Ls

[rgoodwin]

On day 12 of cycle.
60 Gal Hex tank
Fluval 3plus
35 lbs LR
10 lbs LS
Skilter 250
1-Domino
2-Green Chromis
1-Yellowtail Blue
1-Three Stripe
2-camel backs
PH 8.2
Ammonia .30
Nitrite 0
Nitrate10
Was reading and seen alot suggest that there should be atleast 4" of sand. How should I add more or when should I do it. Also my equipment good for the tank that I have picked out.

 

[sebae0]

im no expert and dont claim to be but why did you start with so many fish and inverts to start? 1 fish would have done the job. the dsb helps in denitrification after your tank has cycled and has gotten established. remember patience my friend dont rush it and you will be better off in the long run.

 

[rgoodwin]

It was what my LFS tod me to do that it would help cycle my tank. This is my first SWF set up. Was just doping what I was told to do. Then I found this site and started reading.

 

[majakarot]

i don't know about the green chromis, but the other three damsels can survive the cycle if healthy, the hex tank can be used for sw, but you can't have as many fish in it because the surface area is less, also it is probably too deep to get good lighting in unless you added a single metal halide pendant, then you could havbe corals and whatnot, if you are going fish only i would just add a double striplight --- and damsels can be enjoyable fish if you don't overpopulate, i have 6 fish in my 75, 4 being damsels and they do not fight at all and are very active and agressive eaters, but they practically killed each other in my 29...

 

[rgoodwin]

The more I learn about SW tanks the more I regret buying a hex tank I could have boght a 125 Gal for another 125 dollars. And yes I am aware now that Im am going to be limited on the fish. I plan to just have a lion and a yellow tang in the tank. I figure the Lion is more of a hover fish than a pacer. I am not a pro I am just learning and trying to do it right or I would not be wasting my time trying to get help. I do have twin bulbs that came with my tank. Do I need special bulbs for my live rock.

 

[gregzbobo]

In answer to your bulb question, the bulbs that came with that light are likely toward the red spectrum, not so good for lighting an aquarium. They tend to promote nast algea. I would recommend you get an actinic bulb, and a 10k bulb. Or perhaps a pair of 50/50 bulbs. either would work pretty good for keeping the coralline on the lr going. And as a side note, yellow tangs need a fair amount of swimming room to be happy and healthy. A 60 gallon tank is probably toward the minimum size for an adult individual, but a hex might not have the length a tang would like. Perhaps if/when you geta larger tank, you can put him in that tank. Sounds like a nice tank for a small to medium size lion though. If its within your budget, you might look into upgrading your skimmer a bit. The Skilter is an ok unit, but the bakpak 2 seems to be a bit more popular for a hang-on skimmer. It defintiely costs more, but is likely worth the extra expense. And as for your original question on ls, if the tank is still pretty new (sounds like it), you should be able to add it right in the tank. Just use caution not to bury any fish or shrimp, and you ought to be good to go. Since the sand you have now is live, I would scopp out as much as you can into a bucket of tankwater before you add the dsb, then put the live stuff back in on top. You'll have to drain some of the water anyway to make room for the extra sand. And don't worry about cloudy water, it WILL be cloudy for a few days at the very least, but it will settle down as bacteria attach to it and make it live. I won't tell you to take your tank and equipment back because thats not what you asked. But perhaps in the future, you may get a larger setup. Thats what I strive for anyway.