a sand question *and a lil more*

[s3xy sauce]

Hey all....
Been reading the forums for months but never posted, mostly due all my questions were answered in someone elses post..
Been breeding and raising freshwater fish since i was 12 years old, and I figured it was time I make a change and do some saltwater tanks. The biggest tank i could find that was being used the less of the ones i have was a 30 gal.
I am figuring around 45lbs of LR.
I have 2 powerheads for water movement.
I got one external filter that I will be using.
I still need a skimmer (any recommendations on what type)
My biggest question is sand..... I figured the easiest way is to find live sand and and mix it with regular sand. Now my 2 big problems are... I can't find live sand anywhere around where i live *which is houston, and all my LFS carry nothing but freshwater things.... had to drive 30 mins just to get salt mix for the tank* and when I do get live sand, is there any other type of sand i should mix it with... i am going for a DSB...
and I almost forgot, lighting......
It wont be a reef tank, at least not anytime soon, as this is my first saltwater, just fish with inverts. and of course live rock and sand...
Any comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated

 

[ross]

Sounds great! I have been doing freshwater for a few years but now I love saltwater. Good luck and do all your homework before hand.

 

[ddg216]

Hi. I'm in Houston too. If you want, I can send you some names of lfs that I go to for sw. There are a few really good ones. Let me know if you're interested. However, I have to say that none of them have live sand to sell.
Good luck.
Donna

 

[s3xy sauce]

ddg216 : Any help would be great, thanks.. if you would like my email is s3xySaucy@hotmail.com, feel free to email me with a few... I know of one place but it's on the other side of houston, and I'd rather not waste the time of driving 2 hours, then again, i am obessed with my fish, so i might just do it ;-)

 

[s3xy sauce]

Ok outta all my filters *which is like 22, yeah i know, just shows how many tanks i've had and still do have * the best one that work is a whisper 20 ..... it doesn't seem like much, but now if i had 2 power heads a good skimmer this filter, with around 45 lbs live rock and a good 4 to 5 inch DSB should be tank be stable enough to support life??
yeah, when i say this you'll prolly think im crazy, cause we all know this hobby is addicting and expensive, in some caseses that is, but I will be going to college soon, and i want to make this tank good enough for my parents to actually be able to take care of it, without having to do drastic things to it, just change and add water and feed fish, etc.... i will be coming home monthly and such to do more important things to it
... i feel like im the only one who stays up till 3:30am after working 12 hours straight reading about this kind of stuff.....
and people look at me like I am an idiot when they ask me how much i've spent on my fish..... I guess no one will ever understand how great and addicitive this hobby is

 

[shanev]

Im from Conroe and have to drive into Houston for a good LFS. There are quite a few that are good. Email me at shane@lockon.com and I can point some out. Also take a look at www.marshreef.com its a local reef club, we are having a meeting tonight. (Is this type of link ok?)

 

[shanev]

No southdown anywhere near here, I did find some pure agronite at a LFS for $18.00 for a 40lb bag though.

 

[maroonclownfan]

Just my opinion: Not trying to criticize or discourage.
You have obviously been successful at FW fish. I too had FW for about 10 years before trying a SW tank. But I have found that SW takes more work to make them nice than FW. From my experience, after a quick algea scrub and a water change, FW tanks look almost new again, so lets say "little" maintenance. But SW tanks are more like a tiny ecosystem in itself. And parameters can get out of balance quickly, especially in a smaller tank like a 30 gal.
I would say that a SW tank is NOT a "feed and clean" type of setup. They require constant monitoring, IMO, which might just be observing the behavior of the inhabitants for unusual acts. I just wanted you to have some facts before you leave the tank to the care of your parents who may or may not be up to the challenge. Just take a look at all the issues that come up on this board and I think you will agree.
Sorry to sound like I am ranting, I do hope you are successful, but I would take the time to educate your parents, who will be the primary care takers as well. For your sake and your tanks sake.
And also welcome to the board.
Good luck .........MCF

 

[s3xy sauce]

MaroonClownFan : I do see where you are coming from and I do agree with you....
so after long thought with all this and such, I have decided that what I can and will do, is once I am settled into my apartment, in corpus, I will have the 55 gallon cichlid tank moved down there with me, seeing how i have many saltwater things already, i pack those up and have they ready and everything to be used in a month or so.... as for the other tank, i filled it with a decent amount of bedding and about 100 or so live plants, i feel this would be much more greater to have for when i am gone until i have the time and such to work on my SW
thanks again, expect to hear from me and me having more questions

 

[maroonclownfan]

Sounds like a great plan...part of the fun of a SW tank is watching it develop from day to day. You will have a much better experience if you get to see it on a daily basis. You will find yourself glued to tank in amazement.
Good luck and hope to hear from you on your progress....MCF