Fact from Fiction. Thread to tell us what isn't true.

[beatlesfan]

Ok so all you Vets out there. Tell us that some things are/arn't true that we read and LFS tell us.So ask questions and hopefully get them answered here.
Mine is
1. Do you have to put the rock on the glass and then put a sand bed? I read that this is because burrowing animals will dig under the rock andcreate avalanches. I paln on having a 5" deep sand bed and don't want all that rock being covered up. 1 have about 150lbs of it plus am getting 50lbs of live rock.

 

[symon]

Originally Posted by Beatlesfan
Ok so all you Vets out there. Tell us that some things are/arn't true that we read and LFS tell us.So ask questions and hopefully get them answered here.
Mine is
1. Do you have to put the rock on the glass and then put a sand bed? I read that this is because burrowing animals will dig under the rock andcreate avalanches. I paln on having a 5" deep sand bed and don't want all that rock being covered up. 1 have about 150lbs of it plus am getting 50lbs of live rock.
True! You need to have the rock on the glass so it won't fall once critters start to burrow! Besides having a crushed fish/invert , It can cause you tank to crack! Not good! So i would back off the 5", 2-3" is plenty!

 

[cannonman]

You don't have to but you might as well. If you don't the rock will eventually settle down into the sand and on to the bottom anyways, irregardless of what animals you have in there, some just speed up the process. If you don't want to bury all that live rock in sand just build a pvc pipe grid to put the rock on- then it can't settle in any farther than your supports.

 

[boozzbro]

use base rock for stuff that will be covered by the sand. That way you not spending money for what will die. then put the good stuff on top of the base rock above the saned

 

[beatlesfan]

If I build a PVC grid about three inches high, put my base rock and live rock on it and then put 5 inches of sand in the aquarium, sand will be under the grid (3inches) and rock will be on it. Will the burrowing creatures cause the rocks to topple then? Or is a 3 inch high PVC grid high enough to prevent that? :happyfish

 

[cannonman]

I don't really understand the question I don't think- a pvc grid three inches high with five inches of sand would be fine though. Just make sure that you take your time and really make sure the rock is stable as you put it together. IMO pvc grids help to stablize a rock system even more than it being just on the bottom.

 

[f14peter]

To add to your list of things I've been told in the LFS . . .
#1
ME: "no thanks, we don't want an anemone right now, tank's too young and we don't have the lights."
LFSGuy: "What kind of lights do you have?"
ME: "Compact flourescents."
LFSGuy: "OH! Those are pefect for an anemone, you have just the exact kind of lights you need!"
______________
#2
ME: "Is that an ocellaris clown?"
LFSGuy: "Nope, that's a False Percula clown, we don't carry ocellaris clowns."
_______________
#3
ME: "Okay, we got the chromis bagged up, I need some food. Whadda got?"
LFSGal: "Here you go (handing me a jar of pellets), that's the only food you'll ever need for any fish you get."
_______________
#4
ME: "I understand this cycle process can take several week, right?"
LFSGuy: "Well, it may but you can add Bio-Spira and put fish in the very next day. I've been using it for years and have a 100% success rate with the tanks I set up."
_______________
#5
ME: "Tangs are our favorite fish, could we put a yellow and maybe a few other types of tangs in this 55 gallon tank?"
LFSGuy: "Oh sure, you could probably have three or four tangs in that tank."
_______________
#6
ME: "I'd like to get a few more different kinds of food, what do you have?"
LFSGuy: "Well, we have this brine shrimp, it's an outstanding food, very nutritious."
O for 6 anybody?

 

[mandarin w]

me: What are the tiny black specks on my tang.
LFS: Those are pepper spots. Nothing to worry about.
me: What should I do, Should I worry?
LFS: No just take some Garlic salt and spinkle it in your tank.
me: GARLIC SALT?
LFS: Garlic salt, Garlic neutralizes pepper, and the salt is
the same as in your tank
ONE WEEK LATER
me: I still don't understand what happened to my tang. Why
did he die.
LFS: Well your water is out of wack, But I got this stuff you can add to take care of this fo $45. and this stuff will help with this for $55. this $20. $35.so on. so on.
There you go. Yes, he said Garlic salt like you cook with.

 

[66chuck]

Makes me happy to live near a good LFS. Family owned. The part-time help wont answer questions they don't know the answer to. They find someone else for you to talk to.
They will hold fish for you, let you feed the fish you are interested in and I have even been able to get fish on credit, "until payday".
They have talked me out of fish that are not suitable. "Don't get that hippo if you already have another tang in your tank". "Your tank is still a little young to put that butterfly in".
I also live near a chain store that is fairly well staffed. But IMO you need to be somewhat informed before you go into any store when you are in a hobby as expensive and multi-faceted as SW fish.

 

[1journeyman]

Hmm... let's see, myths.
Water changes are bad to do during a cycle.
Cured live rock doesn't have to be re-cured when it is shipped to you.
Brine Shrimp are good food for SW fish
UGF are the "way to go"
The biggest, however, comes from fellow hobbyists. No matter what is posted someone will say "I did it, np". 5 Tangs in a 20 gallon? "No problem, I've done it." No protein skimmer? "Np, don't need it". Anemones under 1 pc bulb on a 210? "Mine does great". Can I have a school of 15 Dragonets in a goldfish bowl? "Sure, don't let people tell you otherwise. You just have to be careful".
There are exceptions to every rule, and a few success stories for every thousand failures.

 

[puffer32]

Originally Posted by Cannonman
I don't really understand the question I don't think- a pvc grid three inches high with five inches of sand would be fine though. Just make sure that you take your time and really make sure the rock is stable as you put it together. IMO pvc grids help to stablize a rock system even more than it being just on the bottom.
I cut my pvc pipes to the heighth of my sand bed, don't see the pipe sticking out either cause its under the rocks.

 

[66chuck]

Second the above. I'm still a novice, but have discovered that if you ask often enough, sooner or later somebody will give you the answer you want to hear instead of the answer you need to hear.

 

[stdreb27]

LFS: Sure a 400 gph hour canister filter is all you'll need for a filter and circulation on your 180 gallon tank. Yeah 10 pounds of LR is enough for your tank too.

 

[freejury]

Originally Posted by 66chuck
Second the above. I'm still a novice, but have discovered that if you ask often enough, sooner or later somebody will give you the answer you want to hear instead of the answer you need to hear.

soooo true.....
Base rock is a good "base". Go figure. thats why they call it base rock.....

IMO, deep sand bed is better than so so sand bed. If you want inverts and fish to live in your sand, give 'em some depth to roam. If not, go with some large crushed coral....copepods love it. plenty of places to hide. If your worried about and "avalance" in your tank, they also make great epoxy to glue your rock together. Just dont ever plan on moving it around.... :notsure: "base rock" will also eventually become "live rock", encrusted with coralline, tube worms, tunicates, etc.
LFS blunders: "we cant tell you/order what you need to feed your fry, because our "local suppliers" dont want us buying fish from other people.....
"you dont want to buy that online....You never know what your going to get..." Same to you buddy. I never know what I'm going to get from you either.....
"Thats our display tank, we dont sell anything out of it..." Next week, its gone. I wonder where it went? Did it Die......?