And so it begins

stumpdog

stumpdog

Member
These last few days have been great. We received our coach and chair, which meant I was able to fill up the fish tank. So far it has about 120 lbs. of premium argonite sand. This stuff looks great. I put 3 plates down over the sand and poured the water onto the plates. The sand storm was non-existent. This morning I mixed the salt in the tank. I know this isn't advised but I didn't have any other means to mix this much salt and water. I will keep you updated. I hope the salt will settle in the next few days and everything checks out okay. If so I will add about 40-50lbs of uncured rock and get things started.
Jeremy
 
Y

yae4volcom

Guest
Hey its looking good. I can't wait to see what it looks like when you add the rock. How big is that tank and do you have a built in overflow? Keep us updated.
 
stumpdog

stumpdog

Member
Thanks the tank is a 55 gallon. I do have a lifereef overflow, but haven't installed it yet, waiting for everything to settle down. I will keep you updated with posts and pics.
Jeremy
 
jerseysaltwater

jerseysaltwater

Member
2 things - first - mix your water in 5 gallon buckets and then i use one quart chinese soup containers to "ladle" it in over the plate (i used a styrofoam plate so it floated up with the water level).
second - i made the same mistake of adding the aragonite first - the rock should go in first so that it rest firmly on the aquarium bottom, and the sand added in around it. all i did was push the sand aside and set my rocks in place, and filled the sand back in against the rock. either do this, or cut some 2~3" diameter pvc pipe into lengths a little shorter than the depth of your sand bed, and set the circles into the sand so you can set the rock atop the rings of pvc. If you are building your rock up high, use a good underwater marine epoxy to attach the rocks together.
enjoy your new tank!
 
dsa_mom

dsa_mom

Member
Just my opinion, but I'm not a fan of epoxy-ing rock together, it seems like it takes several attempts to rearrange, and even then, rearrange again in a few months. Do try to make it stable!
Have fun!
 
stumpdog

stumpdog

Member
Thanks for all the feedback. Jersey I have read both sides of the story dealing with rock on the bottom or on the sand. I have decided to do sand then rock, but thanks for the advice.
Jeremy
 
tlk

tlk

Member
can't tell from the picture, but I would add a few powerheads now to help ensure the salt gets completely dissolved since you added it directly to the tank. Also not a fan of epozy, but have seen people use those nylon "chords" to hold the rock together. overtime, corraline will grow over it and you shouldn't notice it as much. Of course, as stated, if you do this, it makes it harder to re-scape your rocks in the future if you want a new look.
 
reefnut

reefnut

Active Member

I have read both sides of the story dealing with rock on the bottom or on the sand. I have decided to do sand then rock, but thanks for the advice.
The makens of a true reefer :cool:.
 
T

thomas712

Guest

Originally posted by JerseySaltwater
2 things - first - mix your water in 5 gallon buckets and then i use one quart chinese soup containers to "ladle" it in over the plate (i used a styrofoam plate so it floated up with the water level).
Excellent Idea! on the styrofoam plate
 
cb

cb

Member

Originally posted by stumpdog
Thanks for all the feedback. Jersey I have read both sides of the story dealing with rock on the bottom or on the sand. I have decided to do sand then rock, but thanks for the advice.
Jeremy
We also put the sand in first then the rock and just pushed the
rock into the sand a little to make it stable. Worked great.:)
 
stumpdog

stumpdog

Member
tlk-
I have 2 powerheads toward the bottom one at each end. They are both MaxiJets 1200s. I think I will leave them on for another day, then check the salinity. If it looks good, I will hook up the overflow, sump, and add the rock.
CB-
That is what I was planning on doing also.
Col-
It is a 55 gallon tank, 48"L X 21 or 22"H X 12"W. I wish the tank was wider, but I didn't know any better when I purchased it. I have been happy with the tank for the past few years.
Thanks-
Jeremy
 
sandman12

sandman12

Active Member
jeremy, what kind of lr r u getting? I know a place that has really good aquacultered lr for really cheap.Let me know if u want some,U must e-mail me i wont be able to find the thread again.
milkmanf12@aol.com
 
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