Here we go

[momitts]

I finally got a good deal on a 55g. tank, was wanting to go a little bigger but the price was right. I added about 4 inches of live sand mixed with a bag of c.c. and have my salt levels where it need's to be. I am now letting my tank settle but the question I have is I've heard mixed opinions on when to add the live rock? One guys telling me to add all of it in about four days and let the tank cycle with it. Another person is telling me to let the tank sit for about a month while adding small amounts of fish food, or just putting a few damsel fish in there to let them help with the cycling, and adding live rock in intervals (1-2 about every week to 2 weeks)
Just curious if anybody knows if any way is better? or if it's a time issue I don't mind the wait (need to let my bank account catch back up, they were'nt kidding about the addictive and spendy part about this hobby)
Also I have a Amiracle bio-ball trickle filter. just curious if anybody has attempted to put some kind of water supply directly to it using a float to moniter the levels, I know enough to stay away from the copper line and use the plastic line, is there any type of float that would work for this purpose, I havent seen any without some type of metal on them, is there any metal that could work? ex brass? Please let me know, and wish me luck!

 

[fishieness]

not sure what you are talkign about in the second thing but i think you are looking for a float switch. google that
as faar as live rock, add some uncured now if you can to help cycle. dont use fish, that is extreamly cruel to put them in such a toxin environment! if you can afford any live rock, cured or uncured, then start some feedings and slowly add some as your funds catch up. you can add live rock once you ahve fish in there, but make sure it is cured (if it smells liek the ocean and not like dead crap).

 

[fishieness]

PS: it is against the rules to post competing sights on here out of the respect for the administrators of this website.

 

[weberian]

Hey there. I don't see any picture.
If you search for "float valve" or "Kent float valve" you will find one you can purchase. I just ordered one myself, but a slightly cheaper brand can't recall the name.
I am going to make my own "bracket" to hold it down on top of my glass sump. The valve is "bulkhead" and I don't feel like drilling through glass. Your Amiracle, is that plastic - it may be easier for you. Good luck.

 

[dexter]

I've always added 90% of my LR 24 hours after I got the Salinity where I wanted it and let the tank cycle witht he LR die-off and a raw shrimp.

my 30 gallon took about 4 weeks to cycle and my 100 gallon only took 3 weeks.
Main thing is to keep checking your levels throughout your cycle so you know when the levels are truly correct.
Good luck! - Dxtr

 

[momitts]

yes the amiracle is a plastic sump so I dont mind drilling it for a clean installation. Also I cant seem to get my own pics to post, says my pixles are too great. what can I do to adjust the setting's? ( I know this isnt a tech. thread but any advice would help)

 

[momitts]

Originally Posted by fishieness
PS: it is against the rules to post competing sights on here out of the respect for the administrators of this website.

Sorry about that, i'm new to these thread sites, guess we'll just chalk that one up to experience

 

[weberian]

I believe the tubing for supplying the float valve is PEX tubing. (Cross-Linked polyethylene tubing, or 1/4-inch pressure tubing). They sell it at Home Depot and on some fish sites too. I'm setting it up to gravity feed to the sump.
I've been to some shops where they can't answer exactly if rock is cured or uncured. So it can be ifffy. I had one guy once turn the rock repeatedly holding it in front of the large powerhead in the rock tank and he blew tons of detritus off the rock before putting it in my bucket. Try to get them to do that for you. Yeah, smell it too.
I cycled with live rock, but it was "cured" so it was not much of a cycle. Some people say they believe in a "hard" cycle but I don't know much about the difference and I hadn't heard about it at the time. If you have time I suppose you could search on "hard cycle".

 

[weberian]

I upload pictures to a free website called photobucket. I try to resize my pictures myself before uploading, but I believe photobucket will resize them if they're too big anyway. Then you just paste the IMG tag into your SWF post and voila - image.

 

[momitts]

well here's what I'm starting out with, thanks for the photo link!

 

[momitts]

You say your going to set up a gravity feed to your sump? how do you go about doing that? are you just keeping a container above your sump that you keep topped off? also that looks like a cardinal in your avitar pic, if it is what kind is that and is it yours? nice looking fish!

 

[weberian]

Yeah, I have a workbench near the tank that is above the level of the sump. I'm going to use a plastic tub like the one in your pic and put a PEX bulkhead through it near the bottom.
Thanks about the cardinal. He's my pajama cardinal, one of the two first saltwater fish I bought. The other was a royal gramma.
About the pajama cardinal, I'm going to try a nicer close up of his yellow face and big red eyes. Camera work is tuff. Speaking of that, it's hard to see your wet-dry from the pic - it's kind of dark.

 

[momitts]

I'll take a better pic of the sump here shortly, that is a good idea for the gravity feed, I am kind of nervous about running a direct line to my sump because if I had a break or leak in the line it would run continuesly, guess it all in the planning. it prob. will be awhile before I cross that bridge anyways. lot's of other stuff needed first. I may have to start pawning some of my guitars. jk