Live Rock

[monica]

I am very confused about live rock. What kind of lighting do you need? I have to decide what I want to do with my fish only tank and I'm having a hard time. Any advice is helpful. Thanks. I would love to move up and have lots more in my tank, but the more I read the more confused I am getting.

 

[mr.bubble]

Since you said any advice is helpful i will give it a go. BUT, you do not need lr in a fish only tank. most fish only tanks i have seen have no lr. they use this gray rock. dont know what it is called. but you dont need lr. its all up to you. it would be alot easer if you didnt have any lr. But if you really want lr, talk to someone else.

 

[lionpicasso]

What!!!! fish only without live rock.
I would say yes you do need live rock, as soon as bacteria colonize it, it will reduce ammonia.
Mr.bubble what do you mean easier without LR!!!!
There's no special lighting for fish only tanks,
I currently have 2-40watt flourescent bulbs above
my 75gal fowlr.

 

[tybud]

This is what i would do. i have a fish only tank also and i am getting cured live rock piece by piece. I wish I had know about it when I set up the tank so that I could have done it all at once. What the LR does is creates a media for your biological filtration thus creating a more natural enviorment for the fish. Also what I have noticed is that the LR bring new creatures in that become supplemental food for some of your fish. I have a beautiful mandrin goby that has never ate anything I gave it but it thrives on these little creastations. If I where you I would definatly go with LR, your tank will be much healthier.

 

[monica]

Thanks for the advice! I will do the live rock. I now have cc and it is starting to look terrible. The more I read the more I see that ls would be so much easier. Is this impossible to switch???? How the heck would you do it without changing all the water levels? Just thought I'd see if it's possible for someone who's still learning this stuff. Thanks again.

 

[therock0861]

Another thing you may want to consider is removing the CC. Go with a DSB it will be more beneficial to you. I agree with the above statement. You don't need special lighting for LR and it definitely is not harder to take care of. The LR is natures filter for your aquarium. I definitely rexcommend it. HTH

 

[monica]

Thanks for all the help! I need it! I think it is so great that I can get all this advice! Do you have any suggestions on how to go from cc to DSB????? I really would love to switch but it is scary. I don't want to kill my fish. Thanks!

 

[david s]

i found a post with mr salty comment on doin it i didnt want to give wrong advise so i checked here is post <a href="https://www.saltwaterfish.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=11&t=007548" target="_blank">https://www.saltwaterfish.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=11&t=007548</a>

 

[david s]

only thing i see missing in it is make sure u rinse new sand alot or it may cloud

 

[louny]

get rid of that crush coral ASAP. its just a nitrate producer and sand looks 100% better.good luck

 

[monica]

Thanks so much for all the help. I will go to ls. Can you help me out with what my tank should have for filtration if I have ls instead of cc? Thanks!

 

[monica]

If I have to rinse the sand, what kind of water do I use to rinse it? ( I hope these aren't really stupid questions.)

 

[striker]

Where are you getting the ls? If you are getting ls from online or buying the bacterial bagged ls from the lfs then do not rinse it. I repeat, <DONT RINSE IT> It will kill off the beneficial bacteria and critters in it. The clouding is harmless. If it is just plain sand from home depot or another store then I don't think it matters if it is rinsed or not. Many people buy the cheaper sand from a local store and cover it with live sand from online to add the critters and bacteria. Along with the ls and lr a protein skimmer is extremely helpful filtration. I have lr, ls, a skimmer and 2 penguin overflow filters. I also have 3 powerheads to increase water movement. Don't know if you have any but power heads are an integral part of a reef or sw tank.

 

[therock0861]

Definitely do not rinse your live sand. Just remove the CC with a vacuum and slowly add the LS. You could put it in a cup and slowly lower it to the bottom of your aquarium and slowly dump it in. That is one way to do it.

 

[monica]

I am going to put the sand from home depot in first and then ls. (Much cheaper!) I bought the southdown. I have a undergravel filter right now with the cc. It has two powerheads on it. Are these powerheads the same? I'm not sure what they are they were given to me from my inlaws. I also have a Aqua Clear 300 on the back of the tank. I know a need a skimmer also. I have a 75 gal. tank. Do you think my clown, royal gramma, and blue hippo would be okay in my 10 gallon while I change the sand? Thanks!

 

[therock0861]

First off get rid of the UGF you don't need it with the LS. If you plan on putting your other fish in the 10 I would go get a 20 gallon $20 and that way they have a little more room and less chance for aggression. Acclimate them appropriately and only keep them in there for a short time because the closed quarters may be more harmful than helpful.

 

[therock0861]

Oh by the way the power heads you have should be fine.

 

[therock0861]

Do you know where Jamestown Ny is? <img src="graemlins//urrr.gif" border="0" alt="[urrr]" />

 

[beecher]

Be prepared to rinse, rinse and then rinse some more. I rinsed my sand for 3 hours...put it in the tank, poured LS on top.....crystal clear in about an hour. I made the switch from CC, it was a major pain in the butt, but I definately like the look better than CC. The biological benefit is icing on the cake IMO.

 

[monica]

Hi everyone. I'm sorry I haven't said thank you for all the advice. I was pretty sick for a bit. Anyway, thanks! I am looking and looking and looking into this! I know it's going to cost me big money, but I still just would love to do more! Thanks again. I'll have more questions I'm sure.