Dose this sound like a good start?

j-ro

j-ro

Member
Now it takes alot of time to cycle a tank so im gonna start with what i need to start my cycle, now i have my tank, a 30g, y a 30 u ask? Its a good starting point and too make sure i do things rite and that i know im gonna like it. I need live coral/rock, live sand, Powerhead, Sea Salt, heater. Is that all i realy need for the start of the cycle? And im wondering if tap water is ok too add? If not what other type of water? thx
 
nicetry

nicetry

Active Member
Tap water is not a good starting point. Overall, if you think you're going to stick with the hobby, invest the extra money in an RO/DI unit. This will give you the purest water, and your tank will do much better in the long run. At the very least, do the initial fill with RO and even if you have to purchase it from your fish store for awhile, It will be worth it.
What are you planning to use for filtration?
 
1journeyman

1journeyman

Active Member
Most of us on here will tell you to avoid tap water like Ebola.
Check into getting an RO/DI machine, or find a nearby pet store that sells it. Your local grocery store probably sells it as well, but if so get a TDS meter. You never know how often the filters are cleaned.
Tap water can contain all sorts of cute extras like florine, Copper, etc. Things that are difficult to test for but will build up in your tank to toxic levels. Not to mention the phosphates and other nutrients nuisance algae will use as fertilizer.
For corals you will need good lighting.
Purchase a Refractometer to accurately measure your salt. Also test kits for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate if you want to chemically watch your tank cycle. For later tests you'll need Alk and Calcium (for the corals)
Instead of 1 powerhead I'd say get two. A good coral tank has brisk, chaotic water movement.
 
j-ro

j-ro

Member
What dose RO and DI stand for? And for filteration i will be using live coral and live sand for natural filteration.
 
1journeyman

1journeyman

Active Member
Originally Posted by J-RO
What dose RO and DI stand for? And for filteration i will be using live coral and live sand for natural filteration.
Again, using natural filtration is great, provided you are keeping a very sparsely inhabited tank. As most of us tend t ooverstock we need skimmers, refugiums, etc. to compensate.
 
imurnamine

imurnamine

Active Member
You might want to wait a while before adding corals in, in my opinion.
Coralife Super Skimmers are nice...
 
michaeltx

michaeltx

Moderator
yes please wait on the corals most if not all will die during the cycle~
the tank needs time to mature and stabilize before they are added 4-6 months is best but most only wait a little while after it finishes cycling out which isnt best for the corals.
I must also re~say what others have TAP water is the worst possible thing to start a new tank with~~~
Mike
 
j-ro

j-ro

Member
ill wait on the corals and do i also need to wait on the live sand? Do i need to wait till the end of my cycle to be able to put them in? So when my cycle starts what are the things that need to be hooked up and running to do my cycle?
 
1journeyman

1journeyman

Active Member
Originally Posted by J-RO
ill wait on the corals and do i also need to wait on the live sand? Do i need to wait till the end of my cycle to be able to put them in? So when my cycle starts what are the things that need to be hooked up and running to do my cycle?
Run everything.
 
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