sand and live rock, but said live rock rubble wasn't really necessary for that size tank and that it just broke down and makes a mess in the filter. She also said that I really didn't need to get a protein skimmer right away since I was cycling and to get the tank setup with the bio-balls and live sand first. Fill with water and run 24-48 hours with a few base starter rocks (non-live) and to make sure my pH and salinity readings were adjusted properly; and to bring a water sample for them to test before adding fish. (I think I may just get some premixed water that they have at the LFS instead of trying to mix my own the first time around.)
She suggested some damsels for starter fish (3-4) and let the ammo cycle spike, then add the live rock for the nitrate cycle. Once the cycle was completed, I could trade in some/all of the damsels and get a clown or gobies and a cleanup crew. She said that once the tank was established several months that I could add some soft corals and mushrooms and maybe a colony polyp or two.
I've had freshwater tanks for years, but this is my first saltwater and even though I've done research (Saltwater Fish for Dummies and this website), I'm still a bit nervous about this venture.
Any suggestions/advice are greatly appreciated. I will post pictures once I get the tank setup on Friday.
-Dave
Talked with someone at the LFS the other day and she suggested the live sand and live rock, but said live rock rubble wasn't really necessary for that size tank and that it just broke down and makes a mess in the filter. She also said that I really didn't need to get a protein skimmer right away since I was cycling and to get the tank setup with the bio-balls and live sand first. Fill with water and run 24-48 hours with a few base starter rocks (non-live) and to make sure my pH and salinity readings were adjusted properly; and to bring a water sample for them to test before adding fish. (I think I may just get some premixed water that they have at the LFS instead of trying to mix my own the first time around.)
She suggested some damsels for starter fish (3-4) and let the ammo cycle spike, then add the live rock for the nitrate cycle. Once the cycle was completed, I could trade in some/all of the damsels and get a clown or gobies and a cleanup crew. She said that once the tank was established several months that I could add some soft corals and mushrooms and maybe a colony polyp or two.
I've had freshwater tanks for years, but this is my first saltwater and even though I've done research (Saltwater Fish for Dummies and this website), I'm still a bit nervous about this venture.
Any suggestions/advice are greatly appreciated. I will post pictures once I get the tank setup on Friday.
-Dave