new to the forum and saltwater

[crazygn]

Hows ever body doing, very nice site and good info on here.

I have a tall 45gal tank ive had setup for about 2-3 weeks with just salt and crushed coral. The tank was a fresh water tank before i changed it over. It still has the same filter and the bio rocks have stayed in the water with the filter. So really the only thing new is the crushed coral, 1/2 tank of new water and salt.

My question is , is this ok to do and will it help my cycle, i guess it needs to be cycled still even tho it was already with fresh water. here is what i have today

0.25 nitrite
20 nitrates
0.25 ammonia
1.023-1.024

this is a fish only tank, and should i use live rock in my fish only tank will it help out.

thanks for any help everyone

 

[Hara]

It needs to be cycled just as if it were a brand new tank. The bacterias are not the same.

You are looking at a cycle of roughly 4 weeks. Adding already cured liverock to the tank will help some.

 

[crazygn]

thanks for posting, i check it on and off and post back to se how its doing, thanks again

 

[melosu58]

I agree with Lisa. You`ll have to start from scratch. They are not the same bacteria`s. Here is a good link to follow on the cycle.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/article_view.php?faq=2&fldAuto=15

 

[crazygn]

so should i take my fresh water bio rocks out of the filter and trash em,

 

[stevefromga2000]

if you get live rock, i think there are many benefits.

it helps your cycle
it gives your fish many places to hide
it looks cool when you see things growing on the rock
sometimes you get hitchikers w/ your live rock (sometimes good, sometimes bad though)
and also, if you get enough live rock, you can completly skip out on a filter

it's your choice though, and welcome to aquarium advice

 

[melosu58]

LR and skimmer is really all you need IMO. It is all I`ve ever had except the last two yrs when I added a refuge.

 

[loyalrogue]

First let me say, Welcome to AA!!!


Now explain what you mean by FW bio rocks???
Are these just regular rocks that have built up bacteria like a biowheel does, or is this some name brand product I haven't heard of yet?

If it's just regular rocks then you don't have to remove them.
Whatever is growing on them will die-off, help with your tank cycle, and end up being replaced with the nitrifying bacteria to make them SW "live" rocks.

Make sure you add enough live rock to make a total of at least one and a half to two pounds of rock per gallon to give the bacteria enough surface area to filter your tank properly.
Like Hara said, if you buy live rock that's already been cured then your cycle will be quicker than if you use dry base rock, or uncured live rock.
Ask at your local fish store to see if they have fully cured live rock and how much they charge per pound. (about $6 - $8 per lb. is average around here with smaller pieces of broken rubble running around $4 a lb.)

In the end it's a little more work and a lot more $$$ than FW, but the rewards are well worth it!
If you just take it slow, keep asking questions, and follow the advice of the veterans here, they'll guide you to a successful SW experience... they certainly did for me.

 

[crazygn]

Thanks for all the info guys and girls, this will help me out alot. The rocks i'll keep in then since there like a bio wheel. I am going to drive up and see how much they are asking for the live rock today, thanks again

 

[roka64]

I like to save money. I bought 150Lbs of base rock from marcorocks.com and will seed it with cured LR.