Ch33ky
Aquarium Advice Newbie
I just purchased a 72g bowfront and just assembled. Yay!
I have been reading posts on here and reading "The New Marine Aquarium" by Michael S. Paletta and now have a few questions.
I'm basically confused on the live rock and sand/live sand substrate.
I plan on purchasing my live rock from liverock.com.
When it arrives I will have already had the tank setup up for proper salinity and temperature.
Here is where I now need some advice:
Do I just add the live rock to the tank and allow it to "cure" in the new tank (i.e. cycle the tank)?
And if so, do I add the live rock to the tank with no substrate in it (a la Paletta book) so that when the curing live rock has detritus come off it will be more easily siphoned when the tank bottom is uncovered? Is this really a good idea?
Could curing live rock kill the organisms in my live sand (assuming I had the sand in the already to sit the rock on).
My fear is maybe scratching the bottom of tank or killing the organisms in the live sand b/c the tank is cycling.
Also, Paletta suggests a 1/2 - 1 inch sand bed, but I see many people here at the forums have a deep sand bed of 3 to 4 inches. What are the pros and cons of this?
Should I add the substrate sand before placing rock in there, and then bury the rock like 1 inch into the sand (assuming I had a sand bed of 3 to 4 inches)?
Hopefully you can see where I am struggling. What would really help is just repsonses of a quick step by step procedure of adding live rock and sand on a new tank that other people at this forum have already done, and a quick synopsis of their thoughts on the pro's / con's of what they did.
I learn best by example.
Thanks in advance!
P.S. First goal is FOWLR tank, then advancing up to reef tank when more skilled.
I have been reading posts on here and reading "The New Marine Aquarium" by Michael S. Paletta and now have a few questions.
I'm basically confused on the live rock and sand/live sand substrate.
I plan on purchasing my live rock from liverock.com.
When it arrives I will have already had the tank setup up for proper salinity and temperature.
Here is where I now need some advice:
Do I just add the live rock to the tank and allow it to "cure" in the new tank (i.e. cycle the tank)?
And if so, do I add the live rock to the tank with no substrate in it (a la Paletta book) so that when the curing live rock has detritus come off it will be more easily siphoned when the tank bottom is uncovered? Is this really a good idea?
Could curing live rock kill the organisms in my live sand (assuming I had the sand in the already to sit the rock on).
My fear is maybe scratching the bottom of tank or killing the organisms in the live sand b/c the tank is cycling.
Also, Paletta suggests a 1/2 - 1 inch sand bed, but I see many people here at the forums have a deep sand bed of 3 to 4 inches. What are the pros and cons of this?
Should I add the substrate sand before placing rock in there, and then bury the rock like 1 inch into the sand (assuming I had a sand bed of 3 to 4 inches)?
Hopefully you can see where I am struggling. What would really help is just repsonses of a quick step by step procedure of adding live rock and sand on a new tank that other people at this forum have already done, and a quick synopsis of their thoughts on the pro's / con's of what they did.
I learn best by example.
Thanks in advance!
P.S. First goal is FOWLR tank, then advancing up to reef tank when more skilled.